Itachi's tears, Shisui's vow

At this crucial moment, footsteps and Mikoto's gentle voice came from outside the door.

Mikoto led Itachi into the house, a gentle smile on her face, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere inside.

Itachi looked around, searching for Koki's figure, until his gaze landed on Koki and Shisui in the center of the courtyard.

A hint of anger flashed across Itachi's face. "Wah~" Then, his pitiful lips twitched, and tears streamed down his face like pearls, clear and loud, breaking the tranquility of the courtyard.

Amid Itachi's mournful cries, Koki's heart clenched. He instantly pulled away from Shisui's warm embrace, his face filled with worry.

He quickly walked to Itachi's side, knelt down, and gently comforted his younger brother in a loving voice.

"Itachi, what's wrong? Don't cry, your brother's here." Koki's voice was anxious as he gently stroked Itachi's hair, trying to calm him down.

Seeing her younger brother's tears broke Koki's heart.

Well done!

Kakashi and Obito breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

Itachi's cries were like a timely rain, washing away the indescribable emotions in their hearts.

Mikoto also crouched down, trying to hug Itachi, but saw Itachi holding onto Koki tightly, unwilling to let go.

"What happened? He was fine just now." Seeing this, Mikoto helplessly patted Itachi's head.

With the combined comforting of Koki and Mikoto, Itachi gradually stopped crying.

His face was hidden in Koki's arms, his little hands tightly gripping his brother's clothes, tears still glistening in his eyes, but his expression had calmed down considerably.

"I'm sorry." Shisui stood to the side, his face showing a mixture of apology and helplessness.

"Why should I apologize?" Koki looked at Shisui in confusion.

Shisui didn't utter a word, only offering a helpless, bitter smile.

Why apologize?

He probably knew why Itachi was crying; he had just seen Koki glare at him hard when Koki wasn't looking!

"Alright, you guys play, I'm going inside to cook." Mikoto's gaze lingered briefly on the sky, assuming it was lunchtime.

"Auntie, let me help you." As soon as Mikoto finished speaking, Kakashi immediately stepped forward.

"Just what I wanted." Mikoto's smile bloomed like spring flowers. She watched Kakashi's movements, a look of satisfaction and relief flashing in her eyes.

"You don't need to come. Too many people will only make things worse." Mikoto's gaze gently swept over Shisui's hesitant face and Obito's pensive expression. Her voice was as warm and considerate as a spring breeze.

Kakashi nodded to Koki, then followed Mikoto into the house.

The courtyard suddenly fell silent. Koki, holding Itachi, slowly sat down on the stone bench, and the others followed suit.

Four people sat around the table, enough for a mahjong game, and a playful thought crept into Koki's mind.

It's unbelievable. Itachi seems like a completely different person in Koki's arms. His previous crying and fussing seem to have been swallowed up by time. Now he's incredibly well-behaved and so quiet it's heartbreaking.

"June weather is like a child's face, "Koki shook her head helplessly. Although Koki complained inwardly, she was still happy to see that her younger brother was alright.

Okay, now it's these two people's questions.

At that moment, his gaze shifted to another person.

Obito sat in the chair next to him, his gaze piercing through the courtyard wall, seemingly touching distant thoughts.

Upon closer inspection, Obito's eyes were so empty, clearly lost in deep thought. Koki smiled gently and decided to break the silence.

"Obito-nii, what are you thinking about?" Koki's voice was soft, tinged with curiosity.

Obito's mind was momentarily lost in Koki's question, a flicker of panic crossing his expression like Natsuhi breeze unintentionally creating ripples on a lake.

He blinked rapidly, trying to regain his composure.

"Oh, no... it's nothing, just thinking about it casually," Obito replied vaguely, his eyes darting around, avoiding Koki.

Koki didn't let him off the hook. He remembered their little promise about tomorrow, and he still wanted to go see Lin.

"By the way, Obito-nii, do you remember the promise we made last time?" Koki's tone was expectant, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.

A hint of hesitation appeared on Obito's face; he had intended to find an excuse to decline the agreement.

However, when Koki's ambiguous smile swept over him, his heart involuntarily trembled slightly.

Koki's eyes were as clear as X-rays, able to see right into the deepest secrets of people's hearts.

Under the scrutiny of those eyes, Obito found himself unable to utter a single word of refusal.

He took a deep breath, then gritted his teeth and made his decision.

"Of course I remember, Koki. We'll go together tomorrow." Obito's voice was firm and strong, and his eyes shone with determination.

A radiant smile bloomed on Koki's face as he reached out and gently patted Obito's shoulder. "That's great, Obito-nii! I knew you'd keep your promise."

"Hehe, of course." Obito's smile was barely holding up. He jumped up and said as he ran, "I'll go tell Rin."

"Okay~ Go early and come back early."

Obito Koki, Mitsuki smiled knowingly, thinking to herself: So you haven't informed Rin yet. Were you planning to cancel this agreement?

As Obito's figure gradually disappeared around the corner outside the door, Koki's attention shifted entirely to Shisui.

He could sense the subtle tension emanating from Shisui, like a taut string that could snap at any moment.

He knew that Shisui never easily revealed his true feelings, so what could have made him so nervous?

Koki asked with concern, "Shisui, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly hug me like that?"

Upon hearing this, Shisui looked up, a blush spreading across her face.

He scratched his head, trying to find the right words to explain his behavior.

"Koki, I'm sorry, I... I've been feeling a bit down these past few days, probably because of too much pressure. I shouldn't have treated you like that without telling you beforehand. Can you forgive me?" As she spoke, Shisui's eyes gradually became serious.

Because of this? Koki secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He had initially worried that Shisui's actions might have a deeper meaning, but now it seemed that it was just a natural reaction when he was feeling down.

"I'll forgive you this time, but if there's a next time, I won't forgive you," Koki said, feigning a threat.

"There will absolutely not be a next time, I promise you!" Shisui immediately raised his finger to the sky and swore.

I will never leave you again.