After more than ten years, Kanzaki Kumo finally heard that familiar voice again.
It was a little hoarse from the wear of time, but that did nothing to diminish the care in its words.
At this long-awaited reunion, Kanzaki Kumo felt considerably calmer than he had expected.
He did not burst into tears as he had imagined, nor did he throw himself into his elder's arms like a child, sobbing too hard to speak.
Kanzaki Kumo simply gazed quietly at that face, which looked exactly as he remembered apart from being slightly ethereal, and said nothing more.
Before seeing his grandfather, he had clearly had so much he wanted to say.
He had even planned where in time and with which event to begin, how to work jokes into the conversation, and how to answer further questions-especially how to introduce and explain things when it came to the girls around him.
But now that they had truly reunited, now that they stood face-to-face and his grandfather was right before him, Kanzaki Kumo's lips opened and closed several times without producing a single word.
In the end, all he could say in reply was, "It's been a long time."
Then grandfather and grandson both laughed.
With that laughter, the sense of distance from their long separation vanished in an instant.
And Kanzaki Kumo finally found his words.
He talked about meeting Jigoro Kuwajima, then about the fun and games between master and student while he learned his Breathing Style.
He talked about going from keeping to himself to regularly exchanging letters or chatting in person with a few good friends. Of course, he also included his sparring matches with a certain fellow who lost every fight and kept coming back for more.
He talked about his first meeting with Makomo, then