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Chapter 77: Two-Dimensional Blind Date
"Aunt Eiko, I'm leaving our Mitsuri in your care."
Outside a rather expensive-looking estate, a well-dressed, middle-aged man scratched his head, looking somewhat apologetic as he spoke to the plump woman.
Hiding timidly behind the man was a young girl. She kept her head down, too afraid to interrupt or even look the plump woman in the eye. She just stared at the ground, her ears perked up to carefully listen to their conversation.
Hearing this, Aunt Eiko's lips instinctively twitched into a bitter smile. She quickly masked it before the man could notice.
"Don't you worry," she replied in a gentle, reassuring tone. "I've watched Mitsuri grow up since she was little. I promise I'll find her a suitable husband. Leave it to me! Everyone knows I, Eiko, am the most capable matchmaker for miles around. Whenever I step in, there isn't a single girl in this town who goes unmarried."
"Yes, yes, of course. I know your reputation well, Aunt Eiko, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered you," the man nodded repeatedly, his tone turning solemn. "I'm begging you, please help Mitsuri. I'll make sure you are generously compensated afterward."
"Rest assured, I don't joke around with my professional reputation."
After several rounds of guarantees, Aunt Eiko finally managed to soothe the worried father. However, the moment she walked away from the estate, her bitter smile resurfaced, impossible to hide.
To be completely honest, this was the most difficult commission she had taken in her twenty-plus years of matchmaking.
After all, within a radius of dozens of miles, who didn't know about the Kanroji family's eldest daughter and her monstrous appetite?
One of her meals was equivalent to what ten average adult men would eat. And if that wasn't enough, she could effortlessly lift a thirty-jin pickling stone when she was barely a year old. The Kanroji family wasn't the only one shocked by that incident; the rumor had spread to the entire town.
The massive appetite was somewhat manageable. The Kanroji family wasn't filthy rich, but they had substantial assets. A family of equal standing could afford to feed a wife who ate for thirty people. Besides, Mitsuri Kanroji was beautiful, possessed an incredibly voluptuous figure, and looked like she was built for bearing children. In this social tier, girls like her were highly favored by family elders.
The deal-breaker was her terrifying, inhuman physical strength.
Despite the era's reforms and the gradual influx of Western culture into the Island Nation, male chauvinism wasn't something easily erased. Under these societal norms, asking a man to marry a woman who was physically much stronger than him? To some men, that was harder to swallow than death itself.
Just as Aunt Eiko was wracking her brain for a solution, she spotted an impeccably handsome young man standing blankly in the distance.
He had black hair, black eyes, and was wearing an outfit tailored from fabrics she had never even seen before. He exuded an extraordinary aura, a kind of unyielding confidence that practically screamed he wouldn't bow to anyone. Most importantly, having lived in this town for over forty years, she had never seen or heard of any local family possessing such a fine son.
Handsome, wealthy background (she assumed), and an out-of-towner who hadn't heard the local rumors about Mitsuri Kanroji.
He perfectly matched every single trait she desperately needed!
He's the one!
Aunt Eiko's eyes gleamed. She immediately rushed up to the black-haired youth. "Young man, are you looking for a wife?"
"Huh?"
The young man snapped out of his daze and gave her a look. She couldn't tell if it was an illusion, but his mouth seemed to twitch involuntarily.
This young man was, of course, Suyan, fresh through the portal.
He shook his head, rejecting her flatly. "Sorry, but I'm not interested in the steel wool treatment."
With that, he turned to leave, not hesitating for a second.
"Hey, wait, don't go! You misunderstand, it's not me, it's not me—"
Seeing the youth's resolute rejection, Aunt Eiko didn't know what the steel wool treatment meant, but she knew he had wildly misinterpreted her intentions. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If she had met such an outstanding boy twenty or thirty years ago, she might have actually thrown herself at him. But at her age, she was old enough to be his mother! Where would she get such ideas?
She hurried to block his path and explained herself.
It took quite a bit of talking to finally convince him of her profession. She clearly saw the young man let out a massive sigh of relief right in front of her. She wisely chose not to point it out.
Once Suyan understood her goal, he thought it sounded like a fun experience. A 2D blind date. The mere concept was amusing.
"How about this, young man," Aunt Eiko proposed. "You go take a seat at the ramen shop just up ahead, and I'll go fetch your blind date right now. How does that sound?"
She was in such a rush she hadn't even asked for his specific background or name. She couldn't afford to let a premium bachelor like Suyan slip away. If she lost him, there truly might be no hope left for the Kanroji family.
"Sure." Suyan easily agreed.
It was still early, and exploring the world could wait. Besides, remembering how Shizuka had randomly picked him up shortly after he arrived in the Highschool of the Dead world two years ago, he had a feeling that this sudden event might lead to unexpected gains.
"Then it's a deal. Just wait for me at that ramen shop. Don't run off!" Aunt Eiko reiterated.
Suyan flashed her an 'OK' sign. To put her mind at ease, he strolled over to the nearby ramen shop under her watchful gaze and casually took a seat by the window.
About half an hour later, Aunt Eiko walked in, panting heavily, dragging a young girl behind her.
"Y-You two chat first. I need a glass of water, I'm exhausted," she gasped, leaving the girl behind.
"Please, have a seat," Suyan invited politely.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully observing the fidgeting girl in front of him. He was genuinely surprised. The girl wasn't ugly at all. In fact, she was stunning.
She had soft, shoulder-length black hair. Her delicate, well-proportioned face featured large, light green eyes, framed by twin moles resting perfectly beneath them. Most notably, hidden beneath her loose, modest clothing was a figure that absolutely rivaled Saeko and the others.
If she looked down, she wouldn't be able to see her toes.
Yet, she was hunching her shoulders, keeping her head lowered, looking incredibly shy and timid.
A girl like this needed a blind date?
"U-Um… m-my name is Mitsuri Kanroji. Please take care of me," the girl bowed stiffly, her voice filled with apprehension.
"Hello, my name is—" Suyan started, before freezing mid-sentence. His eyes widened. "Wait, did you just say your name is Mitsuri Kanroji?"
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