Knocking the leader unconscious and restraining her, Yuki returned to the small room he had discovered.The moment he stepped closer to Wanda, he froze, the twins had latched onto his legs, shouting, "Papa!!"
Pfff! Everyone who knew Yuki barely held back their laughter before bursting out completely, filling the room with noise.
"Oh my god, that's hilarious," Wanda laughed the hardest, nearly in tears.
Yuki glared at everyone before patting the twins' heads, trying to get them to let go.
He knelt in front of them, noticing a mischievous light in their eyes for a brief second before it vanished, replaced by innocent excitement.
"Why do you say that?" he asked. At first, he wanted to deny it outright, but remembering their condition and what they'd just been through, he naturally assumed they were clinging to the first person who made them feel safe.
"You smell like him," Hana said as she hugged him tighter, and Sophia added, "And no one's stronger than Papa."
"Oh my god… this is gold," Wanda murmured between fits of laughter. Yuki turned to glare at her — only to find she was recording the scene with her phone.
Shaking his head, Yuki looked back at the girls. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not your father. Maybe you're misunderstanding?" he said gently, trying not to sound harsh.
"NO! You're Papa!" they shouted together, hugging his neck even tighter.
Looking helplessly at Wanda for support, Yuki sighed — she clearly had no intention of helping.
"I'm truly sorry," he said softly, patting their backs, "but I'm really not your father. Don't worry though — I'll definitely help you find your family."
That only made the twins sniffle harder, tears welling in their eyes. "Papa doesn't want us anymore," Sophia sobbed, and the crying grew louder.
Ugh… Yuki had no idea how to react. He looked to Wanda again — this time, she stepped forward to calm them down, but the twins dodged her and buried themselves deeper in Yuki's lap, still crying.
Seeing their reaction, Wanda's expression turned serious. She gestured for Yuki to hold on, then went to check their vitals again. After reviewing the scans, she sighed and signed to Yuki in hand signals.
"They've got memory loss and some kind of head trauma," Wanda confirmed aloud.
Yuki nodded, hugging the girls gently. "It's okay. For now, you can stay with me until we find your father. How about that?"
"Then… show us your face," Sophia said in a challenging tone.
Yuki froze for a second, then glanced at Wanda — who instantly snapped, "Hell no! Not here! You forget the rules?" That confused the twins, but they seized the moment.
"See? You are Papa — you just don't want us anymore!" Sophia cried, hugging him tighter again.
Trying to calm them, Yuki noticed the rest of the team had already finished cleaning up and were preparing to retreat.
[All mission conditions complete. All rankers, retreat. Native law forces are inbound.]
"We should move," Wanda said and headed out.
"What?! Hey—" Yuki began, pointing at the twins still clinging to him. But Wanda just waved him off, clearly amused, and left him to handle it.
Sighing, he turned to the team handling the children. "You guys go first."
As they left, the twins smirked — unnoticed by Yuki, who sighed deeply.
"I don't know what you two are thinking, calling me your father," he muttered. "But for now, I'll take you with me. Cool?"
The girls smiled and nodded.
Are all girls this tricky, or are they just playing me? Yuki thought, raising a brow.Well, doesn't matter now.
He looked them over once more before standing and picking them up.
"Okay, now hold tight, alright? Also, put these on," he said, handing them small masks and goggles.
"What are you doing?" Sophia asked, though she obeyed, tightening her grip around his neck.
Without answering, Yuki smiled. "Flying."
He jumped straight out of the opening — the twins let out a small shriek, eyes closed. Yuki used a bit of energy to shield them from the wind, then deployed his Hawk Eagle wings, accelerating upward.
Feeling the drag, the twins opened their eyes and gasped in awe. "Wah!! We're flying!!"
Noticing the wings on Yuki's back, they exclaimed again, "You have wings!!"
Their synchronized excitement made Yuki smile. He sped up, climbing higher until they reached the clouds.
"You might want to look up," he said.
As they broke through the cloud line, the twins' eyes widened at the sight — futuristic aircraft hovered midair, open hatches revealing dozens of people flying in and out using the same type of gear Yuki wore.
The scene was beautiful — humans soaring through the air like bees returning to their hive.
"Beautiful…" they whispered in unison.
But inside their minds, a heated telepathic conversation began.
Holy— they actually have maneuvering flight gear! This is insane!Do you think we could get one if we ask nicely? Hana wondered.Maybe… but what now? With all this tech, they'll figure out we're not from here sooner or later.Why not just tell him? Maybe he'll help us.We can't just say we're from another planet! What if we end up in a lab? Sophia sighed.Then we wait — see what kind of person he is. When we're strong enough, we'll decide.
They didn't notice their bodies reacting as they broke through the clouds — but Yuki did.The sunlight seemed to charge them; their skin began glowing faintly.
Slowing down, Yuki lowered his energy shield. The twins' bodies visibly absorbed sunlight, their strength rising by the second.
"Neat ability," Yuki commented, causing them to freeze. Their hearts raced.
"It's okay," he said calmly. "Absorbing solar energy to strengthen your bodies — that's one hell of an ability. Just be careful to control it. You don't know how much your body can handle."
Looking down, the twins realized energy was gathering around them. After a few attempts, they managed to stop it.
"So it's passive, but controllable," Yuki noted.
"You don't find us weird?" Hana asked quietly. Sophia added, "We have superpowers — aren't you scared?"
Yuki chuckled. "Scared? You're too cute to scare anyone." He reached over and playfully pinched their cheeks.
Humph! "We're not cute — we're beautiful!" Hana pouted, puffing her cheeks.
"Alright, beautiful," Yuki said teasingly. "As for superpowers — who doesn't have them these days?"
"Eh? Why do you think that?" Sophia asked, surprised at how casually he said it.
Yuki pointed at Hana. "You used a scanning ability on me after you woke up, right?"
That caught them off guard. Hana lowered her head, apologetic.
"It's fine," Yuki said, smiling. "If you have it, why not use it? But tell me — what do you see?"
Hana looked at her sister, then replied, "I can see names, strength ranks, and whether someone's energy is positive or negative. That's all."
"Hmm, so you can gauge strength, but not specifics," Yuki nodded. "What did you see when you scanned me? Leave my name out."
"Ranked 12 — positive," Hana replied.
"Ranked 12? What's the scale based on?" Yuki asked, putting away his wings and calling on the intercom — but froze when Sophia added,
"We don't know. Just that you're ranked 12 on this planet."
Yuki's brow rose. "Planet? You think there's life outside Earth?"
"Of course there is — we're from another planet," Hana said absently, still admiring the hangar's tech.
Sophia froze. Her face turned pale.
Yuki blinked. "Wait… what?"
Realizing what she'd said, Hana turned slowly toward him, her face now matching her sister's.
"Just kidding?" she offered weakly.
"Nah," Yuki sighed. "That won't work now." He set the intercom down and motioned for them to sit beside him.
"So, you were acting before?" he asked. They nodded. "For safety?"
Hana gave a small nod. That confirmed it.
"Alright then," Yuki said with a small smile. "Just tell me this — are you the only ones who landed?"
"We're the only ones who made it," Sophia said quietly.
"Made it? Did something happen?" Yuki asked gently.
"Our planet was destroyed," Hana answered, looking down. "Only me and my sister survived."
Yuki was stunned. He'd only been probing for safety reasons — now he felt like he'd ripped open a fresh wound.
He sighed and pulled them both close, resting a hand on each of their heads. "I'm sorry… it's alright. You're safe now."
The twins were surprised by his gentle tone — and somehow, they relaxed. Exhausted from stress and everything that had happened, they drifted to sleep in his lap, finally at peace.