Five years could change a lot of things.
People grew older, relationships evolved, old wounds healed, and new disasters inevitably took their place. The world had undergone enough upheaval that what once seemed impossible had gradually become ordinary. Entire communities had relocated, supernatural families had established new territories, and the city of Starfall had transformed into one of the most beautiful urban centers in the world.
Yet, despite all the changes, some people remained remarkably committed to making terrible decisions.
Đào Wang, for example, was getting married.
To David.
Yes, that David.
The Hollywood actor who had cheated on her once, apologized dramatically, and somehow managed to convince her that he deserved another chance.
And now, on a beautiful afternoon in Starfall, the entire fox community was preparing to witness their wedding.
The ceremony was being held in the newest fox village, a picturesque settlement nestled within Starfall's most luxurious residential district. Traditional Japanese architecture blended seamlessly with modern design. Elegant wooden houses stood beside manicured gardens, stone pathways wound beneath flowering trees, and a small river flowed through the center of the village.
White flowers decorated the ceremonial grounds. Guests in expensive suits and beautiful dresses filled the outdoor seating area, chatting beneath the warm afternoon sun.
Everything was perfect.
Almost suspiciously perfect.
"She's actually going through with it."
Standing near the entrance, Haru stared at the wedding decorations with the expression of someone attending a funeral rather than a celebration.
Hasuko stood beside her, holding a glass of champagne.
"She is."
"To David."
"Yes."
"The man who cheated on her."
"Yes, Haru. I remember."
Haru turned toward her.
"Then why are you so calm?"
Hasuko took a sip of champagne.
"Because if I spend every day worrying about Đào's romantic decisions, I'll die before she does."
"That's not funny."
"It's a little funny."
Haru sighed and looked toward the bridal preparations taking place inside the nearby hall.
They had tried to talk Đào out of it.
Everyone had.
Naomi had tried reasoning with her. Linh had presented an argument so detailed that it might as well have been a business report. Even people who rarely involved themselves in other people's relationships had found themselves asking whether marrying David was really the best decision.
The answer, apparently, was yes.
Because David had knelt before Đào, apologized for his past mistakes, and promised that he would never hurt her again.
And Đào had forgiven him.
"He got down on one knee and begged me to forgive him," she had explained when everyone confronted her.
Haru had stared at her in disbelief.
"And you think that means he won't cheat again?"
"People can change."
"Of course they can. But that doesn't mean everyone does."
Đào had simply smiled.
"I love him."
And that had been the end of the discussion.
Now, as the wedding preparations continued, Haru could only pray that Đào knew what she was doing.
Or, at the very least, that David had finally developed enough common sense not to ruin his own life.
Unfortunately, the universe had other plans for the afternoon.
And those plans were about to arrive in a red Maserati.
The sound of a powerful engine shattered the peaceful atmosphere outside the fox village.
Several guests turned their heads.
A glossy red Maserati came roaring down the road, its engine growling like an angry beast. The car took the corner with unnecessary aggression before screeching to a stop near the village entrance.
The driver's door flew open.
Mina stepped out.
She was wearing an elegant black outfit, her dark hair falling perfectly over her shoulders. Her sunglasses concealed her eyes, but absolutely nothing could conceal the murderous aura radiating from her.
A nearby fox spirit took one look at her face and immediately decided that she had somewhere else to be.
Mina removed her sunglasses.
"Where is she?"
Nobody answered.
She looked around.
"I asked a question."
A young fox girl standing nearby swallowed nervously.
"W-Who are you looking for, Madam Kamakiri?"
Mina smiled.
It was not a reassuring smile.
"Guess."
The girl promptly pointed toward the grassy field in the center of the village.
"Over there!"
"Thank you."
Mina started walking.
The girl waited until she was certain Mina had gone far enough before whispering a desperate prayer for whoever was about to meet her.
Because everyone in the supernatural community knew one thing about Madam Kamakiri.
She could be perfectly reasonable.
She could even be generous.
But when she was jealous, the laws of nature became little more than suggestions.
And today, she was furious.
The reason was simple.
Shana had taken Duyên on a date.
A private date.
Without telling Mina.
Without inviting Mina.
Without even giving Mina the courtesy of knowing that her favorite person in the world was being stolen away for an entire afternoon.
Mina had discovered this information by accident.
Which, in her opinion, made the situation even worse.
She had immediately abandoned everything she was doing, climbed into her Maserati, and driven straight to the fox village.
She intended to find Duyên.
She intended to demand an explanation.
