After I finished tying up various loose ends in the underworld, Aizawa personally placed three seals on the back of my neck, each representing one lifetime in the human world. Once the three seals disappeared, I must return to the underworld and stand guard by the River of Oblivion once again.

In the envious eyes of other spiritual beings, I donned a white cotton dress and left for the human world. The human world I had previously known through books was much livelier than I had imagined it to be, and also more interesting, and also... more dangerous.

On my third day on Earth, on the way looking for Katsuki, I passed by a temple and discovered that it was dedicated to the God of Heaven, Mirio. I went in, thinking of offering my hopes to find Katsuki. I had only dropped to my knees, yet to finish bowing, when an old yet nimble priest suddenly stepped forth with a razor in hand.

He smiled amiably at me: "Hello, penitent, knowing to mend your wrongs by seeking the Lord is doing the world a good deed."

Huh? I hadn't had time to ponder over the meaning behind his words when his razor flew straight for my hair.

I was a stone – the Deku Stone. From head to toe, the most difficult ability for me was to grow my hair. I stared at the moss on my stone for a thousand years before it finally made a little improvement, yet this old wrinkled donkey had the nerve to try and shave me! I huffed and kicked him away. Unexpectedly, this priest was actually skilled. He easily dodged my attack.

He withdrew the genial smile from his face. "What are you intending to do?"

"Old man, I should ask you the same question," I replied dubiously.

He sneered. "Demon, I thought you had wanted to follow the Lord's way to atone for your sins. It turns out you had come here to stir trouble!"

"Demon?" I blinked. "You're mistaken, I'm not..."

"Hmph, I've detected the mustiness of darkness lurking in you from three miles away. Don't try to slink your way out of this!" He brandished the razor at me again

I sniffed myself left and right, but couldn't really sense any dankness on my body. The fish in the River of Oblivion were much mustier than I was! But this geezer did not bother to listen to my explanation. His razor relentlessly came after me, forcing me to dodge and evade his movements. My desire to kill began to rise, but Aizawa's endless reminders that I must never harm anyone suddenly came to mind.

I withdrew my magic, turned, and made a run for it.

That priest kept chasing after me all around the entire mountain, forcing me to run till I was out of breath. I just wanted to give the wrinkled donkey a punch and send him to an eternal sleep. Alas, Aizawa wouldn't be very pleased with me if I did.

All of a sudden, a burst of fragrance drifted to my nose. I had never smelled such a wonderful fragrance in the underworld. My attention was instantly lured away. As I drew near, a red sea of flowers came into sight, my feet crunching into the cold white ground beneath me.

The humans called this season 'winter', and they called that glistening, chilling substance covering the red petals 'snow'. But I didn't yet know the name of these red flowers. After I passed through the sea of scented boughs, I discovered a small courtyard quietly standing on the other side.

Curious, I opened the gate and went inside. After barely stepping into the courtyard, the golden rune Katsuki left on my wrist suddenly glowed. My heart drummed as I approached the main house inside the yard. Suddenly, I heard a low female voice humming: "Hush-a-by baby, on the tree top, when the wind blows, the cradle will rock."

I gently pushed the door ajar and quietly peered inside. A young woman was sitting in bed with a baby in her arms. Upon a closer look, I smiled. That face, that nose, and those lips, wasn't this a meatball version of Katsuki?!

I hadn't needed to search very far for him at all!

But he was only a meatball at present. He had forgotten his past life and could not yet recognize others. How was I going to seduce him? Or, should I stay by his side and be his guardian until he grows up? I definitely could not let other women, or men for that matter, to take advantage of him while he was still young.

A bellowing shout behind me abruptly disrupted my train of thought: "Heathen, where are you trying to run?!"

Startled, I swiftly dodged to the side, shoved open a door, and tripped into the house. His razor flashed by as I saw a handful of green hair falling down in front of my forehead. Woefully sprawled out on the floor, I stared vacantly at that handful of my hair fluttering down.

"AH!"

The woman's startled scream sounded so far away to my ears, and Aizawa's reminder was drifting even farther like puffs of clouds in the sky.

