"Please forgive us…" the three of us said almost at the same time. Our voices were small and heavy with guilt, as if there was no excuse strong enough to defend ourselves.
Yukina didn't let go of us right away. She continued to scold us, her voice rising and falling as she demanded to know where we had been, why we hadn't come home on time, and why we hadn't contacted anyone at all. Each question felt like a small stab to the chest.
All we could do was keep apologizing, lowering our heads and accepting everything without trying to defend ourselves. Beneath the guilt, however, an odd warmth crept in—a feeling that we had truly been waited for, truly worried about, and truly had a place to return to.
After a while, Yukina finally loosened her embrace. The hands that had been gripping us so tightly slowly relaxed, as if only now she was fully convinced that we were safe.
Yukina let out a long breath, her shoulders dropping slightly, as though she were calming herself after holding back tension for far too long. Her eyes were still wet, but the anger and panic within them gradually faded.
Then Yukina turned toward the adults who had been waiting in the orphanage yard all this time, standing there with tired yet relieved expressions.
"I'm sorry for troubling all of you," Yukina said as she bowed politely, bending fairly deep. Her voice was sincere. "Thank you so much for helping to look for them."
The adults exchanged brief glances, then nodded. A few of them smiled faintly, their relief clearly visible.
One of them lightly patted Yukina's shoulder, while another simply raised a hand to signal that it was fine. After that, one by one, they took their leave, their footsteps fading away as the orphanage yard slowly returned to silence.
We went inside the orphanage as well.
The moment the door opened, the atmosphere inside felt completely different. The other children all turned to look at us at once, their eyes wide with worry.
Some of the younger children looked as if they were on the verge of tears, their lips trembling, caught between relief and lingering fear. The older ones stood stiffly, holding back the many questions they clearly wanted to ask.
Yukina quickly clapped her hands twice, the sharp sound breaking the silence. "Alright, that's enough. All of you, go sit in the dining room. We'll be having dinner soon."
Her tone was firm, yet warm. The children obeyed, though a few of them kept glancing back at us as they walked, making sure we were really there.
After that, Yukina led the three of us to her room. Her steps were no longer rushed, but they still carried authority. The room felt warm the moment we entered.
The light was dim, and the lingering scent of tea in the air made the atmosphere slightly calming. However, once the door closed, Yukina's expression turned serious again.
"Now," Yukina said softly but firmly, "tell me what really happened. Why did you come home this late?"
Rika immediately took a small step forward. Her shoulders tensed before she finally lowered her head. "Please forgive us… we were playing, and we didn't realize it had gotten so late."
Yukina stared at Rika intently, as if trying to read the honesty on her face. "Is that so?"
I quickly spoke up before the atmosphere grew any heavier.
"That's true," I said. "I ran into them outside, and then we played together. We really didn't notice that it was already night."
I lowered my head as well, making sure my attitude looked sincere.
Earlier, on the way back, the three of us had already agreed on this. We wouldn't tell Yukina the truth.
Not because we didn't trust her, but because we didn't want to drag her into the world of Jujutsu. That world was far too dangerous—far too cruel for someone like Yukina, who only wanted to protect the children in this orphanage.
"Please forgive us…" Shizuka apologized as well. Her voice was small, almost drowned out, filled with guilt.
Yukina let out another sigh, this one longer and heavier. A brief silence settled over the room.
"Next time, you all need to pay more attention to the time," Yukina said, looking at us one by one, making sure her words truly sank in. "Do you understand?"
"Yes…" we answered in unison, nodding our heads.
"Alright." Yukina's tone finally softened. The tension on her face eased. "Now go take a bath and clean yourselves up. After that, go straight to the dining room. We'll eat together."
"Yes, we understand," we replied once more.
We then left Yukina's room. My steps felt heavier now that all the tension had finally faded. I headed straight for the stairs and went up to the second floor. As soon as I entered my room, I gently closed the door and leaned my back against it, letting out a long breath.
Only now did my body truly feel tired. My muscles ached, and my mind felt empty.
I went into the bathroom, splashed my face, and washed myself. The cold water flowed over my skin, bringing a sense of calm, as if it were washing away the remnants of tension that had clung to me until moments ago. After I finished, I changed into clean, neat clothes, making sure I looked normal, just like always.
Not long after that, I went back downstairs.
In the dining room, everyone had already gathered. The children from the orphanage sat in their respective seats, the soft clinking of cutlery mixing with light conversation and small bursts of laughter. The atmosphere that had been tense earlier had slowly returned to normal—warm and familiar.
I sat in my place, looking at the faces around the table. Faces that had waited, that had worried, and that accepted us back without condition.
That night, we had dinner together.
...
...
...
Time continued to pass without truly being felt. Before I realized it, the sunlight that had once been gentle had already risen high, piercing through the gaps in the sky and falling straight onto the earth, signaling that the day had officially entered midday.
The cold morning air gradually warmed, making the atmosphere feel more alive than it had a few hours earlier. The shadows of the trees grew shorter, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves created faint patterns of light on the ground.
By now, I was already inside the forest where I usually trained. It was a fairly large and relatively quiet forest near Akiruno City, located far from crowds and human activity.
Tall trees stood close together, their trunks sturdy, with rough, aged bark, as if they had been standing there undisturbed for decades. Thick green grass covered the ground, some of it still damp with dew that had not fully evaporated.
A gentle breeze blew softly through the forest, slipping between the trees and carrying the scent of damp earth, dry leaves, and a faint natural fragrance that could only be found in a place like this. The sound of rustling leaves was soft, blending with the occasional chirping of birds that broke the silence.
However, this time, I did not come to this place alone.
I came together with Rika and Shizuka, two young girls who now stood not far from me. Both of them looked around the forest with almost identical expressions, a mix of curiosity and slight nervousness.
Their eyes darted here and there, observing the tall trees, the dark shadows between the bushes, and the small sounds that emerged from unseen directions. It was clear that this was not an environment they were used to visiting in their daily lives.
In fact, before we could even arrive here, something rather troublesome had happened.
When we were about to leave the orphanage that morning, I had not expected Yukina to refuse my request so firmly. At first, I had only intended to take Rika and Shizuka to the forest to train, just as I usually did on my own—something that felt perfectly reasonable to me.
However, the moment I explained my intention, Yukina's expression immediately changed. The faint smile that usually adorned her face disappeared, replaced by a serious look that she rarely showed.
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