Yato was a little drunk.
He stared at the wine cup before him and shook his head hard before the three cups finally became one.
"Wait a moment." The young man gave a bitter smile.
"Senior Kaien, let me recover for a bit..."
"Haha, Yato, you still need more training!"
Kaien Shiba laughed heartily. Unbothered, he lifted the wine jug and gulped it down.
A bright moon hung high overhead. It was already late at night. The feast had been laid out at dusk, and the four of them had been drinking ever since.
Kūkaku Shiba and Ganju Shiba had long since collapsed. The siblings tugged at each other's feet and hands as they lay side by side, sleeping like the dead.
With a smack, Kaien Shiba tossed the wine jug to the ground and rubbed his stomach in satisfaction.
"This is wonderful. It's been a long time since I've felt this full. I'm usually watched too closely. Luckily, I snuck out of the hospital today."
"Oh? Senior Kaien, you're the head of the Shiba Main Clan. Someone still dares to keep you in line?"
"It's Miyako Asano. You've met her, right? The one who fed me medicine when you came to visit my hospital room that day."
Uchiha Yato nodded thoughtfully, the image of that gentle woman surfacing in his mind.
Miyako Asano would probably become Miyako Shiba in the future, changing her surname after marrying into the Shiba Clan.
"Little Miyako is good in every way, except she worries far too much. It's annoying."
"But you're clearly smiling, Senior."
"Am I? Maybe this wine is fake, damn it!"
Kaien Shiba's old face reddened slightly as he changed the subject.
"Don't laugh at me. What about you? A few years ago, two or three children from our Shiba Clan