I jumped up, gathered my spiritual forces to my palm, and with the power of one thousand years' worth of darkness from the Oblivion, I aimed a strike at the old priest. This strike would've crushed his brain, but my sanity was suddenly awakened by the crying of the baby.

Taken by surprise, my attack veered to the side and struck the beam over the door, giving the entire hut three waves of tremors. I quickly fled out of the house through the window. It seemed as though my strike had affrighted the old donkey senseless. It took him a second before he eventually collected himself.

He looked at me, then looked at the meatball version of Katsuki and suddenly faced the horrified woman and told her: "The red in your son's eyes portends ominous things to come. He is already attracting such evil though he is only a newborn. See that demoness? He will surely be a curse to all those around him!"

The woman was scared to death at these words. She held onto her child, not knowing what to do.

"Hey old geezer, stop it with your nonsense!" I was furious. All humans believed in the prophecies of these priests and monks. He was going to ruin Katsuki's entire life with his condemning words.

"Hmph! Heathen, you ambushed me while I was unprepared. I will let you learn a lesson this time!"

The razor in his hand flashed a golden light as it turned into a staff of light and headed straight for me. This monk did not have a high cultivation, but the blinding light of his staff prevented me from looking straight at him. What we feared most in the underworld was the pure light of the Heavens. Overwhelmed, I was forced to retreat.

I didn't think that the fight between the monk and me would last very long. I was a stone – patience was my best virtue. I had believed that after our fight tired him out, he would eventually back off. By that time, I would come back to stay with Katsuki until he grew up. I didn't expect the human to be more stubborn than I thought him to be.

Demon slaying was his lifelong mission, and perhaps I was the most powerful 'monster' he encountered in his life – he ended up chasing me without mercy, even growing bald over time, as if killing me was the ultimate mission of his life.

Our battle transpired for nine full years in the human world.

Nine. Unbelievable. Years!

In the end, it wasn't that he gave up on killing me, but that my old acquaintances, the two brothers of Black and White Guards of Impermanence finally came to beckon his soul away...

I was hiding so wretchedly in the mountains at the time I chanced upon my acquaintances again. When I saw them drag the bald donkey's soul away, I clung their chilling sets of armor and wept in joy. At the same time, I made sure to tell them to ask Tamaki to give this priest some extra soup so that he would become a half-wit in his next incarnation and live a life of hardship.

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After finishing off the priest, I primped and preened my looks that hadn't been primped and preened over the last nine years. Then, crossing thousands of miles through mountains and streams, I found the small courtyard where I had first found Katsuki in the past.

After nine years of living in the human world, I finally learned that the red fragrant flowers were called plum blossoms. Even so, I had no idea the timespan of nine years could turn such a beautiful plum forest into this withering state.

I slowly neared the small courtyard as the golden seal on my wrist flickered again. I hadn't stepped past the gate when I saw a dirty child holding a much taller broom sweeping the barren yard. The rustling sounded so dreadfully bleak.

The child seemed to have realized that someone was entering. He suddenly turned around.

What I saw were a familiar pair of wary, red eyes. My heart clenched up, my hands trembled, and the candies I bought for Katsuki fell to the ground.

"Who are you?" He walked up to me, seemingly unafraid of my appearance.

I squatted down to be at his eye level and saw my own reflection in his curious eyes. I rubbed the dirt off of his face with my sleeve and told him, "My name is Deku. I've come to seduce you."

He stared at me without saying a word, letting me use my sleeve to wipe his face. I took notice of his ragged clothes and the bruises on his hands and neck. I seemed to recall his mother wasn't an impoverished person nine years prior. How could she let Katsuki become this way?

"Where's your mother?" I asked him.

"Dead."

His direct answer surprised me. Hadn't mortals always cared a great deal about life and death? He... maybe he was still too young to understand life and death. That was the only explanation I could come up with.

"Father?"

"Gone."

"Well, since your mother has passed away, everything is up to you now. Remember, as of today, I have successfully seduced you."

