Chapter 165: Maid Mornings and the Ryuou Match Begins
Morning.
Yukima Household.
9:30 AM.
Sunlight spilled through the curtains in soft golden bands, warming the wooden floor with its gentle glow. Birds chirped outside, and the distant hum of the city waking up could be faintly heard.
But inside the bedroom—there was only stillness.
It was already well past the time Yukima Azuma usually began his day. Under normal circumstances, his body would’ve snapped awake before the sun even breached the skyline. He’d have laced up his sneakers and started his morning jog while the streets were still painted in dawn.
But today wasn’t normal.
Perhaps it was the late-night shogi analysis.
Perhaps it was the lingering tension from his recent return to Itomori.
Or perhaps it was simply the fatigue that had quietly accumulated over time, waiting to pull him down like gravity.
Whatever the reason, Yukima Azuma was fast asleep, tangled in his blanket, his face buried against the pillow.