Chiyo Asashi muttered under her breath, the flick of a page echoing in the quiet, tatami-lined room.
"They really got so nerve to attack when Lan Xinyue isn't even here…"
Her voice was low, irritated, but she sat proudly, straight-backed, eyes focused entirely on the book in her hands. In front of her sat three young won dressed in elegant kimonos, each patterned differently but of the sa Asashi family style—her nieces. They knelt respectfully, not daring to interrupt unless spoken to.
Chiyo herself only had one child, Daichi Asashi.
A single son, supposed to be the pride of the clan but man could never be one.
Because they are only good for breeding. They were never treated the sa as won in Asashi family.
Yet for reasons no one ever truly understood, Chiyo had never borne another child. Sowhere along the years, the possibility simply vanished, and though whispers followed her, no one dared ask her directly. Too many feared her answer. Too many feared her.
This left the entire clan silently wondering the sa thing…
Who will she hand the Asashi family authority to?
And almost everyone knew:
It has to be one of these three nieces.
Everyone else was elderly, or lacked the proper blood connection.
The air was tense, the kind of tension that ford when a powerful matriarch sat in thoughtful silence.
Maya Asashi, the eldest niece, bit her lower lip. She had been staring at the wooden floor this entire ti, gathering courage. Finally, she bowed deeper.
"Aunt Chiyo… we heard bad news."
Chiyo didn't even raise her head.
"What is it?" she asked, flipping another page.
Maya exhaled shakily. "There were ten… ten total places that belonged to us. All attacked."
The other two nieces stiffened. The room seed to chill.
Maya continued, her voice cracking just a bit. "And… among one of those places… Daichi was there."
For a heartbeat, no one breathed.
Surely that would get a reaction.
But Chiyo didn't lift her head. Didn't blink. Didn't tremble.
Instead, she slowly closed the book.
"I know."
Her tone was almost too calm.
Maya's brows shot up; the other nieces stared speechless.
Chiyo set the book aside and stretched her neck lightly, as if she had just finished a pleasant chapter.
"Finally…" she muttered, a small smile forming.
"Finally the burden is gone."
The three nieces stared at her, stunned and confused. They exchanged looks, Was she really smiling? Their cousin, her only son, was said to have been in a location that was attacked. Shouldn't she be panicking? Crying? Raging?
But Chiyo Asashi only looked… relieved.
None of them dared ask why.
After a mont, Chiyo finally lifted her gaze toward them. Her voice returned to its usual sharp authority.
"So. How did we respond to this insult?"
The nieces stiffened.
"We… are still waiting for your orders, Aunt Chiyo," they said in unison.
Chiyo clicked her tongue.
"If a bitch bites you," she said, leaning back lazily, "are you going to wait for soone to give you permission to kick the bitch away?"
The three young won froze.
Then, in unison, they shook their heads sharply.
"No, Aunt Chiyo!"
"Then you know what to do."
Chiyo waved her hand dismissively. "Go."
The three nieces exchanged one last look, then stood in perfect sync and left with determined footsteps.
As the door slid shut, Chiyo's confident expression softened. She placed a hand on her stomach and gently rubbed it, murmuring to herself:
"I hope you're a woman… at least. I am sick of seeing weak! Weak that is waiting to be protected."
anwhile, Ren paced in the living room, repeatedly glancing at the front door. He wasn't usually the restless type, but today his foot tapped nonstop.
Hiyori, sitting on the sofa, hugged a box of party poppers and watched him with a small smile.
"Ren," she said, amused, "calm down."
"I am calm," he muttered, still pacing. "You ready?"
"Of course I'm ready. I've been ready for the last thirty minutes. You're the one acting like a puppy waiting for its owner to co back."
Ren clicked his tongue but didn't deny it.
Then both froze.
They heard it, the sound of a car pulling up outside.
Ren whispered, "That's them."
Hiyori jumped up beside him. "Get ready!"
A few seconds later, the main door opened.
Two familiar figures stepped inside.
The mont they crossed the doorway—
POP! POP!
Ren and Hiyori blew their party poppers, showering the entrance in colorful strears.
"WELCO HO, KYOUKA!" they shouted together.
Standing there was Kyouka, still leaning on crutches, but smiling a little despite her injured state. Beside her was Misa, supporting her gently with a hand behind her back.
Kyouka blinked in surprise. "Y-You two…"
Her voice softened. "You didn't have to do all this."
Ren crossed his arms proudly. "Of course we had to! This house felt like a graveyard without you here. We missed you"
Hiyori nodded vigorously. "Exactly! Ren was moping around like a puppy waiting for you to co back."
