Ayato smiled, but as the laughter died down, his gaze lingered on his son. He stared at Kento for a long while, his expression turning uncharacteristically quiet.
Kento was entirely busy in his own little world now; the infant reached out with his two tiny, chubby hands, firmly grabbing two of Ayato's fingers and mumbling random, silent words to himself.
The grandmother noticed the sudden change in the room. She watched her son's heavy gaze lock onto the grandchild, her wrinkled face turning grave. "Ayato? Is something the matter?"
Ayato didn't move. He remained lost in his thoughts, his eyes tracing the baby's small body.
"Ayato?" the old woman called out again, louder this time. "Is there something bothering you?"
Ayato blinked, finally snapping back into the present world. He looked up toward his mother, clearing his throat lightly as he shifted on the tatami mat. "Hmm? Did... did you ask me something, Mother?"
The old woman sighed softly, her rough hands folding in her lap. "I asked if something was on your mind. You look distant."
Ayato looked down at the floor mat, his fingers still trapped in Kento's tight, warm grip. He watched the thick baby kick his legs, and then, in a very quiet, serious voice, he asked, "Mother... will he have to undergo the same ritual as me when the time comes?"
The old woman closed her eyes slowly, letting out a heavy, weathered sigh. "Why are you worrying about that now? There are still five years left before that day comes."
"I was just asking generally," Ayato muttered, his voice dropping a level.
Yuna, who had been completely left out of the quiet conversation, looked back and forth between her husband and her mother-in-law. Her eyebrows frowned together in confusion. "What ritual? What five years? What are you two talking about?"
Ayato's shoulders tensed. He looked over at his wife, his sentence coming out quick and incomplete. "Darling... it's just... I told you about it before, remember?"
Yuna stared at him for a second, and then a sudden look of realization washed over her face. "Oh..." she whispered.
The next second, all the carefree, happy energy completely vanished from Yuna's face, her expression turning incredibly serious.
The old woman looked equally grave, nodding her head slowly as she confirmed the truth. "Yes. Kento will also have to undergo the exact same ritual. It is the family custom."
Yuna's regular frown deepened into an irritated, angry look. She turned her head sharply, glaring directly at her husband from across the room. Her eyes were piercing, clearly saying, 'I thought we had promised each other never to mention those dangerous things in this house.'
Ayato caught her angry gaze. Instead of arguing, he simply let out a small sigh and offered her a soft, reassuring nod, trying to calm her racing heart.
The mother silently watched the sign language passing between the young couple.
She glanced across at her daughter-in-law, expecting to see the young woman still boiling with anger. But as she looked closer, she noticed Yuna's expression had already become completely calm and still under Ayato's gaze.
'Strange...' the old woman thought to herself, a deep knot of confusion twisting in her mind. 'I was certain she was furious. How did he calm her down so quickly?'
"Mother," Ayato murmured, his voice cutting through the sudden stiffness in the room as he pulled his hands back, gently resting them on his knees.
He shifted slightly on the woven mat, clearing his throat to pull his family's floating attention back to himself. "I was only wondering... when the day finally comes... where exactly will Kento bear his mark? At which location of the body is it typically borne?"
The grandmother did not answer right away. She slowly lifted her chin, her heavy gaze drifting up toward the dark wooden boards of the ceiling. Her eyelids closed shut, letting out a long, weathered sigh that seemed to carry the weight of generations before her.
When she opened them again, the warmth was completely gone, replaced by a sharp, piercing stillness as she looked directly into her son's eyes.
"Every single member of the Kamitani bloodline bears the mark on the left side, right below the rib." The old woman stated, her voice firm and absolute. "There are no exceptions."
Yuna's eyes snapped toward her mother-in-law, her fingers tightening against the fabric of her cotton dress. "Why that specific location?" she asked, her voice dropping into a quiet, strained tone. "Why must it always be beneath the rib?"
Before the grandmother could even draw a breath to respond, Ayato leaned forward, a new wave of curiosity overtaking his features.
