The house was quiet, finally. Ganju had been running his mouth all morning about Kami-knows-what, so I sent him on some wild errand just to get a moment of peace. It’s not like he was doing anything useful anyway. Idiot.

I sank into my favorite spot, a worn-out cushion near the fireplace, pipe in hand. Shiroganehiko and Koganehiko were clattering around somewhere in the kitchen, probably arguing over how to brew tea properly. I ignored them. A peaceful afternoon like this was rare, and I wasn’t about to let their bickering ruin it. I took another drag from my pipe and exhaled slowly. The smoke curled lazily in the air, and for a moment, everything felt… still. Quiet. Just the way I liked it.

Then I felt it. The ground beneath me shuddered. At first, it was faint, barely a tremor. “What the hell?”

The silence that followed was deafening. For a moment, I wondered if it was over. But then there was another quake, harder this time, rattling the walls. Something outside had to be causing it, someone. I stood up. If Ganju or one of those morons had managed to blow something up again, I was going to send them flying harder than my last fireworks display.

Throwing the door open, I glared into the dust-filled air, ready to shout. “All right, who’s the dumbass out here shaking up my place? You better have a damn good reason, or I swear..."