The sedan chair still swayed as it sped forward.
"Miss—are we—not there yet?"
Arin woke again from the jolting and asked groggily.
"Not yet. Be good, Arin, and get some more sleep. Perhaps we'll be there when you wake up."
Mito's voice carried an unprecedented lightness.
As her body swayed, Arin struggled to focus her gaze on her mistress, only to suddenly discover an inwardly radiant smile blooming across Mito's face—a smile she had never seen before.
For a moment, she was utterly baffled, her little face filling with confusion.
"Miss—you—why are you suddenly so happy?" Arin could not help asking.
At Arin's blunt question, Mito's smile immediately stiffened. A barely noticeable blush flashed across her face before she composed herself and tried to hide it. "W-Where did you get that idea? Don't talk nonsense. Close your eyes and sleep, Arin, or you'll get dizzy and feel sick again later."
"But you clearly are—"
"You're seeing things."
"You must have seen things—I saw it—" Arin pouted, hugging the enormous sealing scroll in her arms as she tried to get a better look.
A violent jolt from the sedan chair interrupted her. "Ah! No, no, my head is spinning—Miss, I'll sleep a little longer. You have to wake me when we arrive!"
"Mm, don't worry. Go to sleep," Mito answered gently.
Watching Arin close her eyes and fall back into a deep sleep, Mito could no longer conceal her delight and shyness, and they blossomed across her face once more.
She quietly extended a finger and gently lifted a corner of the fluttering curtain by the sedan chair's side window. Through the gap, she clearly saw the familiar Clan Emblem at An'ichi's side.
After racing day and night without rest, the procession finally drew near the towering gates of the Uchiha