But the week also came with a very welcome surprise.
Achievement — Noble — Become a Noble of any Land
LEGEND +220
Achievement — Royal Horse — Earn the Recognition of a Daimyo
LEGEND +225
Call Strength increases slightly.
A messenger had shown up at my door with a decree bearing a noble title. As soon as I received it, those two notifications appeared in golden text.
Hey, system, why aren't there any SS rewards?
The rewards were optional. Call vs SS this time. Call was chosen.
Of course it was.
But at least my LEGEND had grown. A small smile tugged at my lips as I leaned back in my chair.
Titles, ranks, recognition— all the little badges people chase. I used to think they mattered.
Now, they were just milestones on the road I'd built myself.
-----
There had been so many contracts incoming that I'd had to turn people down. For once, it wasn't out of politics or pressure, just a lack of time.
"You seem really happy, Lord Ren."
"Yes, yes, I am."
"Something in your research?"
"No, but I can't tell you yet either."
Hana raised an eyebrow. "Secrets again?"
"Occupational hazard."
She chuckled softly and poured more tea.
Somehow, this had become routine. Every evening, we'd sit by the veranda, the sun sinking behind the trees, her voice weaving through the quiet. Hana had taken to doing charity work in Konoha— orphanages, refugee education, even advising small guilds. She had a great mind for politics. And I had taken to… listening. Occasionally.
I used to think she was just being careful, that she wanted to monitor me for the Daimyo. Maybe she had, at first. But now? I wasn't sure anymore.
I'd grown too, I realized. The man I'd been a few years ago— reckless, desperate, driven by fury— was gone. What sat here now was someone colder. Wiser. Maybe lonelier, too.
And honestly, I didn't think anything could surprise me anymore.
-----
I was wrong.
I had no idea how to deal with this little sheet of glittery paper that had found its way to my desk.
Kurosawa Kiyoshi
and
Kurosawa Noriko
joyfully invite you to share in their celebration of love and commitment
as they join their hearts in marriage.
Saturday, December 14th
at the Blue Leaf Banquet Hall
💫 "Two souls, one heart, one beautiful beginning." 💫
The invitation shimmered under the lamplight, complete with elegant calligraphy and a faint sakura scent. Someone had really gone all out.
Our clan's first wedding invitation.
Evening Schedule:
5:00 PM — Guest Arrival & Welcome Drinks
6:00 PM — Wedding Ceremony
6:45 PM — Toast & First Dance
7:30 PM — Dinner Service
9:00 PM — Cake Cutting & Dance Floor Opens
10:30 PM — Farewell & Send-Off
I blinked. Twice.
Kiyoshi and Noriko. The two from the Spring Legion. Both are sixteen now. Technically, adults by Konoha law, sure— but still, kids to me. My kids.
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling.
I had faced so much so far.
But this— this perfumed piece of paper with gold borders and heart motifs—
had utterly defeated me.
A wedding. A Kurosawa wedding.
I laughed quietly to myself. It sounded strange in the empty room.
Maybe this was what victory really looked like. Not the political triumphs or the research breakthroughs, but moments like this— where my people could build homes, start families, and think about tomorrow without fear but with hope.
They weren't soldiers anymore. Not just weapons I'd trained or pawns I'd shielded.
They were people. Building lives, dreaming futures.
Maybe that was the real success of leadership— not surviving battles, but giving others the peace to start new stories.
-----
That night, I couldn't sleep. The calm was too deep. Too perfect.
From the open window, the scent of pine drifted in. The workshop outside was silent, save for the faint hum of containment seals. I could see the first prototypes of the SS tags laid neatly on the bench— tiny rectangles of possibility, waiting to be awakened.
Peace never lasts here.
It seeps in like morning mist— beautiful, weightless—
and gone the moment you breathe too deeply.
Still, I let myself enjoy it.
For once, the world wasn't burning.
And maybe, just maybe—
The storm would wait until after the wedding.
-----
The Blue Leaf Banquet Hall glittered like a dream someone had refused to wake from.
Crystal lights shimmered across polished floors, the air full of laughter, perfume, and the low thrum of soft jazz from a corner ensemble.
Kiyoshi and Noriko looked radiant — nervous smiles, hands clasped too tight, the kind of young love that made people forgive the world for all its cruelties.
I stood near the edge of the crowd, half-hidden behind a column dressed in white silk. The wine was too sweet, the speeches too long — but there was something oddly comforting about it all. About seeing people live for once.
A glass clinked, and Taku gave his silly speech as the best man. Describing their time since they met. Idiotic, corny jokes sprinkled in between.
Across the hall, Hana was talking to a group of diplomats and local merchants. She had traded her usual calm for charm — laughing, animated, alive in a way I rarely saw her. The soft light brushed her hair in gold.
Someone clinked a glass; the crowd cheered as the couple began their first dance. I should have been watching them. Instead, my gaze drifted back to her.
Hana tilted her head, caught my eye across the tables, and smiled — not the polite one she used for politics, but something warmer. Familiar.
And for a moment, the music drowned everything else. The noise, the war, the years of calculation.
Maybe it was the wine. Maybe the light. Or maybe I was just tired of being alone at the edge of every celebration.
Maybe marrying her wouldn't be so bad.
The thought slipped in quietly, dangerous and soft as the silk I was wearing.
I didn't chase it away.