"When will it be my turn?"
Kanao raised her head, lightly biting her lip as she looked at Soma.
Her fair face carried a faint trace of vulnerability, and her pink-purple eyes trembled slightly beneath a thin mist of emotion.
Although she said it like that, the grievance in her heart could clearly be felt. Evidently, Kanao held some resentment toward the current situation.
For a moment, Soma did not know how to respond.
"When you are older. If, when that time comes, Kanao still thinks this way." Soma answered vaguely.
"How long is 'when that time comes'? One month? Two months? One year? Two years? Or how long?" Kanao immediately pressed him, her beautiful eyes filled with expectation.
Soma did not know how to answer. He reached out and gently stroked Kanao's hair. Her hair was very soft, smooth and fine beneath his hand.
"When your hair grows long enough to reach your waist… If you still feel the same way then." He answered softly.
Kanao reached up and gently pinched a lock of her own hair. Then she raised her head, looked at her uncle, and stretched out a finger.
Seeing the finger Kanao held out before him, Soma was a little confused.
"Pinky promise." Kanao's eyes carried happiness, and her long lashes fluttered lightly.
Soma was speechless, but he still extended his own finger and played this childish game with Kanao.
"Go back and rest." He spoke softly.
Kanao seemed somewhat satisfied now. However, before entering the room, she still stepped forward and hugged him.
This had always been one of Kanao's habitual actions. She loved throwing herself into his embrace and clinging to him like a koala.
But as the girl had grown up, everything was no longer the same as before.
The once-slender, childish frame had already blossomed like a willow tree in spring, developing graceful, maturing curves.
At every moment, she radiated an alluring charm that made one's heart skip a beat.
It unconsciously stirred something deep inside.
"Go rest now." Soma said in a low voice.
"Let me hug you a little longer."
Kanao whispered, pressing her soft body closer against him.
Soma naturally wouldn't refuse such a simple request from Kanao.
At the quiet doorway, the two of them simply held each other.
They could clearly hear each other's breathing.
To Kanao, her uncle had been the light that appeared during her darkest moments.
And to Soma, Kanao had been the final anchor that kept him from losing all faith.
After a long while, Kanao finally let go.
She stood in front of him and looked at Soma seriously.
"I've always belonged to Uncle. I did in the past, I do now, and I always will."
Her voice was soft. "Uncle once told Kanao that people change. The things we like now might not be the things we like in the future."
As time passed, Kanao had gradually come to understand those words. From the lonely, closed-off girl trapped in darkness, she had slowly opened her heart and become more like a normal girl.
She, Kanao, had changed with the passage of time. From someone who was once ignored like a beggar, she had now gained the care of many people and received a lot in return.
She had made new friends and met someone who treated her with the gentle kindness of a mother.
It felt like she was transforming every single day.
Constantly becoming better.
The chicken leg she had once only dreamed of eating when she was starving had now become something ordinary she could have every day.
If she were to return to that dark past from where she stood now, Kanao felt she probably wouldn't be able to endure that kind of gloomy life again.
"People change with time. Just like Uncle said, many things we liked before might not be the things we like in the future."
The girl's pink-purple eyes looked straight at him.
"Maybe in the future, a lot of my likes will change. But I feel that… liking Uncle…"
Kanao's tone grew even more serious.
"…is something that will never change."
"Wanting to walk forward together with Uncle… is also something that will never change."
Her words left Soma standing there, momentarily unsure how to respond.
Kanao didn't stay at the doorway any longer. She gave him one more hug, then pushed open the door and went inside.
Rustling sounds came from within the room — probably Kanao taking off her clothes and getting into bed to rest.
Soma stood at the doorway in silence for a long time.
He was genuinely moved by the depth of Kanao's feelings for him. He had always known he held a very high place in her heart, but he hadn't expected it to be this high.
...
Makomo lay on the bed with her eyes closed, but her heart couldn't calm down. Even now, Soma still hadn't returned.
Maybe… he wouldn't be coming back tonight at all?
A wave of disappointment washed over her.
Tap… tap… tap…
Footsteps sounded outside, instantly sweeping away all of Makomo's low spirits. Her small hands, hidden under the blanket, clenched nervously.
Creak…
The door was pushed open. Cold wind rushed in, followed by the sound of it closing. Familiar footsteps slowly approached. Although she didn't open her eyes, Makomo knew — Soma had returned.
"Makomo…"
A gentle voice called out. It was Soma.
The girl's eyelashes trembled slightly, but she pretended to already be asleep.
"She's asleep."
Soma's voice came again, followed by the rustling sound of him taking off his clothes.
Makomo's face instantly grew warm, but she didn't dare move. Then she felt the blanket being lifted at one corner. Her skin touched something as cold as ice, making her shrink back slightly. At that moment, she felt a little uncomfortable.
She had always slept alone. Suddenly having another person — a man — in her bed felt strange. She felt shy, unsure what to do, and didn't even know where to put her hands and feet.
She had never shared a bed with a man before.
While Makomo was still stiff and awkward, unsure how to position herself, Soma moved closer. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, he pulled her into his arms.
He had just come in from outside, so his body was still cold. It felt like she had become his personal hand warmer, existing solely to warm him up.
Yet for some reason, she didn't dislike it.
In fact, she was slowly starting to get used to it.
Getting used to having a man lying beside her. Getting used to being held by him. Getting used to being used as his hand warmer. Getting used to the way he gently caressed her…
It felt strange.
It seemed like all the habits she had developed over the years were being broken in this single moment. Instead, she found herself actively adapting to Soma's rhythm.
She felt as though she no longer belonged only to herself… but to him.
In front of him, all her old habits were being discarded, and she was automatically adjusting to his preferences.
"Is this what it means to be husband and wife?"
The thought suddenly rose in Makomo's mind.
She imagined that from now on, every day might be like this — being held, being embraced…
With these messy thoughts drifting through her head, her consciousness gradually grew hazy. Eventually, she fell asleep in the increasingly warm embrace that held her close.