Chapter 807: Mitsuri Kanroji
Chapter 807: Mitsuri Kanroji
In a remote rural town, a young girl with cherry-blossom hair and emerald green highlights went about her chores in a simple yard.
She stood by a well, pumping water with an old-fashioned hand pump into a large nearby vat until it was full to the brim.
The vat was huge, its height reaching her chest, and its diameter spanning about a meter.
After filling the vat, she squatted down, gripped the edge with her small hands, and with a slight exertion of force, effortlessly lifted the massive container, holding it high above her head.
Carrying the vat, Mitsuri Kanroji dashed out of the house and into the nearby vegetable garden, calling out as she jogged, "Water's here! Water's here!"
In the garden, her older mother worked with several younger boys and girls, who were her siblings.
"Sis is here!" one of the young boys called out as he worked in the fields.
Their mother turned and admonished with a smile, "Slow down, don't trip and break the vat."
Mitsuri immediately slowed her pace, carefully placing the large vat on the ground. Her younger brothers and sisters quickly gathered with various scoops and basins to draw water from it.
Mitsuri Kanroji wiped the sweat from her brow and sighed softly as she watched her family work in the fields. She hadn't been feeling very happy lately—not for many days, in fact.
The previous week's arranged meeting had not only been a failure, but the prospective suitor had also said hurtful things to her, commenting that her strength and appetite were more suited for marrying a bear.
Deeply hurt by these words, she had spent several days in a slump, even accidentally causing an incident during her chores that resulted in her father's leg injury, which was why he was still bedridden.
Mitsuri took a moment to compose herself, determined to start afresh, and joined her younger siblings in helping their mother tend to the vegetable garden.
They toiled through the morning until, at last, the task was complete.
The family returned home, chatting and laughing along the way.
Their father emerged from the house, leaning on a cane, and greeted them. "Well done, lunch is ready... Oh, and Mitsuri, we've run out of medicine for bruises and sprains. Please go to the pharmacy and get a new prescription."
After a busy morning, her siblings, with their average physiques, were exhausted. Naturally, the errand of running to the pharmacy fell to Mitsuri.
"Okay, I'll be right back!" Mitsuri replied swiftly, taking the money her father offered and dashing out of the yard toward the nearby town.
Her father called out after her, "Hey, there's one more thing..." But before he could finish, Mitsuri was already out of earshot, leaving him to lower his hand in resignation.
"What is it?" her mother asked.
He gave a wry smile and said, "A matchmaker came by earlier when you all were out. She wanted Mitsuri to meet someone."
"...Really?" Her mother's expression turned pained.
The couple had been fretting endlessly about their daughter's happiness. Mitsuri's appetite and strength often startled even her own family, let alone outsiders.
Over the past year, there had been numerous failed attempts at matchmaking, most of them ending with the prospective suitors being scared away by Mitsuri's appetite and strength.
This constant worry had the couple concerned: what if their daughter never found a suitable match?
Her mother walked into the house, rubbing her temples, and said, "When she gets back, I'll have a talk with her. I'll tell her to be more mindful and not scare this one away too."
Mitsuri Kanroji ran as fast as she could away from her home, her heart still heavy from the recent events.
To avoid frightening the townsfolk, she deliberately slowed her pace, though even at this reduced speed, her stride was faster than most. As she neared the town, she slowed further, transitioning from a run to a gentle walk, doing her best to appear ladylike.
A group of boys her age passed by, and she couldn't help but notice one particularly handsome youth.
Mitsuri blinked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, and her breath quickened slightly.
Then, a young man clad in a pristine white shirt caught her eye, and her gaze followed him as he strolled by.
So captivated was she by this vision of beauty that she forgot to watch where she was going and collided with a passerby.
Thud!
The force of her collision sent the pedestrian tumbling to the ground.
"Oh no!" Mitsuri's face contorted with worry. "I'm going to be in so much trouble now!"
She immediately rushed to the aid of the person she had accidentally knocked over. "I'm so sorry! It wasn't my intention... Erm..."
Her voice trailed off as her eyes locked onto the face of the person she had collided with.
The stranger had black, messy hair and wore simple clothing, but his features were so exquisite that Mitsuri found herself momentarily stunned.
"Watch where you're going next time," the stranger grumbled, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes as he recognized Mitsuri.
This passerby was none other than the town's newest doctor, who had recently taken over the local clinic from his father. Of course, this was just a front for his true identity.
This was one of the many lives that Feng Ye was currently experiencing.
To make his experiences as authentic as possible, he had set up life plans for each persona and was living them out as an ordinary person would, without relying on his powers. Although it was just a role, the more realistic it felt, the more beneficial it was.
Since this particular life was that of an ordinary doctor, he couldn't very well use his ability to predict the future while in character, hence his collision with Mitsuri.
It was challenging to suppress his true power, which far surpassed that of a hundred suns, and it had taken a great deal of effort to maintain this facade.
He had no prior knowledge of what would happen during this ordinary life, and his encounter with Mitsuri was entirely coincidental.
But Feng Ye quickly recovered from his momentary surprise and resumed his calm demeanor.
Thus far, he had lived over a hundred thousand different lives, each one beginning at the same point in time. In these myriad existences, he had crossed paths with many people, including Makomo and Shinobu Kocho, sometimes even interacting with the same person through different identities.
However, these encounters were always fleeting, much like the one he was having now. As an ordinary person, he was just that—a regular doctor in a small town, vulnerable to being knocked over by a rushing young woman.
"Are you going to stand there daydreaming after knocking me over?" Feng Ye chided gently, snapping his fingers in front of Mitsuri's face to bring her back to her senses.
"Ouch!" Mitsuri exclaimed, finally snapping out of her daze. "I'm so sorry! I... I..."
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she stumbled over her words, not knowing what to do with herself.
"Never mind," Feng Ye said with a wave of his hand. "I forgive you. Just be more careful next time."
As he dusted himself off and turned to walk away, Mitsuri stood rooted to the spot, transfixed by his side profile.
"His side profile is so handsome! And his background... Oh my, oh my..." Mitsuri's heart raced, and her mind swirled with thoughts. "How can there be such a handsome boy? Should I ask his name? But I just knocked him over... He's walking away... What do I do now? I didn't even properly apologize... I want to protect him..."
(End of Chapter)
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