After Yushiro's arrival, Selena prepared a bath for the two boys. Kenji dragged Yushiro toward the warm water, leaving the rest of the household to snap out of the daze caused by the newcomer's ethereal beauty.
Once they were gone, Anna turned to Ray with a startled expression. "Is that the person you said would help Kenji?"
The night before, Ray had admitted to gambling his trust on an outsider who had saved Kenji once before. Anna had been furious, but she ultimately deferred to her husband's judgment.
Ray nodded solemnly before heading toward the main door.
"You're leaving?" Selena asked, stopping them.
Ray offered a warm smile. "Yes, your mother and I have matters to attend to. We will be back for breakfast." Anna mirrored his smile, and the two elders stepped out into the cool morning air.
As they walked, Anna's voice dropped to a cautious whisper. "Kenji looks as good as new. Did you sense anything?"
"No," Ray said. "Kenji's Hashi is clean. It seems normal."
Anna let out a long sigh of relief, but then she caught sight of Ray's furrowed brow. "Then why that look, you old fox?"
"That little demon… he's different," Ray admitted, stroking his grey goatee. "When I first met him, he was danger incarnate. He radiated an overwhelming, dominating power. But now? He is silent. It's as if his Hashi isn't there at all."
Anna looked thoughtful. "What do you think happened?"
Ray's slit-like eyes opened, revealing sharp grey irises. "I'm not certain, but I suspect Kenji and the demon—no, Yushiro—made a deal in exchange for the cure."
Anna's dark brown eyes narrowed. "What could Kenji possibly have to give a brat like that?"
"I don't know," Ray said, looking his wife in the eye. "But we must watch him. Do not provoke the boy; he may simply be hiding his strength. To be honest, Anna, I am not confident I could match him in power or with a blade."
Anna frowned. "Coward."
Ray let out a light laugh. "I am a coward that you happened to fall for."
Anna scoffed, looking ahead at the slowly waking village. "So, we let a snake into our house and act like family?"
"A snake that saved our grandson," Ray reminded her.
Anna's gaze turned icy. "If that snake dares to bare its fangs, we won't hesitate."
"Of course," Ray replied, his eyes regaining their ruthless glint.
"First," Anna added quietly, "we must get the truth from Kenji."
Back in the House
Yume stared at the bathroom door before turning to Takahiro, who looked lost in thought.
"Oni-san, did Kenji really say Yushiro is his brother?" Yume asked.
Takahiro frowned. "Yes. That's what he said."
"But… did that look like a boy to you?"
Takahiro hesitated. In his mind, he tried to reconcile the image of the silver-haired newcomer. He wanted to believe Yushiro was a boy, but the memory offered a vision of a beautiful girl with calm violet eyes and delicate, porcelain skin.
He looked at Yume with a flicker of horror before forcing a shaky smile. "No, it can't be. Kenji wouldn't drag a girl into the bath with him."
"What if he didn't know?" Yume countered.
Takahiro shook his head, stomping the thought down. "I trust Kenji. Yushiro must be a boy."
Yume watched him with doubt. She couldn't shake the image of the inhumanly beautiful figure. That was a girl, she told herself firmly. Kenji is lying, or he's an idiot. No boy could look like that.
In the Bath
Steam filled the room, thick and heavy. Kenji scrubbed his crimson hair, rinsing away a mixture of soap, old blood, and a strange, dark substance. He dumped a bucket of water over his head and peered through the mist.
Yushiro sat in the large wooden tub, almost entirely shrouded by the rising vapours.
"Yushiro, did you do this?" Kenji asked, referring to the excessive steam.
Yushiro remained silent.
Kenji sighed, climbing into the warm water. The tub was massive, easily capable of holding eight grown men, leaving plenty of distance between them. "You have to stop staying quiet when you don't want to answer. It's rude."
He could feel Yushiro's stare through the fog. "What?"
Yushiro shifted slightly. "I'm tired," he said, his melodic voice echoing off the damp walls.
Kenji noted the dark circles under the boy's eyes. "Sure. You can sleep after we eat." He slumped back, relaxing into the heat, before curiosity got the better of him again. "So… you are a boy, right?"
"Who knows?"
"Hey, girls shouldn't bathe with boys. It's improper."
"So is dragging a girl into a bath with you," Yushiro countered.
"Ha!" Kenji pointed a finger through the steam. "You admitted it! You are a girl!"
Kenji's face suddenly turned bright red as the realization hit him.
"Who knows?" Yushiro replied nonchalantly. "I said 'a girl,' not 'this girl.' Listen carefully next time."
Kenji groaned. He thought about looking under the water to settle it, but immediately dismissed it as weird and wrong. He changed the subject. "What do you think of my family?"
"Nothing," Yushiro answered in that same flat, musical tone. "They are ordinary. For mortals, anyway."
"Do you not see yourself as a mortal?" Kenji asked, his brow furrowing.
"No," Yushiro said, his voice devoid of emotion yet laced with a hidden fatigue. "It is the burden of being me."