It had been three months since the war ended, and peace settled over the land like a soft, lingering breath. The once somber and quiet halls of the General's mansion now echoed with the laughter of a child, tiny feet pattering through the corridors, and the occasional crash followed by a suspicious silence that made both Ryusuke and Nori pause in dread.
"Akito…" Ryusuke called cautiously, stepping into the wide hallway with a sigh and his hands on his hips. "Where are you, little gremlin?"
There was no answer. Just stillness.
Then, suddenly—
"RAHHHH!"
A small blur launched itself from behind a screen door, wearing Ryusuke's heavy battle cloak like a cape and wielding a wooden spoon like a sword. His face was marked with charcoal lines meant to look fierce.
"I am the Great General Akito!" he screamed with all the fire in his tiny lungs. "Surrender, villain!"
