In the courtyard, Zhiyan and Satoru Gojo stood facing each other.
Maple leaves drifted quietly around them, sunlight filtering through the branches in patches of light and shadow. The other children had retreated to the edges of the courtyard, afraid of getting caught in their fight. Yet they stared unblinkingly at the two, forgetting even to breathe.
"It's finally happening!"
"Young Master Gojo against Young Master Zenin!"
"Who do you think will win?"
"Young Master Gojo, obviously! He has the Six Eyes!"
"Not necessarily. Zhiyan even copied Kamo's Piercing Blood just now..."
Whispers rose all around them, but neither paid any attention.
Satoru Gojo loosened up his arms and legs, an excited grin on his face. His sky-blue eyes glowed faintly in the sunlight, as though they could see through everything.
"Naoya Zenin," he said, his voice brimming with anticipation, "I've been waiting a long time for this fight."
Zhiyan looked at him, as calm and unruffled as ever.
"Have you?"
"Of course!" Satoru Gojo waved a hand. "That Kamo guy's pretty good, but I knew he wasn't a match for you. I am!"
He paused, his grin widening.
"Come on! Let me see how strong your Ten Shadows Technique really is!"
The instant he finished speaking, he vanished-a basic application of Limitless, using Blue to move himself instantaneously.
Zhiyan narrowed his eyes slightly.
A moment later, Satoru Gojo appeared behind him and drove a fist toward his back.
Zhiyan sidestepped and countered with an elbow strike. But the instant his elbow reached Satoru Gojo's clothes, he felt an invisible resistance-the defense of Limitless, keeping his attack out.
"You can't touch me." Satoru Gojo grinned like a fox that had stolen a chicken and threw another punch.
Zhiyan dodged again, putting some distance between them.
He came to a stop, his gaze settling on Satoru Gojo.
Limitless-a rare Cursed Technique passed down through generations of the Gojo Clan. At Satoru Gojo's current age and level of mastery, he couldn't fully control it yet, but its basic applications were already troublesome enough.
That invisible defense kept every attack out.
"What's wrong?" Satoru Gojo tilted his head at him. "Aren't you going to attack?"
Zhiyan didn't answer. He simply raised his hand.
"Divine Dogs."
Two dark shapes darted out of the shadow at his feet, one black and one white. They were the most basic Shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique-the Divine Dogs. They landed on the ground, growling low at Satoru Gojo.
Satoru Gojo raised an eyebrow.
"Divine Dogs? That's it?"
Ignoring his taunt, Zhiyan gave a slight lift of his chin.
Divine Dogs: Black charged first, moving so fast he reached Satoru Gojo in the blink of an eye. His sharp claws slashed toward Satoru Gojo's face with a rush of wind.
Then-
He, too, was stopped by that invisible barrier.
The dog's claws hung an inch from Satoru Gojo's face, unable to move any farther.
"I told you, you can't touch me." Satoru Gojo reached out and flicked a finger.
An immense force sent Divine Dogs: Black flying. He tumbled several times through the air before landing steadily.
Divine Dog: White lunged from the side at that same moment, only to be stopped by the barrier as well.
Satoru Gojo didn't even glance at him. He kept his eyes on Zhiyan.
"Is that all?"
Zhiyan's expression remained calm.
"Of course not."
He raised his hand again.
"Nue."
An enormous owl Shikigami appeared out of thin air, spreading his wings as he hovered overhead. His eyes shone gold, and faint arcs of electricity danced across his feathers.
"Nue?" Satoru Gojo looked up at him. "He flies? What's that going to do?"
Zhiyan didn't answer. He merely lifted a finger.
Nue let out a piercing cry and beat his wings. A bolt of lightning struck down from above, aimed straight at Satoru Gojo.
Satoru Gojo's pupils contracted slightly.
The lightning was too fast for him to dodge. But he didn't panic-the invisible barrier still stood before him.
The bolt hit the barrier with a deafening crash. Electricity scattered in every direction, unable to penetrate it.
"Useless, useless." Satoru Gojo waved a hand. "Limitless doesn't just block physical attacks."
Zhiyan watched him, then suddenly spoke.
"Doesn't it?"
Satoru Gojo's smile faltered.
He had noticed the corners of Zhiyan's mouth curve upward.
It was the faintest of smiles.
Then he felt it.