He remained silent as he watched me. I scratched my head; talking to a child was proving to be a very difficult task. Moreover, the child in question was somewhat reticent and withdrawn to begin with. I decided to use a simpler language to explain to him.

"In other words, I am your wife from now on. In accordance with the rules of the mortals, I am your child bride. But this isn't important. What's important is you shan't ever be lonely again now that I'm here." His eyes lit up. I patted his head. "Let me hear you call me 'darling'."

He was silent for a moment. "Deku," he repeated my name.

"It's 'darling'!" I protested.

"Deku."

"Darling!"

"Deku."

"...Fine," I gave up with a sigh, "call me Deku then."

I waggled a stern finger at him, "But in return, I get to call you Kacchan, okay?"

"Deku."

"Kacchan."

"Deku."

"Yes?"

I would come to remember the way he called my name again and again that day, calling me until I answered him. Much later, I learned there had also been a time when he called his mother over and over again to no avail.

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Katsuki was originally the God of War from Heaven. Although he was only in the mortal realm for his tribulation, he should still be a cultured and civilized man, and so I thought to send him to school.

Not far from where we lived was a small town. There was only one academy in this town. The teachers at this academy knew of the old priest's prophecy that Katsuki would grow up to be a curse to all those around him, and so they were reluctant to welcome him into their school.

I told Kacchan to carry a pot of gold coins and circle around the academy. Eventually, the teachers accepted him. Greedy bastards.

On his first day of school, I helped him comb his hair. He looked at me through the reflection in the bronze mirror; in his eyes was a flicker of apprehension. I gently said to him, "You'll be living here in the mortal world for some decades more. It's not a very long time; I'll make sure peace follows you in this life.

"But I hope that you'll become a responsible person and lead a fulfilling life through these years. Literacy is a must. Listen to your teachers while you're at school. Although I wouldn't call them geniuses, they will still conduct themselves with propriety in front of their students. Study hard!"

Katsuki nodded.

When he came back in the evening, there were some injuries on his face. A red scratch here, a smudge of dirt there. "Did you get into a fight?" I asked.

He nodded, unwilling to show weakness.

"Did you fight back?"

He nodded his head again.

I treated his wounds and asked, "Where does he live, the one who fought you?"

Some rich boy was the son of a landowner in town. His family was so wealthy that even their backyard was enormous. I looked on in total glee. After I lit a fire in his family's woodshed, a southerly wind blew by and flamed it into a big fire. Half of the sky blazed red.

Feeling that the scene was rather spectacular to behold, I led Kacchan to a good viewing place and pointed to the towering flames from that boy's house as I told him, "Laugh all you want."

Katsuki looked at me thoughtfully. "Deku, my teacher said we should return misdeeds with virtue."

"Kacchan, you should learn to differentiate," I sighed, shaking my head in disapproval, "Your teacher was obviously lying to you. It's okay to listen, but don't take everything to heart."

Katsuki listened to my words, then slowly issued a 'hahaha' sound.

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Life in the human world flew by in the blink of an eye. Katsuki was fast approaching his coming-of-age at twenty years old.

Under my very careful guidance, it was no surprise that he grew up to be a gentleman just like in the novels. His face and figure did not differ too greatly from the time I met him in the underworld. Because his godlike bearing was uncommon in the human world, and combined with his extraordinary intelligence, he soon became well-known in this small town.

However, "a diamond with a flaw is worth more than a pebble without imperfections." There had to be a reason why this saying stayed in circulation for as long as it did.

It was a sunny and warm morning when I was reclining on the divan to read a newly released novel. It was a love story about a couple who had made it through the rough times and it came with detailed ooh ooh ah ah passages.

I was right at the climax of the story when Katsuki stepped in from outside. He picked up the cloak and robe I had casually tossed on the ground and put them away, gave me a cup of water, then said, "It's not good to lie around all day. You should go outside for some sun, Deku."

I took the cup from him. My eyes did not leave the book as I said matter-of-factly, "Sunlight is like poison to me. It offers me no benefit."

But he wouldn't take my words as they were. "It snowed this morning. The plum blossoms in our compound are blooming. Let's take a walk to look at them."

