As black smoke disappeared, Shun was standing in his house, the last wisps of his teleportation fading around him. He exhaled, stretching his shoulders before stepping forward.
"That was cool, Dad."
A small voice came from behind him. Shun turned and spotted a young boy sprawled across the couch, casually playing a game on his tablet. His black hair was slightly messy, his white eyes gleaming with amusement.
Shun walked over and glanced around. "Is your mom back?" he asked, then sank onto the couch beside him.
"Mama? Nah, she's still at work," the boy replied nonchalantly, eyes still locked on the screen. Then, with a smirk, he added, "But I'll tell her that Dad left me alone at home."
Shun leaned back, rubbing his temple. "Hey, I was at the shopping mall."
"Oh? And since when does shopping take half the day?" The boy turned his head slightly, his smirk growing.
Shun sighed. "So you're blackmailing your own father now, huh?" He shot his son a sideways glance. "Alright, what do you want in exchange for keeping your mouth shut?"
The boy's smirk instantly turned into an eager grin. "That cool thing you just did—I wanna learn it too!"
"No, you can't." Shun's response was calm but firm.
The boy tilted his head, his grin returning. "Then I'll tell Mama that you left me all alone."
Shun let out another sigh, closing his eyes for a second. "What I meant was, you can't learn that technique. Anything else?"
The boy huffed dramatically but then perked up. "Fine! Then take me somewhere using it." He shut his tablet off and climbed onto Shun's lap, making himself comfortable.
Shun shook his head with a soft chuckle before wrapping his arms around the boy, holding him securely. "Alright, hold on tight."
With a snap of his index finger against his thumb, black smoke swirled around them, thick and silent. In an instant, they vanished.
As the boy slowly opened his eyes, his small hands instinctively gripped Shun's shirt tighter. A cool breeze brushed against his skin, carrying the scent of metal and the distant aroma of baked goods from the city below. His white eyes flickered with curiosity as he took in his surroundings.
"Dad… where are we?" he asked softly, his voice steady, showing no signs of fear.
Shun ruffled his son's hair with a small smile. "Oh, we're in Paris. That's the Eiffel Tower beneath our feet." His tone was casual, as if they were merely sitting on their couch at home rather than standing atop one of the most iconic landmarks in the world.
"Eiffel Tower…?" the boy whispered, his gaze slowly shifting downward.
And that's when he realized it.
Beneath them, the intricate iron framework of the tower stretched down in a dizzying maze of crisscrossing beams. Far below, the streets of Paris bustled with tiny, moving figures—tourists and locals alike, oblivious to the two figures standing high above them. The golden city lights twinkled like scattered stars, blending with the deep blue of the evening sky.
The wind picked up, whistling softly as it rushed past them, making his black hair flutter. From this height, the world felt… different. The cars moving along the roads looked like miniature toys, and the distant chatter of people barely reached their ears, carried away by the wind before it could form proper words.
The boy swallowed, gripping his father's sleeve a little tighter but still not showing fear—only wonder.
"Is that enough or you wanna go somewhere else." Shun asks softly when he didn't heard response. "Kaizen." Shun called again then kaizen looked him he was lost in the view of Height.
"Let's go home. I'll save that for later," Kaizen said softly.
Shun snapped his index finger against his thumb. A swirl of black smoke enveloped them, and in an instant, they vanished—reappearing in the familiar warmth of their living room.
Now sitting on the couch, Shun glanced at Kaizen, who was comfortably sprawled across from him, eyes glued to his game. A smirk tugged at Shun's lips as he tilted his head.
"You sure you're not some reincarnated old man, Kaizen?" he asked, his tone light but curious.
Kaizen barely reacted, his fingers tapping the screen lazily. "You know, Dad, if anything, it looks like you're the one possessed by some kid. I mean, what kind of parent even asks their child that?" he said, his voice calm yet teasing.
Shun let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "I'm just saying—you act way too mature for your age. Take Hana, for example. She acts like a normal kid. Meanwhile, you? You blackmail your own father." He sighed dramatically, resting his head against the couch.
Kaizen finally looked up for a brief second, raising an eyebrow. "Hana is younger than me. Of course, she acts like a normal kid. And as for blackmailing, it's you who gave me that opportunity by leaving me alone at home," he said smoothly before turning his attention back to his game.
Shun exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Yeah, but that's exactly my point," he muttered. "You're only six months older than her, and yet you talk like some know-it-all adult."
Kaizen smirked, eyes still glued to his game. "You know, Dad, you've been watching too many Anime lately. I should tell Mama to keep an eye on you." His tone was light, but the amusement in his voice was clear.
Shun scoffed, stretching his arms behind his head as he leaned back into the couch. "See? You're blackmailing me again. You really think I'm scared of your mom or something? Go ahead, tell her. Like I give a damn." His voice was relaxed, almost dismissive.
But before Kaizen could respond, a calm yet sharp voice sliced through the air from behind him.
"Oh? So you don't give a damn about it?"
Shun froze. His muscles tensed, and his casual posture vanished in an instant. He turned his head slowly, as if confirming the inevitable.
Standing there was his wife, her expression unreadable, arms crossed as she looked at him expectantly. She wasn't taller than him, but the way her white eyes locked onto him made her presence imposing.
Kaizen, without missing a beat, locked his tablet, set it beside him, and casually lay down, pretending to be fast asleep as if he had no part in the conversation.
Shun, on the other hand, wasted no time. He shot up from the couch with an awkward chuckle, stepping toward her. "Hey, sweetheart! You're back! How was your day at work?" His voice was suddenly warm and affectionate as he pulled her into a hug, attempting to change the subject.
"What are you two talking about?" she asked in a sharp tone, letting Shun hug her before shifting her gaze to Kaizen.
"Stop acting and get up. Show me your screen time," she said calmly, then turned back to Shun. "And where were you all day?"
Kaizen sat up with a sigh, grabbing his tablet and walking toward her without argument.
Shun, on the other hand, kept his expression relaxed. "Me? I was at home. Where else would I go?" he said casually.
She raised an eyebrow. "Did you forget we have cameras at the entrance? And your car isn't here either. So, tell me again—where were you?"
Shun blinked, momentarily speechless. Meanwhile, she turned her attention back to Kaizen, taking the tablet from him. With a quick glance at the screen time, her expression remained unreadable. "Six hours," she muttered. Then, closing the device, she handed it back to him. "No tablet for the next three days."
Kaizen nodded wordlessly and walked back to the couch, accepting his fate without resistance.
Shun smirked,
watching the exchange. "You two really don't get along, do you? Kaizen's a kid, but you… you're a bit much, dear," She crossed her arms and looked at him.
"I was just teasing him," he added quickly.
"Answer the first question. Where is your car, and where did you go?"
Then it hit Shun—he had completely forgotten his car at the shopping mall parking lot. "Oh… that," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I left it at the mall. I was with Jin—you can ask him."
"Is that so?" she replied.
"I'll make dinner tonight, so you can go freshen up," Shun said softly, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.
From the couch, Kaizen let out a dramatic sigh. "Dad, you know I'm still young—I don't wanna die yet, so please, don't cook."
Shun's eye twitched as he turned to glare at his son. "That little—" he muttered under his breath.
Before he could say more, his wife calmly stepped in. "How about you help me with cutting the vegetables instead?" she suggested, her tone leaving little room for argument.
Shun sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Fine," he mumbled, following her toward the kitchen, shooting Kaizen one last look as the boy smirked in triumph.
[Chapter 12 end]