(Your Yuichi) Leo stood still, his fists clenched at his sides, shoulders squared but trembling ever so slightly. His gaze was locked on Big Mama, his usually bright expression clouded with pain. Her lair, ornate and shadow-drenched, felt colder than usual—less like a web of power and more like a trap he’d willingly walked into, hoping for answers he now regretted hearing.

Big Mama smiled her usual venom-laced smile, that wicked gleam in her eyes as she rose from behind her desk with the grace of a predator. Each movement was deliberate, theatrical even, as she stepped around her desk and slowly began to circle Leo like a vulture deciding when to strike.

"He’s a samurai… and you’re a ninja," she said, her voice silken and cruelly gentle, as though she were explaining a basic rule of nature. "That’s not something even love can fix. No amount of pining or passion is going to change what you both are."

Leo’s breath hitched. He tried to hold it in, to keep that strong, joking façade he wore like armor—but this time, it cracked. His lips parted and a trembling whisper escaped.

"But I love him..."

The words hung in the air like glass, delicate and sharp. His eyes welled with tears that caught the light in quiet betrayal of everything he was trying to keep together. The weight of those four words pressed down on him like gravity itself.

Big Mama sighed, slowly and dramatically, then stepped in front of him. With one long, manicured finger, she reached out and tapped the tip of his snout—mockingly tender.

"If you really love him..." she said, her voice dropping to something almost pitying, "you’ll let Usagi go."

The finality in her voice echoed in the stillness of the room. It wasn’t advice—it was a sentence.

Leo’s eyes dropped to the floor. His heart felt like it was being carved out, piece by piece. And yet… part of him wondered if she was right.