Pure white sunlight filtering through the window tickled Mitsuri's eyelids. Mumbling in the soft touch of the silk futon, she opened her eyes and blankly stared at the ceiling for a moment.
An unfamiliar ceiling, yet an air that strangely felt reassuring.
"Umm... Ah, right! I got married yesterday!"
Mitsuri bolted upright. The space beside her was empty, but a neat note placed by the pillow greeted her.
Her face turned red like a ripe apple at the words 'your husband.' Last night, the white-haired oni form he showed her wasn't a dream.
Far from scary, she felt overwhelmingly happy that he shared that huge secret with her.
"Alright! Kanroji Mitsuri, no, now Nagao Mitsuri! Let's do your best to greet everyone in the morning! Gotta earn points with the family!"
She quickly changed clothes and stepped into the corridor. Following the delicious smell, she arrived at a dining room with huge double doors. Mitsuri took a deep breath and swung the doors wide open.
"Good morning, everyone! The new bride Mitsuri, here to greet... you?"
The dining room she entered with a loud greeting. But the sight that welcomed her was literally a banquet of a Hundred Demons' Night Parade.
The first thing to catch her eye was the peerless beauty Tamamo, sitting near the head seat and elegantly fanning herself.
On her head were large, fluffy fox ears, and behind her back, fox tails swayed. She grinned and spoke in a voice laced with sarcasm.
"Oh my, the new Madam has awoken. Did you sleep well? I am Tamamo-no-Mae, who oversees the household affairs of this house."
Next to her, Shuten Douji was tilting her gourd with a red face. Two sharp horns rose from her head, and her kimono was loosely worn—no, just tied at the waist and barely draped.
"Oh, you're here? Slept in terribly. Must've been a tiring first night, huh?"
Shuten smiled mischievously and threw a crude joke. And across from her, Kiyohime with greenish hair and serpentine pupils was staring piercingly at Mitsuri.
It was a situation where an ordinary person would faint in shock, but Mitsuri's reaction was different.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
"...?!"
While they were taken aback, Mitsuri covered her cheeks with both hands and shouted.
"Amazing! Amazing! What is this! You're all so cuuuuuute!!"
Mitsuri charged at Tamamo-no-Mae to stroke her tail, praised Shuten Douji's horns as cool, and admired Kiyohime's eyes as gem-like.
"Hey, green-haired girl! Your eyes are like gems! They sparkle like jade, so pretty! My goodness, Akira-san's house seems to have only beauties!"
"...You're the first besides Master to call me beautiful."
Even Kiyohime's jealousy melted away. The monsters were instantly disarmed by Mitsuri's unreserved affinity.
Then, the maids carrying food caught Mitsuri's eye.
The first to stand out was the small-statured girl with horns, Mukago. She instinctively sensed Mitsuri's tremendous aura (innate strength) and was trembling while holding a tray.
"Eeek..."
"Oh my? Why are you trembling like that? Are you hurt somewhere?"
As Mitsuri approached with a worried face, Mukago almost burst into tears. The aura she felt was like facing her lord.
"S, sorry! Don't eat me! I, I don't taste good!"
"Huh? What are you talking about? Why would I eat a small, cute kid like you? Your horns are adorable and cute!"
As Mitsuri stroked Mukago's head, Mukago made a bewildered expression.
And next to her was the woman Ubume with pale, bloodless skin emitting a strange fragrance. Though always expressionless and gloomy-looking, she appeared different in Mitsuri's eyes.
"Wow... Your atmosphere is truly mystical! How is your skin so white like porcelain? Like a doll!"
"...A doll, you say."
Ubume looked up at Mitsuri with dry eyes. At Mitsuri's sunny smile, Ubume turned her head away in embarrassment for the first time.
"...Thank you. That's excessive praise."
The only human attendant Tsubaki, quietly pouring tea nearby, let out a sigh of relief at this unbelievable scene.
Then, the kitchen door slammed open.
"Master! Didn't you say to leave breakfast prep to this cat, woof!"
