Sunday afternoon was lazy.
Properly lazy.
The kind of lazy afternoon that made the sunlight look softer, the couch feel more expensive than it actually was, and the entire world outside the window seem like somebody else's problem. After the last few days, I felt like I had earned at least one afternoon where nothing caught fire, no school offices lost doors, no paperwork tried to legally strangle me, and no dungeon gate decided to appear near my daughters' school.
That was not an unreasonable wish.
Probably.
The living room looked like a place where a family lived now. That still felt strange whenever I thought about it too directly. The low table had crayons, a half-finished drawing, a small stack of children's books, and one tiny spoon placed on a folded napkin because Hikari insisted it needed a "resting spot." The couch had blankets folded over one side. The cookie jar had been refilled after yesterday morning's baking incident, though several of the cookies inside still had suspicious shapes.
Ruri, Karin, and Hikari were playing together on the carpet.
Ruri had arranged a small town out of building blocks, carefully aligning houses, roads, and what I assumed was a park. Hikari had placed her tiny spoon in the center of the town and declared it "the mayor." Karin had immediately built a wall around the town because, in her words, "mayors need defense."
Ruri tried to explain that not every town required a fortress.
Karin replied that towns without walls were just asking for invasion.
Hikari asked if the spoon mayor wanted a castle.
Ruri paused, looked at the tiny spoon standing upright between two blocks, and quietly began building one.
I chose not to interfere.
Some civilizations developed naturally.
Others developed because Karin had opinions.
On the couch, I sat with my tablet resting beside me, though I was not really reading anything. Ria sat on the other end of the couch with a stack of printed photos spread across her lap and the cushion between us.
Actually, no.
That was inaccurate.
Ria sat like a queen who had annexed the couch.
One of her feet rested casually on my lap.
Again.
Not accidentally. Not because the couch lacked space. Not because she had forgotten where her limbs belonged. She had simply decided I was the most convenient footrest and placed her foot there with the confidence of someone born to be obeyed.
I looked down at it.
Then at her.
She was inspecting one of the printed photos from yesterday's wedding-photo disaster.
"Comfortable?" I asked.
"Moderately."
"I'm glad my lap meets your royal furniture standards."
"It is passable."
"Passable?"
"Do not grow arrogant."
"I'm being used as furniture."
"And you are still complaining. That lowers your rating."
I stared at her.
She did not look up.
I could have moved her foot.
I did not.
I had reasons.
First, the afternoon was peaceful. Second, the girls were playing happily. Third, Ria had fifteen percent of her power back and a personality capable of weaponizing annoyance into physical action. Fourth, and most importantly, I was tired.
Survival and laziness often looked the same from the outside.
Ria lifted another photo and narrowed her eyes.
"This one is acceptable."
I leaned slightly to see.
It was one from Onjuku Beach. Hikari was holding a shell up to Ria while Karin ran away from a wave in the background and Ruri stood between them, laughing. I had not even noticed Ruruka taking that one.
"Yeah," I said. "That's a good one."
"Hikari's expression is excellent."
"She found a shell shaped like a rice ball."
"That explains the intensity."
Ria placed it into a separate pile, which I had learned was her "worthy of being preserved" pile.
Then she picked up another photo.
Her eyes sharpened.
"No."
"What?"
"This one is terrible."
I looked.
It was a photo of me holding one of the bags at Yoro Ravine. I had apparently been mid-blink, mouth slightly open, posture slumped, looking like a hunter who had survived a boss fight but not a family outing.
"That's just me carrying supplies."
"You look like a defeated pack animal."
"I felt like one."
"A father should not look so spiritually collapsed while holding snacks."
"Snacks are heavy."
"They were for your daughters."
"I carried them, didn't I?"
"With the expression of a man being punished by fate."
"That was accurate."
She placed it in a third pile.
I frowned.
"What pile is that?"
"Evidence."
"Evidence of what?"
"Your natural state."
"My natural state is not defeated pack animal."
She looked at me over the photo.
"Mage."
"Fine. Maybe sometimes."
She smirked and picked up another.
This one made her pause.
I saw it before she commented.
The final photo under the tree at Showa no Mori Park.
Ruruka had managed to get all of us in frame. The girls were in front, Hikari on Ria's lap, Karin leaning against me while still gripping Ria's sleeve, Ruri in the middle with a small, peaceful smile. Ruruka sat slightly to one side with her hand resting gently on Ruri's shoulder. I was behind Karin, looking tired but not dead. Ria sat beside me, posture straight, face calmer than usual.
