His voice dropped. “Maa… that’s what I wanted to ask before. So, you knew it…?”

She nodded slowly, deliberate in her silence.

“Say it. She must’ve told you something important.”

“Maa said…” He scratched his neck, mumbling. “‘Tell him to ask Tanvi. She’ll tell him what I would say.’”

“Hmm…” She tapped her fingers against the wall. “Okay, then I’ll directly tell Kazuma. Next?”

“That’s it.” He answered quickly.

“Only that?” She narrowed her gaze. “Say it again.”

“Yeah… that’s all.” His voice hesitated.

Tanvika’s eyes stayed locked on his face, unblinking.

“You’re lying.”

“She definitely told you something else. Something important.” She leaned in, voice pressing. “I think… she made you promise to say it. Am I wrong?”

He looked away, shoulders tense. “She just… said to ask you to feed me… and said ‘She will not ask you anything.’”

“She said that?” She blinked slowly. “Then… it must be important.”

A pause stretched between them. Then—

Her eyes widened suddenly.

Tears slipped down her cheeks before she could stop them.

Ren saw it and sighed deeply. “Maa… even she cried. What do you think that means?” His voice cracked. “She made me promise. That’s why… I said it.”

Rina tilted her head, sensing the subtle tension. “What happened?” she asked softly. “Is there any problem?”

Before Ren could respond, Tanvika grabbed his wrist with surprising strength. “Come,” she said firmly. “Just wait.”

Dragging him toward the kitchen, she didn’t even glance back. “I’ll cook everything. Hey, Rina! Diya!” she called, tone rising like a queen commanding her soldiers.

She gently turned to Sakuragi. “You… you know how to cook, right?” Her eyes lingered on her bandaged hand. “Besides… are you able to cook? Is your hand fine?”

Sakuragi smiled softly and nodded. “Ha, Tanvika-sama… I can cook, no problem. I’ve taken a lot of rest.”

“Good. Then you’ll help too. And Diya, just don’t ruin anything, follow exactly what I say. You hear?”

Diya raised her hands with a playful glare. “I’m not that bad, Maa!”

Ren, still stuck in the kitchen’s doorway, cleared his throat. “Maa, please… I have to go. It’s getting late.”

“I’ll beat you if you say another word.” She didn’t even look at him.

“But—” he tried to say but Tanvika’s words cut them off.

“I already told you.” Her eyes flashed like steel. “If you’re late, he might come too.”

“He won’t.” Ren sighed, muttering low. “He already warned me and said, ‘If I get caught, it’s my problem.’ I just dropped her at the corner! Who knew that idiot would show an innocent face and drag me all the way in…”

Tanvika raised an eyebrow. “So now what? He knows, right? Then no problem, you’re staying. Sit.”

Without another word, she swung open the Himakan - a cabinet, clay-built fridge cooled by coolgem crystals. She pulled out a box, popped it open, and strode toward him.

“Open your mouth,” she said like a strict nurse.

“W-what?”

“Open. Your. Mouth.”

Defeated, he obeyed. She slipped a small piece of fresh kova onto his tongue. It melted instantly, rich and sweet, flooding his mouth with that nostalgic warmth only a mother’s hands could create.

He held up one finger, boyish as ever, asking silently for another piece.

“Another?” she chuckled, placing another gently. When he reached for the box, she yanked it away. “No! I will feed you. Your mother said to feed you, right? That’s the only thing I’m going to follow now properly!”

“Diya, Roll the rotis,” she ordered. “I’ll make the curry and wrap them hot.”

“Corn fritters, right?” Rina asked, already gathering the ingredients.

“Yes. And you—” her head turned to Sakuragi. “Do the noodles. Egg, vegetables, whatever you want. Just make it tasty.”

She nodded shyly. “Okay…”

Finally, she turned to Ren and jabbed a finger in the air. “If you move from that spot, I’ll kill you. Got it?”

“Got it.” He straightened like a soldier and nodded, quick and obedient.

He sat, cheeks puffed with kova, while the kitchen whirred alive around him.

****

“What, master still didn’t come?” Hisagi leaned on the wall, tapping finger on chin.

“Who knows…” Kazuma shrugged from the bed, eyes never lifting. ‘He’s probably caught by them. I think they even told Maa.’

Hisagi tilted his head. “Maaaaaster,” he called out, stretching the word like a child calling for sweets.

Kazuma turned slowly with a sharp look. “What?”

“You remember?” Hisagi shifted closer, voice dropping low. “You said there’s an art… the mind voice exchange art. How to transform the link? You said you’ll teach.”

“Why are you asking me?” Kazuma raised his eyebrows. “He’ll explain. Don’t worry. Just… imagine. That’s all.”

“But this morning, he said he wants to talk seriously with me…” Hisagi frowned, eyes dropping to the floor. “Still he didn’t. Did I… do something wrong?”

“How would I know?” Kazuma exhaled slowly, his words flat.

“You definitely know, master. But you’re not saying.” Hisagi’s tone stayed gentle, but firm.