Tamamo Cat, looking identical to Tamamo but much wilder and wearing a maid outfit, jumped out holding a giant carrot. A real carrot.
"You there, pink-head! You eat really well, woof! Wanna try my special carrot hamburg, woof?"
"...Huh? Two Tamamo-sans? But that one says 'woof'?"
"That's a familiar born from a tail I cut off that gained its own ego on a whim. She's an idiot, so ignore her."
Tamamo sighed, but Mitsuri was already eating the hamburg thrown by Tamamo Cat with sparkling eyes.
And behind her, head chef Benienma was happily smiling while serving more rice.
"Madam, eat lots, woof. Eating well is being filial, woof."
"Benienma-chan is the best! Please give me one more bowl of rice!"
After finishing the meal, Akira entered the dining room.
"Quite noisy. Did everyone exchange greetings well?"
"Akira-san! This house is really the best! Everyone's so kind and cute!"
Mitsuri clung to Akira's arm. Akira smiled and led her to the garden. A garden so dense with trees that sunlight didn't enter.
"There are still more family members to introduce."
The moment they entered the garden, a hearty laugh came from above a cherry tree.
"Wahahaha! So you're the rumored new bride!"
A girl in black uniform floating in the air, waving a red cloak—Oda Nobunaga. She aimed a rifle at Mitsuri and looked down arrogantly.
"I am the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, Oda Nobunaga! The top combat power of this household! You're Akira's wife? Did you get my permission? Huh?"
An ordinary person would tremble before the gun barrel, but Mitsuri's eyes sparkled as she clapped.
"M, the Demon King?! The Nobunaga-sama from history books?! Amazing! You're really flying!"
"Hmm? Wh, what's with that reaction. Aren't you afraid?"
"Not afraid! Your cloak is so cool! Like a count from a Western fairy tale! Is that gun a real matchlock? Does it go bang?"
As Mitsuri approached with twinkling eyes, Nobunaga flustered and cleared her throat.
"Ahem! Of course! My firepower of three thousand worlds is the greatest under heaven! ...You have a good eye, girl. I'll specially let you touch the hem of my cloak."
"Wow! Thank you, Demon King-sama!"
Then, a cheerful voice came from the veranda.
"Nobu, that's enough. You'll startle the bride. Come here, Mitsuri-san."
The beautiful girl in hakama, Okita Souji, sat on the veranda eating dango and gestured. Her eyes were clear, and her movements looked feather-light.
"Hello~ I'm Okita Souji. I was the captain of the Shinsengumi's first unit."
"The Shinsengumi?! The legendary genius swordswoman?!"
Mitsuri's eyes went wide.
"Oh my, but I heard you were quite sickly... You look very healthy?"
"Fufu, I'm an Assassin-class now. With no Frailty skill, my body feels light enough to fly! Could easily handle a hundred dangos!"
Okita winked while taking a dango off the stick in one bite.
"Want one, Mitsuri-san? The cherry blossom dango here is very delicious. After eating, let's have a swordsmanship match. I'll cut so swiftly you won't even see it."
"Yes! Okay! I really like mochi! I'm confident in using strength too!"
Mitsuri sat happily beside Okita, who was healthily eating dango, and received mochi.
Then, a nimble shadow jumped out from behind a garden rock and circled around Mitsuri. The armored warrior girl, Ushiwakamaru.
"My Lord! Are you my Lord's wife?! I am Ushiwakamaru! Ooh!"
Ushiwakamaru looked up at Mitsuri like a puppy, then suddenly poked her thighs and arms.
"This elasticity! The muscle density is extraordinary! Looks soft on the outside but inside like steel! You're no ordinary human woman!"
"Kyaah! Oh my, where are you touching!"
As Mitsuri shyly protested, Ushiwakamaru's eyes sparkled as she made a proposal.
"Care for a sumo match? Seems much more fun than with Benkei! I think you could entertain me!"
"Sumo? Oh my, how did you know I'm strong!"
Mitsuri rolled up her sleeves, burning with enthusiasm.
