From the gaps between the iron fence, the yard inside was visible, littered with dry debris: brown leaves piled up in the corners, wild grass growing tall and swallowing the stone pathway, and broken flower pots scattered carelessly as if abandoned. A faint scent of damp soil mixed with the metallic tang of rusted iron, deepening the sense of gloom.
Some old garden furniture—perhaps once used for leisure, like a long wooden bench and a small round table—now lay overturned, blanketed in a thick layer of dust and stained by countless rains. The paint had peeled away, and the wood had begun to rot, as though crying out softly, begging to be touched again.
The house was clearly long abandoned. A heavy aura of silence and neglect clung to the place, wrapping it in a strange, chilling stillness, as if time itself had stopped turning within this yard.
"How long has it been since you last came home?" Kurisu asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. Her eyebrows arched slightly, her eyes narrowing as she studied every detail of the house before turning back to Aoki.
There was an incredulous look on her face, as if she could hardly imagine how anyone could leave such a large, magnificent house in such a forsaken state for so long.
"Only a few years," Aoki replied casually, as though it meant nothing. He shrugged lightly, and a faint, fleeting smile tugged at the corner of his lips, as if he were speaking of something trivial—though it was clearly anything but.
Kurisu fell silent. Her gaze shifted back to the house, then to Aoki again. Her lips parted slightly, as though she wanted to say something, but no words emerged.
Inside her heart, curiosity stirred, mingling with astonishment.
Aoki then moved to open the front gate. He pushed the small iron gate forward, and a faint creak echoed as the old hinges groaned, revealing just how long it had been since it was last used.
A thin cloud of dust lifted from the rusted gaps, while the wild grass clinging around the bottom brushed against the iron frame.
Once the gate opened, Aoki stepped inside, Kurisu following closely behind him. His steps were light, yet tinged with a quiet anticipation, as if bracing himself for what lay within the home they were about to enter.
He walked straight toward the front door and pulled out his house key. His hand trembled slightly—whether from nervousness or from the restrained excitement pressing against his chest, it was unclear.
The key felt cold, dusty, and faintly rusted in his grip, a piece of metal long untouched. He slid it carefully into the keyhole and turned it with measured patience. The metal ground stiffly against itself, groaning in protest, before at last the door shuddered and slowly swung open.
As the door gave way, a stale musty smell rushed outward, the unmistakable scent of an empty room long sealed away. Beyond the doorway, the front interior revealed itself, shrouded in dust. Sunlight streaming through the cracks in the windows caught on the drifting motes, making them glitter like tiny floating particles of light suspended in the air.
"Looks like we'll be working hard today—probably until evening comes," Aoki muttered, his tone serious yet faintly awkward. His brow furrowed slightly, though at the corner of his mouth a faint smile surfaced, a quiet attempt to encourage himself.
"Haah... Well then, let's just get started. The sooner, the better, right?" Kurisu said, glancing at Aoki. Her tone sounded light, but the firmness in her voice made Aoki turn toward her. Her eyes were clear, brimming with determination, though faint traces of hidden reluctance flickered behind them.
"Yeah, you're right," Aoki nodded in response. That simple motion, small as it was, managed to ease the tension between them.
And so, the two of them began cleaning the inside of Aoki's home—dust from the floors, cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, and the grimy windows long neglected.
________________________
[Announcement: The novel 'A Shaman from the Uzumaki Clan in the World of Naruto' And 'The Strongest Swordmaster in the World of Naruto (AU)' is now completed on P@treon. If you want to binge-read the entire story right away, you can join as a member on P@treon. Alternatively, if you prefer to wait patiently, it is also available on Webnovel and Scribble Hub—though it will take quite a while for those platforms to catch up to the final chapter available on P@treon. That is all from me. See you all around!]
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