It was a good photo.
Not perfect in the polished way. Hikari's hair was slightly messy. Karin looked like she was trying not to move. I looked like I needed coffee. Ria looked like she was pretending not to be emotionally cornered by small children. But somehow, that made it better.
It looked real.
Ria stared at it longer than she had stared at the others.
I noticed.
Naturally, I said nothing.
I am not always stupid.
Only often.
"That one is good," she said finally.
"Yeah."
"Your expression is less dead."
"High praise."
"The children look pleased."
"That matters more."
Ria glanced at me.
Her expression softened for half a second before she hid it behind judgment.
"Obviously."
From the carpet, Ruri looked up.
"Can we see?"
Ria and I both looked toward her.
Ruri was kneeling beside the block town, hands resting neatly on her lap. Hikari had paused mid-construction of the spoon mayor's castle. Karin was holding a block tower like a siege weapon.
"Sure," I said.
Ria lifted the photos slightly.
"Careful hands. No bending."
"Yes, Mama," Ruri said.
That word still caused a faint reaction in Ria, though she controlled it better now. Not perfectly, but better. Her shoulders went just slightly still. Her chin lifted a little. Her mouth became stricter.
Which meant she liked it.
Ruri climbed onto the couch beside Ria carefully. Hikari saw that and immediately abandoned municipal architecture, rushing over with tiny footsteps.
"Hikari wants to see too!"
Karin followed, carrying the block tower.
"No weapons on the couch," I said.
"It's not a weapon. It's a monument."
"It was pointed at the spoon mayor."
"The mayor needed protection."
"Put it down."
Karin sighed and placed the block tower on the carpet with the solemnity of a soldier laying down arms.
A moment later, all three girls had joined us.
Ruri sat between Ria and me, Hikari climbed directly into Ria's lap without asking because she had apparently decided that was her natural position, and Karin squeezed beside me but leaned across Ruri to see the photos better.
What began as casual photo viewing became a full commentary session in under one minute.
Children had that power.
Hikari pointed at the beach photo.
"Mama is super pretty here."
Ria lifted her chin.
"Accurate."
Karin pointed at the background.
"I'm fighting the wave."
"You were running away from it," I said.
"Tactical retreat."
Ria nodded seriously.
"A retreat can be tactical."
"Do not encourage her."
"I encourage correct terminology."
Ruri picked up one from Yoro Ravine.
"This one is nice. Papa is smiling."
Karin leaned closer.
"Papa looks tired."
"I'm always tired."
Hikari patted my arm. "Papa needs nap."
"Yes."
Ria turned the next photo toward us.
"This one is worse. The mage looks like he is attempting to understand basic sunlight."
"I was looking up."
"You failed."
"How do you fail looking up?"
"You found a way."
Karin laughed.
Ruri tried not to.
Hikari did not try at all.
The commentary continued.
Ria praised the photos where the girls looked graceful or happy. She criticized any photo where my posture looked "structurally weak," which was apparently most of them. Karin demanded to keep the one where she almost slipped off the rock and we caught her because she said it looked like "team rescue action." Ruri liked the quieter photos. Hikari liked anything where Ria looked pretty or where Fluffy appeared in the background.
Then Ruri found the tree photo again.
She held it with both hands, careful and still.
"This one," she said softly.
The room settled slightly.
Even Karin stopped leaning over everyone.
Ruri looked at the photo for a long moment, then turned it toward us.
"I think this would be good bigger."
"Bigger?" I asked.
She nodded.
"And framed in the living room."
The suggestion sat between us.
I looked at the photo.
Ria looked at it too.
The girls watched us, waiting.
A framed family photo in the living room.
A month ago, my living room had contained a couch, a television, and enough empty space to pretend my life was simple. Then three dragon daughters filled it with toys, books, blankets, snack plates, and laughter. Then a Demon Queen moved in and started judging my groceries. Then paperwork turned her into Ria Arclight. Now Ruri wanted a family photo on the wall.
It should have felt like one more step into absurdity.
Instead, it felt obvious.
"Yeah," I said after a moment. "That would look good."
Ria did not argue.
I turned toward her, mildly shocked.
She noticed.
"What?"
"You agreed."
"It is a nice photo."
"You said that casually."
"Would you prefer I insult it?"
"No."
"Then stop looking surprised."
I looked back at the photo.
