By the time Little Shemaru arrived in Yokohama, travel-worn and dusty,
someone was already waiting outside the Igarashi Family's heavy gates.
The residence, bustling with activity just days before, now seemed somewhat deserted.
The two loudest people, Sanemi Shinazugawa and Enko Onizuka... were no longer here.
"Mr. Obanai, please follow me."
It was Bach, the butler here.
He bowed slightly to Obanai, then led him toward the courtyard at the back.
"Mr. Xia Xi and Miss Persimmon are waiting for you in the back courtyard."
Obanai nodded somewhat awkwardly and followed him in silence.
The back courtyard, once filled with wooden targets for the children's training, had now been cleared of that equipment.
At that moment, however, he noticed an unfamiliar man chatting and laughing with Persimmon.
Hmm?
Obanai grew alert.
He had never seen that man before.
Yet he sensed a terrifying presence from him, as unfathomable as a deep ocean... utterly impossible to see through.
And somehow, there was also a sense of... familiarity?
Obanai's eyes widened slightly.
He noticed that Persimmon's gaze was remarkably tender as she looked at the man.
Like rippling water.
Wait?
Could Miss Xuezou have... fallen for someone else?!
Wouldn't that mean Butterfly had another chance?
Had he come at the wrong time?
Where was his senior?
Just as Obanai stood torn, unsure whether to advance or retreat,
the man in the distance, who looked to be in his twenties or thirties, suddenly waved at him.
In a slightly husky yet exceptionally familiar voice, he said,
"Oi, Little Shemaru, what are you standing there spacing out for? Come here."
That nickname and that tone...
Could it be...
Obanai could not help studying him carefully again.
Whether in height, looks, or overall bearing, he did seem somewhat similar to Xia Xi.
But a closer