Chapter fourteen:

"Love shenanigans!"

Muichiro's feet dragged, he would eventually arrive at the source of all that noise. Rubbing an eye, with his long silky hair messy and a sleepiness that was begging him to go back to his room, he forced himself to check what made his tsuguko scream.

I swear, if it's a bear again, we're having bear soup tonight.

He stopped, lifted his head up, and blinked slowly seeing two girls instead of one. Before he could turn around and go to sleep again, Mitsuri noticed his presence and jumped at him.

"Muichiro-kun, long time to see!"

Muichiro yawned, his movements heavier than usual.

Meanwhile, your face resembled the painting 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch. Your eyes couldn't believe Mitsuri had the audacity of hugging him so easily.

"What are you doing here, watermelon face?"

Mitsuri released him, beaming with happiness despite the poker face Muichiro was giving her.

"Shinobu-san was super busy, so she asked me to help you with the thing she had to help you with... ah, did you understand that? I think I wasn't clear"

Muichiro let out a tired sigh. Out of all people the insect pillar could ask for help, why did it had to be the love pillar?

Fuck it, it's better than nothing.

"Come on"

He led her, grabbing her white haori's sleeves, in the direction of his room. Your heart skipped a beat when you realized that it was there. You hurried to follow them, and just when they entered the room, Muichiro turned around to face you. He was one step ahead of you, closing the door right on your face when you took air to speak.

That's sacred territory... it took me three months to get in there.

This girl has to be in a whole other level! Please teach me your ways, Mitsuri onee-sama!

Pausing for several seconds in front of the door, a lightbulb finally lit up on top of your head.

Mitsuri? Isn't she the pillar that Shinobu-san told me about?

Oh... so she has the strength of twenty bears, but looks like a princess.

Everything makes sense now!

You returned to the living room, dropping dead on the floor next to the table. You were back to square one: not knowing what to do.

『 °*• ❈ •*°』

Mitsuri pulled a book out of her haori. She was careful not to let it fall anywhere, specially in front of you. Her heart was beating so fast due to her excitement that she was hopping from side to side. Muichiro took the book from her as soon as he saw an opening. The woman turned, mouth opened in pure surprise.

"There, you can leave now"

Mitsuri shook her head several times, cheeks puffed.

"H-Hey! I'm here to help you!"

The boy ignored her. He flipped the pages of the book in search of the recipe he desired to make.

"It's in page 42" she muttered, crossing her arms.

Muichiro turned to see her little tantrum. What he wanted to make was indeed in page 42, which had annotations on how to correctly do each step, all in Mitsuri's round and big handwriting. That which had hearts instead of dots over the i's.

Of course the love pillar would be excited about this. She was extremely good at cooking.

Muichiro's shoulders sank in defeat.

"I'm making sakura mochi for [Y/N], she's always wanted to eat it"

Mitsuri's head swung up, all her cupid senses tingling. She jumped up and down, heart hammering too hard inside her chest; Muichiro followed her ecstatic self with his eyes until she decided to stop making it a big deal.

"I knew it! You love her!"

Muichiro glared at her, clicking his tongue.

"What are you talking about? It's to congratulate her for learning three forms in a month"

Mitsuri's mouth agape, her eyes widened. "She did what?! In what?! THAT CUTE SMALL CHILD?0??"

Muichiro nodded. "Similar to my training, actually"

The love pillar felt a cold sweat run down her forehead down to her chin to finally drop on the floor. She had two of the cutest and most talented children she'd seen in her whole life, she could hardly contain her happiness. If you develop a form out of the mist breathing and became a pillar just like them, not only would she have another female in the team, but also she'd have more reasons to ship you two!

She swore she would help the 'forbidden' young love that was beginning to bloom in front of her. If her hands had to cover in dirt and she had to redirect the sunlight itself, she would do so! She would do any love shenanigans that were needed to attend their wedding! She would pay for it... if her food expenses weren't so high already!

The point is, she was super fired up. Her imagination was flying to places yours hadn't arrived yet.

Muichiro, confused at the love pillar's expression and trembling fists, was about to hit her with the thick book to see if she was working properly. Before he could do so, Mitsuri reacted, giving him a toothy smile and placing both of her hands on top of his shoulders.

"I swear I'll do my best efforts for your future, Muichiro-kun. Even if my destiny is to get married after you" she sniffed, looking away at the hella confused mist pillar "Now, onto my mission! I'll help you make the sweetest mochi ever"

"Uhh, okay? Just don't put too much sugar because she might get a sugar rush afterwards"