The firm yet soft touch against her cheek made Izumi want to fall asleep right there.
Yin, however, could not relax so easily. He was hardly prudish, but he was no beast.
The girl in his arms was young, and they had only met a handful of times. Yin did not want to get too intimate with her and risk damaging her reputation.
But she was crying her heart out. Pushing her away would be cruel.
Just as he was wondering what to do, Yin felt her pull back. Izumi slipped out of his arms and rubbed her reddened eyes.
She smiled and said, "Lord Yin, thank you for being so understanding. I was just a little worried about you, so I came to check on you. Now that I can see you're all right, I can stop worrying. I should get back to training."
The more Yin listened, the more he felt he had been too distant earlier. After a moment's thought, he said, "Since you're already here, taking a rare day off wouldn't hurt!"
He had given it some thought. Letting the girl relax for once seemed like a good idea.
To his surprise, Uchiha Izumi refused without a moment's hesitation. "No, thank you, Lord Yin. I only came to see how you were doing. I still need to train. I can't let you down!"
As she spoke, Izumi lifted her head slightly and smiled at him. She looked so innocent and sweet that Yin felt another pang of guilt.
Without waiting for him to say anything more, Uchiha Izumi stood to leave.
It would have been inappropriate to insist she stay. Yin gave a faint smile, rose, and walked her to the door.
At the doorway, Izumi looked up at the strange expression on his face. She