"Hot springs, huh? It's been a while since I've been in one," Seijirou mused, his voice reflecting a rare sense of anticipation.
He adjusted his stride to match the rhythmic, wooden *clack* of their footsteps on the polished floorboards.
He was walking alongside Haruka, both of them following Yuko as they navigated the winding, labyrinthine halls of the Midorima estate.
The walls were lined with ancient ink paintings and historical artifacts that whispered of a lineage stretching back centuries, yet the air felt lighter now that the initial confrontation with the patriarch was over.
Just then, Yuko stopped abruptly. The silk of her clothes twirled with her as she turned towards him, "Seijirou-sama."
"Hm?" Seijirou tilted his head, his hazel eyes searching her face.
"Thank you so much." Without warning, she lowered her head and performed a deep, graceful bow, while her voice was thick with an emotion she had suppressed for two decades.
