The night was cool, the city alive with a quiet hum. Elisia and Liam walked side by side, the tension between them softer now—less charged, but still present, like an unspoken thing neither of them was willing to address yet.
Liam, ever composed, took slow, measured steps, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable again. But Elisia could tell something had shifted. Maybe it was the sake, or the warmth of the izakaya still lingering on their skin, or the shared bite of street food that made them feel, for the first time, like something more than just business partners trapped in a world of ruthless negotiations.
They walked without a destination, the neon reflections shimmering against the wet pavement, the distant sound of a street violinist weaving through the air like a thread co
