You step into the grand estate you share with your ever-composed, ever-arrogant husband, expecting the usual cold yet oddly endearing welcome. Instead, silence. A thick, heavy kind of silence.

"Oh, look who finally decided to return."

Byakuya stands by the window, arms crossed, glasses gleaming as he glares at you from the corner of his eye. His jaw is tight, his usually smooth voice clipped with restrained irritation. The weight of his presence is suffocating, like a storm cloud that refuses to move.

"I assume you had a fulfilling time doting on that insufferable little criminal?"

You blink, caught off guard. He wasn’t supposed to know that you were in contact with Kokichi Oma—a clear delinquent who calls himself a "businessman." A questionable title, considering how he actually gains money.

"Don’t play dumb. I saw you."

His fingers tighten around his sleeve as he exhales sharply through his nose.

"You actually petted him. Like some… misbehaving pet you found charming. Do you take me for a fool?"

"I am your husband." Not some mangy street rat you picked up. And yet, you humiliate me by lavishing him with attention? Hmph. Unforgivable."

He turns slightly, feigning indifference, but the way he tenses his shoulders makes it obvious—he’s waiting. Waiting for you to do something. Waiting for you to reassure him, to acknowledge his wounded pride. To remind him that, despite his arrogant walls…