Hyosei stepped out onto the veranda, still dressed in his night robe.

The crisp morning air carried the sound of quiet counting.

"...Three... two... one."

He looked toward the courtyard.

Eiji and Fuyuki were already there, stretching beneath the pale morning sky.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"They're up early."

His gaze drifted toward another room. Haruki's. Hyosei walked over and quietly raised a hand to knock.

Before his knuckles touched the wood, the door slid open.

Haruki stood there, already dressed for the day.

He blinked.

"Dad?" His brow furrowed. "What are you doing?"

Hyosei scratched the back of his head.

"Well..."

He pointed toward the courtyard.

"Eiji and Fuyuki are already outside."

Haruki looked past him. Then back to his father.

"...So?"

Hyosei grinned.

"Why don't we join them?"

Haruki sighed.

"I'd rather run up the hill by myself."

He stepped around his father. Hyosei quickly shuffled after him.

"Haru-kun..."

Haruki stopped. Hyosei clasped his hands together, eyes widened in exaggerated pleading.

"Please?"

For a long moment...

Haruki simply stared.

Then he looked away, hiding the faint color creeping into his cheeks.

"...Fine."

"...Four... three... two... one!"

Eiji and Fuyuki straightened together. Eiji stretched both arms over his head.

"By the way, thanks for joining me today."

Fuyuki smiled. "I'm just happy you're not sulking anymore."

Eiji laughed sheepishly.

Footsteps crunched across the snow, and the brothers turned.

Hyosei waved enthusiastically. Behind him stood Haruki with his arms folded.

"Good morning, Dad!" Fuyuki called.

"Good morning, Father."

Eiji bowed. The formality lingered longer than it should have.

Hyosei felt it immediately.

Still...

He smiled.

"Morning!"

Then he glanced sideways.

"...Haru-kun?"

Haruki reluctantly bowed.

"Good morning."

Eiji and Fuyuki returned the gesture without hesitation.

For the briefest moment...

It almost felt like a normal family.

"So," Eiji asked, "what brings you out here this early?"

Hyosei rested his hands on his hips.

"What?"

He laughed.

"Can’t a father spend time with his children?"

The morning slipped by in laughter and exhaustion. Wooden practice swords clacked together beneath the winter sky.

Hyosei corrected stances.

Fuyuki stumbled more than once.

Haruki rarely missed.

Eiji laughed whenever he lost his footing.

Later, they ran through the snowy streets together.

Villagers stopped to watch. Some smiled, others waved.

It had been a long time since anyone had seen the general running through the village with all three of his sons.

Asatsuyu happened to pass by. He slowed to watch them disappear around a corner.

A quiet smile crossed his face.

Elsewhere, Ishito opened his window to let in the morning air.

His brows lifted.

"Well..."

He chuckled.

"That's new."

By the time they returned to the estate, the sun had climbed high overhead. Fuyuki collapsed onto the wooden floors of the veranda.

"I..." He groaned dramatically. "...can't feel my legs..."

Hyosei hadn't even broken a sweat. He stretched lazily.

"That's what happens when you skip your daily exercise."

Fuyuki groaned even louder. Hyosei laughed before sitting beside him.

"Come here."

He gently lifted one of Fuyuki's feet and began massaging the sore pads.

Fuyuki immediately sighed in relief.

"That's... amazing..."

Across the veranda, Eiji sat on a bench, catching his breath.

Haruki stood nearby as though they hadn't just spent the morning running half the village.

Eiji shook his head with a laugh.

"You're incredible, Haruki."

Haruki shrugged. "Whatever."

Eiji tilted his head.

"Want me to massage your feet too?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Positive?"

Haruki shot him a glare.

"Don't push it."

Eiji chuckled.

Hyosei looked over from where he was still massaging Fuyuki's foot.

"I'll get to you boys in a minute."

Haruki immediately looked away. He closed his eyes as though pretending not to hear.

Eiji smiled.

Haruki had never been particularly kind to him, but he never held it against him. His eyes wandered back toward Hyosei and Fuyuki. The two were laughing over something neither of them could quite explain.

For the first time in what felt like forever...

The estate didn't feel heavy; even the servants could feel it.

Lady Tsuki smiled from the far side of the Garden.

Eiji leaned back against the veranda’s pillar.

A small smile found its way onto his face.

“I wish moments like this could last forever.”

Days slipped into weeks.

They continued their daily routines.

Although reluctant, Haruki still joined them for breakfast or training.

Fuyuki would teach Eiji how to read a sundial in the middle of their garden.

From a distance, Hyosei watched his family with a quiet contentment.

Eiji’s smile finally lightened Hyosei's heart.

Weeks became a month.

The ache in Eiji's heart never truly disappeared. But little by little, he learned to carry it.

And in time, he accepted the path that had been chosen for him: The path of a samurai.

…

And just like that, the dawn of the first day of training broke cold, the air so sharp it stung their lungs.

The recruits stood in jagged lines, their breath misting like spirits in the freezing morning light.

Eiji's eyes were fixed on Haruki at the head of the formation; he could only imagine the crushing weight of expectation the boy carried as the general's true son.

Yet, Haruki stood like a monolith; rigid, unyielding, and desperate to prove his place as one of the Blade of Tsutsumi.

General Hyosei came in front of the recruits. He stared coldly at the recruits, and after a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke.

“Before any of you could ever touch a blade, you must first endure a brutal year of Jujutsu.”

Hyosei paced slowly on his side,

“It is a discipline of close-quarters combat, mastering the art of grappling, joint locks, and throws to neutralize an enemy without the need for weapons.”

He continued.

“Aside from the grueling training of Jujutsu, your daily regimen will also be a test of iron will. You will condition your bodies by heaving heavy stone locks and digging your fingers through buckets of ice-cold sand and jagged pebbles to forge an unbreakable grip.”

He paused.

“Your lives will be consumed by long-distance runs against the freezing winds, desperate swims through frigid cold waters, and the art of moving in total silence.”

He then stopped pacing and faced the recruits.

Eiji felt the pressure, but somehow, he could see that Haruki did not seem to feel the same.