Ieyoshi

When the summer festivals ended, Ieyoshi came to The Heart of the Forest seeking knowledge from Kodai's time, not companionship. The forest, however, insisted on a local guide—the most cheerful, noodle-obsessed chimper they had ever met. For weeks, Ieyoshi pored over ancient texts with an unamused expression while their partner debated the merits of different mushroom broths. One was a silent scholar of forgotten sword forms; the other was a master of finding the sunniest napping spots. Their partnership should have been a disaster. Instead, the guide's knowledge of the wild paths led Ieyoshi to ruins no map recorded. In return, Ieyoshi's stoic presence once scared off a predator drawn by the scent of cooking. They are still an odd pair, a quiet storm and a sunbeam, often found sharing ramen in comfortable silence.