Wind rushed above his head.
He looked up to see Nue diving toward him, lightning coiling around his claws as he aimed for the top of his head.
No-the lightning wasn't the attack. It was coating his claws to increase their penetrating power!
Satoru Gojo didn't dodge. Nue's claws swept past his shoulder, still stopped by the barrier.
"Interesting!" His eyes lit up. "Using lightning to increase the penetrating power of a physical attack? That's pretty clever!"
Zhiyan ignored the praise and continued directing Nue and the two Divine Dogs to attack.
Divine Dogs: Black lunged from the left, while Divine Dog: White circled in from the right. Nue wheeled overhead, ready to dive at any moment. The three Shikigami worked in perfect coordination, their attacks coming in waves.
Satoru Gojo stood in their midst without dodging, the excitement on his face growing.
"Nice tactics!" he said with a laugh. "Much more interesting than that last guy!"
Zhiyan remained where he stood, his gaze fixed on Satoru Gojo's movements.
He was observing.
Limitless had a powerful defense, but there had to be an opening somewhere. Every Cursed Technique had a weakness. He just needed to find it.
Satoru Gojo seemed to see through his thoughts.
"Looking for an opening?" He smiled like a little fox. "You'll have to try harder than that."
He suddenly stopped dodging and cupped his hands before him.
"Blue."
A powerful gravitational pull erupted from his palms.
The surrounding air instantly warped. Pebbles, fallen leaves, and even branches from the nearby maple trees were drawn toward Satoru Gojo's palms.
Divine Dogs: Black and Divine Dog: White were caught in the pull as well. Their paws gouged deep furrows in the ground, but they couldn't stop themselves from being dragged toward Satoru Gojo.
"Come on, then!" Satoru Gojo laughed and reached for Divine Dogs: Black.
Zhiyan narrowed his eyes.
"Rabbit Escape."
Dozens of white rabbits poured out of his shadow, instantly filling the courtyard. Small and fluffy, they looked utterly harmless.
Yet those harmless rabbits became the key to turning the situation around.
The gravitational pull sent them flying toward Satoru Gojo. But there were so many, packed so tightly together, that they instantly blocked his view completely.
"What-"
Satoru Gojo froze. Before he could react, the rabbits had reached him. Though the barrier stopped them, they piled up in layers, quickly forming a wall of rabbits around him.
"Hey, hey, hey! What kind of tactic is this?!"
Satoru Gojo's voice came from inside the pile of rabbits, caught somewhere between laughter and exasperation.
The children watching from the sidelines were dumbstruck.
"R-Rabbit Escape?"
"Using rabbits as shields?"
"That actually works?!"
Wana laughed so hard she slapped her thighs.
"My brother's amazing! He buried that white-haired guy in rabbits!"
Shoko watched the courtyard without speaking.
She had seen it.
The moment the rabbits poured out, Zhiyan had quietly raised his other hand.
Perhaps the real attack was only just beginning.
In the courtyard, Satoru Gojo was still struggling to break out of the rabbits' encirclement. They might have been weak, but there were simply too many of them, and more kept pouring out of Zhiyan's shadow as though there were no end to them.
"So annoying!" He brought his hands together, increasing Blue's gravitational pull.
The rabbits around him were instantly sucked into his palms, dissolving into cursed energy.
But the moment the rabbits vanished, he saw a dark shape.
It was Nue.
He plunged from the sky, lightning far denser than before coiling around his claws as he aimed straight for the top of Satoru Gojo's head.
Behind Nue, Zhiyan held up his hand, cursed energy flowing through his palm.
Satoru Gojo narrowed his eyes slightly.
In that instant, he saw it-parts of Zhiyan's and Nue's cursed energy cores had fused together. No, more precisely, Zhiyan had fused with the essences of all his current Shikigami.
It wasn't merely coating them. It was true fusion.
"So that's it..." he murmured.
Then he smiled.
His smile was brighter than ever.
"Now this is interesting!"
He swept both hands outward and activated Blue again.
The pull dragged the diving Nue off course. Nue rolled in midair and barely steadied himself, but his attack had already been neutralized.
Zhiyan stood at a distance, watching with the same calm gaze.
He lowered his hand, and Nue and the remaining rabbits dissolved into cursed energy.
The courtyard fell quiet again.
The two stood facing each other once more, scattered stones and fallen leaves strewn between them.
