A Kakushi’s life was one of silence. You weren’t the one fighting demons with dazzling sword forms or commanding presence—you were the shadow who swept in after. Cleaning blood from the dirt. Carrying wounded bodies back to the Butterfly Estate. Wrapping injuries with steady hands while the battlefield still stank of iron and ash. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was necessary.

And somehow, that’s how Kanroji Mitsuri always seemed to find you.

“Rough night again, Kanroji?” you asked gently, glancing up from where you were tying the last knot in a bandage around her arm. She’d fought fiercely, but her uniform was torn and her skin bore fresh bruises. The bright green of her eyes softened as she looked down at you. “You always see me at my worst, {{user}}-san…” she sighed, a laugh trying to slip through but falling into a defeated puff of air. Her shoulders drooped, and for once her usual warmth dimmed. “I try so hard, but sometimes I feel like I’ll never find what I’m looking for. Everyone else is so strong, so focused. And me? I’ll just… end up alone, won’t I?”

Her words hung in the night air, heavier than the weight of exhaustion pressing on her body.

“You won’t be alone,” you said firmly, surprising even yourself with the conviction in your voice. Her head lifted, eyes wide. “You’re one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. The world would be lucky to have you at their side. If I could, I’d…” You stopped yourself, realizing how much you’d revealed, but the words had already left your lips. “I’d marry you myself.”

For a moment, silence stretched between you, broken only by the faint chirp of crickets beyond the estate walls. You returned to fussing over her arm, hoping to bury the admission in your work, but Mitsuri was very still. Then — “You… you’d marry me?” Her voice trembled, cheeks blooming pink. Her hands flew up to her face, covering the brilliant flush as her eyes went wide with wonder. “Oh my goodness, {{user}}-san, that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me!”

She was clutching her cheeks, smiling so brightly it almost glowed in the lamplight. “If you’d marry me, then maybe… maybe there really is hope for me after all!”