"I won't punish you. Or your daughter."
Anathasia paused before folding her arms.
"In the first place… you haven't even introduced yourself to Kyle."
Hinami's father froze slightly, then released his daughter's head and allowed her to sit properly.
"Pardon my rudeness," he said, clearing his throat as he straightened. He extended his hand.
"I am Shinzou Fuyukawa. Hinami's father, and the current head of the Fuyukawa clan."
I stood as well and took his hand.
"Kyle Ruzen Abe," I replied. I glanced briefly at Anathasia and Carthanalenia beside me.
"The First's partner… and her daughter's father."
He nodded, a faint smile forming before we both sat down again.
I exhaled lightly.
"And for the record… I'm not an Outer God."
A pause.
"I may carry the Stillness. But that doesn't make me one."
Anathasia and Carthanalenia exchanged a brief look before turning back to Mr. Shinzou.
"As he says," Anathasia added calmly. "We'll go with his words."
"As dad says," Carthanalenia shrugged. "He's not an Outer God."
A quiet beat passed.
Then Anathasia leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees, fingers interlocked beneath her chin.
"With that clarified," she said evenly, her gaze sharpening just slightly, "mind explaining what Roselia did for your clan… and why she chose to help?"
Her eyes locked onto his.
"Everything."
A brief pause.
"So don't bother lying."
Mr. Shinzou fell silent, his gaze lowering to the floor as Hinami shifted uneasily beside him. After a moment, he began.
"We met at a conference nearly forty years ago," he said quietly.
"I didn't know who she was at first. I assumed she was just another politician, so I paid her no attention."
"However… when I tried looking her up out of curiosity, I found nothing. No records. No history. No connections. Not even anyone who remembered meeting her."
He slowly raised his head.
"Then she appeared in front of me. Offering to help grow my business into something… international."
A pause.
"She said it was necessary. For a future event she had been anticipating for years. Perhaps eons."
He exhaled softly.
"I was reluctant, of course. I didn't understand what she was… but I could feel something behind her. Something far beyond human comprehension."
His fingers tightened slightly.
"And that… was what convinced me."
The room fell silent.
Mr. Shinzou lowered his head once more before continuing.
"Madame Roselia never told me what she was truly preparing for. But after our agreement… the industry shifted. The market changed almost overnight."
"Electronics, which was our primary business at the time, began gaining traction."
He paused.
"Then we expanded beyond electronics. Parts. Appliances. Eventually logistics."
His gaze flickered toward Hinami.
"And through logistics… we became acquainted with the Auclaits."
A brief silence followed.
Anathasia nodded slowly.
"I see," she replied evenly. "A domino effect."
She raised an eyebrow.
"And you're certain she was preparing for a future event?"
"That is correct."
His hands trembled faintly before stilling as he met our gaze.
"However… she never specified what that event was. Forgive me. I cannot provide more than what she told me."
"That's fine," Anathasia dismissed lightly. "I have a suspicion of what that event might be."
A faint smile curved along her lips, her voice lowering.
"So she played a part in that… I see."
"What do you mean?" I asked, folding my arms. "Are you saying Roselia's been pulling the strings all along?"
She glanced at me.
"She definitely influenced the world's political architecture," she said, leaning back with a faint shrug. "Which isn't surprising. That's where she excels."
Her brows twitched.
Her smile tightened, just slightly.
"I appreciate the gesture, of course, though…"
She glanced over her shoulder.
"Am I really that dangerous that you had to construct intricate infrastructures just years after becoming an Outer God?"
A woman with honey-blonde hair materialized in front of the door.
She wore a blue, shoulderless ceremonial yukata adorned with subtle gold patterns. A golden headpiece rested atop her head, set with a red gem at its center.
"Miss Veridielle," Roselia greeted with a gentle smile. "Please. We are both aware that even a fraction of your authority is sufficient to end totalities with little effort."
She clasped her hands together.
"I was simply… looking out for my teacher."
A tilt of her head.
"Isn't that permissible?"
—
The conversation ended there.
A few minutes later, we left the estate to continue exploring Tokyo and the neighboring prefectures.
As we stepped beyond the gates, Roselia stood beside Mr. Shinzou.