"Actually, that reminds me of something," he gave a brief, thoughtful nod. "My friend, Yahiko... he belongs to the Kirishima family, and his mark is borne right on his right forearm. And Kaneki, from the Nagachika family, bears his between the shoulder blades on his upper back."
Ayato looked at his mother, his brow furrowing. "If the ritual originates from the same source, how is such a structural difference even possible?"
The grandmother did not immediately look at him. Instead, her wrinkled face softened just a fraction as her eyes dropped down to her grandson.
Little Kento had rolled over completely onto his stomach now. His thick baby legs were kicking lazily into the air, and his chubby arms were stretching out as far as they could go, his tiny fingers scratching quickly against a single fold of the stitched mat as if trying to grasp something invisible.
He let out a soft, babbling murmurs, completely lost in his own world.
After a long, heavy second of silence, the old woman finally looked back up at her son.
"Apply your brains, Ayato, and understand the basic logic." she said, her voice dripping with a strict, lecturing tone.
"Those who share the same blood will always bear the mark at the exact same location on their bodies. Different families bear their marks at different locations entirely. It is a fundamental rule of the heritage. There is absolutely nothing to be surprised about."
Ayato blinked, the explanation clicking into place behind his eyes. He let out a small, defeated breath and nodded. "I see... I suppose that makes logical sense."
Across the mat, Yuna's shoulders tensed. She turned her head away, her lips tightening into a grumpy, sour line. "Why does such ridiculous nonsense have to exist in the first place..." she mumbled under her breath, her voice so low and muffled it was barely a vibration in her throat.
The grandmother's sharp ears caught the faint murmur. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she leaned forward. "Did you say something, Yuna?"
Instantly, Yuna's expression shifted. She turned back with a perfectly smooth, bright smile, her eyes closing into two polite lines as she tilted her head. "Oh, it was nothing at all, Mother." she said, her tone light and happy.
Without waiting for a counter-response, Yuna gracefully slid her legs out from under her and stood up from the tatami mat. She walked over to the floor fan, leaning down to hold the heavy, thick baby right into her arms.
The sudden movement disrupted Kento's little game. The infant immediately let out a loud, pained whine, his face frowning as he began to cry, his chubby arms moving wildly in the air as he tried to reach back down toward the stitched blanket. "Buh! Aa-uuu!"
"Shh... look at you, my baby." Yuna cooed softly, her voice turning completely sweet as she held the heavy baby against her shoulder, ignoring his tiny protests. "You are such a big boy now, aren't you? Yes, you are. You can play with your blanket later."
Ayato watched his wife struggle with the crying baby, a helpless, amused smile breaking across his face. "Honey, he was perfectly fine laying right there—"
Yuna snapped her gaze toward him. The polite smile was completely gone; her green eyes flashed with a cold, sharp glare that instantly locked Ayato's jaw shut.
"It is precisely time for his feeding, Ayato." she said, her tone making each word short as she adjusted Kento's heavy weight against her hip.
She turned away from her husband, her face instantly softening back into a gentle warmth as she looked down at the weeping baby.
"Come now, Kento... let's go get your milk. Don't cry, sweetie, Mommy's got you..."
With a smooth steps she carried the irritated infant straight out of the living room, her footsteps echoing softly before the door slid shut behind her.
The moment the room fell quiet, Ayato's eyes darted toward the hallway, waiting a few tense seconds. Once he confirmed the faint sound of his wife's footsteps had completely faded down the corridor, he leaned across the table, dropping his voice into a low, secretive whisper meant only for his mother's ears.
"Mother... I'm only asking for an opinion."
Ayato began cautiously, his hands rubbing nervously against his knees.
"I am certainly not trying to force any changes... but the truth is, Yuna is deeply uncomfortable with all of this ritual business. She constantly argues with me whenever it comes up, begging me to just let it go and keep it out of our household. She truly views it as dangerous nonsense—"
SLAM!
The grandmother's hands hit her lap as she stood up half-way, her face turning instantly flushed and rebellious with sudden rage.
"GO TO YOUR WIFE THIS INSTANT, AYATO!" she screamed, her voice filled with an aggressive authority that made the iron fan Rattle.
