The morning sun filtered softly through the high windows of the Maho manor, its golden warmth brushing against the polished wood and velvet drapes. As the laughter and movement faded from the room, Toki lingered by the tall window, the cool glass beneath his fingertips grounding him.
He looked over his shoulder at Utsuki, who was still seated in one of the deep velvet chairs, hugging a pillow to her chest.
"We've still got one more day before the Royal Selection," Toki said gently, a rare softness in his voice. "You don't need to stress about it today. Let's take this one moment for ourselves."
Utsuki looked up, startled, the pillow tightening in her arms. "What do you mean?"
Toki turned fully to face her. His eyes held a quiet determination, but there was something boyish underneath, something almost shy.
"I mean," he began, then paused, gathering courage, "come with me to the theater . Not just the two of us—everyone at the manor is invited. A proper evening out. Some laughter. Some music. Maybe even a bad play that we can whisper jokes about."
Utsuki blinked, her cheeks already turning red. "That's… really sudden."
He offered his hand without saying anything, palm open, inviting. He wasn't grinning like he usually did, trying to play the fool or charm his way out of things. He was just… there. Present. Real.
After a moment's hesitation, Utsuki slowly reached out and took his hand. Her touch was light, but her fingers trembled faintly. "Okay," she whispered, looking down at their joined hands. "Just this once."
From near the doorway, a voice cleared its throat.
Leonard stood there, arms folded, the usual sternness of his expression softened by a faint smile. "I'd join you," he said, "but I have matters to attend to in Velmoras. Politics. Paperwork. Assassination attempts. You know, the usual delights of nobility."
Toki laughed. "You say that like you don't secretly enjoy it."
Leonard shrugged, stepping into the room. "Perhaps I do. But regardless, I need to leave before noon. Preparations won't wait. I just wanted to thank you for the offer, and…" He looked toward Utsuki. "I'm glad you're taking time to breathe."
Utsuki gave him a small nod. "Thank you, Leonard."
He bowed his head slightly. "I'll return by dusk tomorrow. Try not to burn the place down while I'm gone."
With that, he turned and exited the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.
Toki let out a breath and looked toward the others.
Yuki and Suzume had been quietly listening from the back of the room, their expressions unreadable.
He looked at them, guilt brushing the edge of his voice. "I fought so hard to keep both of you alive. Through too many timelines. Through too many mistakes. I don't even know if this one's the right one. But you're here. That matters." he tought in his mind.
Toki chuckled. "Thank you."
"But someone has to take care of this place while Leonard's gone," Yuki continued. "Suzume and I will stay behind and look after the manor."
Suzume nodded, stepping beside her sister. . And we'll keep the triplets from burning the kitchens again."
"Speaking of the triplets…" Toki turned his head just as Yuki added, almost regretfully:
"Haru, Natsu, and Aki have to stay here too."
The cry of disappointment came almost immediately from the corridor.
"Whaaat?" a voice echoed. "But we wanted to go too!"
Three heads peeked into the room—Haru with her twin tails bouncing, Natsu clutching a half-eaten rice ball, and Aki frowning like the world had ended.
"No fair!" Natsu protested. "We never get to see plays! Just dusty books and chores!"
Yuki's expression didn't soften. "You three are still grounded. Last time,While we were in the forest you nearly flooded the southern wing."
"That was an accident!" Aki crossed her arms.
"A very enthusiastic accident," Yuki said dryly.
"But—" Haru began, then saw Toki's apologetic look and sighed. "Fine."
Toki gave them a small wink. "I'll bring you back sweetbread from the vendor next door to the theater."
The triplets' moods shifted instantly, arguing over which flavor they wanted.
As the conversation mellowed into laughter and minor bickering, Toki's eyes finally settled on Tora, who had been lounging near the fireplace with a lazy sprawl, her boots up on the armrest of the sofa.
She didn't look at him when she spoke, voice dry like old parchment. "Well, I suppose I have nothing better to do tonight."