"Alright! I hate losing! No going easy because I'm a woman, okay?"
"Of course! Come at me!"
As the two grabbed each other's waistbands (though there weren't any, they held each other's waist), the garden floor cracked. Akira hastily stopped them.
"That's enough. You'll destroy the entire garden."
There was another silently observing this commotion from a garden corner. A girl in kimono floating a large brush in the air and swiftly drawing something on paper—Hokusai (Oei).
"Hmm... Strange, how strange. That cherry blossom hair. The color tone is very good."
She stared piercingly at Mitsuri while moving her brush.
"You there. Stay still for a bit. The harmony of your body's curves and hair color stimulates my creative desire. Especially that vigorous expression is excellent."
"Huh? You're drawing me? Wow, it's my first portrait!"
Mitsuri stuck close to Hokusai and watched the drawing. On the paper, Mitsuri's form was being drawn with dynamic strokes. But in the background, bizarre octopus legs were squirming.
"Wow! You draw really well! Is this me? You drew me so prettily! But... what's this octopus behind me?"
"Artistic inspiration. What do you say, won't you become my exclusive model?"
"If you draw me prettily, sure! Hehe."
Thus, the garden instantly became a bustling banquet hall. Nobunaga struck poses in the air, Okita offered snacks to Mitsuri, Ushiwakamaru was busy arranging the next sparring appointment, and Hokusai followed Mitsuri around doing sketches.
At the center, Mitsuri showed no fatigue, instead talking and smiling to them all, binding the disparate existences together.
When Mitsuri, having played for quite a while, sat on the veranda to catch her breath, Kanae and Shinobu approached and offered tea.
"Miss Mitsuri, you're really... amazing."
Shinobu said, clicking her tongue.
"Oni, even Servants... An ordinary person would run away scared in this situation, yet you became friends so quickly."
Mitsuri blew on her teacup and smiled brightly.
"Well... honestly, I was a bit surprised at first, but I'm not scared at all! I was treated like a monster outside too."
Mitsuri looked warmly at the Servants playing together in the garden.
"Everyone whispered that my strength was creepily strong, that my hair color was weird. But look here. There are horned sisters, tailed foxes, even a flying Demon King, right? Here, I'm the most~ ordinary one, see?"
Mitsuri's eyes grew moist, but a happy smile hung on her lips.
"Akira-san... gathered all these unique, strong kids with nowhere to go in the world and made a family, right. So... I really like this place. It feels like my real home."
At Mitsuri's sincere confession, Kanae and Shinobu looked at each other and smiled.
"I see. For you, Miss Mitsuri, this place is the most comfortable haven."
Akira, watching this scene from afar, chuckled. This small world he created was a place that could never be explained by human common sense.
But with the sun called Mitsuri entering, this bizarre group was finally acquiring the complete form of a family.
After the bustling garden banquet ended, Mitsuri spent the daytime adapting to the house. As night fell, she came to the couple's bedroom, and time for just Akira and Mitsuri began.
Perhaps because she poured out too much energy all day, Mitsuri in yukata was nodding off while sitting on the futon.
Akira watched her appearance as if finding it cute, then quietly sat beside her.
"Mitsuri."
At the quiet call, Mitsuri flinched and opened her eyes.
"Ah! Yes, darling! I wasn't sleeping! Just had my eyes closed!"
"Fufu, it's fine. It was truly a long day today. Thanks to you, the mansion regained its liveliness after a long time."
Akira gently stroked her hair. But his touch seemed slightly more hesitant than usual, and a heavy shadow fell over his expression.
"Mitsuri. I'm really glad you accepted this place, and my true form. But... there's still one more confession I haven't made to you, perhaps the most important one."
At the unusual atmosphere, Mitsuri's sleepiness completely fled.
"Huh? An important confession? Perhaps... another scary monster family member? I'm fine! Seeing today, they're all cute."
"No. It's about the family members but... a bit different."
Akira fell silent for a moment, then firmly took Mitsuri's hands and looked directly into her eyes.
"The Servants you met today—Tamamo, Shuten Douji, Kiyohime, and others."
