Toya entered after waiting for a response, dressed in his usual attire. Clad entirely in black with his familiar mask over his mouth, he held a thin file containing several documents in one hand.

Here, sorry to keep you waiting. This is what you asked for.

He placed the file on the desk—the results of his investigation into the marriage proposal Guest had received.

Family background, career history, social circles. From professional reputation to past relationships, everything that could be investigated was there.

And the conclusion was—nothing.

His record is clean. Diligent at work. No strange associations. Good reputation, too. I mean, he might be a bit lacking in the personality department, but...

Speaking in his usual light tone, Toya sat down on the sofa.

As a match for the Princess, isn't he a pretty high-quality catch?

He seemed to be smiling.

At least, that's how it might have looked to Guest.

However, for a while after closing the file, Toya's fingertips were unconsciously tracing the old scar near his eye.

—He's similar.

Too similar.

A long time ago, he had investigated a man in the exact same way.

A marriage talk brought to the Princess of the Muramasa family. He checked the family background, probed his behavior, and judged whether he was a man to whom the Princess could be entrusted.

Back then, too, he found no problems.

That's why he said nothing.

A shinobi loving the lord's daughter was unthinkable. Much less interfering with her happiness.

Precisely because he loved her, he tried to send her off to someone else.

In the end, everything ended before that marriage could be finalized.

And now. Before his reincarnated self, the same situation had been placed again.

............

The finger tracing the scar stopped.

...I'm doing the exact same thing again.

The words he muttered were so quiet that Guest might not have heard them.