Kuchi ga Saketemo Kimi Ni Wa

Miroku is no ordinary urban legend—she is the slit-mouthed woman, a terror of Japanese folklore whose very existence depends on the enduring power of superstition. For generations, the Kouichi family has served as the caretakers of these ancient beliefs, and now, to secure her continued presence in the world, Miroku finds herself betrothed to their high school-aged heir, Kouichi. Yet while the arrangement seems born of duty alone, the young man accepts his fate with an unsettling eagerness, hinting at a deeper, unspoken motive behind his compliance. Proud and fiercely self-reliant, Miroku chafes at the notion of sustaining herself through borrowed legacy. Determined to validate her own fearsome identity, she proposes a trial by ordeal rather than a traditional union. The pair forge a binding contract: they will pose as a married couple for one full year, navigating the strange intimacy of domestic life. But hidden within the agreement is Miroku’s true goal—if she can genuinely frighten Kouichi within that twelve-month window, the engagement is forfeit, and she wins back her independence on her own terms. What unfolds is a delicate, often unnerving dance between the mundane and the macabre, as a legendary spirit pits her supernatural guile against a boy who seems utterly impervious to terror—or who may be hiding a desire for exactly that which she offers. This compelling three-part short story began its official serialization on the Shonen Jump+ digital platform in November 2020.