Hillside Residence.
The bamboo grove swayed gently in the night breeze.
Lie Yang lay in a recliner beneath the eaves, with freshly brewed tea at hand.
When Kurenai Yuhi emerged from the tea room, a lingering flush still colored her face.
She had already changed back into her black-and-red kimono.
Her sash was neatly tied, her long hair pinned behind her head, and some of the crisp composure expected of a jonin had returned to her delicate features.
But the moment she approached Lie Yang, he reached out and caught her.
"Come here."
"What are you trying to do now?"
Kurenai Yuhi did not immediately pull free.
Standing beside the recliner, she looked down at Lie Yang, deliberately making her voice cool and distant.
Lie Yang raised a hand and straightened the slightly crooked sash at her waist.
When his fingertips brushed past the edge of her collar, Kurenai Yuhi's body stiffened faintly.
She lowered her head and glanced at it.
"I can fix it myself."
"You fixed it three times just now."
"That's because the clothes don't fit."
"Is that so?"
"Of course."
Kurenai Yuhi looked away.
Yet the tips of her ears reddened again.
Lie Yang did not expose her. He merely let go.
Kurenai Yuhi took the opportunity to kneel beside him and refill his tea.
Her movements were graceful, her bearing gentle.
She deliberately kept half an arm's distance from Lie Yang.
Once the cup was full, she withdrew her hand and said nothing more.
Lie Yang lifted the teacup.
"You're becoming more and more like a real wife lately."
Kurenai Yuhi's fingers paused.
"Don't talk nonsense."
"Making tea, fixing my clothes, waiting for me to return."
Lie Yang looked at her.
"And preparing meals for me."
"That is my role in the illusion," Kurenai Yuhi