Tsunade was the first to wake up.
She had gotten drunk a few times before. The little she drank later was barely anything to her.
Hyuga Wuye, on the other hand, was drinking for the first time and fighting for the first time. He slept like the dead.
Tsunade slowly propped herself up against the bedboard, inch by inch leaning back against the cushion behind her.
"Mm..."
But Wuye, who had been wrapped around her, lost the soft warmth of her chest. He mumbled something, then actually reached out with both hands to hug her waist, pressing his face against her before continuing to sleep soundly.
Feeling his breath wash over her skin, Tsunade's cheeks flushed faintly.
After this time, she could feel that her entire body was relaxed and at ease.
Like a jar of fine wine buried for years had finally been opened, its fragrance rich and intoxicating.
"Wuye..."
Tsunade gently stroked his hair, tenderness overflowing from her eyes like rippling water, drowning him within it.
A faint happiness and a deep bitterness surged into her heart together.
In the end, they still had to part...
She knew it, and he knew it too.
"I'm a woman abandoned by this world, but you made me feel as though I still have value..."
Tears silently slid down her cheeks, yet her gaze became even gentler.
"Thank you..."
She did not reach up to wipe away her tears. Instead, she picked up the notebook and pen from the bedside table.
She had intended to get up now, but she could not bear to lose these final fleeting moments of warmth and intimacy.
Tsunade gazed tenderly at Wuye. Even when her eyes were focused on the notebook in her hands, the corners of her eyes were reluctant to leave him.
"Scratch,