"Living room wall?"
Ruri nodded. "Maybe near the shelf."
Hikari clapped. "Family tree photo!"
Karin nodded. "It has everyone. Auntie too."
Ria's eyes remained on the photo.
"Yes," she said. "That location is acceptable."
Ruri smiled.
That alone made the decision final.
Then Hikari accidentally pulled another photo from the stack.
At first, I did not recognize it.
Then I did.
My soul reacted badly.
It was from the beach.
A spouse photo, technically.
A photo I had not known Ruruka had printed.
In it, I was carrying Ria in a bridal carry.
That required context.
Very important context.
The context was that after Ria stepped on my foot during one of the forced couple shots, she had laughed. Actually laughed. Not smirked. Not scoffed. Laughed. The sight had startled me enough that I moved wrong, lost balance on the wet sand, and caught her because somehow that made more sense than letting both of us fall.
Ruruka, being a menace with a camera, captured the exact moment.
The result looked dangerously romantic.
Ria's dress swayed with the wind. Her hair moved slightly across her shoulder. She was laughing, eyes bright and unguarded, one hand gripping my shoulder. I was holding her securely, expression somewhere between resignation and faint amusement, like a man who had accepted defeat but found it less painful than expected.
It looked…
Bad.
Not bad as in ugly.
Bad as in too good.
Bad as in dangerous evidence.
Bad as in if Aaron saw it, he would probably call me Master in a different tone and I would have to leave the country.
Hikari stared at the photo.
Then she gasped.
"Hikari thinks Mama and Papa are lovey-dovey here."
"No," Ria and I said immediately.
Hikari nodded to herself.
"Hikari agrees with Hikari."
"That is not how agreement works," I said.
Karin snatched a look and grinned.
"Ohhh. Mama and Papa look married."
"We are married on paper," Ria said stiffly. "This was for paperwork."
Ruri leaned closer.
Her cheeks turned faintly pink.
"It is a nice picture."
"Ruri," I said carefully. "Please do not join the enemy."
"I am not the enemy, Papa."
"That makes it worse."
Hikari held the photo close to her chest.
"We should frame this too."
"No," I said.
"Yes," Karin said.
Ria's eyes sharpened.
"Absolutely not."
Karin tilted her head.
"What if we frame it in your room?"
"Our what?" I asked.
"Your room."
"My room?"
"Papa and Mama's room."
Silence.
There it was.
The trap.
Ria's brain visibly stopped.
I looked at her.
She looked at me.
For once, the Demon Queen had no immediate insult prepared.
Karin noticed the silence and frowned.
"Wait."
Oh no.
"Karin," I said.
"Papa and Mama don't share a room."
"Karin."
Hikari blinked.
"Why?"
"Hikari," I said, "it's complicated."
Hikari looked genuinely confused.
"But Mama and Papa are Mama and Papa."
Ruri looked thoughtful.
"Usually parents share a room."
Betrayal.
From Ruri.
The most dangerous kind because she sounded reasonable.
I looked at her with quiet horror.
"Ruri."
She lowered her gaze politely.
"Sorry, Papa. I was just thinking."
"No, it's fine. Thinking is good. Just… not this much."
Karin crossed her arms.
"But why don't you share?"
Ria's expression remained frozen in an elegant defensive state. Her mouth opened slightly, then closed. She looked like a commander whose entire battle plan had been destroyed by three children with one question.
I had to answer.
Somehow.
Quickly.
With dignity.
Without saying, Because your mother is a former Demon Queen who still intends to kill me once she regains her full power and our marriage is currently a legal camouflage operation built for your emotional stability and school records.
That felt inappropriate for Sunday.
"Well," I said slowly, "because Papa's room is messy."
Ria's eyes shifted toward me.
I continued.
"Mama doesn't like sleeping there because it's messy."
Ria recovered instantly.
"Yes," she said. "That is true."
I nodded.
"Very true."
"The mage's room is a disgrace."
"Not a disgrace."
"It looks like abandoned sleep territory."
"That's not wrong, but still hurtful."
Hikari frowned thoughtfully.
"Then Papa can clean."
Karin nodded. "We can help."
Ruri smiled gently.
"If the room is clean, then Mama can sleep there?"
Ria and I stared at the three of them.
They stared back.
Three dragon daughters.
Six years old.
Completely unbeatable.
I sighed.
Ria sighed too.
Synchronized defeat.
"Yeah," I said. "We'll clean later."