Satoru Gojo brushed the dust off himself, his face full of smiles.
"Naoya Zenin," he said, "you really are good."
Zhiyan looked at him without speaking.
Satoru Gojo continued, "You used Rabbit Escape to block my vision and Nue's lightning to increase his penetrating power, hoping to break through Limitless while I was distracted. Good tactics. Too bad..."
He paused, his grin growing even brighter.
"Too bad they didn't work."
Zhiyan finally spoke.
"I know."
"You know?"
"I know that wasn't enough," Zhiyan said. "That's why I have something else."
He raised his hand.
"Great Serpent."
The ground abruptly split open, and an enormous serpent Shikigami emerged from beneath it. His body was thick and powerful, his scales gleaming darkly as his slit pupils stared coldly at Satoru Gojo.
Satoru Gojo raised an eyebrow.
"Great Serpent?"
Zhiyan didn't answer. He merely lifted a finger.
Great Serpent opened his enormous jaws, and an earthen spike erupted from the ground, thrusting straight at Satoru Gojo.
A second spike followed, then a third, coming one after another as though there were no end to them.
"More ranged attacks?" He shook his head. "It's no use. Limitless's defense-"
Before he could finish, he froze.
As those earthen spikes shot toward him, they were also changing the shape of the ground.
Spikes rose in an interlocking pattern, quickly forming a ring of earthen walls around him. The walls grew taller and thicker, blocking his view completely.
"This is..." Satoru Gojo's eyes lit up. "Building walls with earthen spikes? You're trying to trap me?"
Zhiyan didn't answer, but the answer was already obvious.
The earthen walls closed in, trapping Satoru Gojo in a narrow space.
The children on the sidelines cried out in surprise.
"H-He's trapped?"
"Young Master Gojo's been shut in!"
"Zhiyan's amazing!"
Wana jumped up excitedly.
"Go, big brother! Beat that white-haired porcupine!"
Shoko still sat quietly, but her eyes shone brighter than before.
Inside the enclosure, Satoru Gojo surveyed the thick earthen walls around him, his smile not fading in the slightest.
"Hmm," he murmured. "Using Great Serpent's earth ability to build walls and restrict my movement. What next?"
He looked up at the sky.
The earthen walls were high, but they had no roof.
He was about to leap up when he spotted Nue overhead.
Nue circled in midair, lightning surging over its wings. The moment he poked his head out, a bolt would strike.
"I see." Satoru Gojo grinned. "A pincer attack from above and below."
He pressed his palms together.
"Blue."
This time, he was the target of the attraction.
The powerful pull hauled him skyward at incredible speed. Nue's lightning struck, but it hit the space behind him.
He burst over the earthen wall and landed steadily on top, looking down at Zhiyan.
"Naoya Zenin, your tactics are pretty good," he said. "Unfortunately..."
Before he could finish, he felt the wall beneath his feet tremble.
The next instant, the wall abruptly collapsed.
It wasn't an ordinary collapse-it broke into countless tiny clods of earth that shot toward him like bullets.
In that moment, Great Serpent's earth ability was pushed to its limit.
Satoru Gojo's eyes lit up. Despite the sheer number and density of the clods, his barrier stopped them all.
Just then, he heard a rush of wind behind him.
It was the Divine Dogs.
Divine Dogs: Black and Divine Dog: White had somehow circled behind him and lunged together. Faint wisps of wind curled around their claws-the Divine Dogs' wind-based ability, making them faster and their attacks sharper.
Great Serpent in front, the Divine Dogs behind, and Nue circling above.
Satoru Gojo was completely surrounded.
The children at the sidelines gasped.
"Young Master Gojo's surrounded again!"
Kamo Xian Di stood at the edge of the crowd, watching with an intensely conflicted expression.
Zhiyan hadn't used any of this when fighting him.
Not because he couldn't, but because he hadn't needed to.
Xian Di hadn't been strong enough to make Zhiyan use any of it.
That realization filled Xian Di with mixed emotions, but more than anything, he felt an indescribable... relief.
So the gap really was that vast.
In the arena, Satoru Gojo surveyed the attacks surrounding him and suddenly burst out laughing.
"Yes, yes, yes! Now that's more like it!"
He spread his hands, cursed energy surging wildly.
"Blue-full power!"
An unprecedented gravitational pull erupted from him.
