"So yeah, this was just the kids messing around. I'm really sorry they caused you trouble!"
Kobayashi bowed so deeply she might as well have tried to dig her way underground. She was terrified Rei Ao would get the wrong idea.
Next to her, Michiru nodded awkwardly, clearly embarrassed, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.
Yor did her best to look composed, but the red creeping up her ears and her tight lips gave her away.
What really had her on edge was the man who had just shown up out of nowhere. There was something… different about him.
Her instincts as a professional assassin were screaming.
This guy… is no ordinary person.
Rei Ao listened calmly, that faint, unreadable smile never leaving his face.
He casually reached up and tousled Shin's soft silver hair, nestled against his arm. The gesture was effortlessly natural—almost affectionate.
"I see," he said evenly, like someone commenting on the weather.
"She sent out an emergency call, said she needed me, so I came."
His eyes swept over Kobayashi, Michiru, and Yor, full of quiet understanding—like he already had the whole picture.
"So this was just a little prank from them, huh?"
"It's not a prank!"
Shin shot up, chin high, face determined like she was issuing a royal decree.
Her voice rang through the living room, crystal clear and firm—like a holy sword cutting through doubt.
"I don't care what anyone says—I want Rei Ao Papa. No one else!"
She clung even tighter to his arm, like she was staking her claim.
"Same here!"
Kanna followed her lead without hesitation.
Sitting on Rei Ao's lap, she tilted her face up, her usual calm voice somehow even more serious as she looked straight at Michiru.
"Kanna wants Rei Ao Papa too."
No matter what the adults thought, these two had made up their minds. Rei Ao was their dad now.
"Uhh…"
Suddenly, every pair of eyes turned to Anya—especially Yor's, filled with anxiety, dread, and the silent plea "please don't."
Yor was beyond nervous. If Anya joined in, she might just die of shame.
Anya could feel it. Her tiny shoulders stiffened.
She looked left—Shin's face radiated unwavering resolve.
Looked right—Kanna's expression was calm, but her eyes clearly said "your turn."
Then she turned to her mom.
Yor was holding her breath. Her eyes locked onto Anya's, silently begging her to stay quiet.
Yor could handle assassination missions. She could fake the perfect calm and elegant mother.
But right now, she felt like her entire sense of control was hanging by a thread.
If Anya said one word—just one—Yor might never recover.
But Anya only hesitated for a second.
She remembered Shin and Kanna trusting her with their secrets.
She remembered how it felt when the three of them shouted out their wish together.
She remembered the warm, comforting feeling she got from being near Rei Ao.
And deep down, more than anything… she wanted a real family. A real dad.
That hope inside her outweighed everything else.
Under Yor's wide, panicked stare, Anya took a deep breath—like she was gathering all the courage in her little body—and shouted loud and clear:
"Anya… Anya wants Rei Ao Papa too!!"
BOOM.
It was like a thunderclap exploded right above Yor's head.
Her graceful posture froze instantly.
She sat there, completely stiff, as if someone had hit her with a petrification spell.
Her face turned bright red in a flash—from her ears all the way down her neck.
From a distance, she looked like a fully ripe tomato.
Embarrassment flooded her entire body.
Her usually cool or sharp eyes were wide open now, reflecting both Rei Ao's calm face and Anya's hopeful one.
She couldn't hide the sheer humiliation and overwhelming panic.
Her brain went blank.
Even her assassin instincts glitched out.
"Pff—cough, cough!!"
Michiru choked on her own spit.
Her face was as red as Yor's—partly from coughing, partly from secondhand shame.
At this point, the three of them were suffering sisters.
She glanced at the frozen Yor, then at Rei Ao, now completely surrounded by three determined kids, and thought:
What the hell is even going on anymore?
Kobayashi gave up fighting it.
She covered her face with both hands and let out a long, soul-crushed groan.
"AAAHHH—!! What even IS this?!"
This had officially become the worst weekend ever.
More exhausting than a month of overtime.
What kind of holy sword did I even bring home?!
This one's special ability must be: mental breakdown for adults.
Sunlight poured through the window, coating the ridiculous scene—three kids claiming a dad, three moms dying of embarrassment—in a warm golden glow.
It made the whole thing look even more absurd.
But strangely enough… the room felt lively and bright.
Rei Ao didn't stop any of it.
He just kept smiling, watching the three "moms" squirm.
And honestly? He looked like he was having a great time.
…
Later, near sunset.
Somehow, Kobayashi and the others had survived the painfully awkward afternoon.
They managed to wave off the "dad claiming" as just childish imagination.
One dad, three moms—still way too weird to process.
Outside Kobayashi's apartment, the awkward energy still lingered in the air.
Anya clung tightly to Yor's hand.
She kept glancing back every few steps, pink hair glowing in the golden light.
She waved enthusiastically toward Shin, who was still standing in the doorway.
Her big green eyes were full of emotion.
"Shin! Kanna! See you tomorrow! Anya's gonna miss you!"
Kanna stood beside Michiru. Her face was unreadable, but she waved just as hard.
"See you tomorrow, Anya."
Her little ahoge bobbed gently in the breeze.
Shin, still clinging to Rei Ao's arm, half leaning against him, raised her free hand and waved as well.
Her silver hair shimmered under the setting sun.
Michiru grabbed Kanna's hand tight and practically dragged her away.
Her head was down, her pace frantic—like she was being chased by something.
Unfortunately, what was chasing her… wasn't a monster.
It was shame.
~~~
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