"Oh, I almost forgot. I got married. Again."
It's dinnertime when Hakuto Seiko hears those words from his father — Shin Seiko.
He says it so casually, without any warning, that Hakuto almost falls off his chair.
"W-W-WHAT?!"
"Why are you so surprised? Aren't you happy your old man found love again? Or are you just shocked that, at my age, I can still pick up women?"
"T-That's not it, it's just… why the hell didn't you tell me anything?!"
"What are you talking about? I just did!"
Shin's voice stays calm. A cigarette hangs from his smug grin.
In sixteen years, Hakuto can't remember ever seeing his father without a lit cigarette between his lips.
Even the walls of the small apartment they live in, once white, are now completely yellowed by smoke.
Hakuto lets out a resigned sigh.
"But you always said that after what Mom did to us, you'd never remarry… so what's so special about this woman?"
"I'm glad you asked, Hakuto!"
Shin lifts his chin proudly, his eyes sparkling.
"That woman is the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company — Seiryu Biotech. This time, your old man really hit the jackpot! Tomorrow we're moving into her huge, luxurious villa!"
This time, Hakuto really does fall off his chair.
A marriage and a move, both dropped on him at once, are too much to process.
Sure, leaving that smoke-filled shoebox for a villa doesn't sound so bad… but he needs a moment to process it.
"And I haven't even told you the best part yet! My lovely, wealthy wife — Vivian Kurotsuki — also has two very cute daughters! And if I remember right, they're about your age!"
"And…?"
"And you know what every teenager dreams of, right?"
"No, and I really don't want to know."
But Shin keeps going, undeterred.
"Every teenager's dream is doing naughty things with his stepsisters! Don't tell me the idea of being woken up by your two sexy stepsisters doesn't excite you at all? Aaaah… it must be paradise!"
"Dad… you really sound like a pervert..."