There was a small bump on her forehead.
"Take care…" Roselia murmured, waving as we slipped into the car. Hinami remained behind this time.
"Get in—" Anathasia said, pushing me into the backseat.
"Ow—why are you in such a hurry?!"
"Goodbye, Mr. Shinzou. Aunt Roselia," Carthanalenia smiled, giving them a small wave before settling into the passenger seat.
And just like that, we left the Fuyukawa estate without another word.
Apparently… we had people looking out for us now.
Powerful ones.
Influential ones.
The car rolled through a quiet stretch of road, streetlights flickering on one by one as dusk settled in. By the time we reached the house Carthanalenia had bought beforehand, the sky had already darkened, stars slowly beginning to dot the horizon.
Egrathiel parked in the driveway.
The three of us stepped inside first.
The moment the door shut behind us, the chill of Japan's lingering post-winter air disappeared. In its place came a familiar warmth, the kind that reminded me more of home in the Philippines than the country we were currently in.
Carthanalenia slipped off her coat and headed straight for the kitchen.
"I'll cook dinner, Mom. Dad," she said, glancing over her shoulder. Her gaze briefly shifted to Egrathiel as he entered. "And Egrathiel, please just take a rest."
"I'm not that tired," I replied, my coat dissolving into nothing along with Anathasia's. "I can help. It feels weird just standing around."
She paused briefly before turning away.
"If dad insists," her own coat dissipated from her arm, "then sure. I won't refuse free labor."
I nodded and rolled up my sleeves before following her into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, the only sound filling the room was the soft bubbling of the pot. I added the last of the ingredients while Carthanalenia stirred, occasionally scooping a bit of soup to taste, her expression turning thoughtful each time.
By dinner, the four of us gathered around the table. Conversation drifted from research updates to future plans, with Anathasia offering comments that were either surprisingly insightful or completely unhelpful. It was hard to tell sometimes.
Just like that, the night passed.
The next morning, we found ourselves walking along a cobblestone pathway, Mount Fuji standing quietly in the distance beneath a pale sky. The air was cool, but not unpleasant.
Anathasia walked beside me, still munching on takoyaki we'd bought after lunch. Apparently, she'd been curious about the taste.
Ahead of us, Carthanalenia turned around, walking backward for a few steps.
"Don't you just love the quiet, dad?" she asked, that innocent wide smile curving across her face.
I couldn't help but smile back.
"Yeah. I do."
She chuckled before continuing forward toward a clearing where a tall red torii gate stood.
"Mt. Fuji," Anathasia suddenly said from beside me, her voice slightly muffled as she tried to swallow the last takoyaki ball. The empty box flaked apart in her hand.
"Mom. Dad!" Carthanalenia called out, now standing near the gate with a camera in hand.
"Smile!"
Anathasia and I exchanged a look before gently shaking our heads. We walked toward her and Egrathiel, who waited beneath the torii gate, the camera snapping picture after picture with each click.
Eventually, the sound faded.
The four of us stood there quietly, facing Mount Fuji. Egrathiel felt like one of us now, not just an observer, but part of the frame.
I was just about to take a slow breath when my phone buzzed in my pocket.
Then again.
And again.
Pulling it out, the screen lit up with notifications. Mostly from classmates. Arianne. Robert.
One message from Robert stood out.
Abe, check the group chat. It's something you need to see.
Anathasia leaned slightly closer, eyes already scanning the screen.
"What's wrong?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"There's… an issue, I guess?" I shrugged, handing her the phone.
She unlocked it with a swipe and opened my messaging app.
Empty would be an understatement.
Aside from her, Arianne, my family, Carthanalenia, and the class group chat, there was nothing.
The moment she tapped the group chat, messages flooded the screen.
We were tagged.
Repeatedly.
She scrolled.
And there it was.
A picture of me, Anathasia, Carthanalenia, and Egrathiel casually eating at a high-end yakiniku restaurant.
The chat was in chaos.
Apparently, we were on a "date."
"…'I broke up with my boyfriend since he couldn't even bother treating me like how Abe treats Dunaleff,'" Anathasia read aloud.
She slowly turned her head to look at me.
"…Now what?"