It spread in every direction-with him at its center, everything nearby fell within its grasp.
Great Serpent, the Divine Dogs, and Nue were pulled off balance, unable to mount an effective attack.
Standing in the distance, Zhiyan felt that pull tugging at him too. Cracks appeared in the ground beneath his feet as he used cursed energy to resist it.
"Naoya Zenin!" Satoru Gojo's voice rang out from the center of the pull, brimming with excitement. "Now this is a fight! This is what makes it fun!"
Zhiyan watched him, his gaze as calm as ever.
But the corners of his mouth curved slightly.
"Yeah," he said. "Now it's fun."
He raised a hand, recalling his shikigami before gathering cursed energy in his palm.
Satoru Gojo narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Using your shikigami's abilities?"
Zhiyan didn't answer. He simply raised his other hand.
He pressed his palms together.
Water gathered between them.
It was water created with Max Elephant's water manipulation-pure water, in immense quantities.
Then everyone saw it-
Under Zhiyan's control, the water turned into countless tiny arrows.
Not one, not ten, but hundreds upon thousands.
Lightning wound around every water arrow-Nue's ability, incorporated into them.
A whirlwind surrounded each arrow-the Divine Dogs' wind-based ability, used to accelerate them.
Earth coated the tip of each arrow-Great Serpent's earth ability, used to increase their penetrating power.
In that moment, four abilities merged into perfect harmony.
Satoru Gojo's eyes shone.
They shone with startling intensity.
"You-" His voice held incredulous excitement. "You can actually do that?!"
Zhiyan looked at him, his tone calm.
"Didn't you want to see the Ten Shadows Technique's true strength?"
He thrust both hands forward.
"Then watch closely."
A thousand water arrows poured down like a torrential rain.
Satoru Gojo stood where he was, watching the arrows shoot toward him, and suddenly smiled.
It was a dazzling smile.
"Good!" he shouted. "This is the fight I wanted!"
He spread his hands and activated Limitless at full power.
An invisible spatial barrier unfolded before him.
The water arrows struck the barrier with a dense barrage of explosive cracks. One, ten, a hundred-every arrow was stopped, but every impact drained Satoru Gojo's cursed energy.
And Zhiyan's water arrows seemed endless.
The children at the sidelines were dumbstruck.
"Wh-what level of battle is this?"
"They're only nine, aren't they?!"
"Monsters... they're both monsters..."
Standing there and watching, Kamo Xian Di suddenly smiled.
There was an indescribable... gratitude in that smile.
Gratitude that he hadn't pushed Zhiyan this far earlier.
Gratitude that he could still stand here and watch this fight.
Gratitude that he had seen what a true genius looked like.
Shoko still sat quietly in the corner, watching Zhiyan in the arena.
The light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
At last, the water arrows stopped.
Zhiyan stood where he was, panting lightly. Controlling four abilities at once had taken an enormous toll on him.
Across from him, Satoru Gojo was also panting lightly. Defending with Limitless at full power had drained him considerably too.
They looked at each other across ground covered in water and cracks.
Then they smiled at the same time.
"Naoya Zenin," Satoru Gojo said, his voice more serious than ever, "you're strong."
Zhiyan looked at him.
"So are you."
Satoru Gojo took a deep breath and straightened.
"But we're not done," he said. "I haven't gone all out yet."
Zhiyan looked at him and straightened too.
"Then come on."
They took their stances again.
The children around them held their breath.
This battle wasn't over yet.
The two boys stood facing each other in the arena, their gazes meeting.
The next instant-
They both charged.
This time, there were no flashy tactics, no complicated cursed techniques, only the purest clash of strength.
The attraction of Blue wrapped around Satoru Gojo's fist, while lightning coiled around Zhiyan's.
Their fists collided with a thunderous boom.
A shock wave spread outward, scattering the loose stones and fallen leaves across the ground.
The children at the sidelines staggered back several steps from the shock wave, but kept their eyes fixed on the arena without blinking.
"S-so strong..."
"Is this what... geniuses are like...?"
Shoko still sat quietly, but at some point, her fingers had tightened around the hem of her clothes.
She believed he would win.
But she still worried.
In the arena, their battle continued.
Fists and feet flew, every collision carrying devastating force. The ground trembled, the air wailed, and even the sunlight seemed to warp under their cursed energy.
