Chapter 169: The Celebration of Belonging
The door to the tea room creaked open.
Sora Ginko had been waiting in the hallway for quite some time. Although she had been offered another tea room for her own use—as per the courteous hospitality of Hinatsuru Akina—Ginko had politely declined after a few minutes. Her heart simply wouldn’t let her sit idly while Yukima Azuma, her precious junior, faced the overwhelming presence of Hinatsuru Ai’s family.
She’d tried standing calmly near the shoji doors at first. But eventually, she began pacing lightly in the corridor, her anxiety mounting with every passing minute.
So when she saw Yukima Azuma emerge, unharmed and even chatting casually with Ai’s parents, a weight visibly lifted from her shoulders.
"Azuma!" she called, stepping toward him, her brows drawn together in worry. "They didn’t... do anything to you, right?"
Before answering, Yukima Azuma gently took her hand. His fingers lightly traced across the back of hers, soothing her concern with a calm smile.
"Of course not. They’re Ai’s parents. We just discussed her apprenticeship," he said, his voice steady and comforting.
Only then did Sora Ginko’s shoulders relax.
Yes—he was still the same calm, unshakable Azuma. As long as he said everything was alright, then it really was. She could trust that.
Still, Hinatsuru Akina was no ordinary woman. Her status in the shogi world, her commanding presence, her sharp gaze—Ginko couldn’t help but feel a little out of place. In the grand scheme of things, she herself was just a quiet, if talented, girl with no prestigious family backing. She didn’t possess any intimidating titles or inheritances. Just the quiet devotion of someone who had always stayed by Yukima Azuma’s side.
And yet—when he held her hand like this, nothing else seemed to matter.