And she intended to make it abundantly clear that nobody—nobody—was allowed to steal her woman without facing the consequences.
Unfortunately, before Mina could begin her confrontation, she encountered a considerably more dangerous obstacle.
A five-year-old girl.
The grassy field was filled with laughter.
Amuro sat cross-legged on the ground, holding a deck of cards. Beside him, Satoru was attempting to maintain the dignity expected of a senior demon bodyguard.
He was failing.
Terribly.
Because sitting opposite him on a skateboard was Nhi, a little girl with bright eyes, an adorable face, and absolutely no respect for the authority of adults.
"Okay!" Nhi announced. "If I win this round, you have to give me your chocolate!"
Satoru stared at her.
"Why would I agree to that?"
"Because you're scared I'll win."
"I'm not scared of a five-year-old."
"Then bet the chocolate!"
Amuro covered his mouth.
His shoulders shook.
Satoru slowly turned toward him.
"Are you laughing?"
"No."
"You're laughing."
"I'm merely appreciating the enthusiasm of our young opponent."
"I will throw you into the nearest river."
Nhi raised her hand.
"Can I throw him into the river if I win?"
"No!" Satoru snapped.
"Then I don't want to play anymore."
She folded her arms and turned away dramatically.
Amuro immediately burst out laughing.
Satoru closed his eyes.
He had survived battles against supernatural creatures that could tear apart entire buildings. He had served powerful masters, endured countless assassination attempts, and faced enemies who could manipulate reality itself.
Yet somehow, none of those experiences had prepared him for a five-year-old girl with a skateboard and a pathological need to win at everything.
"Fine," he muttered. "I'll bet the chocolate."
Nhi's face lit up.
"Yay!"
"But we're playing properly this time."
"Okay!"
"And no cheating."
"Okay!"
"And if you lose, you have to stop calling me a loser."
Nhi considered this.
"Can I call you a silly loser instead?"
"No!"
Amuro laughed so hard that he nearly dropped the cards.
Satoru was about to start dealing when a shadow fell across the grass.
A familiar voice spoke behind them.
"What exactly is going on here?"
The laughter stopped.
Amuro's hand froze halfway through shuffling the deck.
Satoru's expression went blank.
Nhi turned around.
Mina stood several feet away, her sunglasses now hanging from one hand.
She looked at the deck of cards.
Then at the skateboard.
Then at the two demons who were supposed to be maintaining order in the village.
Finally, she looked at the little girl.
Silence.
Amuro stood up so quickly that the cards scattered across the grass.
"Madam Kamakiri!"
Satoru scrambled to his feet.
"Madam!"
Both demons straightened their backs, suddenly remembering every rule of etiquette they had ever learned.
Nhi, meanwhile, beamed.
"Mama!"
She jumped off the skateboard and ran toward Mina with her arms outstretched.
Mina stared at her.
The little girl wrapped both arms around her waist.
"Mama! You're here!"
Mina's expression twitched.
"How many times have I told you not to call me that?"
Nhi looked up.
"Lots!"
"And yet you continue to do it."
"Because you're Mama."
"I'm not your mother."
"Then why do you always come when I call you?"
Mina opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Amuro suddenly found the grass fascinating.
Satoru looked as though he wanted to disappear into another dimension.
Nhi tightened her embrace.
"I missed you, Mama."
Mina looked down at the small arms wrapped around her waist.
Her expression remained stern.
"I'm not accepting you as my daughter just because you decided to call me that."
"Okay!"
Nhi smiled brightly.
Then she hugged Mina even tighter.
Mina stared at the sky.
She had faced political conspiracies, supernatural wars, and enough corporate disasters to fill several lifetimes.
Yet a little girl had somehow managed to defeat her without lifting a finger.
"You're impossible," she muttered.
Nhi nodded cheerfully.
"That's what Mama says!"
"I am literally the person telling you I'm not your mother!"
"Yes, Mama!"
Mina closed her eyes.
She was going to need a vacation.
A very long vacation.
Possibly on another planet...
Duyên stopped walking.
Beside her, Shana winced.
They had barely entered the grassy field when Mina's voice exploded across the village.
Duyên slowly turned her head.
There she was.
Mina, standing in the middle of the grass with Nhi clinging to her waist, looking as though she was two seconds away from declaring war on an entire country.
Duyên blinked.
"Oh."
Mina's eyes narrowed.
"Oh?"
Duyên offered a small smile.
"Hi, Mina."
"Don't 'hi, Mina' me!"
Shana immediately stepped behind Duyên.
