The Neutral Soul--Hozuki x Reader (Hoozuki no Reitetsu)

Chapter 17

When (F/N) woke up, she was confused. She could tell without looking that she wasn't in her bed. Where was she?

As she opened her eyes to see Hozuki's bedroom, things gradually came back to her.

That's right...I spent the night in Hozuki's room.

She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and took a look around. Hozuki himself was nowhere to be found, and there was distinct yelling coming from the hallway.

Yep, that's Hozuki's voice. I wonder who's about get murdered?

She got up and hurried to make herself presentable before grabbing her sword and running out the door, only to run straight into Hozuki's chest.

"Oh, hey!" she greeted him, a smile on her face. "It sounds like world war three out here. Who's dying? I'd like to know so I can decide whether or not to join you."

He wordlessly handed her a copy of the Nekomata Company's the River Styx Weekly before pushing past her into the room.

(F/N) didn't even need to open it to see what set Hozuki off—a picture of the previous night's kiss on the cover.

"Koban-san," she said without a second thought. "I don't get what the big deal is. I mean, it's an invasion of privacy, but at least it's true."

Hozuki emerged from the room, club in hand. "Keep reading."

She opened the tabloid, and flipped the appropriate page.

"Secret romance? Pregnant? Shotgun marriage? Ahaha! This is hilarious. Let's kill him."

Hozuki shook his head. "No. Not you. Your judgment is today, remember? You need to get ready for that."

(F/N) opened her mouth to protest, but shut it with a snap. He was right. How had she forgotten about that?

"Okay..." she muttered. "I'll go back to my room and get showered."

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist, pulling her into his chest.

"Not yet."

"Wha—"

He sealed her lips with a kiss. For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The previous night hadn't been a dream. Not that she thought it was, but it was nice to have confirmation.

He pulled away, and she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

"Now you can leave," he told her.

He turned to walk down the hallway, and disappeared around a corner. (F/N) waited for a count of three before leaping into the air.

"Yes!"

The Judgment Hall had been reconfigured especially for the occasion. The desks of all the kings had been moved to the Offices of Enma, with the Great King in the middle.

When (F/N) entered the room, flanked by guards, she felt a twinge of nervousness. She'd been horrible in life. How could she pass this?

Still, when she caught sight of Hozuki standing next to King Enma, a warmth flooded her chest, and she was even able to muster a small smile as she knelt in the center of the room. A crowd had formed, consisting of multitudes of people she'd met, from Karauri and Nasubi to the Momotaro Crew. She even thought she saw Hakutaku's beast form hiding in the rafters, though she wasn't sure.

"Very well, then," said Enma in a commanding voice. "Let's commence with the judgment. (L/N) (F/N), your record says that you killed thirty-seven people in your life. Is that true?"

"It's true." There was no point in lying to the kings. She'd tried that in Shinko's office.

"The record also shows multiple of these murders were in self-defense, and the others were done to save the life of your sister. It also shows that you sacrificed your life to save others, and you also worked diligently for ten years as Assistant Chief of Staff. Is this also true?"

(F/N) nodded. "Yes. That's all true."

King Enma nodded. "Then I will pass judgment."

(F/N) gulped.

"The Ten Kings have unanimously decided to sentence you to spend the rest of eternity in Hell as Hozuki-kun's assistant and wife."

"Really?" (F/N) jumped to her feet. "I'm so happy—wait, what was that last part?"

Crash.

Hozuki stood on Enma's desk, his club buried in the King's head.

"I haven't proposed to her yet!" he shouted

King Enma blinked. "Wait, but the article said—"

Hozuki bashed the King's head into the desk. "That article was a bunch of paparazzi propaganda!"

(F/N) couldn't help but tear up at the scene. She was okay. She could live like this for the rest of her eternity.

"Hozuki!" she called, running over to him.

He looked up just in time for her to bowl him over, knocking him to the floor.

"I'll marry you."

He put his arms around her, holding her close. "Good. I'm glad."

(F/N) thought about kissing him then and there, regardless of the presence of other people, but before she could make a decision, Shiro came running up to them, latching onto (F/N)'s side.

"(L/N)-san! I'm so glad you're okay!"

(F/N) opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Nasubi throwing his arms around her and Hozuki.

"(F/N)-san!"

Soon, the group hug was joined by more people—Karauri, Rurio, Kakisuke, Oko, Takamura, and many more, though Nasubi and Oko were the only ones that had the courage to hug Hozuki.

(F/N) was basking in the warmth until Hozuki growled.

"Okay, back to work!"

Everyone scattered, but (F/N) remained with her arms around her fiancé, smiling.

It's just as Hozuki promised. I'll get to live like this with my strange family of Hell Minions for the rest of my existence.

The End

Author's Note: Hi, guys! Thank you so much for reading The Neutral Soul. I hope you liked it! I'm sorry to say this is the end of this book, but worry not! I plan to write more Hoozuki no Reitetsu fan fiction in the future, so stay tuned for more! For now, however, I have a few books going for Gintama and Touken Ranbu, so if you like either of those anime, please check it out! Thank you!

-Marguerite Partello