"Why do I have to go with him? They understand me well here, and the instructors in charge of combat training for this class are very good," Samantha said.
Hearing her mother's firm words that she would go with Ray, the girl's tone made it clear this issue was already decided. But not wanting to leave her mother alone, and also being somewhat afraid of Ray, she still tried to object.
"Do you remember our agreement? You have to be the best in this class of recruits. Only then will I let you join a combat unit," Kira replied calmly.
"Fine, I hear you," realizing it was useless to argue with her mother on this point, Samantha was forced to agree.
"My sister doesn't know anything about this side of my life, so don't let it slip. I'll be handling your training, but besides me, my adopted daughter will also be involved. She's younger than you, but don't underestimate her. I trained her personally for many years, so don't slack off. To my sister, you're the daughter of an old friend."
"My adopted daughter has been in a situation very similar to yours, so I think you two will get along. But she will be very tough during training, so you need to be prepared."
When they arrived at Frank and Jill's house, they were welcomed warmly, and Deya immediately clung to her brother like a tick.
Taking advantage of a rare moment when they were alone, Jill said:
"Your new chosen one is even younger than the last one. At this rate, you might end up in jail. But don't worry, we'll look after the girls."
"I'm glad you're willing to do that, but there's nothing between us and there never will be," Ray replied with a chuckle.
"Why did you come? I thought your assignment would last a couple more months."
"I got a call in the night telling me Miki was in the hospital. They said he didn't have much time left."
"Ray, I'm so sorry. We should visit him too. It's strange they didn't tell us. He and the boys are very close… I don't know how I'm going to tell them," added Frank.
"I'm sure you'll find the right words," Ray said.
After a moment's thought, Ray added:
"Give me a few days to rent a house."
"Don't worry. It might be a little cramped here, but you're always welcome."
Dropping off the bags, exchanging a few words with his friends, and promising his sister they would spend more time together and that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, Ray headed to the hospital.
Seeing his guest, Miki smiled and said:
"Kid, I've lived long enough. There've been bad things in my life and good things, but I'm still glad that the good, even if there was less of it, still outweighed the bad. I have two requests for you: look after my family's graves and the gym. Also, I have to apologize for burdening you with my funeral."
"Old man, have you lost your mind? After everything you've done for me, that won't be a problem. Just go and don't worry about anything. I may be a staunch atheist, but I'll still hope you can reunite with your family. I can't look after your gym personally, but I'll find a worthy person, and I give you my word that no one will change your rules."
Miki's gym was full of boys from low-income families and orphans. He believed that for many of them, boxing was one of the few paths in life, and for some, the only one. If he saw that a person was giving it their all, he was willing to train them for free, regardless of talent.
Although Frank and Jill had made it clear they didn't mind their presence, Ray still started looking for a house. But instead of renting, he decided to find and buy one.
Miki died a week later. Despite his busy schedule, Ray found time to visit him every day. They played chess and talked about the past.
After they moved into the new house, Ray caught a small moment of respite. He was now sitting on the couch, Deya sitting on the floor between his legs, while Ray gently brushed the little one's hair. This had become something of a ritual for them. Deya didn't know why, but she had always loved moments like this. Yuno did it well, but despite all her efforts, she could never compare to her brother.
"I know I'm too hard on you, and I'm sorry. I'll tell you everything when you're a little older. Starting today, you have to go back to training. You can hate me, but this is not negotiable. If, after you learn the truth, your hatred for me doesn't fade, I promise I'll leave your life."
Ray had doubts about his parenting methods, but after meeting Kira and Samantha, his doubts vanished. If the price of this little one's safety was their relationship, Ray would pay that price without regret.
"Yeah, I was a little hurt, but I could never hate you, no matter what," Deya said.
"You've taken care of me for as long as I can remember. Even if I sometimes say stupid things, don't forget that I'm just a silly child. I'm still very ashamed of the words I said then. If you want, you can spank me," Deya finished jokingly.
"I don't need to hit you. If I want to punish you, I'll just ignore you. We both know that works perfectly."
At these words, Deya turned to her brother, grabbed his hand, and bit it. Instead of getting angry, Ray gently stroked her hair and said:
"Okay, okay, I get it. I'll save that punishment method only for extreme cases. As long as you follow the rules, I promise to be a good big brother."
When they started training, Samantha quickly realized she was inferior not only to Yuno but also to Deya. This only fueled her motivation.
Everything was fine, but very quickly a problem emerged: Samantha began suffering from nightmares. Seeing this, Deya volunteered to sleep with her. Samantha doubted it would help, but it actually did.
Training wasn't only in martial arts but also in shooting and weapons handling. For Deya, for whom this was also new, it all seemed interesting.
If the day for Deya and Samantha was full of hard training, the evening was spent in an atmosphere of family warmth. Sometimes they watched movies. At first, Samantha felt very awkward, but thanks to their care, she quickly settled in. Despite this, she didn't forget about her training, continuing to give it her all.
This showed Ray that for this girl, returning to a normal life was impossible. For Yuno, a semblance of a normal life was possible only because her main motivation for living was Ray himself.
Today, Deya won at rock-paper-scissors, so she got to choose the evening's entertainment. The little one almost always chose to play Twister.
Ray looked like a single father with three very active children. For Ray, this game was difficult only because of his size. Samantha had the hardest time, but a couple of times she managed to win.
The days went by, and at some point, Samantha realized she was very happy. The only thing she missed was her mother. But even the atmosphere of family warmth, which she had never experienced, couldn't make her give up her goal.
Thanks to moving to his hometown, Ray could visit Lily and the girls more often.
On one such ordinary day, he received an unexpected call that made him change his plans.