"For evaluation," Ria added quickly.
"Yes. Evaluation."
"Not agreement."
"Right."
Karin grinned like a hunter who had found a weakness.
"Mama and Papa room mission."
"No mission," I said.
Hikari hugged the romantic photo.
"Hikari will keep lovey-dovey picture safe."
"Please don't call it that."
"Hikari will keep paperwork love picture safe."
"That is worse."
Ria covered her face with one hand.
For once, I did not blame her.
The afternoon might have continued like that.
It should have.
The girls were happy, Ruri had chosen a photo for the living room, Hikari had discovered dangerous evidence, Karin had almost started a room-cleaning campaign, and Ria and I were both losing a war we did not know we had entered.
Then my phone rang.
The sound cut through the living room sharply.
I glanced at the screen.
Aaron.
The name alone shifted something inside me.
Aaron did not call on Sunday afternoon for casual matters.
Especially not recently.
I answered immediately.
"What happened?"
There was no greeting.
No polite hesitation.
Aaron's voice came through tight and controlled, which was worse than panic.
"Master. The dungeon Ruruka was clearing suddenly jumped from A-rank to S-rank."
The room disappeared around me.
Not literally.
But everything narrowed.
My hand tightened around the phone.
Aaron continued, each word precise.
"Same scenario as before. Rapid rank elevation. Terrain distortion. Boss mismatch. Her team encountered heavy resistance. The last contact we received from Ruruka was a request for backup while engaging the boss. Most of her team has been eliminated or severely injured."
I did not speak.
Could not.
Ruruka.
My little sister.
The annoying, strict, terrifying little sister who removed her shoes because Ruri looked at them. The one who weaponized paperwork for the girls. The one who called me Nii-sama while scolding me like I was still a reckless idiot who forgot meals during training.
A-rank to S-rank.
Boss.
Team eliminated.
Backup request.
My heart did something ugly.
Something cold.
Something old.
Ria noticed before anyone else.
"Mage?"
Her voice was sharp now.
Not teasing.
Not irritated.
Alert.
"Are you alright?"
I looked at her.
For half a second, I saw the living room again. The girls. The photos. The couch. The sunlight. Ria's foot no longer on my lap. Hikari holding the lovey-dovey photo. Karin watching me with growing concern. Ruri's eyes already wide because she had sensed the change.
I forced my mind back into place.
"What are the coordinates?" I asked Aaron.
"I sent them. We have the site surrounded. I'm at the gate entrance now, but the internal pressure is unstable. I waited for you because if we enter separately—"
"I'm going."
"Understood."
I ended the call.
No time for more.
Ria stood.
"What happened?"
"Ruruka's dungeon jumped from A-rank to S-rank. Same anomaly pattern. Her team got hit badly. Last contact was her calling for backup during a boss fight."
The girls went still.
Hikari's hands loosened around the photo.
Karin's face drained.
Ruri whispered, "…Auntie?"
I put my phone away and stood.
"I'm going first."
Ria's eyes sharpened.
"I will come."
"No."
Her gaze hardened.
"Mage."
"I need you here."
The words came out rougher than I intended.
Ria stopped.
I looked toward the girls.
They were already scared. Hikari's eyes were wet. Karin had clenched both fists but looked like she did not know where to put the fear. Ruri stood frozen, trying not to cry because she always tried to hold things together first.
"I need you to look after them," I said.
Ria's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But she understood.
I could see it.
She wanted to argue. She wanted to come. Fifteen percent of her power was not nothing, and she had already proven she would enter a dungeon without hesitation if the children were threatened.
But the children were here.
And they needed someone.
Not a warrior.
A mother.
Ria looked at them.
Then back at me.
"Go," she said.
No pride.
No sarcasm.
No delay.
"I will guard the house."
"Thanks."
She lifted her chin, as if recovering just enough dignity.
"Do not thank me. Bring the swordswoman back."
"I will."
The girls moved toward me.
All three.
Hikari reached first, tears already forming.
"Papa, Auntie will be okay?"
I crouched.
My body wanted to move immediately.
My heart wanted to already be inside that dungeon.
But I could not leave them like this.
I placed one hand on Hikari's head and one on Karin's shoulder. Ruri stood close enough for me to pull her in too.
"Auntie will be fine," I said.
My voice had to be steady.
Even if my insides were not.
"She is strong."
Karin's mouth trembled.
"She has a sword."
"She does."
"She's really strong."
