Part 3 — Emergency War Protocol
Night had fully settled over the house.
The earlier warmth had faded into quiet shadows.
Inside the room—
Kaito was already asleep, sprawled across the futon like he had collapsed mid-thought.
Ayame lay neatly beside him, still and composed even in sleep.
Haruto was the last to fall asleep, staring at the ceiling for a while before his breathing finally slowed.
The house became silent.
Only the soft sound of night wind outside remained.
In Renjiro's room, the light was low.
A single lamp rested near the table, casting quiet shadows across the walls.
Outside—
the house had gone silent.
The triplets were asleep.
The soft night wind moved faintly through the trees beyond the window.
Then—
a knock.
"…Come in."
The door slid open slowly.
Akari stepped inside.
She closed it carefully behind her.
For a moment, Renjiro simply looked at her.
"…They're asleep?"
Akari nodded gently.
"…All three."
She walked over and sat across from him.
Silence settled between them.
Not peaceful.
Heavy.
Like both of them already knew this conversation wouldn't end well.
Renjiro finally spoke.
"…How bad is it?"
Akari lowered her gaze slightly.
"…It's official."
A pause.
"…Enkage activated emergency war protocol."
The room grew quieter somehow.
Renjiro leaned back slightly.
"…So the rumors were true."
Akari nodded once.
"…That's what they said at the meeting."
Renjiro noticed the hesitation in her voice immediately.
"…You think something's wrong."
Akari stayed silent for a second.
Then—
"…It feels too clean."
The faint wind outside brushed past the window.
"…Too fast."
Her fingers tightened slightly around her sleeve.
"…They're already moving Era 7 and Era 8."
Renjiro's gaze sharpened.
"…Already?"
Akari nodded.
"…Immediate deployment."
A brief silence followed.
"…No preparation period," she added quietly.
That made the room feel colder.
Renjiro rested his arm against the table, thinking.
"…That's not normal."
Akari let out a soft breath.
"…Four years ago barely ended."
Her voice was quieter now.
"…And now again already…"
Silence.
The weight of those years lingered between them.
The previous war.
The losses.
The rebuilding afterward.
Akari looked down briefly.
"…Eight years ago…"
She stopped herself.
Then softly:
"…It feels like this keeps happening before people can even recover."
Renjiro didn't answer immediately.
His eyes remained lowered in thought.
Then—
"…Either the threat is changing faster than we expected…"
He paused.
"…or someone keeps forcing the system into emergency response."
Akari looked at him silently.
That thought had clearly crossed her mind too.
But hearing it aloud made it heavier.
Outside the room—
the house remained quiet.
Three children sleeping peacefully down the hallway.
Unaware of any of this.
Akari's expression softened slightly at the thought.
Then—
very quietly—
"…If you're sent out…"
She hesitated.
For the first time since entering the room—
her composure slipped slightly.
"…I don't want the children left alone right now."
Silence.
Renjiro looked toward the hallway for a moment.
Then back at her.
The calm expression on his face didn't change—
but the weight behind his eyes did.
Neither of them spoke after that.
Because neither of them knew what the right answer was.
And outside—
the night continued peacefully,
as if nothing had begun to fall apart yet.