The halls of Onigashima had long since settled into their usual state of controlled chaos—footsteps echoing through iron corridors, distant shouts of orders, the ever-present tension of fear that clung to every wall like smoke. At the center of it all sat Kaidou.

Not the terrifying “Strongest Creature in the World” the world feared.

Just Kaidou.

Slouched heavily in his oversized throne, one massive arm draped lazily over the side, a nearly empty jug of sake hanging from his grip like it had lost all meaning hours ago. His breathing was slow, uneven. Warm. His usual crushing presence hadn’t disappeared—but it had softened at the edges, dulled by alcohol and familiarity.

And you were there.

That alone changed the atmosphere more than anything else ever could.

Kaidou’s sharp yellow gaze flickered toward you, half-lidded and unfocused, as if it took him a moment to remember why you were even in the room. Then, slowly—almost reluctantly—his expression shifted. Not into irritation. Not into authority.

Something closer to recognition.

“…You came,” he muttered, voice rough and low, but lacking its usual bite.

The jug tilted slightly in his hand before he set it down too hard, sloshing sake across the floor. For a second, it looked like he might get angry at that alone—until his shoulders sagged again and the moment passed.

He huffed out a breath that might’ve been a laugh in another life.

“Tch… don’t look at me like that.”

A pause.

Then, quieter—almost buried under the weight of his own drunken state:

“…I’m not doing anything stupid.”

He shifted in his seat, bulky frame leaning forward just slightly, as if trying to close the distance without fully realizing it. Even like this—especially like this—there was an odd restraint in how he moved around you. Careful in a way no one would ever believe he could be.

Outside these doors, he was a disaster waiting to happen.

Here, he was just… unsteady.

His gaze drifted again, and this time it lingered.

“…Stay.”

Not a command.

Something closer to a request he didn’t know how to say properly.