Mina noticed.
Her expression darkened further.
"And you! You have some nerve!"
Shana raised both hands. Smirked.
"Before you say anything—"
"Oh, I have plenty to say."
"Mina, it was just a date."
"A date!"
"Yes."
"With Duyên!"
Shana glanced at Duyên.
"Well, obviously."
Mina looked ready to explode.
"YOU STOLE HER FROM ME!"
Several birds scattered from the nearby trees.
Duyên rubbed the back of her neck.
"Technically, nobody stole me. I went willingly."
Mina turned toward her so quickly that Duyên almost took a step backward.
"That is NOT helping!"
"Okay, okay."
Duyên raised both hands in surrender.
"I understand that you're upset."
"Upset? I'm not upset!"
Shana muttered, "You drove a Maserati across half the city like a woman possessed."
Mina pointed at her.
"YOU. BE QUIET."
Shana promptly hid behind Duyên again.
Duyên sighed.
"Look, we only went out for a little while. I wanted to check on the wedding preparations, and I also wanted to spend some time with Shana."
"And you couldn't tell me?"
"I didn't know you'd be this upset."
Mina stared at her.
For several seconds, the entire field seemed to hold its breath.
Then Mina crossed her arms.
"You're going to make it up to me."
Duyên tilted her head.
"How?"
"Figure it out."
"That's not very specific."
"Would you like me to make a list?"
Duyên considered this.
"Actually, a list might be helpful—"
"Duyên!"
"Okay! No list!"
Shana pressed her lips together, struggling not to laugh.
Mina noticed.
"Are you enjoying this?"
"No."
"You're smiling."
"I'm happy to see everyone getting along."
"GETTING ALONG?"
Duyên grabbed Mina's shoulders before the situation could deteriorate any further.
"All right, all right. Listen to me."
Mina glared at her.
Duyên smiled.
"I came here because I wanted to see how the wedding preparations were going. And because I wanted to check on Nhi."
She glanced toward the little girl.
Nhi was now attempting to climb onto Mina's back.
Mina had apparently decided to pretend she couldn't feel it.
Duyên's expression softened.
"Besides, I missed you too."
Mina's anger faltered.
Only slightly.
"Then you should have told me."
"I know. I'm sorry."
Mina looked away.
"Hmph."
Duyên leaned closer.
"Are we good?"
"No."
"Not even a little?"
"No."
"Would a kiss help?"
Mina's head snapped back toward her.
Shana immediately looked away.
Amuro and Satoru suddenly became extremely interested in the distant mountains.
Nhi, however, perked up.
"A kiss!"
Duyên chuckled.
"Yes. A kiss."
She looked directly at Mina.
"If you let Nhi call you Mama without making a fuss, I'll give you a kiss."
The entire field went silent.
Mina stared at her.
Then she stared at Nhi.
Then she stared at Duyên again.
"You are bribing me with affection?"
Duyên smiled sweetly.
"Is it working?"
Mina's cheeks turned faintly pink.
"You're despicable."
"Is that a yes?"
Mina looked away.
"...Fine."
Duyên's smile widened.
"Really?"
"But only because I don't want to make a scene in front of the guests!"
"Of course."
"And this doesn't mean I've accepted her as my daughter!"
"Naturally."
"And you still owe me for going on that date!"
"Absolutely."
Mina narrowed her eyes.
"You're agreeing far too easily."
Duyên leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
"Thank you for being understanding."
Mina froze.
For a moment, all the anger drained from her face.
Then she slowly turned away, attempting to conceal the unmistakable blush spreading across her cheeks.
"Whatever."
Nhi gasped.
"Mama, your face is red!"
"It's the sun!"
"But we're in the shade!"
"Nhi!"
The little girl giggled.
Duyên laughed so hard that she had to lean against Shana for support.
Shana patted her shoulder.
"Congratulations. You've successfully negotiated a ceasefire."
"At what cost?" Duyên asked.
"Your dignity."
"I never had any."
"True."
Mina turned toward them.
"I can still hear you!"
"Love you too!" Duyên called.
Mina huffed.
But when Nhi reached for her hand, she didn't pull away.
Instead, she reluctantly allowed the little girl to slip her fingers between hers.
And although she continued insisting that she hadn't accepted Nhi as her daughter, she quietly adjusted the child's collar when she noticed it had folded awkwardly beneath her jacket.
Satoru witnessed the gesture.
He leaned toward Amuro and whispered, "We're doomed."
Amuro nodded solemnly.
"Completely."