Kazuma didn’t reply, his silence louder than a sentence.

****

In the kitchen, Ren sat a little away from the stove, arms folded and back straight, trying hard not to move, remembering Tanvika’s death glare earlier.

“Maa… what do you think?” Diya leaned toward her mother with a mischievous smile curling her lips.

Tanvika sliced a green chili clean in half. “About what?”

“About Ren-nii’s daughter loving Kazuma,” Diya said, smirking. “Then… what is Ren-nii and she to me, exactly?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Tanvika didn’t even blink. “Just call him whatever you like.”

“But maa—”

“They used forbidden art,” she cut gently. “Their bodies and identities were completely transformed. And anyway, how did you see him before he revealed the truth?”

“Well… I grabbed his collar…” Diya looked down, her cheeks flushing. “…because he was talking about Yuna.”

Tanvika’s hand froze mid-chop, knife hanging in the air.

“You didn’t tell me that part, huh?” she asked, gaze sharpening.

“Ahh… t-that, maa, listen…” Diya laughed nervously as she stepped back, the sound thinner than courage.

“If they were outsiders… you wouldn’t have given her, would you?” Tanvika’s voice softened, though it ached at the edges. “But even if they weren’t Kazuma and Ren… they still had that right.” Her gaze shifted to Sakuragi, who was quietly stirring noodles with delicate care.

“Look at her. She lost her daughter at birth. But did she argue with you? Blame you? Snatch her back?” Her voice cracked. “That’s a mother’s love. She only wanted her child’s happiness…”

Diya bit her lip. “I… I’m sorry. But—”

“No buts.” Tanvika’s reply snapped sharp. “You were wrong. That’s it.”

Rina leaned from the other side of the kitchen, voice low. “Maa… I don’t understand. We’re all cooking fine. But… why did his mother say that?”

“You still don’t get it, do you?” Tanvika paused, setting the knife down slowly. Her voice softened into a near-whisper. “That was his… sacrifice.”

The silence thickened.

“You mean… you know what it is, Maa?” Rina’s eyes widened, shock sliding across her face.

“I don’t know exactly,” Tanvika said, stirring the curry slowly. “But I have a guess. I think…” She paused for a moment. “I think he can’t see his body.”

Diya’s expression twisted in confusion. “Huh? What? Maa… What are you saying?” She turned to Ren, who sat calmly, watching the steam rise.

“It’s just a guess.” Tanvika murmured. “But if he can’t see himself… then what he sees is food floating in midair. It’s like being blind to your own self.”

“Then… he only knows by touch?” Rina’s hand froze mid-air, the batter lump dropping.

“Yeah.”

“But you said he cooked and even got first place.” Rina frowned, puzzled. “Even though it’s by touch… how can he cook?”

Tanvika said, “That’s why he said ‘don’t worry’ with that smile…”

“But only because he’s used to it now…” she whispered, her voice trembling. “He doesn’t feel it anymore. But a mother—” she glanced at the others, “a mother can never get used to her child suffering. Never, right?”

“I’ll feed him too,” Rina said with a playful smirk. “He already agreed with me as his mother now.”

“Then I’m his sister, obviously.” Diya turned from the pan with a grin.

“Enough, both of you.” Tanvika chuckled, shaking her head. “Rina, tell her about it now. We won’t get a chance tomorrow.”

Rina nodded, lowering the stove flame. Beside her, Sakuragi drizzled sesame sauce onto sizzling noodles, but her hands moved slower now, distracted by the heavy words.

She explained everything in detail.

“Rina-san… he said recently, they used forbidden art.” Sakuragi blinked. “But this… this kind of sacrifice…?!”

“It was for changing the entire Kairo Energy. You really believed that de-aging art thing?”

“They said… it was different,” Sakuragi mumbled, looking unsure.

“He told everything to me.” Rina raised an eyebrow, her gaze cutting sharp. “You… you tried to take your own life, didn’t you?”

Sakuragi’s fingers froze mid-stir. She looked down, lips pressed tight.

“I won’t scold you.” Rina’s voice softened, wrapping like a blanket. “But don’t… don’t ever think like that again.”

“Rina-san,” she whispered. “Then… can you perform that de-aged art?”

“Yeah I can, you saw Inori too, right? They told you all that de-aged art story to make you all believe… well, in front of outsiders they act like kids, right?”

Sakuragi nodded and her voice broke slightly. “Besides, Rina-san… Nii told me the full thing, but…” She swallowed. “But Yuna is fine, right? You gave her a good name… and raised her well… is all okay with her?”

“So you don’t trust his words?”

Sakuragi didn’t reply, her silence itself was an answer she couldn’t avoid.

“I understand.” Rina stepped closer and set a steady hand on her shoulder. “She asked that type of question, that’s why you’re still holding onto the doubt.”

She nodded slowly, and a tear slipped free before she could stop it.

“We told her,” Rina said gently. “She’s completely fine, Sakuragi. Your daughter is more than fine. She’s strong, she’s bright, and she has your spark.”

