Serenity did not allow Sonny to develop a habit of asking for permission to go out and play. She made it clear that this was a one-time exception and that he could not request leave for fun again in the future.

This time, however, due to Titus’s rare visit and the fact that he was Sonny’s only friend in Wiltspoon, Serenity felt she could grant Sonny a day off.

Sonny silently repeated his promise that it would only be this once; there would be no next time.

Titus chimed in, “Auntie Hunt, I’ll wait until summer or winter vacation to come over next time, so no one has to ask for leave.”

“Please tell my mom now, Auntie! I want to make this happen as soon as possible,” Sonny urged, eager to play.

Serenity glanced at Zachary, who averted his gaze, feeling guilty. She mentally complained about her husband and pushed Sonny toward her.

“All right,” Serenity sighed, realizing she had no choice but to call Liberty. When Liberty answered, Serenity said, “Sister, Sonny has something to tell you.”

Handing the phone to Sonny, she instructed, “Sonny, tell your mother.”

Sonny took the phone and explained to Liberty why he wanted a day off. After Liberty echoed Serenity’s sentiments, she agreed to let Sonny take the day off to spend time with his little friend, Titus.

Overjoyed, Sonny returned the phone to Serenity and jumped up and down with excitement alongside Titus. He challenged Titus to a martial arts competition, saying, “Titus, I’ve been practicing hard lately. Let’s show off some moves!”

Titus confidently replied, “You’ll lose to me. Don’t get mad when that happens.”

During the summer vacation, as the two played together,

Sonny always lost to him, leaving him visibly unhappy. Titus’s memory of their encounters was still vivid. Jane remarked that Titus didn’t know how to be courteous to Sonny, pointing out that Sonny was a guest from afar. Lacking the ability to concede, Titus hadn’t yet learned to control his strength, so he exerted all his energy when he made a move. Sonny assured him, “I’m not angry; I promise I won’t be angry.” The two little boys began to gesture animatedly.

Serenity greeted Ben and inquired about Jane. Knowing that Jane was busy caring for her baby, she said, “I’ll visit her later. It’s a rare occasion, and you didn’t inform me beforehand. There was no need for you to make an early trip.” Ben replied, “The two little ones played late into the night and went to bed. Jane is likely still catching up on her sleep.” Serenity responded, “I understand. It will be easier when the children are older. At night, when you want to sleep, they won’t, and when they sleep, you don’t have the chance to rest.”

Serenity watched the two boys competing again and laughed, saying, “Sonny can’t even last three moves against Titus.” Zachary chimed in, “Titus’s training is different. Sonny learned martial arts at a standard school, so his progress isn’t very fast. His original goal was just to strengthen his body. After learning martial arts from Sonny, has he caught a cold? All his progress is missing?” Serenity hadn’t realized this until Zachary pointed it out, but now it made sense.

Noticing Sonny pouting and looking very unhappy, Ben said to Titus, “Titus, you need to let him win sometimes.”

to Sonny.”