The longer Satoru Gojo fought, the more excited he became, his grin growing brighter and brighter.
"This feels amazing! Now this is a real match!" he laughed as he fought. "Naoya Zenin, you're the most interesting person I've ever met!"
Zhiyan didn't answer. He simply kept attacking.
His stamina was dwindling and his cursed energy draining, but his eyes remained calm and his movements precise.
He knew Satoru Gojo was wearing himself down too.
Now it was a contest of who could hold out until the end.
Their fists clashed once more.
Both retreated several steps and steadied themselves.
Satoru Gojo panted heavily, but the light in his eyes shone even brighter.
"Naoya Zenin," he said, "I'll admit it. You and I are the same kind of person."
Zhiyan looked at him.
"The same kind?"
"Yeah," Satoru Gojo said. "We're both monsters."
He paused, then grinned.
"So we're definitely going to fight a lot from now on."
Zhiyan watched him in silence for a few seconds.
Then the corners of his lips curved slightly.
"Sure."
Satoru Gojo's eyes lit up.
"Then it's a deal!"
He turned and headed toward the sidelines. After two steps, he looked back.
"Oh, right. Today's fight is a draw," he said. "Once I've learned more, I'll come fight you again."
Zhiyan nodded.
"Anytime."
Satoru Gojo burst out laughing and strode away.
Only then did the children at the sidelines come to their senses and erupt into enthusiastic cheers.
"That was incredible!"
"Young Master Gojo and Young Master Zenin are both so amazing!"
"Is that how geniuses fight?"
Kamo Xian Di stood where he was, watching it all, and suddenly felt calmer than he ever had before.
He had lost, and he accepted that defeat wholeheartedly.
But he had also seen what a true genius looked like.
That was enough.
Wana had already rushed into the arena and thrown her arms around Zhiyan.
"Big brother! You're amazing! You even beat that white-haired hedgehog and sent him running!"
Her hug made Zhiyan sway. He smiled helplessly.
"He didn't run. He left on his own. And his name is Satoru Gojo. Don't be rude."
"That still means you sent him running!" Wana declared with complete conviction.
His gaze passed over Wana and settled on the edge of the crowd.
Shoko stood there, quietly watching him.
She neither cheered like the other children nor rushed into the arena to hug him. She simply stood there, her eyes crinkling slightly, a faint smile on her lips.
Zhiyan walked toward her.
The children around him were still cheering, and the adults began coming out of the hall, talking among themselves. But he shut all of it out.
He stopped in front of Shoko.
"I'm back."
Shoko looked at him.
"I saw."
A few seconds of silence passed between them.
Then Zhiyan spoke, his voice a little softer than usual.
"He's stronger than me."
Shoko blinked.
"You mean that?"
Zhiyan thought for a moment, then nodded again.
"I do."
He paused, looking in the direction Satoru Gojo had left.
"His Cursed Technique is powerful. As I am now, I really can't break through the Limitless's defenses. Without summoning Mahoraga or using outside help like Cursed Tools, even if I used every Shikigami I have and combined all their abilities, I still couldn't break through."
His voice was calm, without resentment or dejection. It was simply... an objective statement.
"He's stronger than me."
Shoko looked at him without speaking.
She was looking into his eyes.
Those eyes had always been steady and calm, as though they could see through everything and embrace it all.
But now, there was something different in them.
A light.
A light kindled by encountering a powerful opponent.
She had never seen him like this.
Never seen him admire someone so sincerely.
Her Zhiyan had always been composed, coolheaded, effortlessly capable in everything he did. She had thought that was simply who he was, that he had been born that way and would always be that way.
But now she understood.
It wasn't that he lacked passion or a competitive streak.
He just... hadn't met anyone who could fire him up.
"Zhiyan."
Shoko spoke.
Zhiyan turned to look at her.
"Hmm?"
Shoko beckoned to him.
"Lower your head a little."
Zhiyan paused in surprise.
"What?"
"Lower your head," Shoko said. "You're too tall."
Zhiyan was a head taller than her. Standing before him with her face tilted slightly upward, she really did need him to lower his head.
Though Zhiyan didn't understand what she wanted to do, he obediently bent down and lowered his head.
Then he felt a hand touch his cheek.
Shoko's hand.
Small, soft, and warm.
It rested where Xian Di had left a bloody scratch.
