«Our infallible plan... totally failed! I still can't believe it!» Yuzu slumps over the table, clearly crushed
«Our plan...? This was your plan! You did everything on your own!» Hakuto replies.
«And yet, the hand that landed on her butt was yours!»
«You forced me with that stupid spell!»
Yuzu shakes her head. «No no, I only turned off your brakes. You did the rest, you little perv.»
It's dinner time. Yuzu and Hakuto are eating at the table… and Rika is sitting right there with them.
«I hope you're not seriously believing the nonsense of your pervert little sister!» Hakuto blurts out, turning to Rika. «She even used a spell to give you erotic dreams!»
Rika, who had been happily ignoring them all evening, suddenly turns red like a tomato and glares at Yuzu. «S-So...» she stammers, getting more and more flustered. «I-It was you who made me dream those dirty things with Hakuto…?!»
«Ooh... dirty things with Hakuto?» Yuzu echoes, biting her lip with a smirk.
«D-Don't play dumb! I know better than you what a succubus is capable of!»
«Oh yeah? Then let's hear it. What exactly did you dream?» Yuzu teases, smirking.
«That dream where that idiot Hakuto... saved us, looked at me with that serious face… came closer… touched me… started undressing me—» Rika stops mid-sentence, cheeks burning. «You know exactly what I dreamed! You made it happen!»
«You're right, big sis. I'm the one who gave you that dream—but there's something you should know...» Yuzu's smile is uncontrollable, her excitement almost making her bounce in her seat. «...My powers aren't strong enough to create a specific dream. They only awaken your deepest sexual desires…»
As Yuzu speaks, Rika's eyes widen and her face goes pale, gripped by terror—as if she'd just seen death itself.
«...I didn't choose to make you dream about Hakuto. I just triggered the thing that excites you most in the whole world.» Yuzu then turns to Hakuto with a grin. «Looks like that brave and noble side of yours actually made my frigid big sis wet—you should let us get attacked more often!»
«Y-You're totally talking nonsense!» Rika snaps, suddenly standing up from her chair, flustered and too embarrassed to even glance at Hakuto. «I-I'm going to take a bath, and you better not do anything weird!»
Rika is about to leave the dining room when her phone, lying on the table, lights up and chimes. A message.
«Mom and Shin just landed in Osaka. They'll be here in less than an hour,» she murmurs after reading the message.
A nearly wicked smile creeps across Hakuto's face. «Perfect.»
♡♡♡
«By the God of Light, did a bomb go off in here or what—?!» Shin exclaims, puzzled, as he opens the front door—the garden is still a total disaster from the night of Hakuto and Itzu's fight: deep craters and uprooted trees everywhere.
But the moment he steps into the house—with Kagura right behind him—Shin freezes, paralyzed with fear. Hakuto is standing in the center of the huge living room, gripping the diamond sword tightly in his hands, the same crystal coating his right arm. Rika and Yuzu are lying face down in a pool of blood, and even the blade of Hakuto's sword is dripping with that same red liquid.
«H-Hakuto...» Shin stammers, stunned by the terrifying scene, while Kagura drops to her knees, overcome by desperate sobs.
Hakuto turns his serious gaze toward his father. «They're demons. I just found out. As members of the Tendo family, it's our duty to kill them—even if we've been cut off from HESPARC.» His voice is cold and distant.
But Shin doesn't respond. Instead, he turns his eyes to Kagura, and a sadistic, almost wicked smile appears on his face. «I think you're right, Hakuto. They're demons—and as such, they must be wiped from this world.»
Shin stretches out his arm to the side, and white flames swirl around it. The flames then gather in his hand, forming the shape of a long sword—like it's made of solid fire. He lifts his arm high, the blade poised to strike Kagura, who's still on the floor, staring up at him with a terrified look.
~What the hell is he doing…?!~
Hakuto's eyes widen in fear.
And then—SWISH! The flaming sword comes slashing down toward Kagura.
«NO, STOP!» Rika's desperate voice echoes through the living room, and Shin freezes the strike an instant before the blade can reach Kagura's neck.
