He could feel his face burning. His heart was racing absurdly fast.
He lowered his head and looked at the dango skewer he had unconsciously gripped tight. It had already been licked clean, yet a little sticky syrup remained, along with a trace of something he couldn't put into words.
He hesitated for just one second.
Then, as if he were defying someone—or trying to prove something—he lifted the skewer and silently ate every last bit of syrup and sticky-rice crumbs left on it.
The sweetness still lingered in his mouth, bearing that blonde girl's bold, peculiar imprint. It mingled with the warmth this unfamiliar world had given him, a warmth he both longed for and feared.
Sunlight moved quietly across the room, and tiny specks of dust floated in the air.
Naruko said nothing more. She simply picked up another Three-Color Dango and ate it in small bites, occasionally glancing at Sasuke's rigid back. Light shifted in her blue eyes, giving no clue what she was thinking.
Sasuke kept his back to Naruko, feeling the lingering sweetness on his tongue and the cool dampness that had yet to dry on his cheek. Deep inside him lay a wasteland built from cold and hatred.
It was as though that sudden, tear-tinged sweetness had quietly worn a tiny crack into it, one he himself had not fully noticed.
Suddenly, their mother Mikoto's gentle but clear call came from downstairs. "Children, lunch is ready!"
Her voice fell like a pebble into a still lake, instantly breaking the heavy silence in the room, thick with sweetness, tears, and a delicate awkwardness.
Sasuke almost sighed with relief. He stood at once, moving a little too quickly. "It's time to eat."
With that, he opened the door and went out first without looking at Naruko.