Inside the palace.
A tall figure had appeared there at some point. It was Sosuke, who had vanished from Konoha.
He stood lightly beyond the ripples, a faint smile on his lips. Through the ripples, his deep-set eyes gazed softly at Shijimi Tamako.
Within the ripples, Shijimi Tamako's body trembled violently. She struggled to hold back the tears in her eyes and spoke in a quavering voice.
"Sos...uke... It's... been... so... long..."
Hearing Tamako's words, the demon standing off to one side of the palace was startled. He thought in astonishment,
S-so this is Sosuke...? His strength... He actually made it here without making a sound!!
Sosuke, meanwhile, smiled and said softly,
"Sorry I took so long to come see you."
At his words, Shijimi Tamako's pretty face went still. Then it was as if all the grievances and complaints she had kept inside vanished at once.
Her tears poured out like a burst dam, yet a smile played on her lips as she sobbed,
"It's... it's okay... Just... having you... come here... is enough..."
She sprang to her feet and hurriedly parted the ripples. Her eyes were red as a little rabbit's as she gazed at the figure she had longed for day and night, full of devotion and yearning.
"You... you've changed... Sosuke..."
Shijimi Tamako gazed at the Sosuke before her with unfocused eyes and murmured softly.
At her words, Sosuke—wearing a white haori, his hair slicked back, and looking somewhat defiant—raised the corners of his mouth and replied gently,
"Everyone changes. I'm no exception."
"And this is the real me. I cast aside everything that once held me back so I could pursue the conviction in my heart."
Though tears streamed down Tamako's cheeks, an utterly joyful smile spread across her lips.
She kept her eyes fixed