"Go look her straight in the face and tell her never to use the word nonsense regarding our ancestral traditions again! Tell her to keep her sensible, modern talks entirely to herself!"
Ayato pulled back, his shoulders instantly slumping his neck into his collar.
His lips twisted into a forced, deeply apologetic pout. With his eyebrows raised in a desperate plea, he looked exactly like a child getting thrashed by a school teacher. He held his hands up to calm the situation, his chest rising and falling nervously.
"Please, Mother, please... calm down, I beg you." Ayato stuttered out, his face burning with embarrassment as he tried to lower his hands to signal her to quiet down.
"Let us change the topic. Did the neighbors mention anything about the storm clouds today? I noticed the sky was turning rather—"
"DO NOT DARE TRY TO SHIFT THE CONVERSATION AWAY FROM YOUR INCOMPETENCE!" the old woman shouted, her eyes locking into his like hot coals as she lectured him thoroughly.
"When I came into the Kamitani household and heard of these rituals, I felt deeply insecure and terrified! But I never once looked down upon our bloodline! I never mocked our sacred customs! I performed every single tradition required of me without a single word of complaint! I did not behave like your wife, who dares to call our family history Nonsense!"
Ayato bowed his head so low his forehead nearly touched the tatami mats, his heart hammering against his ribs in pure panic. "I am incredibly sorry, Mother!" he muttered miserably. "I will never mention it again. I apologise."
In his mind, a cold, hard rule locked behind his teeth 'I am never, ever going to speak the word 'nonsense' in front of this woman for as long as I live.'
A tense silence settled over the room, filled only with the low Whir-click, Whir-click of the heavy iron fan dragging the sticky July heat across the mats. Ayato swallowed hard, his mind racing before he slowly peeked back up, a small, lingering doubt forcing its way out of his mouth.
"Mother... just out of pure curiosity." he whispered hesitately, keeping his eyes low and submissive. "What if... what if Kento were to bear the mark on his right rib instead of the left? Is such a deviation even possible?"
The grandmother froze. She turned her head slowly, her eyes widening into a terrifying, icy glare that she Ayato right to the floor. Her jaw tightened, her mouth opening as a sharp, angry word began to form on her lips—"You—!"
"I am sorry! I am so sorry!" Ayato cut her off instantly, throwing his hands over his head in a blind panic as he squeezed his eyes shut.
"Please forget I said anything! I will never, ever mention my silly, foolish thoughts again!"
_AFTER A WHILE_
Ayato stood perfectly still in the narrow, quiet hallway, his hand hanging just an inch away from the wooden sliding door of his bedroom.
Before touching the door, his fingers froze.
'Go to your wife this instant! Tell her never to use the word nonsense regarding our ancestral traditions again!'
His mother's furious, screaming words were still ringing loudly inside his ears, making his head throb. Ayato let out a long, heavy sigh that seemed to empty his entire chest, closing his eyes tightly for a brief second to shake off the echo of her rage.
CLACK-SLIDE.
When his eyes flicked open again, he slid the door back, stepping through the doorway and into the room.
He glanced across the familiar space. As he had entirely expected, the room was divided by a heavy, chilly silence.
In the far corner, her back turned completely toward the entrance, Yuna sat perfectly still on the tatami mat. Only the long, glossy strands of her brown hair and the rigid line of her shoulders were visible; her face remained completely hidden in the shadows.
Meanwhile, Kento—who was supposed to be in the middle of a quick feeding session—was alone in an entirely different corner of the room. The thick baby was sitting flat on his bottom, completely busy in his own world.
Thump-tap. Thump-tap.
He lazily banged a small wooden block against a toy drum, mumbling a string of milky nonsense to himself. "Da-baaa... muuu... buh!"
"Haaah..." Ayato let out a soft, long sigh, the sound escaping his lips as a knowing look of worry crossed his face.
He looked at his wife in one corner, and then at Kento in the other.
'Yep, just as I thought...' his mind noted with a calm, cool confirmation. 'The feeding was a total lie. She just needed a quick excuse to get out of that suffocating Living Room before she lost her temper.'
He looked back at her stiff, silent back.
