Erina brought Yuto to Kuga.
Kuga looked terrible.
The overconfident arrogance he had carried earlier was gone, replaced by a gloomy, defeated expression.
Losing to Yuto had hit him much harder than he wanted to admit.
The moment he saw Erina approaching with Yuto, his eyes sharpened and his expression turned hostile, like a wounded wolf baring its teeth at another predator.
"What do you want now?"
His voice was low.
"Relax. I'm not here to make things worse. I just want to say something about your cooking, then I'll leave."
Kuga stared at him for a moment.
"What?"
"Chinese cuisine isn't just numbing heat and spice."
Kuga fell silent.
Yuto continued evenly.
"I don't know why you're so fixated on those flavors, but if you keep walking down this road, you're going in the wrong direction. Real Chinese cuisine is built from an enormous range of flavors and traditions. If all you pursue is numbing spice, then no matter how good you become at it, you'll still be learning with one leg missing."
His tone remained calm, without mockery.
"If you really want to understand Chinese cuisine, go to China and travel properly. Eat your way through the country. See what people actually cook in different regions. That'll teach you more than staying here ever could."
Kuga remained silent.
Yuto didn't wait for a response.
Once he finished, he turned and walked away.
Erina and the others quickly followed.
Kuga stayed where he was, staring at Yuto's retreating back while emotions churned behind his eyes.
After a long while, he suddenly gritted his teeth.
Decision made.
He was taking a leave!
Today.
He was going on a journey.
Destination—China.
He would travel across the entire country, learn what Chinese cuisine truly meant, and then come back to challenge Yuto again!
"Kamisaka Yuto... I'll be back."
...
At Tōtsuki's entrance, Erina and Hisako walked Yuto and the others all the way to the waiting car.
"I'll come back to the restaurant once the Moon Banquet Festival is over."
Erina smiled.
"Then I'll finally be able to relax a little again."
Yuto teased her.
They chatted briefly before saying goodbye.
Tōtsuki had arranged transportation for Yuto's group, and Erina and Hisako watched the car pull away before turning back toward the academy.
Inside the vehicle, Yuto asked the driver to stop at Shouko's home first.
He needed to take her back before returning to the restaurant.
And when he passed Hanako's place afterward... he wanted to stop in and check on her.
After all, yesterday was...
...
When Yuto returned to Ichinose Street, he sent Tohru and Kanna back to the restaurant first while he went to see Hanako.
He entered the nightclub and headed upstairs.
The moment he reached the second floor, he heard Chiko's voice coming from one of the rooms.
"Hanako-san, don't leave again. Just stay here."
From the sound of it, Hanako was preparing to go somewhere once more.
Yuto's expression tightened slightly as he followed the voice and stopped outside the room.
He raised a hand and knocked.
When the door opened, Chiko was standing there.
Inside, Hanako was packing her luggage.
The first thing that caught Yuto's eye, however, was the square box sitting on the table, wrapped completely in black cloth.
Its shape alone carried a solemn weight.
"Chiko-san."
After greeting her, Yuto walked directly toward Hanako.
"Aunt Hanako, are you leaving?"
Hanako looked at him.
There was obvious exhaustion in her eyes, although she still tried to give him a smile.
"Mm." She answered softly.
Hanako's hands slowed and eventually stopped as she packed.
Yuto glanced around the room. She wasn't taking much with her, only a few changes of clothes.
"That box is...?"
He hesitated as he pointed toward the square object wrapped in black cloth.
Hanako didn't answer immediately. Her eyes lowered slightly, and a complicated helplessness passed over her face.
Yuto quietly exhaled.
He already understood.
Inside that cloth...
Were probably Morishita Ihito's ashes.
"Yuto, help me talk some sense into Hanako-san. She's leaving again, and this time I really don't want her to go."
Chiko came over and spoke with obvious frustration and reluctance, looking almost like a child upset because her mother refused to buy her candy.
"Chiko-san~~~"
A voice suddenly called from downstairs.
Someone else in the nightclub was probably looking for her.
Chiko immediately looked annoyed. "Seriously, what now...?"
Then she turned back to Yuto and deliberately put on a threatening expression. "I'm going downstairs for a minute. Convincing Hanako-san to stay is your job now. You'd better succeed, or your big sister is going to punish you!"
Yuto couldn't help laughing.
Chiko then hurried out of the room and disappeared downstairs.
Yuto walked over to close the door before returning to Hanako, his expression carrying a trace of helplessness.
