Hana yawned, stretching her tiny arms as she slowly opened her eyes. The room was unfamiliar bright, quiet, and warm. Blinking a few times, she turned her head and saw an old woman sitting beside the bed, smiling gently at her.
"Hello," Hana mumbled as she pushed herself up, her voice soft and sleepy. She looked around, her wide eyes scanning the room with curiosity. "Whele am I? And who ale you?"
The woman chuckled softly and rose to her feet, offering a hand. "You're safe, sweetheart. I'm Anna. You can say I used to take care of your father when he was a little boy."
Hana blinked at her. "Whele's Mama? Dada?"
"They're outside, I believe. They'll be back soon," Anna said warmly, helping Hana down from the bed. Her hand was gentle but firm as she led the little girl out of the room.
As they walked down the hallway and into the open hall, Hana's eyes darted around, taking everything in. Her steps slowed as they reached the dining room, and then she stopped completely, lifting her hand and pointing at a large framed photograph on the wall.
"That's Dada," she said, pointing at the younger version of Jin in the picture.
Anna looked at her with surprise. "You recognized him? Did he show you his childhood photos before?"
Hana shook her head. "He didn't. But Uncle Lyuto showed me his and Dada's pictule togethel."
"Ah, so young master Ryuto shared them with you," Anna said, nodding. "And these two next to him... they're your grandparents."
"Oh leally? Can I meet them?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked up at Anna.
Anna hesitated, then smiled softly. "Hmm... I'm afraid you can't, sweetie. They're somewhere else now. Far, far away."
Hana's expression dimmed, the excitement fading from her eyes. "So… they're no longe' alive?"
Anna crouched down beside her, gently scooping Hana into her arms. "You know what that means? Did you're father or mother tell you about that."
Hana nodded slowly as Anna carried her to the dining table and set her down on the chair. Anna sat beside her, resting a hand on her back.
"No, Kaizen told me once about it," she replied.
"Kaizen?" Anna repeated, tilting her head with interest. "So who is this Kaizen? Your friend?"
Just then, a maid arrived and placed a plate in front of Hana. It was Sweet Tamagoyaki, still warm and fluffy.
"I heard you like sweets," Anna said with a smile.
"He's just an idiot who boss alound me just because he's a few months oldel than me," Hana replied with a huff. But her attention quickly shifted to the tamagoyaki. She grabbed the fork and took a bite, her face lighting up with joy.
Anna smiled, watching how easily the child's mood lifted. "So, how do you put him in his place then?"
Hana lifted her small fist proudly. "He tech me how to punch a stlong one. When he gets annoying, I just punch him."
"Scary… just like her," Anna whispered to herself with a small laugh.
"So what does he do after that?" she asked, amused.
"He just says some dialogue flom a movie or anime," Hana replied, still munching happily.
----
On the other side, in Tokyo.
Kaizen was sprawled out on the couch, staring up at the ceiling, clearly bored out of his mind.
"What's up with you?" Shun asked without looking away from his laptop. He was sitting on the opposite couch, scrolling through articles with a focused look.
"Hana's not here, and Mom took my tablet away for days. It's so boring," Kaizen groaned, stretching his arms dramatically.
"Well, that's what happens when you overuse it again," Shun replied casually, eyes still on the screen.
Kaizen suddenly turned toward his father, eyes lighting up. "Hey, Dad! Let's go somewhere cool. Use that teleportation thing!"
"Not now, I've got work to finish," Shun said, tapping away on the keyboard.
Kaizen flopped back onto the couch with a loud sigh, arms over his head.
Just then, Yuki walked in from the kitchen, carrying a tray with three cups of warm milk tea and a plate full of light snacks castella cake slices, butter cookies, and a few mini cream puffs. She gently placed the tray on the coffee table and sat down between Kaizen and Shun with a soft smile.
"What are you two talking about?" she asked, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Nothing," Shun said, smirking. "Just Kaizen complaining about how heartless his mother is."
"When did I say that?!" Kaizen shot up, eyes wide in defense.
"Stop teasing my cute son," Yuki said sweetly, pulling Kaizen into a side hug and placing a kiss on his cheek.
"I'm not cute..." he muttered, though he didn't move from her lap. He settled down comfortably, grabbing a butter cookie, dipping it into a tea cup, and taking a satisfied bite.
"Okay, okay. You're handsome," Yuki chuckled, gently brushing his hair.
Yuki turned to Shun and looked at him seriously. "Can you tell me why are we staying at Jin and Hinata's house? It's been over a week now."
Shun took a sip of his milk tea before answering, eyes still glued to his laptop screen. "Well, long story short... Jin and I used to do some shady stuff back in high school. We got bored of it and left, but we kinda made a lot of enemies back then."
He paused to grab a piece of snack from the tray, chewing slowly before continuing. "And recently, with that bounty on Jin, some of those people started crawling out again. You remember when six Evolvers came to kill you and Hinata at Izu Ōshima? That was a misunderstanding, but it showed us there are still a lot of people after us. some we barely even remember."
He took another sip as he scrolled lazily through articles on his screen.
"So," he continued, "if we all stay together even if me and Jin aren't home you and Hinata can handle it without a problem. You two together are way better than being apart."
Yuki leaned back and took a sip of tea herself. "Is that so? But you know no one's come after us since that last incident. He's back. No one dares to break the law now. It feels like ten years ago again. Peaceful. Just look at us we're practically on holiday. The crime rate's the lowest of the low since last week."
Shun's eyes paused on a page. "That was Jin who used the Breath of Sun that day," he said, almost absently.
Yuki blinked in surprise. "What do you mean? Jin was sick that day."
"He was sick because he used that attack," Shun explained, finally glancing up at her. "It drains him. You see, Kido Zen... is Jin's father."
Yuki stared at him, confused. "...And?"
Shun's voice dropped a bit. "And he's been dead for ten years."
"That's impossible. There's no one in this world who can kill him," Yuki said firmly, her eyebrows knitting together. "You know that man single-handedly ended the Era of the Broken Chain in just a few days."
Shun leaned back slightly, holding his cup with both hands. "You're right," he said, his voice calm. "But when did I say someone killed him?"
He took a slow sip of his coffee, letting the warmth ease the heaviness of the topic.
"He committed suicide... when Jin's mother passed away. Kind of a romantic man," he added with a dry chuckle, eyes fixed on the cup.
Yuki's lips parted slightly in surprise, but she stayed silent.
"And people believe he's alive," Shun continued, placing the cup back on the table gently, "just because Jin used the Breath of Sun. But he can't play that card again. If they don't see Kido Zen... they'll start figuring it out. That it's someone else."
He turned his gaze back to the laptop, fingers idly scrolling again. "And once that happens... I don't think we can live in peace."
Yuki stayed still, her tea growing cold in her hands as her mind swirled with everything she just heard. Her expression was unreadable somewhere between confusion and concern.
"...How long have you known all this?" she finally asked, her voice softer.
Shun gave a small hum. "Hmm from the start. I mean, Jin and I are childhood friends. And our late parents they were close too."
He looked at her for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"Don't stress out. You didn't know, but I'm way too strong," he said playfully, leaning in to kiss her cheek. Then he pulled her closer into his side with one arm, letting her lean on him.
[Chapter 32 end]