The fight was over, and I moved silently to the inside of the building. Sadness caught up with me before I could get my head around what had happened. I went to see Momo-chan's room. Why did I treat her so badly at first? Oh, I'm so sorry. Our unnecessary arguments, over nothing. I had so much anger in me. So petty and useless everything seems. I was going to have it all burned down and along with it. Her chest was so excruciatingly heavy. I thought I was carrying a ticking bomb in it that would go off if I tried to breathe.

I went to our showroom wall. We've been taking pictures for generations and adding them to the wall here so we don't forget. I stopped by my picture. I sided with the kids. Both in the photo and normally. But one thing in that photo was perhaps more precious to me than everything. One person at my side. The only person who cared about me despite my lack of interest. The only person who's ever been there for me. Momo-san.

"What's that?"

"Pictures. Such a tradition."

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"Oh, and where are you?"

"Here." He stood behind me, looking over my shoulder where I was pointing.

"Eh. I see you're still the same little guy."He whispered in my ear.

I quickly turned around and took off right after him

"Look, if that's all you came for, you can get out of here again!"And I tried to punch that indifferent face of his.

Fuyu caught my hand as soon as I threw it. He stared at me for a moment with his trademark cool expression. Then he just smiled a little and said: "Momo-sama must have been a fine woman."He made no comment.

Great? She was divine! Sadness wrapped his hands around my heart and squeezed it tight. I burst into unstoppable tears. Fuyu pulled me close and held me tight. The ticking bomb snapped and could not be stopped. It was, perhaps, more pain than it had been a few minutes before. It was all drilling to the surface in a giant avalanche of blubber. If he hadn't held me, I would have fallen to the ground by now. When I calmed down, I pulled away from him a little.

"I will always protect you. I won't let anything happen to you. Not just me, but all of us."He said very clearly, almost proudly, aloud.

I never thought I'd hear something like that. Most of all, I didn't expect those words from him at all. His brothers are so lucky to have an older brother as strong as Fuyu.