"Very strong."
Ruri's eyes shone with tears she was fighting.
"But S-rank…"
"I know."
Her face tightened.
I gently ruffled her hair.
"I'm going to get her."
Hikari sniffled.
"Papa will bring Auntie home?"
"Yes."
"Promise?"
That word again.
Promise.
I hated promises made before entering uncertain places.
But some promises were not about certainty.
They were about giving children a place to stand until the world stopped shaking.
I nodded.
"Promise."
Ria stepped closer, her presence settling beside us like a wall.
"Your swordswoman auntie will be fine," she said.
The girls looked at her.
Ria crossed her arms, voice firm and proud.
"After all, she is your father's sister. Annoying durability clearly runs in the bloodline."
Karin let out a tiny, shaky laugh.
Ruri wiped her eyes.
Hikari sniffed and nodded.
"Mama thinks Auntie is strong?"
"Yes," Ria said without hesitation. "I do not praise weak people."
That helped.
I saw it land.
The girls trusted Ria's judgment differently than mine. I was Papa. I would reassure them because I loved them. But Ria was strict. Ria judged everything. Ria did not hand out praise cheaply. If she said Ruruka was strong, then maybe the world was still standing.
Ruri looked at me.
"Take care, Papa."
"I will."
Karin grabbed my sleeve.
"Kick the boss."
"I'll do more than kick it."
"Good."
Hikari hugged me tightly.
"Papa come back too."
My throat tightened.
"I will."
Ria's eyes held mine over the girls' heads.
For once, there was no threat in them.
Only command.
Bring her back.
I stood.
Mana gathered around me.
Warp was not a casual spell over long distance, especially with uncertain coordinates near an unstable S-rank dungeon. But Aaron had sent precise location data, and I knew his mana signature well enough to anchor near him. It would hurt later.
Later could complain later.
"Warp."
Space folded.
The living room vanished.
The warmth disappeared.
The smell of cookies, printed photos, children, and home was torn away in an instant.
I arrived in chaos.
The Saitama field site was already locked down.
Guild barriers surrounded the area. Emergency vehicles lined the perimeter. Injured hunters were being carried out by medics. The air smelled of blood, mana discharge, scorched soil, and panic. Far ahead, the gate twisted violently above the ground, far larger than it should have been, its edges pulsing between deep violet and black.
S-rank pressure rolled off it in waves.
The sky above it looked wrong.
Aaron stood near the entrance with several high-ranking officials and hunters around him. He turned the moment I appeared.
His expression changed.
Relief.
Urgency.
Respect.
"Master. You're here."
I took in the scene.
The wounded.
The barriers.
The gate.
No Ruruka.
My voice came out quiet.
"Status."
Aaron's face tightened.
"Initial dungeon was A-rank. Team entered under standard high-rank clearing protocol. Thirty minutes in, internal readings spiked. Gate expanded. Rank jumped to S. First extraction attempt failed due to spatial interference. Ruruka made contact twelve minutes ago requesting backup. Her words were: 'Boss is wrong. Not matching terrain. Team down. I can hold it, but not long.' Then signal died."
My hands curled.
"What boss?"
"Unknown. Audio picked up metallic movement and spirit-type distortion. The analyst believes it may be a hybrid variant."
Of course.
Because normal disasters were apparently out of stock.
Aaron stepped closer.
"I was preparing to enter."
"I'm going."
"I know."
"Then why are you still standing?"
A faint smile crossed Aaron's face.
Despite everything.
"Waiting for you, Master."
"Stupid."
"Efficient."
"Also stupid."
"Perhaps."
I looked at the gate.
Ruruka was inside.
The same little sister who used to follow me during training no matter how many times I told her to rest. The one who got angry when I skipped meals. The one who became an A-rank swordswoman through pure stubbornness and skill. The one who loved my daughters enough to manipulate legal systems and plan a fake wedding photoshoot.
If that thing touched her—
No.
I stopped the thought.
Not useful.
I stepped toward the gate.
Aaron moved beside me.
"Master."
"Yeah?"
"If she is alive, we retrieve her."
"She is alive."
He nodded immediately.
No hesitation.
"Yes."
"If the boss is alive, we kill it."
"Yes."
"If the core is wrong, we take it apart."
Aaron's eyes sharpened.
"Understood."
I let arcane mana gather around my hands. Not too much yet. The gate was unstable, and entering with excessive pressure could trigger defensive rejection. My body was not fully recovered either. Between constant concealment on the girls, Astrea's seal modifications, the Chiba gate, and normal life pretending not to be exhausting, I was not at peak condition.