"Chiko is still young. She gets worked up too easily."
Hanako smiled faintly, then sighed and gestured for him to sit.
Yuto took the seat beside her.
He glanced at Hanako, but his gaze inevitably drifted back toward the black cloth covering the box on the table.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
After a brief silence, he asked, "Does Chiko-san know what happened yesterday?"
"I didn't tell her."
Hanako spoke calmly, her gaze lowering slightly as a faint, weary smile touched her lips.
Yuto pressed his lips together.
No wonder Chiko was still behaving more or less normally.
She had no idea what had happened yesterday.
"Are you planning to come back after this trip?" Yuto asked.
If Chiko had heard that question, she probably would have gotten angry all over again.
She had specifically told him to convince Hanako not to leave, and instead he was already asking what she planned to do afterward.
"Of course I'm coming back. There are still so many people here I care about. How could I possibly stay away forever?"
Hanako smiled gently, her voice carrying a quiet sense of ease.
That answer let Yuto relax considerably.
Ever since yesterday, he had been worried that what happened might push Hanako too far or leave her unable to recover. Now, however, he realized he had underestimated her.
Hanako was much stronger than he imagined.
"Don't think too much about me. I'm not some young girl who'll fall apart over something like this."
She laughed softly and reached over to pat his head.
Hanako had already lived through far too much.
An unhappy childhood, the hardships that came after running away from home, the countless struggles she had endured afterward...
Her life had carried her through violent storms and peaceful beaches alike. The road had been rough, painful, and exhausting, and she had seen more than her fair share of life and death.
After everything she had survived, her heart had long since been tempered beyond what most people could imagine.
There was almost nothing left that could truly break her.
Whatever happened, she could gather herself again and face the next day.
Like a dandelion growing stubbornly in an open field, she could be torn apart by the wind and still drift somewhere new, take root, and grow again.
"In that case... have a safe trip, Aunt Hanako."
Yuto leaned back slightly and smiled at her.
Everything Chiko had asked him to do before leaving had effectively gone straight out the window. Instead of convincing Hanako to stay, he was now wishing her farewell.
Chiko would probably be furious.
"Thank you, Yuto."
Hanako gently pulled him into a hug.
Her voice sounded softly beside his ear, light and warm like flower petals carried by the wind brushing across his face.
Yuto helped her finish packing.
The two then went downstairs together.
Chiko was directing the other employees when she noticed them coming down, and the moment she saw the luggage in Hanako's hands, her expression changed.
"Yuto! Didn't I tell you to make sure Hanako-san stayed?!"
She immediately shouted.
That earned her a sharp look from Hanako.
"Chiko, what kind of tone is that to use with Yuto?"
The slight sternness in Hanako's voice instantly made Chiko shrink back.
In truth, Chiko already knew there was no real way to stop Hanako from leaving. She was simply emotional because she didn't want to lose her again.
"I'm sorry, Hanako-san... and sorry, Yuto."
Her voice dropped, disappointment and sadness obvious in her expression.
Hanako sighed and lightly smacked both of Chiko's cheeks with her palms.
"Cheer up. I'm not dying. Why are you looking at me like this is the last time you'll ever see me?"
Chiko froze.
"Eh?! Hanako-san, you're coming back?!"
The gloom immediately vanished from her face, and her eyes lit up again.
"Obviously! Take good care of the place while I'm gone. If I come back and find out this nightclub disappeared, I'm not letting you off!"
Hanako laughed as she scolded her.
Chiko nodded enthusiastically.
She had followed Hanako for nearly twenty years and had no family of her own.
To Chiko, Hanako was no different from an older sister.
Her feelings toward her were completely sincere.
Their last separation had already been painfully difficult for her.
This time, Chiko had assumed Hanako would never return, which was why she had fought so hard to make her stay.
After a few more words, Hanako finally left under everyone's watch.
Every employee in the nightclub stood outside waving goodbye.
They were smiling.
Yuto stood among them.
Hanako turned around.
Backlit by the afternoon sun, she raised a hand and waved with a smile of her own before turning away again.
Her steps never stopped.
She gradually disappeared into the distance.
Ichinose Street ran east to west, and leaving through the western end meant walking directly toward the lowering afternoon sun.
From where Yuto stood, Hanako seemed to be walking straight into the light.
He watched her retreating figure and quietly sighed.
At that moment, she looked almost as though she were heading toward a new life.
'See you next time, Aunt Hanako.'
He silently said the words in his heart.