Gion swore this was the best miso soup she'd ever tasted in her life!
It was savory without being greasy, carrying the distinct freshness of seafood. After just one bowl, her whole body felt warm.
This taste... it felt like coming home.
"How is it, Gion? Do you like it?"
Amatsuki Toki's eyes sparkled as she looked at Gion with anticipation.
Her smile, the curve of her brows, the gentle flutter of her long lashes—everything about her looked soft and lovely.
Gion lightly pursed her lips, avoiding Toki's gaze. She gave a small nod and answered softly,
"Mm. Toki-neesan's cooking is amazing. The miso soup is really good."
Toki beamed, grasping Gion's hand as her cheeks flushed with a delicate blush.
"If you like it, then come over more often! I'll cook even more delicious things for you!"
'Come over to the house'...
It was a casual remark, but for Gion, it hit differently.
Hearing those words, her heart stirred with a mix of emotions.
Normally cool and confident, she now found herself unable to harden her heart against Toki's warm, expectant eyes. She simply gave a silent nod.
Daren watched this quietly and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
Toki's charm didn't lie in breathtaking beauty that could topple nations, but in her gentle, nurturing presence—the kind that made people instinctively want to cherish and protect her.
It was this very quality that had earned her the deep love and loyalty of the people of Wano in the original story.
"Here, try some of my grilled eel too."
To Daren's surprise, the meal was unexpectedly peaceful.
No arguments. No passive-aggressive sniping. Under Toki's warm hospitality, Gion didn't flare up, and Daren managed not to say anything stupid. The three of them genuinely felt... like a family.
After dinner, Daren pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and stepped out into the courtyard.
Under the trees, two deck chairs stood quietly.
Just a few months ago, a young man full of idealism and ambition for "justice" had sprawled drunkenly across one of those chairs, shouting about dreams and youth.
Now, that same youth—once burning with passion and recklessness—had matured. He'd hardened.
The "hero's son" had, in the blink of an eye, become one of the world's most wanted criminals.
Even someone like Daren, known for his steely resolve, couldn't help feeling a wave of emotion.
He pressed his lips together, walked over, and sank into one of the chairs beneath the trees.
As he stared quietly at the starlit sky above, he lit a cigarette and let his thoughts settle.
"So... did Dragon-senpai really kill a Celestial Dragon?"
A voice suddenly sounded beside him.
Daren glanced to the side and saw Gion standing there. He gave a small smile and replied in a low voice,
"Yeah. I was the first one sent to arrest him."
"Too bad he got away... Otherwise, I might've earned another promotion."
Gion bit her lower lip, then suddenly muttered,
Gion turned to him, her eyes fixed sharply on his.
"I said you're a liar."
"You're clearly hurting, aren't you?"
Daren went quiet for a second, then gave a dismissive smile.
"Come on, I barely knew Dragon."
"He's a hero's son. I'm the worst kind of scoundrel. I'm just annoyed I didn't catch him myself."
Gion let out a cold laugh.
"So how long are you planning to keep pretending?"
"You're still injured, aren't you?"
"And yet you walked through that door smiling like nothing happened... You're way too kind!"
Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's... not really a compliment for a guy.
Especially in certain anime circles, being called "yasashii"—gentle—is usually reserved for soft, indecisive protagonists.
So Daren replied irritably,
"I'm not pretending. I really am a scoundrel."
"As for Dragon... it's not so much sadness as it is admiration—and envy."
He exhaled a stream of smoke slowly.
"For a man to find a great cause to dedicate his life to while still young and strong—that's the greatest fortune he can have."
Gion's eyes locked onto him, as if waiting for an answer that truly mattered.
"What's the great cause you want to devote your life to?"
Daren let out a sigh that sounded almost reflective. He thought for a moment, then his expression turned serious.
"Now that you mention it, yeah... I guess there really is something off about how I've been living."
Gion paused, momentarily stunned.
Could it be... was he actually reflecting on himself?
Over the past month, she'd struggled to accept the fact that she'd fallen for someone like him—a self-proclaimed "scoundrel."
But if he could change... if he could turn things around...
A spark of hope began to rise in her chest.
"I've thought about it a lot—especially after what happened with Dragon. I've started to seriously reevaluate my life."
Daren furrowed his brows, voice tinged with emotion.
"What should a person live for?"
"If I spend my youth indulging myself—feasting, drinking, chasing love, enjoying power, money, luxury..."
"Making more than most people could in ten lifetimes, living a life so extravagant it's hard to imagine—then someday, when I'm old, I'll come to realize..."
Gion's eyes lit up with anticipation.
"...That I have absolutely no regrets."
Daren exhaled leisurely, eyes half-lidded, sounding like a man who'd just discovered the ultimate truth of life.
"You bastard! Scumbag! Absolute trash!"
Her chest rose and fell with fury as she trembled in rage, gritting her teeth.
And to think she had actually gotten her hopes up!
He hadn't changed a bit!
Still the same infuriating jerk who drove her crazy!
With a deadly glare, she stormed off and slammed the door behind her without so much as a backward glance.
Daren sighed, helpless.
But he had been telling the truth.
Why shouldn't he enjoy life while he still had power and status?
Wait until the World Government finds out he killed a Celestial Dragon and starts hunting him across the globe?
By then, it'd be way too late.
Dragon was living proof of that.
A textbook cautionary tale.
He let out a long sigh.
"You really shouldn't have provoked Gion like that, husband."
Amatsuki Toki walked up beside him, her expression exasperated as she gently tugged at his hand.
"Go after her. Try to comfort her. Gion actually cares about you a lot."
"A few days ago, Vice Admiral Tsuru came by to visit me and told me something." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel★fire.net
"Do you remember back when you were imprisoned by Kaidou in the New World? At the time, even though she refused to admit it out loud, Gion went to Tsuru multiple times—begging her to persuade Admiral Sengoku to send a rescue team for you..."
As Toki's words trailed off, Daren stood there, stunned.