Ren lay sprawled on the floor, chest rising and falling softly. One arm tucked under his head, the other stretched out as if reaching for something in a dream. A thin line of drool glistened at the corner of his mouth.

Diya turned with a smile and whispered, “Maa… look at Nii.”

Tanvika peeked and quickly held a finger to her lips. “Shhh… don’t make a sound. He’s sleeping so peacefully. Maybe he hasn’t rested properly in days… let him be.”

At that moment, Yuna stepped into the kitchen, holding little Rezu on her hip. “Granny… what’s this smell?” she asked, scrunching her nose playfully. But then her gaze shifted and froze. Her eyes landed on Ren, lying on the floor. She blinked in surprise.

The women in the kitchen continued quietly preparing food.

Yuna stepped toward him slowly, curiosity making her movements cautious like approaching a wild animal in the woods.

“Yuna…” Diya hissed harshly, whispering. “Hey! Don’t wake him.” And she stepped forward.

But Yuna didn’t hear, she knelt down, her hand stretching slowly toward Ren.

Diya hurried over, scooping Rezu from her arms and pulling her gently back. “Are you getting screwed loose or what? He’s sleeping! Calmly, like a baby. Don’t wake him.”

“But… he’s sleeping on the floor. I was just gonna tell him to move to a bed…”

“You don’t have to say that.” Diya sighed. “He’s fine… when you’re too tired, anything feels like heaven.”

At the stove, Sakuragi froze with a ladle mid-air. She was watching. Watching Yuna. Without realizing her own breath had stopped for a moment.

Rina, plating golden corn fritters, gently elbowed Sakuragi’s arm. “Go.”

“Huh?” Sakuragi startled, the word slipped out quickly.

“She came here, right?” Rina tilted her head toward Yuna, eyes knowing. “Are you afraid?… but at least offer her food.”

As Diya walked off with Rezu cooing in her arms, Yuna stayed by her grandmother’s side, wrapping her arms around Tanvika’s waist.

“Granny, what are you doing?” she asked with a pout.

“Just rolls,” Tanvika replied flatly. “Not for you.”

“Huh?! Granny, I only had rice balls after coming home…”

“Your mom’s making noodles. Eat that.”

“Maa just stole Rezu. How is she cooking anything?”

“I meant your real mother,” she said firmly. “From now on, she’s your mother.”

Yuna turned her head slowly toward the quiet woman standing near the stove.

Sakuragi was smiling softly, unsure if she was allowed to.

Yuna clung tighter to Tanvika.

“Hey, don’t disturb me now,” she said, nudging her gently. “Go. Talk with her.”

Yuna blinked. Her eyes passed over Rina, who was now garnishing the fritters with coriander and a drizzle of sauce and then slowly, hesitantly, made her way toward Sakuragi.

Sakuragi’s heart thudded so loud she could hear it in her ears.

Then she stopped beside her, voice cracking small, “Sorry… M-mom. I’m sorry… for what I said before. It was my mistake.”

Sakuragi took a breath, nervous but smiling.

“You don’t need to say,” she answered gently, shaking her head.

Yuna looked away for a second, her gaze flickering toward Rina for a moment.

“But…” she started slowly, her voice unsure. “To be honest… I don’t really feel anything right now. I mean not in a bad way! I just… it still feels new.”

“It’s okay.” Sakuragi nodded quickly, a shaky smile trembling on her lips. “Call me whenever you feel like it.”

She let out a nervous laugh. “You mentioned noodles earlier… when your eyes were closed, remember? So… I made extra. I thought maybe… you might like it.”

Yuna’s eyes lit up with surprise. “Really?”

“Yes,” Sakuragi said, a hopeful sparkle returning.

Yuna turned excitedly to the stove. “Can I eat?”

“Yes… and can I… feed you?” Sakuragi smiled brightly, the words came out suddenly.

Yuna hesitated. A second passed. Two.

Sakuragi’s face flushed, and she quickly waved her hands. “No, no, it’s fine! I didn’t mean to force you—”

But Rina stepped in and gently placed a hand on Yuna’s back. And nodded to say yes.

“Yuna… right now you’re doing what we say.” She leaned close. “But you have to decide for yourself. Don’t keep her at a distance.”

Yuna looked up at her, then nodded slowly.

She turned back toward Sakuragi and took a breath. “Okay… Mom. Feed me.”

The word echoed, like the final puzzle piece falling into place.

Sakuragi’s hands trembled as she picked up the bowl, her eyes glistening, but she didn’t cry. Not now. She smiled, and carefully scooped up a bite.

Yuna took it, slowly chewing, her eyes still on Sakuragi. “Awmm… this is good,” she said softly.

“Then eat more…” Sakuragi chuckled softly through her nose, relief loosening her smile.

From the other side of the kitchen, Tanvika peeked down at Ren, who still lay on the floor, breathing slow and even.

‘I don’t want to wake him,’ she thought. ‘He looks so peaceful.’

She walked over and gently knelt beside Ren.

Without a word, she lifted his head with practiced care and laid it softly on her lap.