After Lanling revealed that each coin was being tracked and that returning it would only worsen their standing in the kingdom, the uncle and nephew begrudgingly agreed to keep it.
A few minutes of bickering followed as they debated who would take responsibility for it. Eventually, without a word, they handed the job of treasury over to Lanling, whose mouth twitched as he fought back laughter.
Four days remained until the fair, and those days were filled with warmth.
Haruki uncovered more and more memories during his time with Lanling, and his growing smiles could brighten anyone's day. The warmth deepened whenever Lanling returned those smiles, intensifying the quiet bond between them.
It was inevitable that he grew some fans from how infectious and addicting his smile was.