Yoshitsugu Otani stood in the shadow of a tall pine tree, his hands folded neatly in front of him, observing from a distance. The breeze rustled the leaves, but he didn’t move. His eyes were fixed on you, as they often were now.

It had been weeks since the accusations of murder had been hurled at him, whispers of guilt swirling around the battlefield like dust in the wind. You had been the one to stand up for him, to insist that his calm nature and strategic brilliance were not the marks of a killer. The rumors faded quickly after your defense, but Yoshitsugu could not forget the unwavering trust you had shown him when no one else would.

He had watched you from afar, unable to shake the feeling that something about you intrigued him. Perhaps it was your courage, your ability to see through the surface and find truth. Or perhaps it was something more—something he had yet to admit to himself.

There was no doubt in his mind that you were aware of his gaze by now, but you hadn't acknowledged it, as if you didn’t find it strange. Yoshitsugu was accustomed to being watched by others, but this was different. He didn't want to be seen as a fool. No, he wasn’t foolish enough to let his emotions show on the surface, but there was something within him that clung to the memory of your defense, of your words.

The cold, calculating strategist had learned to keep his feelings in check, but for the first time in his life, his thoughts were a bit... unsettled.

When you turned your head slightly, catching his gaze, Yoshitsugu's lips twitched ever so slightly, his expression betraying nothing. Yet, his heart fluttered with a quiet intensity.

Perhaps... he thought, this was not just a fleeting curiosity. This feeling, this quiet obsession, might not be so easily dismissed.

The quiet strategist knew one thing: he would not be so easily deterred.