Three years later...
A sleek black car rolled down the morning street, windows tinted, body shining under the early sun. Inside, Akira sat in the back seat, dressed in all black as usual, his face half-covered behind stylish dark sunglasses. Beside him sat J—already sniffling—and K, holding back a sigh. M was behind the wheel, as cool as ever, adjusting the rearview mirror with an unreadable expression.
Behind them, another car followed—this one lighter in tone, with small handprints fogging up the window from the inside. Yuke and Yuri sat in the front, their kids bouncing in the back seats, all bundled up in tiny uniforms and backpacks. It was a big day.
The first day of kindergarten.
Outside the kindergarten gates, Yuke and Yuri stood beside their sons, gently fixing collars, tucking tags in, and whispering last-minute advice. Miko, Noah, and Mimi stood side by side with their little backpacks, waving enthusiastically toward the car behind them.
"Bye, Uncle!!" they called out together, hands in the air, cheeks bright with excitement.
Akira leaned lazily against the side of the open car door, sunglasses still on. He waved back with one hand and blew exaggerated kisses with the other. "Go get 'em, boys," he called softly, the corners of his lips curving into a faint smile.
Then, from his side, Yuke suddenly blinked, noticing someone by the front gate.
"…Aki?"
The man in question turned toward him. Slender, well-dressed, with a soft expression and a small child by his side—his hand raised mid-wave to someone else.
Aki smiled when he recognized him. "Doctor Yuke? Wow… what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?"
Yuke reached out to shake his hand. "Just dropping off my sons," he said, gesturing toward the boys now disappearing inside the building.
Aki's eyes sparkled. "They're adorable."
Then came the soft click of tiny shoes. A small girl holding a stuffed bunny ran up beside him, clutching his hand tightly. She had two neatly braided pigtails and big green eyes.
"And you?" Yuke asked, already guessing.
Aki glanced down fondly. "Just dropping Tulip."
"Ah," Yuke nodded, slightly surprised. "She's precious."
Standing nearby were Lily and her girlfriend, chatting quietly with Aki, waiting to escort Tulip inside.
But just as Aki smiled and turned back to them, a strange feeling crept in. His heartbeat stuttered. The air around him shifted. His eyes slowly swept the area—until they landed on the large black car with tinted windows.
He clutched his chest lightly.
Why… does it feel like someone's watching me?
Inside the car, J suddenly burst into tears.
"UWAHHHHH!! I CAN'T WATCH THIS ANYMORE, BOSS!! NOOOOOOO!!"
K jumped slightly, trying to calm him down. "J, please. You're scaring the children outside."
Akira didn't flinch. He simply lifted his sunglasses with one hand and glanced over. "It's okay, J. Look—I'm not even crying."
"BUT THAT'S WORSE!!" J sobbed louder and grabbed Akira by the collar. "LET IT OUT, BOSS! LET THE PAIN OUT!"
M, still behind the wheel, pulled out his phone. "Let me capture it for memory."
Akira turned sharply. "M."
M raised one hand in surrender. "Oops. Got it, Boss." He slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Akira sighed deeply. "J… calm down. You're soaking the leather with your tears."
Sniffling, J collapsed against his shoulder like a clingy puppy. "So cruel… Uwahhh…"
Akira let him cling, patting his head with an exhausted expression. "If you don't stop, I'll throw you out of the car."
J nodded, still hugging him.
Akira looked at M. "Let's get out of here."
M fixed the rearview mirror again, voice low. "As you say, Boss."
---
Later that evening…
The mansion echoed with soft footsteps and giggles as the front door creaked open.
"Uncleeeeee!!" three excited voices chorused together, rushing into the living room.
Akira looked up from his tablet, raising an eyebrow. "What happened this time, huh?"
Noah couldn't keep it in. "Daddy Uncle! Miko's in loooooove!!"
Akira blinked. "Really?"
Miko turned bright red. "Noahhh!!"
Mimi nodded helpfully. "And he asked her too."
Akira set the tablet aside, suddenly very intrigued. "Is that true, Miko?"