Didn't matter.
My sister was inside.
Aaron adjusted his gloves, mana gathering around him in a controlled psychic resonance. The guild officials behind us looked like they wanted to say something. Maybe protocol. Maybe permission. Maybe warnings.
I ignored them.
Aaron did too.
"Let's jump in," he said.
For once, he did not call me Master.
Good.
This was not the time for titles.
I stepped into the gate with him.
As the world twisted, I prayed for one thing.
Not victory.
Not ease.
Not answers.
Just let my sister be alive.
Astrea's POV
The mage vanished.
For several moments after the Warp spell closed, the living room did not move.
The sunlight remained on the floor.
The photos remained scattered across the couch.
The framed-picture discussion remained unfinished.
The children remained standing where he left them, three small bodies trying to be brave and failing in different ways.
Hikari clutched the romantic photograph to her chest without noticing. Karin's fists were tight at her sides. Ruri's hands were folded together, but her fingers trembled.
I stood before them and felt, with great irritation, completely unprepared.
Battles were simple.
Not easy, but simple.
An enemy appeared. You measured its strength, found its weakness, and destroyed it. Armies could be moved. Spells could be shaped. Terrain could be used. Fear could be converted into focus.
Children waiting for someone they loved to return from danger were not simple.
There was no enemy in the room.
Nothing to strike.
Nothing to command into silence.
Only three frightened daughters looking at me because the mage had left me here to do what I had agreed to do.
Be their mother.
I despised him for trusting me with this.
I also understood why he did.
Annoying man.
Hikari looked up first.
"Mama…"
Her voice was small.
"Will Auntie really be okay?"
I could have said yes immediately.
The mage had.
That was what fathers did, perhaps. They built a bridge over fear with promises, even when the ground beneath them shook. But I had never been good at easy comfort. I did not want to lie to them poorly. Children were sharper than adults believed, and these three were sharper than most.
So I crouched to their level.
The motion surprised them.
Perhaps it surprised me too.
"Listen to me," I said.
Their eyes fixed on mine.
"Your Auntie Ruruka is strong. Not decorative strong. Not loud strong. Real strong. The kind that stands even when frightened. The kind that protects others before herself. The kind that your father trusts enough to leave his daughters with."
Ruri's eyes filled again.
Karin swallowed.
Hikari sniffled.
"And your father," I continued, "is already on his way."
Karin whispered, "Papa is stronger."
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No pride.
No old resentment.
The truth was the truth.
"The mage is infuriating. Lazy. Shamelessly careless with his appearance. Far too fond of saying 'sure' in that intolerable tone. But when someone he loves is in danger, he becomes something even I do not mock lightly."
The girls stared.
I held their gaze.
"He will reach her."
Hikari wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Mama believes Papa?"
I paused.
The answer came easier than expected.
"Yes."
Ruri's tears slipped down her cheeks, but her expression steadied.
"Mama believes Auntie too?"
"Yes."
Karin unclenched one fist.
"Then we wait?"
I nodded.
"We wait properly."
"How?" Karin asked.
"By eating lunch."
All three stared at me.
Hikari looked down at the photo in her hands, then at me.
"Hikari is not hungry."
"I know."
Ruri whispered, "I don't think I can eat."
"I know."
Karin shook her head. "Me too."
"I know," I said again. "But fear does not mean the body no longer needs food. Waiting on an empty stomach makes fear stronger. Eat a little. Then we will prepare tea. Then we will keep the house ready for when they return."
Hikari's lower lip trembled.
"When Papa and Auntie return?"
"Yes."
Karin looked toward the door.
"And Uncle Aaron?"
The guild master uncle.
I almost smiled.
"And the guild master uncle, if he survives being useful."
That startled a tiny laugh from Karin.
Good.
Small victory.
I stood and moved toward the kitchen.
The lunch I had planned earlier suddenly felt too ordinary. Rice, soup, grilled fish, vegetables, fruit. Food for a lazy Sunday. Food for children after playing. Not food for fear.
But perhaps that was precisely why it mattered.
Ordinary things held the house together when danger pulled at its edges.
"Come," I said. "Set the table."
Ruri moved first.
Of course.
She wiped her cheeks, took a breath, and went to get the placemats.
Karin followed slowly, then picked up chopsticks. Hikari stayed still for one more moment, looking at the place where her father vanished.
