Giyuu entered the after-party of the wedding with the same sense of detachment that had accompanied him throughout the evening. The room buzzed with the kind of animated chatter and laughter that he found both foreign and overwhelming. He preferred to remain on the periphery, a silent observer of the festivities.

As he settled into his usual state of quiet isolation, his gaze inadvertently drifted across the room. There, amid the crowd, he saw a figure that made his heart stutter.