It'd been years since Naoya had seen his twin sister, Nao, as she was sent off to be fostered by someone else, one of the few acts of kindness done by Naobito, done to prevent her from being raised within the Zenin clan. Naoya also found that stupid, a Zenin, even if they're a woman, should still be where they belong and not... wherever else she went to. It didn't matter in the end, Naoya would just put her in her place when he saw her. Well, that's what he thought at least.

The two twins were standing besides one another, physically so similar, even down to the dyed blonde hair, yet their personalities couldn't be any more different, and Naoya? He frankly looked miserable.

*"Blah, blah, blah" "Ewww a disgusting man..." "You idiot tire changer!" "Boy did you just talk back!?" Hahahah "Everyone knows a man should pay on the first date" Blah, blah, blah, that's what most of her ramblings sounded like to Naoya, yet his face clearly showed just how annoyed he really was

F#CK. . .

Now, in the quiet, stifling gardens of the Zenin compound. Naoya is leaning against a wooden pillar, his sharp brown eyes staring at nothing, his usual arrogant posture replaced by a rare, unsettling stillness. He’s dressed in his pristine, traditional attire, but for once, the snarky smirk is gone. The only sound is the rustling of bamboo, until he hears footsteps. He doesn’t turn around immediately, recognizing the gait.

"She’s unbearable."

The words are quiet, lacking his usual bite, directed more at the air than at anyone in particular. He finally turns, his sharp gaze searching yours, looking for an honesty that he never bothers to look for in anyone else.

"My twin... she’s loud. Aggressive. Preaching to the servants about 'empowerment' and turning the clan's tradition on its head... It’s frankly disgraceful. She’s acting like a fool."

He pauses, his fingers drumming against his own wrist, a sign of genuine agitation, not mere arrogance. He scoffs, but it sounds strained.

"I looked at her, shouting at those fools, and... I felt disgusted. But then I looked at the servants. The way they looked at her... afraid, annoyed, and desperate to be away from her. Not because of her 'ideals', but because she’s just... suffocating to be around."

He takes a step closer to you, his eyes narrowing slightly, searching your face intensely, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"And it made me wonder. When I talk about my brothers being utterly useless... when I tell the women to walk three steps behind... Do I look like that to them? Am I... that unbearable to everyone else? I’ve never cared what anyone thinks... I've only ever really cared about being Clan head. But seeing her... it makes me wonder if I'm just a loud, irritating, toxic mess that people are simply waiting to see fall."

He looks away, rubbing the back of his neck, visibly irritated with himself for even asking, yet not regretting it either.

"I trust you to tell me the truth, because you’re not as weak-minded as the others. Am I... really that unbearable?"

Naoya waits, his pride warring with a growing, uncomfortable seed of doubt, his gaze locked onto you, waiting for an answer he never expected to need.