Back in the room, Gou dropped to his knees beside his wounded son, momentarily casting his rage aside. His trembling hand hovered over the deep gash, blood soaking the cloth beneath Sanichi's arm.
"Where's the first aid kit?!" he bellowed. His voice cracked with urgency. "Why is everyone just standing there?!"
A maid, Minasima, flinched at the barked command.
"I—I'll get it right away!" she yelped, turning on her heel and sprinting toward the kitchen, her slippers skidding on the wooden floor.
The room was a storm of emotions. The maids stood frozen like statues, too stunned by the earlier outburst to act. The air was heavy with tension, grief, and dread.
Gou whipped his head toward them, his eyes blazing.
"If anything happens to my son, I will take back everything I've ever given you! I saved your families, paid off your debts—and this is how you repay me?!"
The sudden boom of his voice cracked their paralysis. Fear snapped them into motion. They scrambled to grab cloth, clean water, anything to help.
Sanichi lay on the floor, his breath shallow. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but his fading consciousness clung to one question.
"Zen'no…" he whispered hoarsely, "Where is my son…?"
Just then, Minasima reappeared at the doorway—clutching the first aid kit. Her eyes were wide with alarm, and her hands trembled at her sides."
Then the kit fell from her hands, clattering to the floor.
"Zen'no… He's on the window ledge," she gasped, barely able to breathe the words.
The boy stood outside the window, barefoot, the night wind tousling his hair. His arms wrapped around himself, his small frame shivering. Moonlight bathed his tear-streaked face.
"I'm scared…" he muttered to himself. "Grandpa hates me… I don't want to see him again…"
"Zen'no, no!" Minasima cried, her voice breaking.
She took a cautious step forward, her arms reaching out, palms open.
"Please… come down. Zen'no, it's dangerous."
He turned slightly toward her voice, his lips quivering.
"He said I was a demon. And… and I hurt my Father. I wanna go home, I don't wanna stay here anymore. He hates me."
"No!" she said firmly, fighting the lump in her throat. "You are not a demon. You're just a little boy… scared and hurt. Your parents love you. If something happened to you, they'd never forgive themselves."
He wiped his face with the back of his sleeve, sniffling. His toes curled on the cold stone edge of the windowsill. The height beneath him made his knees wobble.
Minasima slowly approached.
"You're not alone, Zen'no. Come. I'll take you back."
His gaze met hers—raw, searching. Finally, he nodded.
Minasima gently lifted him down, holding him close as he collapsed into her arms, sobbing softly into her shoulder.
A War of Words
Back in the room, Gou was pacing in furious circles.
"What's taking that woman so long?!"
His voice bounced off the walls as Minasima walked back in, Zen'no close behind her.
But Gou's eyes ignored the boy. His focus locked onto her empty hands.
"Where is it?!" he snapped.
Minasima set her jaw.
"I dropped it. Your grandson was about to jump out the window. I chose to save him instead."
They were surprised by what Minasima said, but Gou's brows knit into a stormcloud.
"You what?"
"He's just a child!" she said, her voice shaking. "What you said to him—no child should ever have to hear that. It hurt him deeply! Something like that could traumatize him for the rest of his life."
His face twisted with rage.
"Don't you dare speak to me that way! I saved your father's life! Paid for his surgeries when no one else would! And this is how you repay me!"
"Then take it all back!" she snapped, her fists clenched at her sides. "But don't you dare blame Zen'no! He didn't ask for this!"
Gou grabbed his cane and hurled it across the room. It struck the wall with a heavy thunk.
"Irie!" he roared, turning to his wife. "Are you going to let your maid speak to me like that?!"
Irie, who had been quietly tending to Sanichi, stood up slowly. Her hands were stained with blood, her lips trembling—not from fear, but fury.
"That's enough, Gou."
He blinked.
"You have no right to call our grandson a demon. You don't know what he's been through! And stop waving your past good deeds like a whip! Minasima has worked herself to the bone for this family—she has more than paid her debt."
Gou's expression darkened.
"And now you're taking her side? Remember, Our son was proud to receive that boy as a 'fortune' he said that in the call—but where is the luck?! That child is a curse! A demon! A plague!"
Sagira's voice cracked from across the room.
"That's ENOUGH!"
Everyone turned.
Her face was red and streaked with tears. She stood protectively between Zen'no and the others, she heard enough and she can't take it anymore.
"How DARE you" she sobbed. "To you say that to your own grandson?! You… you don't even know what happened to him! Neither do I, Do you have any idea how much damage your words can do to a child?! Shame on you!"
Gou narrowed his eyes.
"Oh? Shame on me? Make sense that you brought this child to this world. Aren't you the woman who can't produce a baby? Barren. Whose child is he? Tell me, Who is in a more embarrassing situation between the two of us?"
Sagira paused for what he said.
From the floor, Sanichi's voice, barely a rasp, delivered the chilling words. "O my dear Father." A Slow, Deliberate Shake of the Head.
The room fell still.
Sanichi stirred.
His fingers twitched against the blood-streaked floor. Then, slowly—gritting his teeth—he forced himself upward. He rose to his feet, but not fully. His body bent forward in pain, one arm wrapped tightly around his wounded side. Every breath was a struggle, but his expression was calm, serene even. His voice, when it came, was soft—measured—but resolute.
"Please… don't say that in front of my son," he said. "That Sagira is barren…"
He raised his head, locking eyes with Gou. His voice did not tremble.
"I made a supplication to God, and He answered me. Never once have I been disappointed in my prayers. That is why I keep praising Him—as He deserves."
He turned slightly, his gaze settling on Zen'no, a faint warmth in his eyes.
"As a father, I am blessed for having him. And I was happy—so happy—that he is my son."
His body shook, legs buckling beneath him, but he remained upright for just a moment longer.
"You ruined his childhood… just because of this," he said quietly. "But I still pray that one day… you will accept him as your grandson… and pray for—"
His knees gave out.
He collapsed forward.