Hearing Amon's words, Alaric rubbed his chin, pondering for half a second. "Why not just call him Daddy-Bro? Covers both dad and brother. Or, if you prefer, Bro-Daddy works too!"
Amon was silent for a moment, then said seriously, "I doubt Adam would like that."
Alaric gave him a puzzled look, as if confused by the response. "You care about that?"
"I don't, actually." Amon said, pausing before breaking into a grin. He hopped off the wall. "Fine, it's Bro-Daddy from now on."
"Good taste!" Alaric clapped like an excited seal.
Amon glanced at him, then said, "Hard to imagine that just days ago, you organized a beatdown on me, and now we're joking around here."
"Pretty normal, isn't it? You can't beat me, and you need something from me." Alaric said, shrugging openly. "If the roles were reversed, we wouldn't be chatting so nicely... I'd have killed you. But now? My grudge against you faded after that thrashing, and while you'd love to kill me, you can't. You're stuck."
Amon choked on Alaric's bluntness. "You're brutally honest."
"Honesty's just one of my many understated qualities." Alaric said, flashing a dazzling smile.
"..."
After a few seconds of silence, Amon said earnestly, "I don't think we're the same kind anymore. At least I'm not that shameless."
"That just means your mischief-maker purity isn't high enough. A true mischief-maker fears nothing." Alaric said confidently, then frowned at Amon. "So, what are you really doing here?"
He didn't believe Amon was lingering just to ponder nicknames.
"I'd hope a certain someone hasn't forgotten his promise." Amon said, giving Alaric a pointed look.
"Oh, you want to see your dad! Why didn't you say so?" Alaric nodded, recalling the deal, and reached into the air with a flourish.
The next moment, the Ancient Sun God's figure materialized.
The Ancient Sun God opened his eyes, scanning the surroundings. Spotting Amon beside Alaric, he hesitated, then looked at Alaric. "Another beating?"
Clearly, the Alaric-Amon combo had conditioned The Ancient Sun God to assume Alaric summoned him to discipline his child again.
Amon's eager expression froze, likely recalling some less-than-pleasant memories.
"Pfft! Hahahaha!" Alaric burst out laughing, then turned to The Ancient Sun God. "What are you thinking? I just pulled you out for a chat with Amon. Grisha, don't be so violent... always jumping to beating your kid."
"..."
Wasn't there a chance he wasn't the violent one?
Faced with Alaric's brazen blame-shifting, The Ancient Sun God felt a mix of exasperation and amusement but ultimately relaxed. He loved his child, and while disappointed in Amon's actions and fine with a lesson or two, the recent thrashing... technically delivered by his future self, not him... made him hesitant to pile on. Even he'd feel bad beating Amon again so soon.
"Tch, like I said, a troublesome kid comes from a troublesome parent. Grisha, you spoil your son too much." Alaric said, shaking his head, clearly reading The Ancient Sun God's thoughts.
The Ancient Sun God gave a wry smile, his gaze on Amon filled with regret, tenderness, and a lingering melancholy. He sighed. "Amon is my only child. He went astray, partly because I fell too soon and didn't guide him properly…"
"What's next? That he's actually a good kid at heart?" Alaric interjected, rubbing his chin.
The Ancient Sun God pursed his lips, looking at Amon without denying it. "I believe Amon can turn himself around."
Amon couldn't meet his father's gaze. Despite countless imagined scenarios for this reunion, he hadn't expected these words. Regret? Shame? The emotions swirling in him were hard to name, a mix of both and neither.
"Classic you. That parental bias is unreal." Alaric said, pausing as he thought of Amon's destined future. "But… you're not entirely wrong."
The current Amon was hard to pin down, but in the future, after his "study abroad" in the cosmos, he'd gain some humanity and contribute to saving the world.
"The catch is, Amon needs to find his humanity." Alaric said, eyeing Amon and shaking his head. "Right now, he totally deserves the beatings."
The Ancient Sun God caught the implication, a faint, relieved smile crossing his face. "Amon should pay for his past mistakes."
He was a doting parent but a reasonable one, which was why he'd supported Alaric's earlier discipline of Amon.
"Hear that, Lil' Raven? That's your dad's stance. Still think humanity's unnecessary?" Alaric said, patting Amon's shoulder.
Amon snapped out of his thoughts, looking from Alaric to The Ancient Sun God, whose encouraging gaze prompted an instinctive adjustment of his monocle. "I understand."
Click!
Alaric, unfazed, snapped a photo of the moment before lowering the camera with a smile. "I'm feeling a bit like a third wheel here, so I'll see you two later. Take your time catching up."
He had no interest in prying into private matters and was happy to give the long-separated father and son some space.
"Thank you, Alaric." The Ancient Sun God said warmly, his golden eyes flicking to Amon, as if wondering why he hadn't reacted.
Under his father's gaze, Amon, however reluctantly, muttered, "Thank you."
"I'll take those thanks!" Alaric grinned, relishing Amon's grudging compliance... it was exactly the defiant-yet-submissive vibe he enjoyed. With a cheerful wave, he vanished, heading toward City of Silver.
***
Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing well and staying healthy. I want to let you know that right now I'm working on one of the best fanfics you might ever read.
If you're curious about this fanfic, don't hesitate to check it out.
[Mangaka? Nah, I'm Voice Actor!]
Synopsis:
I was a corporate slave with a normal outlook on life, values, and romance.
My worldview shattered after I get isekai'd, and through a twist of fate, I went with the flow, unexpectedly accepting my new reality in the role closest to the anime world... that's right, I became a voice actor.
---
Yes, just as you read, it's true that this fanfic will tell the story of a main character who enters the world of voice acting in Japan. This fanfic will portray the life of voice actors behind the Japanese anime and games you've been listening to all this time, spiced up with a bit of romance for those of you who enjoy it.
So if you're curious, don't hesitate to read it and show your support.