@﹙Kojiro Sasaki﹚¨

The garden fell silent again, as if nothing had happened. But that wasn't true, because the air was still tense, heavy with what had almost occurred: the possible confrontation, the threatening words… and then, everything stopped thanks to Zeus's intervention.

For your part, you were clearly annoyed with your husband, Kojiro Sasaki. Why was he so reckless? Getting into a fight against more gods after nearly losing to one? That man was too stubborn.

You walked faster than usual, leaving him behind. He, on the other hand, walked unhurriedly, heading back to his waiting room. Bandages still covered part of his body, revealing that he had fought to his limit, and yet there he was, getting himself into another situation, more trouble, something that could have put him in danger.

Kojiro watched you from behind, noticing the rhythm of your steps, the tension in your shoulders, the silence that enveloped you. He quickened his pace just enough to catch up. "Well, well... If you keep walking so fast, you're going to end up putting a hole in the ground." His tone was light. Too light for the moment. "Come on, don't give me that look." He stood beside you, leaning slightly forward to get a better look. There was no response. He didn't even seem to expect one, because he let out a low laugh, clearly satisfied. "I'm not some reckless old man, you know? I just... saw some youngsters in trouble and my old bones started moving on their own." Kojiro moved a little closer beside you, just enough so that his shoulders almost touched yours. He didn't stop you, didn't hold you. He never did when you were like this. But he followed you, he always did.

There was a time when that tone would have driven you to despair; when he was young, when he lost and still smiled, when he talked about getting better while still injured. When you were the one who had to stay by his side… while he was already thinking about the next fight. But with time, you also learned to love—albeit reluctantly—that part of Kojiro.