'She's a lawyer too, so she knows exactly how to escape a bad situation. But if I walk over and call her out on this lie directly... she is going to absolutely explode. A direct fight will just blow the roof off the house. I need a much smarter way to handle this.'
Ayato's eyes shifted from his wife's stiff, terrifying back over to the opposite corner of the room.
Clonk-thud. Clonk-thud.
Kento was still completely busy trying to rip the head off his plastic astronaut, totally clueless about the heavy tension in the air.
Ayato stared at the chunky baby for a split second. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He tapped his index finger against his chin, his lips slowly curling upwards into a sharp, deeply amused smirk.
'Perfect. Time to exploit a little loop-hole.'
He sneaked a quick glance back at Yuna's frozen body, his heart racing just a little bit at the complete danger of his next move. He slipped his hands casually into his pockets, walking right past his silent wife.
His footsteps were entirely weightless as he crossed the mat and dropped down flat onto his knees right in front of the chunky baby.
"Well, look at you, big guy," Ayato began, his voice deliberately carrying a light, conversational tone that bounced off the quiet walls. He leaned over, watching Kento try to rip the head off his plastic astronaut. "Is your tummy completely full already? My, my... you must have eaten at the speed of lightning."
Kento blinked his oversized green eyes up at his father, letting out a bubbly, wet sound as he dropped the block entirely. "Da! Buuuu..."
"Is that so?" Ayato murmured, his tone dripping with a soft, teasing playfulness as he gently nudged Kento's fat thigh, though his eyes were locked toward the rigid body of his wife across the room.
"Mommy said it was precisely time for your milk, but it looks to me like you're just playing around in the corner. Did Mommy forget to feed the little angel, or was someone just using my big boy as a little shield to run away from the battlefield? Hmm, Kento?"
"Auuuu! Da-daaa!" Kento babbled happily, letting go of the astronaut to reach his small, soft fists directly toward Ayato's nose.
Ayato kept his eyes locked tightly onto the baby, smiling warmly at his son while his mind raced at a hundred miles an hour.
'Perfect, keep babbling, Kento.' Ayato thought, his heart pounding against his ribs as he prepared to pull the trigger on his trap.
'Your mother is listening to every single word. She's a brilliant lawyer, but there is absolutely no legal defense for a fake feeding session. Let's see how she handles this direct hit.'
The bait was set. And it didn't take long for the trap to snap shut.
Yuna's shoulders stiffened violently. The next second, she snapped. She spun her body around with a sharp, aggressive twist of her cotton dress, her green eyes flashing with an absolute, burning irritation as she glared across the room.
"FINE! YES! It was a complete excuse just to get out of that suffocating room!" Yuna shouted, her voice rose that instantly cut off Kento's babbling.
She threw her hands up slightly, her breathing turning shallow. "Are you happy now, Ayato?! Is your mind finally satisfied?! Is your soul finally at rest now that you've caught me?!"
Ayato didn't look flustered at all. Instead, a soft, incredibly gentle smile broke across his face.
He stood up, walking across the tatami mats slowly until he reached her side. He dropped down next to her, leaning in close with a playful, teasing glow in his eyes.
"My soul will only be truly at rest when my beautiful wife stops being so incredibly angry with me." he murmured in a soft, soothing tone.
Hoping to dissolve the thick wall of ice between them, Ayato slowly extended his right arm, gently reaching out to wrap his hand around her tensed shoulder to pull her closer.
But the second his fingers brushed the cotton fabric, Yuna reacted with lightning speed. With a sharp, angry slap of her own hand, she smacked his fingers away with a loud SLAP, instantly moving a full foot backward across the woven mat to keep a strict, cold distance between them.
---
✦ 🔮 A GLIMPSE INTO THE NEXT CHAPTER 🔮 ✦
"What awaits beyond this page...?" 🌙
(灬･◡･灬)♡
"Because I know my lovely Yuna..."
My beautiful, precious boy...'
---
🌙 The stars may fade, and memories may sleep...
But the Spiral continues to turn.
Until we meet again beneath the same forgotten sky.
⊙﹏⊙
— SakuraShinomiya