On the wide road, three people walked side by side.
The man in the middle had black hair and golden eyes, tall and handsome; the girl on the left was tall and beautiful; and the girl on the right was petite and cute.
The three of them attracted a lot of attention as they walked.
After Aoki took Takina home, he happened to run into Shinobu Kochō, who was about to leave, and then Kanae Kochō joined them.
Thus, his solo journey turned into a trio.
Shinobu Kochō looked at Aoki: "Why do you insist on coming with me?"
Aoki said, "I have nothing to do anyway, so I might as well go see her."
Shinobu Kochō hesitated for a moment: "Takina is very beautiful, but she already has a fiancé. Don't get any improper thoughts."
A strange expression flashed across Aoki's face.
"Don't worry, do you think I'm the kind of person who would harass girls casually?"
"No, not at all,"
Shinobu Kochō said. "It's just that I always feel you're being a bit too proactive, like you have some ulterior motive."
Aoki: "..."
Pretty perceptive.
Kanae Kochō said, "Actually, Takina-san is quite pitiful too."
Shinobu Kochō glanced at Aoki and explained, "Takina's father was turned into a Demon by Muzan Kibutsuji and almost killed them. It was Takina's fiancé who stayed behind to cover their retreat, buying Takina and her mother time to escape."
Aoki lowered his eyes; no one knew this past better than him.
"However," Shinobu Kochō continued, "things haven't gotten much worse. Takina's fiancé, though just an ordinary person, miraculously defeated the Demon.
But for some reason, he hasn't shown up again."
It's not that he hasn't shown up, he's just afraid to see them.
Aoki asked, "How did you meet?"
Shinobu Kochō said, "My sister and I ran into Takina and Aomura Rie when we returned from a mission.
Unfortunately, by the time we got back to Takina's house, the battle was over, and Takina's fiancé was nowhere to be found."
Aoki nodded secretly.
It was pretty much what he had guessed.
Kanae Kochō asked curiously, "Does Aomura Kazuhiko have any relatives?"
Shinobu Kochō also looked over.
They were both quite curious about Aomura Kazuhiko's past.
It wasn't convenient to ask before, but now that they had defeated Muzan Kibutsuji, they didn't need to be so reserved anymore.
"Yes,"
Aoki nodded, a slight smile appearing in his eyes, "I'll introduce them to you later."
"Okay!"
Neither Kanae Kochō nor Shinobu Kochō noticed anything amiss.
Soon after, the three arrived at Hakui.
Led by Shinobu, they quickly found the courtyard where Takina lived. *Knock knock knock.
*
Shinobu knocked on the door without hesitation.
"Coming!" a clear voice called from inside the courtyard.
Creak.
The gate opened.
A girl appeared in their view, her long, flowing blue hair cascading down her fair face. She wore a simple long dress, her face bare of makeup, yet still breathtakingly beautiful.
"Takina!" Shinobu smiled.
"Shinobu… oh, Kanae-san is here too, welcome…"
Takina's voice trailed off, her expression freezing.
Shinobu was somewhat surprised.
Why was Takina so excited today? Just then, she saw Takina open her arms.
Was she planning to hug her? Just as Shinobu Kochō was about to reach out, she realized that Takina's target wasn't her, but the person behind her.
Who was behind her?
Her older sister?
No!
Whoosh!
Aoki opened his arms and caught the girl. "This, this is?"
Shinobu's mouth slowly opened, and Kanae's gaze froze.
Aoki felt the girl in his arms trembling violently, gently stroking her soft, long hair, his expression gentle.
"I'm back!"
Takina buried her face in Aoki's arms, her voice muffled: "Why did you only come back now?"
"I'm sorry!"
"From that day until now, I've had nightmares almost every day."
"I'm sorry."
"Why did you only send a letter and not come to see us?" "
I'm sorry."
"My mother and I were so worried about you! We missed you so much!"
"I know!"
"Waaaaah!"
Takina could no longer hold back her sobs. Shinobu
came to her senses, her heart still filled with disbelief.
After listening to Aomura Kazuhiko and Takina's conversation, she roughly understood the truth.
Aomura Kazuhiko was actually Takina's fiancé! She also understood why Aomura Kazuhiko was so proactive.
Because he wanted to go home! "No wonder he only left a letter and left, and hasn't shown up since."
Shinobu Kochō stared blankly at the young couple embracing.
Because he had become a Demon.
Moreover, he was seen as a thorn in Muzan Kibutsuji's side.
In order not to bring danger to Takina and Aomura Rie, he had no choice but to stay away until he defeated Muzan Kibutsuji.
In that case, the night they met Takina, weren't they on the same mountain as Muzan Kibutsuji? A sense of relief rose in her heart.
If they had encountered Muzan Kibutsuji back then, she and her sister would certainly have died, and they would never have met and gotten to know Aomura Kazuhiko, nor would they have witnessed the day when Muzan Kibutsuji was defeated.
"However, he clearly knew everything, but he pretended to know nothing on the way. This was definitely intentional!"
Shinobu Kochō glared at Aoki, feeling a little envious.
Kanae Kochō realized something.
All along, Aomura Kazuhiko had treated her and her sister differently from others.
She had thought of many reasons.
Only today did she learn the truth.
Aomura Kazuhiko must have known all along that Shinobu and she had helped Takina and her mother.
"Could it be that Aomura Kazuhiko saved me because of this?"
Kanae Kochō pursed her lips.
Across the courtyard, two middle-aged women sat.
Both of them stopped what they were doing, their mouths agape as they stared at the young couple embracing across from them.
A slightly overweight middle-aged woman's face was full of curiosity.
"Is he Takina's fiancé?"
Takina's beauty had become famous throughout the town shortly after they moved in, and being of marriageable age, she naturally attracted a lot of attention.
Even she had considered trying to set her son up with him.
However, rumors soon spread that Takina already had a fiancé,
and people had to give up.
But as time passed, people began to doubt the claim.
It had been almost a year since Takina and her friends moved in, and the legendary fiancé still hadn't shown his face.
Many rumors even circulated.
As a neighbor, the overweight woman also had her doubts, but she hadn't expected the fiancé to actually appear today.
Another woman stared at Aoki.
"He's quite the handsome young man, and he and Takina are a perfect match."
The plump middle-aged woman nodded. "Not only is he good-looking, but he also dresses very well; he doesn't look like an ordinary person."
"Hehehe, those who talk behind people's backs can shut up now. Takina does have a fiancé, and a very outstanding one at that."
Loving the book so far! Check out 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon
[email protected]/Horizons685
(End of Chapter)