"...In your eyes, I'll always be a child!"
Shinobu Kocho shot him a cold glance, then sighed. "Be careful. Don't go getting yourself killed. I wouldn't care about you, but my sister would be a widow. If you dare put her through that pain, I'll go to hell and settle the score with you myself."
"Don't worry."
Tetsu no Sosuke's expression shifted slightly. At last, he smiled gently. "Take care of yourself."
Shinobu Kocho walked him to the door, where Tetsu no Sosuke said goodbye to her. Kanroji Mitsuri had heard he was leaving and came to see him off too.
Tetsu no Sosuke turned to leave. Remembering what Tamayo had said, he glanced back without thinking.
He had thought Shinobu Kocho would have gone inside by the time he got this far. Instead, she was still standing in the doorway, watching him.
For a moment, the look in Shinobu Kocho's eyes made Tetsu no Sosuke think he was seeing Kanae...
"...This is..."
Tetsu no Sosuke's heart grew heavy.
When Tamayo had brought it up, he really hadn't thought much of it.
What young woman didn't have a crush?
At Shinobu Kocho's age, feelings ran high. It was perfectly normal for her to like someone.
After all, everyone had a few people they liked when they were young.
Back then, they thought their feelings would never change, that they would last a lifetime.
Only later did they realize what a joke that was.
But Tetsu no Sosuke had overlooked how times differed, and how differently people thought.
For some, once they fell for someone, it lasted a lifetime.
His brow furrowed. This... was going to be difficult.
Love had always been the thing that hurt people most. If Shinobu Kocho came to any harm because he handled this poorly, Tetsu