Toki raised an eyebrow. "Is that a yes?"
Tora shrugged, still not looking up. "Don't get your hopes up. I'm coming for the play, not the company."
Utsuki stifled a giggle. Toki shot Tora a grin. "I'll take what I can get."
Tora smirked at that, finally turning her gaze toward him. "You always do."
The room grew warmer—not just from the sun creeping higher across the windowpanes, but from something else. A rare, fleeting peace.
"Alright," Toki said at last, clapping his hands together. "Tonight, we rest. We watch actors forget their lines, and we laugh when the set collapses mid-scene. Tonight we pretend we're normal people in a normal world, just for a few hours."
"Just for a few hours," Utsuki echoed softly.
There was a pause, and then Suzume asked, "What are you going to wear?"
Toki blinked. "Clothes?"
Yuki rolled her eyes. "You're going to the Grand Curtain. You're not showing up in that frayed coat and your half-burnt boots."
Utsuki tried not to smile too wide, but failed. "Actually, I'd like to see him in something ridiculous for once."
"I'm wounded," Toki muttered. "This is bullying."
"You'll live," said Tora dryly.
"I'll check the wardrobe room," Yuki said.
As everyone began to scatter in different directions, laughter trailing behind them, Toki remained for a moment at the window, watching the light settle .
Utsuki stepped beside him, quietly. "You really meant it, didn't you?"
"What?"
"This... time. These moments."
Toki turned to her. His smile wasn't wide. It was gentle. A bit sad. "Every moment we take back from fate is a moment I won't let go to waste."
The warm afternoon sun had begun to dip behind the forested hills that surrounded the Maho manor, casting a golden hue across the courtyard. Birds sang their last songs of the day, and the cicadas had just begun to take over the melody. The manor itself glowed faintly in the light—tranquil, but with a nervous energy humming underneath.
Out near the stables, Toki tightened the final harness strap on the luminous bird-creature—an elegant, towering Luma avian with plumage like shifting light. Its large, intelligent eyes blinked slowly as it stretched its wings once before settling down again. The carriage, affixed gently behind it, gleamed with new polish, as if sharing in the excitement of the upcoming evening.
Toki stepped back to admire his handiwork when the steady clop of talons on stone made him glance to his left. Leonard approached on another Luma, this one darker and sleek, a travel satchel slung across his back. His sharp military posture hadn't dulled despite the hour.
"Heading out already?" Toki asked, brushing dust off his sleeves.
Leonard slowed his mount beside him. "The earlier I arrive, the fewer noble tongues I must endure at once. Strategic suffering."
Toki smiled. "Makes sense."
Leonard looked him over, then let his gaze flick briefly to the prepared carriage. "You're realy taking them out tonight?"
"Yeah. Just for a few hours. The Grand Curtain has a new performance. They deserve a break."
Leonard raised an eyebrow. "You included?"
"Even me," Toki answered with a smirk. But then he hesitated, glancing sidelong at the older man. "Can I ask you something?"
Leonard nodded once, his gaze steady.
"Arași said you've been the lord of this manor for hundreds of years. Is that true?"
Leonard didn't answer immediately. He dismounted, letting the reins fall gently around the Luma's neck. He looked out at the forest, the setting sun casting long shadows across his expression.
"And you," he said quietly, "are far older than you let on. Isn't that right?"
Toki blinked, startled. "That's not—"
"No need to deny it. I see things. I know the way people carry years in their bones. Yours scream with weight."
Toki looked down at his hands. For a moment, silence stretched between them.
"There will be a day," Leonard continued, "when you and I will sit down, no formalities, no masks, and we'll speak honestly. Not as comrades or caretakers, but as what we truly are."
Toki nodded slowly. "I'll hold you to that."
Leonard mounted again. "I'll return before dusk tomorrow. Until then—enjoy your night. Laugh. Forget. At least for a while."
"Safe journey, Leonard."