Miko looked down, blushing furiously. "She shared her food with me… and her crayons too. And then I asked her if she'd marry me, and she said—'We can't do that, Miko. You and I are both omegas. You need to find an alpha…'" Miko looked up, frowning. "Is that true, Uncle? I can't marry her?"
Akira let out a warm laugh and pulled all three boys onto the couch beside him.
"Oh, Miko," he said gently, brushing his fingers through the boy's hair. "Of course you can."
Miko's eyes widened. "Really, Uncle?!"
Akira smiled down at them all. "If you love someone, Miko… and they love you back, you'll find a way. Titles don't decide that. Love does."
Miko's face lit up like a festival lamp. "Woohoo!!"
Miko broke into a huge grin, hugging Akira tightly. "Uncle is the best!"
Noah and Mimi joined in, and the four of them sat together, laughter echoing softly in the living room, like the sun peeking gently through morning clouds.
---
As the laughter slowly faded and the kids sprawled across the couch, catching their breath, Noah looked up with curious eyes.
"Uncle…" he began thoughtfully, "have you ever fallen in love? Like Miko?"
Akira blinked, surprised by the question. For a moment, he didn't answer. Then a soft smile curved his lips as he leaned back, eyes gazing somewhere far beyond the room.
"…It's a long story."
The kids immediately leaned in closer.
"YAAHHH! We love stories!" Noah and Miko chimed together. "Tell us, Uncle!"
Akira chuckled and glanced at them. "You really want to hear it?"
They all nodded.
"Well…" he began, his voice quieter now, steadier. "There was this one person. Very beautiful. Eyes like the forest—deep green, like the world could disappear in them. Strong. Calm. Kind."
He gently booped Miko's nose. "And he always shared everything with me… whether it was pain, or joy, or even things too hard to say out loud. He never kept anything hidden, even if it hurt."
The kids listened in silence, their eyes wide with wonder.
Noah tilted his head. "Then what happened, Uncle?"
Akira's smile faltered just a little. His gaze lowered.
"Then a villain came… and stole him away. Forever." His voice was quiet, far too quiet. "And here I am. All alone."
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "End of the story."
Noah sat up indignantly. "But you should have fought for him!"
Miko jumped to his feet, punching the air. "Yeah! Boom! Baam! Kick the villain!"
Akira laughed, holding up his hands. "Okay, okay! I didn't have you guys back then to give me such smart advice. That's probably why… I let him go."
Noah climbed down and patted his knee. "It's okay, Uncle."
Akira ruffled his hair fondly. "Now go. Go play."
Noah and Miko ran off immediately, yelling and chasing each other into the next room.
Only Mimi remained, sitting cross-legged on the couch, still staring up at Akira with a suspicious squint.
Akira noticed. "You're not joining them, Mimi?"
Mimi didn't answer right away. Then, very seriously, he said, "You still love that person… don't you, Uncle?"
Akira blinked. "What? Why would you say that?"
Mimi let out a deep, dramatic sigh and crawled closer. He placed both his tiny hands on Akira's cheeks, holding his face gently.
"Because you looked really sad… while telling your love story."
Akira felt his chest tighten.
Then Mimi, with all the earnestness of someone much older than five, whispered, "Listen, Daddy. What if your love… also loves you back? And he's just waiting for you?"
Akira's breath caught. "What…?"
Mimi stepped back, nodded sagely, and said, "Go and bring him back, Daddy."
Then, as if he hadn't just cracked Akira's heart open, Mimi let out another sigh, hugged him tight, and trotted off to join his brothers in the hallway.
Akira sat still for a long moment, eyes wide, stunned into silence.
"…Damn," he whispered, his lips tugging into a slow smile. "I didn't know you were so sharp, Mimi."
From the hallway, he heard Mimi's voice float back.
"My teacher says that too."
Akira leaned back, staring up at the ceiling.
"Love… waiting… huh?"
His smile stayed, soft and unreadable. But his eyes had that faraway glint again—the kind that belonged to someone still holding onto something quietly, in the corners of his soul.