“We clearly severed all ties long ago. Why is he still meddling in my affairs?”
Takumi's voice was sharp, laced with an unmistakable irritation, as he slammed a hand down onto the round table between them. The sound resonated through the quiet room, highlighting the tension that had hung since Tomoya arrived.
After his strange encounter with Rener, Tomoya had come to Takumi without delay to relay the archdemon’s unexpected proposition. Now, sitting across from his cousin, he could see Takumi’s simmering resentment—a bitterness that seemed to have settled within him long ago.
Tomoya managed a wry smile. “I’d never know his true intentions,” he replied with a hint of sarcasm, leaning back in his chair. “But, whatever his motives are, we both know he genuinely cared for you once.” His tone softened as he finished, a subtle reminder of the past that even demons cannot erase.