"Yes, they were all such wonderful people!"
"They... are not merely subordinates or family members following me. They are companions who have been with me since long, long before I met you."
"...Companions?"
Mitsuri blinked, momentarily not understanding the meaning of that word.
"Yes. Simply put, they are all my lovers."
"..."
A heavy silence flowed through the room. Mitsuri's thought processes momentarily stopped. All of them? The beautiful, strong sisters whose tails she touched, whose horns she praised, with whom she ate, and promised to sumo all day?
"Eh... Eeeeeeeeeeeeh?!"
Mitsuri's shocked scream, coming a beat late, shook the moonlit mansion.
"Th, them all? All those many people?! Tamamo-nee too? Shuten-nee too? The Demon King too?!" Y1pKRDY3WUhYeXVKQmZZeTNSUXY4QXNwWkp6SWR1MkJROGZlTHVrMCtDWEpUekg5MlBRVmVpSVFUdllncHZ0YQ
"That's correct."
Akira bowed his head. Though always confident, at this moment he looked like a sinner.
"I'm sorry, Mitsuri. I deceived you."
"...Deceived me?"
"Yes. When I proposed to you, I didn't tell you this fact. I brought you to this house hiding the truth—that I am an oni, and that I already have numerous companions. Even knowing no ordinary woman could accept such a thing... I didn't want to lose you, so I acted cowardly."
Sincere remorse seeped from Akira's voice. Because he deceived Mitsuri for his own benefit.
He still had a conscience left, and he had used Mitsuri's important first marriage—she was younger than Kanae—as a fraudulent marriage.
"Even if you get angry, even if you feel betrayed, I have no excuse. Resent me."
Akira waited for Mitsuri's judgment. A situation where he'd have no words even if she ran out crying or slapped his cheek.
But after a long silence, Mitsuri's voice that came was completely different from his expectations.
"...No."
"Huh?"
As Akira raised his head, Mitsuri was scratching her cheek as if troubled.
"Of course I was a little, no, very~ surprised. But I'm not angry."
"Why is that? I deceived you."
"But, the reason Akira-san deceived me... is because you liked me so much you didn't want to lose me, right? Correct?"
Mitsuri's pupils shone without wavering.
"And the sisters I met today. They were all so cool and pretty. Akira-san is a cool man, so it makes sense people like that would like you. Actually, thinking I'm on the same side as such amazing people makes me feel kinda secure?"
Mitsuri's way of thinking was beyond ordinary human categories.
What was important to her wasn't the lie itself, but Akira's feelings contained within that lie and her current happiness.
This place with a husband who loved her as she was, and family who affirmed her strength, was already heaven to her.
"Th, though there's one thing I'm curious about!"
Mitsuri suddenly put on a serious expression and raised her index finger. Akira tensed. Had it finally come.
"Speak. Anything."
"Well... if there are that many sisters."
Mitsuri gulped and asked carefully.
"I am... what number wife am I? I'm not like the 100th or something, right?"
Akira made a dumbfounded expression at the unexpected question. Not a pursuit about betrayal, but worry about ranking competition.
Akira couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Ah, you really are something..."
After laughing for a while, Akira wiped the tears at the corners of his eyes and deeply kissed the back of Mitsuri's hand.
"Don't worry. Things like order aren't important."
He lovingly cupped Mitsuri's flushed face.
"You are the one and only official wife I have welcomed in this present world. No one can replace your position."
"Th, the official wife..."
Her face blossomed at the resonance of that word.
"Hehe... What a relief. I'm not last!"
Mitsuri burrowed into Akira's embrace with relief. Akira tightly hugged her. A night where he keenly felt anew what an incredible treasure he had obtained.
A whimsical yet strong new bride who covered even the truth of the Servants' harem with love, beyond the oni's identity.
The newlywed life of two people that began falsely but was bound by sincerity had now truly just raised its curtain.
Perhaps as Shuten said, it seemed they couldn't continue merely as a loveless fake couple. Akira felt complicated emotions.
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