Then she walked to me and held the edge of my sleeve.
"Mama."
"Yes?"
"Hikari will eat if Mama eats too."
A trap.
A small, soft trap.
I had no appetite either.
I nodded.
"Fine."
We set the table together.
Quietly.
Not the usual lunch noise. No Karin asking whether food could be made spicier. No Hikari inventing feelings for vegetables. No Ruri reminding people to sit properly while smiling.
But they sat.
I served them small portions.
Very small.
Enough to begin.
Karin stared at her bowl.
Ruri folded her hands.
Hikari touched her spoon but did not lift it.
I sat with them.
The mage's seat remained empty.
So did the extra spot where Ruruka sometimes sat when visiting.
The sight irritated me.
No.
Not irritated.
Something else.
Worry.
I disliked the word.
It fit anyway.
"Eat," I said, softer than intended.
Ruri lifted her spoon first.
Then Karin.
Then Hikari.
They ate slowly.
I released a breath I had not realized I was holding.
"Tomorrow," I said, "Mama will show you that your Auntie is fine."
Hikari looked up.
"Promise?"
The word struck harder than expected.
The mage had already promised.
Could I?
Should I?
I looked at the three of them.
At their fear.
At their trust.
At the way they waited for me to build the next piece of ground beneath their feet.
"Yes," I said.
"Promise."
The children ate.
Not much.
But enough.
I watched them and silently cursed the dungeon, the unknown anomaly, the boss inside, and every foolish system that allowed such things to occur near the people attached to this household.
I did not hate the swordswoman.
That admission came quietly.
Unwanted.
But true.
Ruruka was irritating. Suspicious. Sharp-tongued. Too protective of the mage. Far too prepared with paperwork and clothing traps. She looked at me as if measuring where to cut if I became a threat.
But she loved the children.
And the children loved her.
That placed her under a category I had not expected to care about.
Important.
If something happened to her, the girls would be sad.
If the girls were sad, the house would become wrong.
If the house became wrong…
I looked toward the door.
The mage had better bring her back.
For the children, obviously.
And perhaps, though I would never say it aloud, because this household had already lost enough blank spaces.
We did not need another.
*****
End of Chapter 39
Arclight Parenting Status:
Parents:
Ren Arclight — Retired Archmage / Dragon Dad / Promise Keeper
Ria Arclight — Former Demon Queen / Dragon Mom / Household Commander
Current Family Objective:
Safely conclude emergency rescue operation. Maintain household stability until Papa returns.
Children Under Protection:
Ruri — Ice / Emotional Anchor / Quiet Support
Karin — Fire / Chaos / Papa's Loudest Cheerleader
Hikari — Light / Reality Risk / Promise Believer
Today's Activities:
Reviewed official family photographs
Selected living room family portrait
Approved first framed family memory
Held peaceful Sunday family gathering
Received emergency S-Rank deployment
Household command transferred to Ria
Issued promise to return safely
Emergency rescue mission initiated
New Developments:
Living room family portrait officially chosen
Children witnessed emergency departure
Ria assumed full parental authority without hesitation
Family trust placed entirely on Ren's promise
Domestic peace interrupted by reality
Household Status:
Temporarily Incomplete
Awaiting Reunion
Holding Together
Parents Stress Levels:
Ren
Focused
Protective
Mission Locked
Ria
Composed
Resolute
Quietly Worried
Parenting Skill Growth:
Ren: 49.2% (Emergency Promise Bonus Applied)
Ria: 45.8% (Solo Parenting Command Bonus Applied)
Family Synergy: 64.7% (Household Trust Established)
Current Parents Status:
Ren
Active
Deployed
Coming Home
Ria
Active
In Command
Waiting
Immediate Priorities:
Rescue Ruruka
Eliminate dungeon threat
Protect remaining hunters
Keep promise to the children
Return home safely
Operational Assessment:
Mission Type:
Emergency Family Protection + Rescue Operation
Difficulty: Personal
Emotional Status:
Ren
Calm – Protective – Determined
Ria
Steady – Concerned – Confident
Future Outlook:
Family Reunion Pending
Children's Trust Continues to Grow
Living Room Portrait Awaits Everyone's Return
Next Family Outing Already at Risk
Parents Personal Statement:
Ren:
"I promised I'd come home."
Ria:
"We'll be waiting."
Reality's Response:
"The strongest promises are the ones waiting at home."