"Are you going again today?"
At the dining table, Tsunami looked up as Kesha set down his bowl and chopsticks, unable to stop herself from asking.
"Of course I am! If we let Gato keep running wild, none of us will ever have a good life!" Before Kesha could speak, Tazuna voiced his support for his son-in-law's righteous cause. He looked at Inari beside him. "Isn't that right, grandson?"
"Grandpa's right! I support Uncle Kesha too!" Inari declared loudly.
Tsunami poured wine into Tazuna's cup and put food into Inari's bowl, silencing them both before voicing her worries to Kesha. "But Gato has brought in a lot more thugs recently. If anything happens, don't try to be a hero. You have to protect yourself."
"Don't worry. When it comes to numbers, there are actually more people on our side. I've never been the only one opposing Gato. This is the shared wish of everyone in the Land of Waves." Kesha smiled confidently at Tsunami, then clenched both hands into fists, as though victory was already in his grasp.
Outside, a light rain was falling. As he put on his rain hat and headed out, Kesha turned slightly toward the three people inside.
"Besides, as a man, you have to choose a way of life you won't regret."
"For me, the things that truly matter—whether they bring pain or sorrow—I'll keep fighting for them. Even if it costs me my life, I'll protect them with these hands until the very end!"
"Well said!" Tazuna, emboldened by the alcohol, stood up, shoved his cup into Kesha's hand, and forced him to drink with him.
"Oooooh—" Inari looked at his stepfather with admiration, his blood boiling with excitement.
"I'm off." With a wave of his hand, Kesha vanished into the curtain of rain.