With a final nod, Leonard urged his Luma forward, disappearing through the outer gates, leaving behind only the fading sound of talons on stone.
Back inside the manor, soft laughter echoed down the hallway leading from the wardrobe chamber.
Utsuki stepped out first, the delicate sway of her lace pink dress catching the low sunlight. Her silver hair had been woven into a soft braid wrapped around her crown like a halo, with loose strands fluttering around her cheeks. Her pale pink eyes glittered with quiet apprehension. Each step in her red satin shoes made a soft, graceful tap against the stone.
Behind her, Tora emerged with a casual grace. Her golden hair fell in waves down her back, untamed but gleaming. She wore a yellow dress that shimmered like sunlight through honey, cinched slightly at the waist and paired with black shoes that grounded her look with an edge. Despite her complaining earlier, she looked the part of a noblewoman—if one with a penchant for sarcasm and swift punches.
Toki, still in his worn coat and boots, turned around at the sound of their footsteps.
He froze.
His breath caught audibly.
"W-What... You two... I mean—" he stammered.
Utsuki shifted shyly, fingers laced in front of her. "Yuki and Suzume helped. I didn't even know we had dresses like this in the manor."
Tora tilted her head with a smirk. "Pick your jaw off the floor, Toki. It's just a dress."
"You both look..." He faltered, then exhaled slowly. "You look like you stepped out of a dream."
Utsuki blushed furiously, while Tora gave a mock bow. "Glad to know we clean up well. Now are we going or what?"
But before they could approach the carriage, a familiar voice called out from the manor's doorway.
"And where do you think you're going dressed like that?"
Yuki stood with her arms crossed, an eyebrow arched in the most terrifyingly maternal fashion.
Toki turned sheepish. "I was just about to—"
"No. Get back inside. Your turn."
He looked helplessly at Utsuki and Tora. "Wait for me?"
Utsuki nodded, and Tora chuckled. "Don't worry. If she kills you, I'll claim your room."
Inside the wardrobe room, Yuki wasted no time.
She sat him on the small bench, running a brush through his blue hair with far more tenderness than her expression suggested.
"Ow. That—"
"Sit still."
She tied it up into a low bun, leaving a few strands loose to soften his angular features. Then she turned, tossing a set of clothes at him—a tailored black shirt, slim trousers, and a velvet coat embroidered with gold thread. She tossed a pair of polished black shoes onto the floor.
"Now change."
Yuki stepped out, closing the door behind her. Toki began dressing slowly. As he fastened the final button on the coat, his fingers brushed over the skin of his lower abdomen.
The seal.
It had changed.
One of the seven sigils etched into his flesh was... gone. Just smooth, unblemished skin remained in its place.
His pulse quickened. Was it because of her? The woman in the mist? Or something else?
He finished dressing and opened the door.
Outside, Utsuki and Tora stood near the carriage. Tora glanced toward the door and muttered, "Bet you Yuki strangled him with a measuring tape."
Utsuki giggled. "Be nice."
Then they both stopped talking.
Toki stepped into the fading light, adjusting a dark velvet top hat with one hand, bowing slightly.
He looked... regal.
No, more than that. He looked like the master of the manor himself. Clean lines, elegance, and a rare warmth in his smile that lit up more than just his face.
"Ladies," he said, his voice low and smooth. "Shall we?"
Utsuki's blush returned instantly. Tora blinked, then narrowed her eyes. "Okay, who dressed you? Because that's illegal."
Toki grinned. "I have my sources."
He held the door to the carriage open as both women stepped inside. The golden Luma shifted its weight, wings fluttering slightly in anticipation.
Toki climbed to the driver's seat, took the reins gently in hand, and glanced over his shoulder.
"To the Grand Curtain. Let's pretend we're normal. Just for a night."
With a crack of the reins and a soft cry from the Luma, the carriage began to glide forward, wheels whispering over the cobblestone.
The manor gates creaked open, letting them out into the golden hour, toward music, laughter, and the brief illusion of peace.