Zhiyan's body stiffened slightly.
Her touch was so soft, as soft as a feather. Yet that feather carried a warmth that spread from his cheek all the way into his heart.
Then he felt it.
The wound began to itch.
Not an unpleasant itch, but something... gently warm, like the feeling of sunlight on his skin.
He knew what she was doing.
Reverse Cursed Technique.
She was healing his wound.
But at that moment, his mind went blank. He couldn't think of anything.
All he could feel was her hand.
All he could feel was that warmth.
All he could feel was his heartbeat, growing faster and faster.
After a few seconds, Shoko lowered her hand.
"There," she said gently. "All better now."
Zhiyan touched his cheek.
The wound really was gone.
But that wasn't what he cared about.
He simply looked at her, at her eyes, at the tiny beauty mark beneath the corner of her eye.
Shoko met his gaze, then spoke, her voice calm and earnest.
"There's one more thing."
"What?"
Shoko looked at him and spoke each word clearly.
"To me, you're the strongest."
Zhiyan froze.
He parted his lips, wanting to say something, but no words came.
He simply looked at her, at her eyes, at the light shining in them.
That light was brighter than the sun.
Brighter than any spark that had flared in him during his fight with Satoru Gojo.
That light was his.
"Shoko..." His voice was a little hoarse.
Shoko tilted her head, her eyes curving into a smile.
"What? Got a problem with that?"
Zhiyan shook his head.
"No."
"Then what is it?"
Zhiyan looked at her, silent for a few seconds.
Then he smiled.
It was a deep smile, more sincere than ever.
"Nothing," he said. "I just think..."
He paused.
"It's wonderful having you here."
Shoko blinked.
Then the tips of her ears flushed slightly too.
But she didn't look away. She kept looking at him, her eyes crinkled.
"Of course," she said. "Who else would want you, you old stick-in-the-mud?"
They smiled at each other.
Maple leaves drifted down around them, and sunlight spilled over them.
The clamor at the edge of the arena seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them and a courtyard full of autumn colors.
In the distance, Satoru Gojo stood beneath the covered walkway, watching the scene, and clicked his tongue.
"Tch. So you've got a fiancée. Big deal."
He turned and strode away.
After two steps, he couldn't help glancing back.
He saw the two of them standing beneath the maple tree, holding hands and smiling at each other.
The corners of his mouth lifted too.
This trip really was worth it. Naoya Zenin, the Ten Shadows Technique, even more Cursed Energy than me... now that's a worthy opponent...
Then Satoru Gojo turned and disappeared into the depths of the covered walkway.
The sun sank toward the horizon, and the banquet ended.
The children left one after another, and the adults took their leave as well.
Holding Shoko's hand, Zhiyan got into the car with her and Wana.
The car slowly pulled away from the Maple Mountain Estate and entered the tunnel of red leaves.
The evening sun filtered through the branches and leaves, bathing the car's interior in a warm red glow.
Wana had already fallen asleep against Shoko, a contented smile still on her little face.
Shoko gently patted her back as she watched the scenery outside.
Zhiyan sat beside her, quietly looking ahead.
After a while, Shoko suddenly spoke.
"Zhiyan."
"Hmm?"
"You were really happy today, weren't you?"
Zhiyan paused.
"...Yeah."
Shoko turned to look at him.
"Because of Satoru Gojo?"
Zhiyan thought for a moment.
"Because he's strong," he said. "And maybe because... I'll be able to keep fighting him from now on."
Shoko nodded without saying anything more.
But she suddenly reached out and took his hand again.
Her hand was still so small, so soft, so warm.
Zhiyan lowered his head to look at their joined hands.
"Shoko."
"Hmm?"
"What you said earlier..." He paused. "Did you mean it?"
Shoko tilted her head.
"What?"
"You said..." Zhiyan's ears reddened again. "That to you, I'm the strongest."
Shoko looked at him and suddenly smiled.
Her smile was gentler than the sunset outside the window.
"Of course I meant it," she said. "When have I ever lied to you?"
Zhiyan looked at her, silent for a few seconds.
Then the corners of his lips lifted.
"Good."
Shoko looked at him and teased,
"Now the old stick-in-the-mud can rest easy."
Outside the window, red leaves drifted slowly down.
The sun sank lower and lower.
The car drove into the distance, toward their home.
Before you continue