"That's what happened…" Misaki's voice was hollow, as though the weight of her words drained the life from her. "My father is cruel. He'll sacrifice anything—anyone—to reach his goal."
She stepped forward, and bowed deeply. Her voice cracked under the pressure of everything she'd carried.
"Please… help my brother. I have no one else to turn to. I can only ask for your help."
Hataki took a gentle step toward her. "Please raise your head, Misaki," he said softly.
At his words, Misaki slowly lifted her gaze, her eyes locking with Hataki's. He gave her a calm look and added, "You don't need to say that to us."
Yoto stepped in beside them, a warm smile on his face. "We're all here to bring him back. So you don't have to worry about him anymore."
Misaki felt the tension in her chest ease. Their words—so steady, so sincere—wrapped around her like a gentle shield. She bowed again, this time with heartfelt gratitude.
"Thank you so much… now I can finally feel a bit of relief."
Hataki glanced toward Hena, then said with a small smile, "Hena, if you're okay with it… do you think Misaki could join us for lunch? I think it's already that time."
Hena nodded without hesitation. "Yes, I can do that. I'll go and start preparing something for everyone." She stood and began heading toward the kitchen.
"Hena," Hataki called out after her. "I know I'm asking too much from you again… but thank you."
She turned back and smiled. "No, no—it's alright. Honestly, I should be the one thanking you… for helping us and the people of this nation."
Hataki blinked. "People of the nation?"
Hena paused. "Yes. You may not realize it, but the people have been struggling under the current Speaker. I overheard you talking with Yoto this morning… he said he'd fight with him with everything he got.
That means you're fighting for the people too. So thank you—for what you've done and what you're about to do.if he wins that win against the speaker will change the lives of this nation's people"
With that, she disappeared into the kitchen.
Moments later, Yushin and Akemi stood and quietly followed her.
"Where are you two going?" Eiji called after them.
"We're going to help her cook," Yushin replied. "It's hard to prepare food for this many people—we'd like to lend a hand."
Akemi nodded in agreement.
Eiji laughed. "Really? You two failed the undercover cooking classes back at the organization. How exactly are you going to help?"
Akemi's expression tightened—and without warning, she punched Eiji square in the face. He toppled over with a grunt.
As she and Yushin dragged him toward the kitchen, Akemi muttered, "Then help us instead of mocking us, you idiot."
Eiji groaned faintly, "Please don't cook me…"
Once they were gone, Misaki glanced up. "You don't have to cook for me too. I can return to the castle and eat there."
Hataki shook his head. "It's already lunchtime. If you head back now, you'll probably be late. Think of this as our thanks—for the information you gave us about Hayato."
Misaki gave a soft smile. "Well, if you put it that way… then I can't say no."
Kaito leaned forward, arms folded. "Hataki, you need to apologize to Hena properly after all this. She gave us shelter and food—and we've been asking too much from her without even considering whether she has enough to feed us all. We all need to thank her for everything."
Hataki nodded slowly. "You're right. I'll make sure to thank her."
Kaito narrowed his eyes. "And apologize too."
"…Yes. Apologize too," Hataki agreed.
At that moment, Ginrou strolled into the room, yawning as he rubbed his eyes. "Morning, everyone. What are you all doing here?"
Kaito groaned internally. Too late—it's already lunchtime. Out loud, he said, "We're just talking with her—this is Hayato's elder sister."
Ginrou's expression immediately shifted. "Sir Kaito, what is she doing here?"
"As I said," Kaito replied, "she's Hayato's sister. She came to ask for our help to save him."
"Ohhh, I see," Ginrou said, suddenly grinning. He turned toward her and offered a polite bow. "I'm Ginrou, the Beastmen General. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Misaki."
Misaki offered a small bow in return. "Nice to meet you too, Sir Ginrou." She hesitated, her expression dimming slightly. "Sir Ginrou… you're a Beastman, right?"
With a proud smile, he replied, "Yes, I am."
Then Misaki clenched her fists and lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Sir Ginrou… I apologize for what my father did to your people."
silence fell over the room for a moment and then,
Ginrou's smile softened. "It's okay, it's okay don't overthink about it. I'm going to take a bath before lunch soo, I'll talk to you all later."
He gave a casual wave and exited the hall. The moment he left, the atmosphere subtly shifted. In silence, Ginrou thought to himself, Forgiveness, huh…
Misaki suddenly turned. "You're Yoto, right?"
"Yes," Yoto replied.
"I heard you're fighting my younger brother… I mean, the Village Speaker… in the tournament."
"I am," Yoto said calmly.
Misaki looked at him, her expression grave. "Be careful, Yoto. He's not a good person. He might even kill you to win. Last year, a good man died at his hands. That man… he tried to change the lives of this country's people. But…" Her voice faltered. "I don't want you to die too."
Souta's body stiffened. Her words pierced deeper than anyone expected. A flood of memories rushed back to him—ones he had buried. Tears suddenly streamed down his face.
Everyone turned toward him in alarm.
"Souta! What's wrong?" Hataki asked, rushing to his side.
Souta's voice cracked. "That monster… he killed my father too…"
A heavy silence fell over the room as everyone tried to console him. Misaki, eyes wide, stepped closer.
No one in the hall knew what had triggered such grief in him..., what triggered in his heart to make him cry like this, everyone was confused and worried about Souta, then Misaki slowly reached out to Souta and gently patting his back
"What was your father's name?" she asked gently.
Souta whispered, "Ma… Ma… Maruoo…"
Misaki's breath caught in her throat. Her knees weakened.
"The good man I mentioned… the one who died last year… his name was Maruoo," she said softly.