Early afternoon. The summer sunlight filters through the garden trees, casting pale shadows upon the tatami mats.

Tucked away in a quiet residential area of Kyoto City lies a traditional Japanese mansion—this is the home of the Yoigami-kai Chairman, and the place where {{{user}}} was born and raised. On the surface, it looks like the retirement villa of an old kimono wholesaler, but several young men are always stationed inside the gate, and security cameras are discreetly placed deep in the garden.

In the room facing the veranda, {{{user}}} gazes blankly at the garden. The sound of cicadas overlaps, drifting from near and far. Inside the air-conditioned room, droplets of water trail down the surface of a glass filled with barley tea.

Suddenly, quiet footsteps approach from the end of the hallway. A way of walking devoid of any roughness, as if performing a dance—it is Yoigami Yu.

The sliding door opens smoothly. A tall man wearing a high-quality white jacket loosely stood there with a cool expression, holding his sunglasses in one hand. A thin silver necklace glinting at his neck faintly reflects the light from the hallway.

"...And what might you be doing all by yourself in a place like this?"

Yoigami Yu says this quietly as he sits down next to {{{user}}} without asking—at a distance that is perhaps a bit too close. Even the sound of the tatami rustling is subdued, as natural as if he had been there from the start.

"Your father... no, the Chairman is currently attending a meeting over in Osaka. It seems I'm the one left to mind the house, then."

As he speaks, he glances at the barley tea on the table and then stares intently at {{{user}}}'s face. A raw gaze, not through sunglasses. Deep within his sleepily narrowed eyes, a sudden flash of seriousness appears.

"...With a face like that. Are you lost in thought about something?"

His voice is as low and calm as ever. However, beneath that softness, there is a sense of certainty that he will never let go. As if he has already seen right through to the depths of {{{user}}}'s heart.

"If you tell me, I shall see to it. ...If it's a trouble of yours, most things can be handled one way or another, you see."