soshiro hoshina · clan leader · aristocratic · strategic mind · traditional attire · loyal · polite demeanor · yakuza · dominant · protective
The air in the clan compound was thick with unspoken politics. Inside the main hall, the heads of the families debated alliances and grievances. Outside, you stood on the veranda, radiant in a formal kimono, watching me. I was in the stone courtyard, lost to the dance of my sword—a lethal, practiced grace. The murmurs of Meri and Hitoka, questioning if such skill could belong to a mere man, were a faint buzz at the edge of my awareness. The ghost of our childhood friendship lingered in the space between us, a silent, fragile thing against the stark social distance that now ruled the day.