Beneath the izakaya's dim, yellow lights, Sakumo and Uemon's reunion seemed tinged with a faint sadness.
After a moment of silence, Sakumo finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked softly, "Uemon, what happened to you all these years? How did you go from a craftsman with extraordinary skill and boundless ambition to the way you are now?"
"Isn't the way I am now just fine?" Uemon raised his cup and drank, a bitter smile on his face.
Just then, Shota quietly took a seat beside Sakumo. The gesture caught Uemon's attention.
"Sakumo, who's this?"
"Oh, he's my companion," Sakumo replied with a brief introduction.
"Care for a drink, Sakumo?" Uemon raised his cup, his smile laced with bitterness and helplessness.
Sakumo gently waved a hand. "No, thank you."
And so, Sakumo and Hayato sat quietly beside Uemon, keeping him company through a long, silent stretch of time, until he was thoroughly drunk and passed out.
"Honestly, what a hassle. I have to find someone to take him home again." The woman who had earlier been dressed to the nines appeared beside them once more. She looked at the unconscious Uemon, her voice tinged with exasperation and annoyance.
Seeing this, Sakumo offered, "No need to trouble yourself. We'll take him home."
The woman glanced at Sakumo and gave a slight nod, saying nothing more.
And so, Sakumo supported Uemon and took him back to the Craftsman Workshop.
At the workshop entrance, they happened to run into the anxious apprentice.
"It's time already. I forgot I was supposed to go pick up Master." The apprentice was muttering to himself when he suddenly saw Sakumo carrying his master back. He couldn't help but freeze.
He hadn't expected this man to actually know his master, but he was stunned for only a moment