"Hot springs, huh? It’s been a while since I’ve been in one," Seijirou mused, his voice reflecting a rare sense of anticipation.

He adjusted his stride to match the rhythmic, wooden *clack* of their footsteps on the polished floorboards.

He was walking alongside Haruka, both of them following Yuko as they navigated the winding, labyrinthine halls of the Midorima estate.

The walls were lined with ancient ink paintings and historical artifacts that whispered of a lineage stretching back centuries, yet the air felt lighter now that the initial confrontation with the patriarch was over.

Just then, Yuko stopped abruptly. The silk of her clothes twirled with her as she turned towards him, "Seijirou-sama."

"Hm?" Seijirou tilted his head, his hazel eyes searching her face.

"Thank you so much." Without warning, she lowered her head and performed a deep, graceful bow, while her voice was thick with an emotion she had suppressed for two decades.

"What are you thanking me for?" Seijirou reacted instantly, his hands shooting forward to grab her shoulders and instantly felt the fine trembling of her muscles beneath the fabric. "Get up. There is no need to be like that with me. We’re past the point of formal gratitude, don’t you think?"

Yuko raised her head, and Seijirou was struck by the change in her.

The haunted, anxious look that had plagued her since they boarded the train had vanished, replaced by a smile so bright and genuine it seemed to shave years off her appearance.

"Still, thank you so much," she whispered. "For acknowledging me in front of them, for telling my parents the truth without flinching... hehe, it seems my eye for men has finally improved after all these years."

Seijirou stared at her for a moment, the corners of his mouth twitching before he let out a dry, self-deprecating chuckle. "Nah, it still sucks, Yuko. Think about it objectively. Imagine having a boyfriend who is such a colossal scumbag that he is dating both you and your daughter simultaneously. If my own daughter came home and told me she was dating a man like that, I wouldn’t just be grumpy, I’d kill him on the spot. Your father’s reaction was actually very tame, all things considered. He’s a saint compared to what I’d be."

Yuko stared at him, caught off guard by his bluntness, and then she chuckled, a light, airy sound that finally harmonized with the peaceful surroundings. "Yes. Indeed. When you put it that way, it seems like I wouldn’t be able to find a traditionally ’good’ man in this life if I tried."

"Hah." Seijirou snorted in amusement, a predatory yet protective glint appearing in his eyes.

Then, he stepped closer, sliding his hands down to grab her waist and pulling her firmly against him.

The scent of her, like that of lilly with morning dew, filled his senses. "That’s fine. You don’t need a traditionally good man. You can just stay with me. At least then you can be sure you’re only being deceived by me alone, and not by some other random guys out there who don’t know your worth."

Yuko didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned in, resting her head against his chest and listening to the steady, powerful thrum of his heart.

"Yes," she murmured, her voice muffled by his shirt. "I’d be happy to be deceived by you for the rest of my life."

They stayed like that for a long, quiet moment, the history of the house providing a silent witness to their modern defiance.

Eventually, Yuko broke the hug, though she kept her hand on his arm. "Seijirou-sama, do you want to take a bath right away? I... I actually want to go back and talk with my parents more. Now that the ice is broken, there is so much I need to tell them about the years I was away."

"Yeah, you do that," Seijirou said, nodding understandingly.

He shifted his weight, wrapping a casual, possessive arm around Haruka’s waist, pulling the younger woman closer to his side.

"Haruka and I would like to look around the town you grew up in. I want to see the sights you mentioned, the rice terraces and the village center. We’ll save the hot springs for later tonight."

Yuko nodded, her eyes lingering on the two of them with a look of profound peace. "I see. Then, please enjoy your stay. The village is beautiful this time of year with the festival preparations."

"Alright, we’ll be on our way," Seijirou said.

With that, Seijirou and Haruka turned and walked back through the massive gates, leaving the heavy, silent history of the Midorima mansion behind them.

Once they were back on the open road, the sounds of the village, the distant music, the calls of vendors, and the rustling of the rice fields, greeted them.

They walked down the wide dirt road, hand in hand, while some old people on the streets stared at them with a smile, perhaps imagining the time when they were young and also full of love.

"What do you think?" Seijirou asked after a while, his gaze fixed on the towering silhouette of the temple on the mountain.

Haruka simply stared at the road ahead, her expression as unreadable as ever. "About what, Seijirou-sama?"

"Your mother," Seijirou said, his voice softening. "She’s finally let go of that weight she’s been carrying on her shoulders for almost twenty years. By the time this day ends and the party starts, she and her parents should have already made up, and the rift between them will close."

Haruka hummed softly, a sound of deep, internal reflection. "I am happy for her. Truly. Mother has endured more than anyone knows to raise me in that city. My father... he was almost never home, and whenever he was, the house was almost always filled with their arguments. She gave up everything for a man who didn’t deserve her, and then she gave up even more to make sure I had a future. She deserves this peace. That’s why... thank you for everything you’ve done, Seijirou-sama. For both of us."

At that moment, Haruka began to think of that day when they first arrived at Seijirou’s house.

That time, when Hakari had first brought them to work for him, Haruka had privately thought it would be the darkest Chapter of her life—serving someone who is feared and someone she assumed would be nothing more than a spoiled, demanding tyrant.

However, as the time passed, she had slowly realized that it was actually the start of a life she hadn’t known she needed.

Friends, stability, genuine happiness, and a sense of belonging—Seijirou had given all of it to her and her mother without asking for anything but their presence.

"Then, how do you plan on thanking me?" Seijirou asked, a playful, wicked smirk dancing on his lips.

He stopped walking and turned toward her, bringing his face dangerously close to hers, his eyes searching hers with a heated intensity.

Haruka flinched slightly, her gaze darting around.

The street wasn’t empty; several villagers were walking by, some carrying festival decorations, others whispering and looking curiously at the "city couple" holding hands.

She turned her gaze back to Seijirou, and although her face remained as expressionless as a mask, Seijirou could read the subtle signs of her internal state, the way her pulse quickened at her throat and the vibrant, crimson flush that was rapidly spreading to the tips of her ears.

"Right here?" she whispered, her voice barely a breath. "There are too many people, Seijirou-sama. I... I don’t have the hobby of being seen by strangers."

Seijirou raised an eyebrow, a flicker of genuine amusement crossing his features as he realized that Haruka had completely misunderstood his intent.

He had been thinking of nothing more than a simple, private kiss to seal their shared moment, but this girl, usually so tactical and logical, seemed to think he was asking for something far more scandalous in the middle of a public road.

But since she had already opened that door in her mind... Seijirou wasn’t the type of man to ignore such an opportunity.

He looked around, his sharp eyes scanning the architecture of the village and a few meters away, he spotted a narrow, secluded alleyway between two traditional storehouses, shaded by overhanging eaves and hidden from the main thoroughfare.

He smirked, his grip on her hand tightening as he leaned in to whisper against her ear. "Well, since you don’t want to do it here where everyone can see... how about we head over there? It’s nice and quiet."

Haruka turned her gaze to the dark, narrow alleyway he was pointing to.

She swallowed hard, her eyes fluttering for a moment before she looked back at him and gave a slow, determined nod.

Seijirou chuckled, the sound low and dark.

He didn’t say another word, simply leading her away from the sunlight and into the shadows, where the only thing that would witness her "gratitude" was the ancient stone walls of the village.