I looked at him and saw a bright ray of hope in his eyes. Reluctantly, I placed the book that was getting to the ooh ooh ah ah part down. "All right, I'll come with you for a walk."

Pleased with his victory, he softly smiled.

We held hands and took a stroll around the plum forest. He didn't lie to me. The plums were blossoming quite beautifully today.

"Kacchan, you know I love the view of these red plum blossoms and their fragrance in the glistening snow, but do you know why?"

He thought for a while. "It's probably because your eye color is very similar to this flower."

I paused amid walking and looked into his eyes as I shook my head, smiling wordlessly. He didn't really get it, but he left me to my perusal of his face. Gradually, a hint of a smile appeared. "Deku, do you like looking at me?"

"Yes, I do." I used my hand to measure the distance between his head and mine. He was now a full head taller than I was. I tilted my head in thought: "Kacchan, let me hear you call me 'darling' ."

His ears suddenly reddened.

"You're fast approaching your coming-of-age," I noted, blinking up at him innocently, "I think that this child bride should finally be promoted after so many years. Just choose a date and marry me, won't you?"

Ruddiness spread from his ears down to his cheeks, his Adam's apple slightly undulating. After a long while, a dash of chagrin emerged in his eyes. "Deku, you're, you're always..." He did not yet finish his sentence when I suddenly heard someone's voices from beyond the plum forest.

Ever since Katsuki acquired a little fame, there was always someone coming to look for him. I'd never said a thing, but they interrupted our marriage conversation today. My face deflated. I was quite unhappy.

The voices of those who came were becoming louder and louder. Katsuki had also faintly caught onto them. "Deku, it seems someone came to visit, let's go back to the house."

I hummed an answer and went back into my room, continuing to read my book. Katsuki went out to the guest hall to receive his guest.

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Approaching noon, Katsuki saw the guest out and then came into my room. He sat down without speaking. I reclined against my chair and also did not speak; my patience has always been great. Silence is my forte. It was impossible for him to win against me.

"Deku."

"Hm?"

"It was the governor who came by today."

"Oh. What did he have to say?"

"He told me to go to the capital to become an official."

"Mm."

Perhaps my indifference made Katsuki a little lost. He carefully studied my face. Seeming to have made up his mind, he said, "I want to go."

I quietly turned to the last page of my book. The protagonist saved the damsel and rode off into the sunset. The love story had a happy ending. I then turned around to look at Katsuki. He was watching me intently. I sighed, shaking my head:

"A man should have ambitions. It's an official that you aspire to be, not a thief... albeit fundamentally, there's not much difference between the two. But I will admit that the Imperial Court is one of the places to chase your ambitions. I've always hoped that you can be triumphant in life. Now that you are in possession of both talent and opportunity, you should be brave and go. Why are you looking at me?"

Katsuki shook his head. "I'm not becoming an official for any ambition..." His cheeks flushed ruddy. "As you said, I'm almost twenty. I've, I've always thought to have a talk with you about our marriage one day."

I held my cup to my lips, frozen on the spot.

"But Deku, you're always a step ahead of me." His smile was utterly helpless as he added, "I want to have a family with you, but as a man, I cannot allow you to take care of me for the rest of my life. I want to bring you happiness using my own ability."

Determination blazed bright in his red eyes."Deku, will you wait two years for me? After I succeed, I will come back to marry you."

I couldn't say no.

At that moment, I wished that I was an ordinary girl. I wished I was waiting for him to come home and call "Deku" to me from the door. However, he wanted me to wait two more years. I was originally a very patient rock, but I just couldn't bear it this time. After a night of tossing and turning, I suddenly sat up in bed.

"Kacchan."

I knew he wasn't there, but I still wanted to call his name, as though he would appear in front of me if I'd only call out to him.

"Katsuki."

I called out to him three more times, but I received no other answer besides the rustling wind outside. Try as I might, I could not fall asleep again, so I simply rolled out of bed, and without packing anything, I left the house with only the clothes on my back.

Straight to the capital to find my husband.

~*~