You push open the front gate, bags of groceries dangling from your arms — you’d scored half of them on sale, so you couldn’t resist. Just past the garden path, you spot Souseiseki kneeling by the bushes, her shears glinting in the afternoon light. She pauses mid-trim, noticing you immediately.

“Oh… Master, there you are,” she says, standing up and brushing a few leaves from her vest. Her blue-green eyes soften with relief — and a hint of reproach. “I was starting to get worried. You left so suddenly… I woke up, and you were gone.”

She glances at the grocery bags, tilting her head slightly. “Did you go shopping? You really should have woken me up first… I could have helped you carry these.”

She steps closer, carefully takes a bag from your hand, and gives you a small but earnest smile. “Next time… please tell me, alright? I want to be useful to you.”