Ren elbowed her. "I was NOT—!"
Kyouka let out a small, genuine laugh. "I missed you all too. It was so boring being in that hospital bed."
Misa smiled warmly at the scene. "All right, enough standing around. Kyouka shouldn't stay on her feet too long. Let's get her seated."
They guided her to the dining area where a small spread of beautifully arranged dishes waited, fancy food Ren had sohow managed to get delivered on short notice, along with Hiyori's homade desserts.
The four sat around the table, enjoying the warmth of the reunion.
Jokes were shared, Ren teasing Hiyori about her cooking, Kyouka sniping back at Ren's awful haircut, Misa gently placing more food onto everyone's plates as if playing mother duck.
For a mont, it felt peaceful.
Warm.
Normal.
Then—
Misa placed her chopsticks down and exhaled deeply.
"I need to tell you sothing."
Ren imdiately sensed the shift.
Hiyori blinked.
Even Kyouka, who had been nibbling quietly, looked up.
Misa straightened her posture.
"I'm going to sell this house."
Silence.
Pure, stunned silence.
Hiyori dropped her fork. "W-What?! Mother—why?! This is our childhood ho!"
Ren frowned deeply. "Yeah, Misa… isn't this place important to you and all of us?"
Misa hesitated for a mont, then spoke firmly:
"This house is no longer safe for us."
Kyouka narrowed her eyes. "Because of the recent incidents?"
Misa nodded. "Yes. Things are getting worse in this province. The conflicts, the movents, the growing hostility… I don't want any of you hurt because of sentint."
Hiyori swallowed. "Then… where will we move?"
Misa pulled out her phone.
"Well… about that…"
She showed them a picture.
Ren leaned in. Hiyori gasped. Even Kyouka widened her eyes.
"That's not a house," Hiyori whispered.
"That's a mansion!"
The image showed a wide, elegant estate with stone pathways, enormous windows, and a fountain in front, sothing straight out of a rich family drama.
Kyouka raised a brow. "Where did you get the money for this?"
Misa smiled wryly. "My work has been… going well. Very well. And when certain people found out my family was attacked, they insisted we take this place. As a form of protection and compensation."
Ren looked at her carefully.
She's hiding sothing, he thought.
She's definitely not an ordinary woman… Not at all.
But he said nothing. Not yet.
Well Ren could guess where she got all these from, after all, he knew her secrets but others were still oblivious to the fact, how powerful of a woman Misa is.
After a few monts of stunned silence, Ren spoke up.
"We can move. That's fine."
Misa looked relieved—
"BUT," Ren added, raising a finger, "that doesn't an we have to sell this place."
Misa's relief evaporated.
"Ren…" she sighed, clearly displeased.
"We can find soone to rent it," Ren said. "Soone trustworthy."
Misa frowned. Renting it out ant people coming and going. Possible danger and more work for her. Collecting the rent and hearing the complaints of people living here was not sothing she wanted.
But before she could argue, Ren continued:
"In fact… I know soone who's been searching for a place to rent."
Misa blinked. "Who?"
"Luxy."
Misa looked genuinely surprised.
Hiyori mouthed the na silently, as if trying to rember who that was.
Kyouka however—
Her eyes narrowed instantly.
"Luxy?" she asked slowly. "Who is that?"
Ren opened his mouth, but Misa cut in, amused.
"Oh~ it's a long story. But the short version is… Luxy is Ren's benefactor. And currently his dungeon hunting partner."
Ren felt the temperature drop beside him.
Kyouka, sitting with her injured leg propped up, stared at him as if he had betrayed the heavens.
"You're dungeon hunting with another woman? What about joining a guild?"
Ren coughed. "I—It's not like that—"
Kyouka narrowed her eyes further.
He could practically feel her displeasure radiating like a storm cloud.
Great… she's definitely mad…
Hiyori leaned over and whispered loudly, "Ren, she is your friend right?"
Misa simply smiled gently and took a sip of tea, as if enjoying the budding drama, but her ears also perked at that question.
"Of course she is. I never want sothing romantic...why would I want sothing like that when I have my great family mbers." He muttered trying to get himself out of the situation.
Kyouka folded her arms, turning her face away with a huff. "Hmph."
But Ren knew her long enough to see through her act.
She wasn't angry because of jealousy alone.
She was frustrated because she cared.
She was worried because he was risking his life with soone she didn't know.
Ren sighed inwardly.
This is going to take so explaining…
But for now, the reunion was still warm enough to continue, even with a grumpy Kyouka on one side and a plotting Misa on the other.
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