Uchiha Ryo first took Enyun to the vicinity of Toyogasaki, then used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise himself as a Toyogasaki student and snuck in.
"Excuse me, is Natsume Takashi from Class C here?"
Taking advantage of the break between classes, Uchiha Ryo directly stopped a person to ask about his little brother.
"Natsume Takashi? He took the day off today. I think he's sick."
"Sick? Thanks, classmate."
Takashi took a day off too? With his constitution, it's also very difficult for him to get sick. It seems something unusual has happened.
Uchiha Ryo's expression gradually became serious, and he ran back to Aunt Touko's house as fast as he could.
And just as Uchiha Ryo was about to go in and ask Aunt Touko where Takashi was, he saw Takashi walking out slowly, leading Nyanko-sensei.
"Eh? Takashi!"
"Ryo-nii! Why aren't you at school?"
Uchiha Ryo put Enyun-chan down. "I should be the one asking you that. I took a day off. What's your story?"
Takashi's eyes dimmed slightly. "Last night, I heard that the house back in my hometown might be demolished, so I was planning to go back and see it today."
"Is that so...."
"But I was just planning to go back and take a look. After all, now I have you, Aunt Touko, and Uncle Shigeru. After having a family, I won't easily look back anymore."
Uchiha Ryo smiled and walked forward to pat Takashi's shoulder.
"Since you also took the day off, what a coincidence. Let's go... I'll go back to your old hometown with you for a look."
Uchiha Ryo, who had thought Takashi had encountered a youkai, was instantly relieved. Since he had nothing to do today anyway, he might as well wander around with his gentle little brother.
Takashi's old hometown was not in Tokyo, so they planned to take a train there. They would probably only be able to return at night.
What Uchiha Ryo hadn't expected was that Takashi's old hometown was truly far away, as if it crossed half of the country of Japan.
He still remembered Takashi once saying that he had been constantly passed between relatives before finally ending up with the Fujiwara couple.
As for why Takashi was disliked by his relatives, it was because of his eyes that could see youkai. But Takashi didn't resent the relatives who disliked him, because he had already met people who could treat him with kindness.
The world will not always be gentle to people, but gentle people treat this world with kindness.
Compared to Takashi, Uchiha Ryo felt like he was a villain. No! I am a naturally kind Uchiha, and I am very gentle too!
The two of them walked behind, with the two cats walking in front. Takashi looked at Enyun-chan and couldn't help but laugh.
"Nyanko-sensei, can't you turn your head and see what a real cat's body shape should be? You're already overweight."
Nyanko-sensei glanced at Takashi with disdain, while Takashi smiled and took out a pudding from his bag.
Nyanko-sensei: "Pudding~!"
The gentle Takashi will definitely give it to me. Nyanko-sensei quickly came to Takashi's feet, only to see Takashi open the pudding and place it in front of Enyun.
Nyanko-sensei: "My pudding!!"
Enyun-chan: "Not bad, not bad. It's delicious."
Seeing Enyun eat the pudding that was originally his bite by bite, Nyanko-sensei became nervous. He felt that his status in the family seemed to have dropped even lower....
Takashi chuckled and shook his head, then took out a second pudding and placed it in front of Nyanko-sensei.
"Nyanko-sensei wasn't jealous just now, was he?"
"Hmm? What are you talking about! I am the handsome and powerful Nyanko-sensei. How could I be jealous of this little cat that just knows how to act cute!"
Uchiha Ryo looked at the two cats eating pudding. "Takashi, you really like cats."
Takashi seemed to be reminiscing about the past. "Seeing them, I'm reminded of a cat I met when I was little."
"It was a very cute cat, about the same size as Enyun-chan, and it had a special scent."
Uchiha Ryo also laughed. "A cat you met as a child? With a scent on it, it must have had an owner, right?"
Takashi shook his head. "I'm not sure. I only remember that when I was at my loneliest, it was that cat that held me... it made me feel so at ease."
As if remembering something, Takashi suddenly looked up.
"That wasn't a cat! I remember now, it was the youkai from the tree near my old house that transformed!"
When Takashi was little, because he could often see youkai, he was treated as a weirdo by other classmates. He was also seen as a burden by his relatives and constantly passed around.
At an age when he should have been playing with everyone, Takashi tasted endless loneliness. And similarly, the youkai in that tree, perhaps out of boredom, often teased him.
At that time, he would always get angry after being teased by the youkai. But now... looking back on it, Takashi realized that if it hadn't been for that youkai, he would have been even lonelier.
Although the young Takashi was very scared, the current Takashi really wanted to see that being again. And then say... thank you.
As Takashi told his story, Uchiha Ryo seemed to understand everything.
"What a gentle youkai. At that time, she was probably constantly appearing by your side by teasing you, keeping you company as a youkai."
"Mhm... I had no human friends, but I saw that youkai in the tree every day. But when I moved away, I didn't say much to that youkai either."
Takashi now really wanted to quickly return to his old hometown. He wanted to find that youkai again. To the youkai that he couldn't understand back then, and even resented, he wanted to say... I'm sorry.
"Do you want to go find her?"
Although Takashi didn't say it explicitly, Uchiha Ryo could already see what was in his little brother's heart.
"Mhm, I want to go back to my old hometown and find this youkai. If possible, I'll bring her back! Do you want to come with me, Ryo-nii?"
"Of course. I'll go with you."
Uchiha Ryo sighed. After seeing the look in Takashi's eyes, he really couldn't refuse.
Because Uchiha Ryo understood what Takashi had been through to have such gentle eyes.
Buying tickets and boarding the train back to his old hometown, Takashi's face showed an expression of anticipation, and at the same time, a trace of apprehension and fear.
He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to find that youkai at all, and he was also afraid that the other party would resent him for leaving without saying goodbye.
"After so many years apart... are you still there?"