At that moment, Shin and Kagura burst into laughter under the stunned gazes of their three kids.
«W-What... what the hell does all this mean...?» Hakuto murmurs, his heart still pounding after his father's sudden move.
«We were born thirty years before you. Did you really think we'd fall for a trick like that?» Shin asks with a smug grin, casually shrugging.
«We figured out it was a setup from the beginning, so we improvised a counterattack—and in the end, you were the ones who got fooled,» Kagura continues, laughing until she's nearly crying. «We were hoping this moment would come much later, but I guess now it's time for some explanations,» she adds, motioning for the three to sit on the couch as she and Shin remain standing in front of them.
«Why did you keep it from us?» Hakuto cuts in immediately, not even letting his parents start talking. «Just a few nights ago, we were attacked by a vampire who tried to kidnap Rika and Yuzu! What if I hadn't been home that night and they were alone? They definitely wouldn't be here now!»
«Oh, so that's what the mess in the garden was about…» Shin replies casually, while Kagura's expression turns more serious.
«You're right, Hakuto. But if I had revealed my daughters' true nature from the beginning, you probably wouldn't have seen them in a good light—since they're demons. My wish—just like your father's—was for the three of you to live a normal adolescence together, without magic or battles. And even if you eventually found out the truth, the bond between you would be so strong that it wouldn't be affected at all.»
«You must think pretty low of me if you believe it'd take so little to make me hate them. I cared about them before I knew the truth—and I still care now!» Hakuto says firmly, his eyes serious and unwavering—the kind of look Rika can never stay indifferent to.
«Hakuto is right!» Rika jumps in, suddenly standing up. «But now we want to know the truth! The WHOLE truth!»
Kagura is about to speak, but Shin cuts her off before she can even open her mouth. «I'll handle it.»
Shin's expression turns serious too. A rare kind of seriousness for him, one that leaves all three kids speechless—especially Hakuto. His father is the least serious person in the world, and it's almost unheard of for him to act this solemn. But when he does, Hakuto knows it means something truly important.
«It all goes back to fourteen years ago…» Shin begins. «...I'm guessing that number means something to you two,» he adds, glancing at Yuzu and Rika.
«The death of our father…» Yuzu whispers.
Shin nods and goes on. «After your father died, your mother was left alone with you two—just newborns. And my job, as the former director of HESPARC's Japan division, was to kill you. Finding you was easy, but when I pointed my sword at you...» He lets out a deep sigh. «...you were the same age as my Hakuto. I saw his little chubby face in yours. You smiled at me—Rika, you were two, Yuzu was just one. You had no idea what was happening. In the end, I couldn't go through with it... I helped you escape. Turned against my own men. The only reason I wasn't executed was my reputation—sort of a thank you for everything I'd done for HESPARC. It cost me everything... but I'd do it again a thousand times over. Especially now, seeing what total bombshells you've grown into.» He ends with a grin, instantly killing the mood.
Hakuto lets out a sigh—the miracle of seeing his father act serious lasted barely ten seconds. He knows this story by heart, but it still hits deep every time. Still, one thing keeps nagging at him.
«The marriage, us living together... Why now?» Hakuto asks.
Kagura is the one who answers that question. «I'm the one who asked him. My beloved daughters have reached the age where their powers are starting to manifest—powers that are hard to control, and even harder to hide. One wrong step, one tiny mistake, and we'd end up back in HESPARC's sights. They still believe we escaped to N'raeth. Or worse, someone else might find us—someone looking to steal the unique powers Yuzu and Rika inherited from their hybrid nature as a succubus and a vampire. That's why I asked your father to move in here—your protection, in exchange for everything I can offer you financially.»
«So... in the end, we're just mercenaries…?» Hakuto asks, a shadow of melancholy clouding his face.
«No. We're a family.» Kagura gently brushes Hakuto's hair back with her hand.
«Oh, almost forgot...» Shin cuts in, turning to his son. «I've got a wonderful surprise for you!»
«A surprise...?» Hakuto repeats. «What is it...?»
Shin flashes a big, toothy grin. «You'll find out tomorrow morning.»