Late at night.
Moonlight poured through the lattice, pooling across the quiet room.
Eiya had just finished a day of training and was about to rest when a soft knock sounded at the door.
"So late—who could it be?" He frowned, letting his sensory field spread on reflex.
He caught a familiar chakra outside.
Uchiha Mikoto.
Eiya blinked, rose at once, and slid the door open.
On the threshold stood an elegant, gentle black-haired beauty.
Mikoto wore a simple house kimono. Her dark hair was loosely pinned, a few strands tracing the pale line of her neck. In the hazy moonlight, her fine profile and mature curves were outlined with effortless grace.
The stately dignity of the clan leader's wife had fallen away; in its place a softer allure.
Eiya unconsciously held his breath.
"Lady Mikoto?" He stepped aside to let her in, then said it plainly, "I see. Fugaku sent you to persuade me?"
Mikoto's cheeks flushed as she slipped inside, a little flustered, hands folded before her, head slightly bowed.
"Eiya-kun, I'm sorry to disturb you so late."
"It's fine." He closed the door and spoke gently. "Please, sit."
She didn't sit. Lifting her eyes—worry clouding her fine features—she said, "I won't hide it. I came about the Police reform examinations."
She drew a breath, voice earnest. "This so-called 'reform' is clearly a pretext to cut our Uchiha influence. Fugaku is… truly in a bind."
Eiya listened in silence.
"If we want to keep as many posts as possible," Mikoto went on, "the ANBU overseer becomes the key."
She took a step closer, voice softening. "Fugaku and I discussed it at length. In strength, in nerve, in method—by any measure, you're the one most likely to help us."
Her eyes held his, solemn. "Only if you oversee the examination can Uchiha interests avoid being gutted."
Eiya was quiet for a moment, as if weighing it.
Then he asked, "My lady, do you know why—though we were the wronged party—we gained nothing from this affair?"
Mikoto blinked, thought a moment, then shook her head. "Please enlighten me."
Eiya's answer was blunt.
"The Hokage overlooks Danzō's crimes because he's sure he can control him. Even after an assassination attempt, the punishment was light."
"In this clash, we stripped Danzō bare with ease. What that wins us is not favor—but fear."
"The Hokage fears the Uchiha."
Silence fell.
He hadn't said the word impossible.
But Mikoto understood. Hope dimmed from her face.
She stepped forward in a sudden, anxious motion and took Eiya's hand, pleading in her eyes. "Eiya-kun, I know how hard this is… but could you try? This means too much to the clan. Is there truly no other way?"
Warm, silken skin pressed to his palm, a faint clean fragrance reaching straight to his chest.
Heat pricked in Eiya's heart as he leaned in just a little.
The space between them turned ambiguous.
Mikoto realized she'd overstepped in her urgency; color climbed to her ears. She started to withdraw—but Eiya didn't let go.
The room went still.
Only their faint breaths and uneven heartbeats moved the air.
This midnight negotiation no longer felt like clan business alone.
Something unspoken threaded between them.
After a while, Eiya sighed lightly and released her hand.
"Since you came yourself, it would be cold of me to refuse outright," he said with a rueful smile. "But you know what it takes to make a near-impossible thing happen—the cost I pay, the risk I shoulder."
A glint of mischief flickered in his eyes. "I hope you'll understand my position—or perhaps… offer me a little compensation."
Mikoto's heart jumped; a flush raced to the tips of her ears.
She understood the teasing beneath the words.
By rights—as a wife, a mother—she should have rebuked him. Yet, strangely, she felt little anger, and what resistance she mustered was soft.
Biting her lip, banishing the thoughts crowding her mind, she said in a trembling voice, "I… understand."
"If Eiya-kun helps us, the clan—and I myself—will remember your kindness."
She didn't say more, but the weight she put on "I myself" was unmistakable.
Eiya chuckled. "My lady is truly considerate. In that case, don't blame this junior if I come calling often to 'seek instruction.'"
He leaned closer; the heat of a grown man's breath brushed her cheek.
Mikoto's heart fluttered. Her face burned. She hurriedly turned aside, not daring to meet his eyes.
The distance had gone too far.
Shame and urgency tangled. She wanted to scold him for decorum's sake—but feared angering him into backing out.
Caught between, she lowered her head and endured the invasive weight of his gaze.
Shame, nerves, fear, worry—
Her breathing quickened without her noticing.
The air thickened; both minds grew raw and sensitive.
Just as the charged mood was about to slip its leash—
Knock, knock, knock!
A brisk rapping crashed through the hush like a pail of cold water.
Mikoto jolted like a startled hare, sprang back several steps, and nearly stumbled against the table.
Eiya frowned and called, "Who is it?"
"Eiya-senpai! It's me—Izumi!"
Outside, Uchiha Izumi's clear voice carried a tremor.
Mikoto's embarrassment spiked into panic. Though she had come for clan business, a lone man and woman behind closed doors at midnight—if a junior saw and gossip spread…
She pictured tomorrow's rumors and went pale, eyes pleading: What do we do?
Eiya steadied at once. "Izumi? What is it at this hour?" he called, then dropped his voice to Mikoto. "My lady, let's end here tonight. Go out the back window—no one will see."
Mikoto seized on the lifeline, nodding quickly.
She slipped to the rear, eased the window open, gathered her hem, and lithe as a cat vaulted into the night, vanishing in a few light steps.
Eiya stood at the window a moment, watching her silhouette fade, a playful curve on his lips.
Seizing oversight of the Police examinations?
It was already a piece on his board.
Now, riding the current, he could take that authority—and, besides, he had a "personal" promise from the clan leader's wife.
[Ding! Indulgence achieved!]
[In the clan's hour of need, at the lady's midnight plea, the host boldly admired her poise. Indulgence rating: B.]
[Reward issued…]
[Gained: Mentor & Friend.]
[Mentor & Friend: Your excellence is contagious—friends and students grow rapidly by your side. The closer the bond, the greater the boost.]
Eiya was about to scoff at the odd reward when Izumi's voice piped up again, a touch anxious. "Eiya-senpai… are you still there?"
"I am," he answered, crossing the room in two strides and opening the door.
In the moonlight stood Uchiha Izumi, fidgeting. Seeing him, she ducked her head, cheeks pink. "Senpai, did I disturb you?"
Eiya took in the bright, lively girl and smiled faintly. "Not at all. I wasn't asleep. Come in."
"Mm." Izumi stepped inside.
At once her nose twitched. "Huh? Senpai, why does your room… smell so nice?"
She glanced around, sniffing lightly.
Eiya's heart gave a small thump, but his face didn't change. "Does it? I burned some incense earlier; the scent must be lingering."
"I see…" Izumi nodded slowly, lips pursing; something felt off, but she let it go.
Eiya went to the table, poured himself a cup of water, and turned to her. "So—what brings you here so late?"
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