Taking a stroll around the greenhouse behind the K.R.I. building, Yukina took a great look at the many plants growing so lusciously on the pots placed on the ground and hanging above the ceiling. The loud orchestra lilies which reverberated song after song in a harmonious serenade, the beguiling steeltraps which feasted on monkeys and other small carnivores lured by its sweet meaty scent, and the deathly gloomgales with smell that could knock out three elephants with a single sniff.
For safety reasons, she needed to wear a gas mask and ear muffles, but the scenery of mutated flowers oddly living in coexistence was a sight to behold, especially when they were not trying to kill you. However, it’d be great if having a good pastime was the reason she came here, as Yukina approached the person currently in charge of the greenhouse, who was talking to someone very familiar to her.
“Like I said, the substance you’re looking for does not exist,” urged the green-haired man with glasses. “Even if you ask me to whip up a mutant plant to subsidize that particular ingredient, it’d take months to cultivate a single seed and it might not be able to produce said substance.”
“I understand, Jinhyuk, but can’t you use some kind of special fertilizer to speed up the process?” the silver-haired woman spoke in an urgent manner.
“Mingzhu, please. If there was one, then work here would be done in a—,” he pricked his finger, brows raised as to denote his reasoning. “Also, we’re in a really tight spot thanks to those imbeciles. The Ecological Research Section is unpopular as it is and being short-staffed is no joke. I haven’t even showered since yesterday and sleeping here with a gas mask ain’t exactly the best experience.”
“You really do have it rough,” her blue eyes stared sympathetically, before looking to the side as did Jinhyuk’s earl grays. “Yukina-san? Oh, don’t mind me. I was just about to leave.”
“Seems like you’re having some trouble with your research,” she said.
“It’s not really a research. Just a request from an old friend.”
“That old friend is Ryosuke-san,” Jinhyuk added. “You know. Ryosuke Kazuya from the Transcendant Class, Captain of Takamichi’s Third Division, and Huang Mingzhu’s first cr—”
Mingzhu slammed a paper document right to his face, cursing him to fall over his chair. “You’d do well to know when to open that mouth of yours,” her blue eyes stared intensely at Jinhyuk.
“Seeing you two like this gives me nostalgia,” said Yukina. “Makes me want to return to our academy days if only for a day.”
“Fortunate for you maybe, but certainly not for me,” Jinhyuk stood back up. “Had the worst time of my life being from the common class. Those jerks from transcendent really made our youths a living hell if it weren’t for our gallant leader. Rest in peace, Evian-san.”
“Right, I forgot about that. It really has been a long time,” Yukina scratched her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“All in the past, Yukina-san. All in the past,” Jinhyuk then grabbed one of the vials on the desk and handed it over to her. “Here it is. One truth serum for Engineer's beloved researcher.”
“Are you making a lie detector?” asked Mingzhu. “You know that these things aren’t really that accurate. Slow your heartbeat and cool your muscle tension, and you’ll fool any machine into thinking you’re telling the truth.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” said Jinhyuk.
“My cousin once set me up in one as a prank when he first joined the Murikami Order. Got him into a lot of trouble after his superiors found out,” Mingzhu then started walking toward the door. “Anyway, I’ll be heading off. Can’t be left unproductive for too long.”
And thus, after being cleansed by the decontamination room, the silver-haired Chemical Research Section researcher left the greenhouse. With her objective accomplished, Yukina was about to head out too, when Jinhyuk had something to say.
“She has a point though,” he said. “Lie detectors these days aren’t too useful. None of the iterations thus far has fulfilled its promises so far. Remember the Killer Doctor case from three years ago? Did exactly what she said and was released by the Murikami Order to commit more crimes up until last year.”
“I know. The lives ruined that heinous man had taken can never return to how they once were,” her heart wrenched for the victims. Not just the ones from said case, but for the lives everywhere who met their ends far too early because of someone else. “That’s why I’m trying to succeed in what my predecessors have failed in. And this truth serum is one of the keys for it.”
“It’s not perfect though. Put it in a cold room and it’ll lose its effectiveness dramatically. The only way you get people to speak with it is when you put them in an intense high-temperature room, and most people would pass out before they could confess their crimes. I can’t see how a machine could solve either problem, let alone be the one to decide between truth and lie.”
“Well, initially I wanted to make this device that tracks children, but it went haywire just after activation. Seems like it needed heavy processing equipment in order to do a wide area search of an entire district.”
Jinjyuk sported a disbelief expression, which oddly came into a state of acceptance, as if Yukina’s existence was the catalyst that made everything make sense. “I assume this has something to do with the Great Sleep of Mizumitsuru. The government says that it has to do with exposure to a newfound mine underground, yet that doesn’t explain the missing seventy-three children.”
“Those cruel kidnappers … as if Lanting wasn’t enough they—,” Yukina shut her mouth. That wasn’t a piece of information she was allowed to say. Quickly think of an excuse.
“So, you’ve heard it too, huh,” he said.
“Eh … right. I’ve heard it,” Yukina lied out of her teeth, having no idea what Jinhyuk was talking about. She decided to just roll with it though. “But y-you know, I’m, uh … having some doubts about it. Like w-what if, you know?”
Yukina was a bad liar. That she admitted. No matter what lies she tried to come up with, everyone would always know that she was lying. Especially Masaki, who seemed to be able to see through her lies before she could make it. Might because of her expressions or how she stuttered in her speech. And that was why …
“Why yes. It is somewhat of a stretch to connect the two.”
Yukina was so glad that Jinhyuk Sam had the same reputation for being a clueless sort.
“I mean, even if we were to go by the rumors, it would mean that every single unsolved child kidnapping this past year is done by a single entity or organization,” he explained. “The level of manpower required would be astounding to say the least. It’d make more sense if the ones responsible aren't human.”
“You think it has to do with the yokkaebi?”
“Taking out an entire district’s population while kidnapping seventy-two children in a single night is pretty much impossible for human standards.”
“I guess so,” Yukina felt grateful to Jinhyuk, having rationalized her statement on his own.
“As for the missing children in Lanting, they’ve probably run away from their homes because of some bad parenting. Lhongzians, am I right? Makes me kind of worried if Mingzhu ever got a kid, she won’t drive them away.”
“You’re wrong!” Was what Yukina wanted to shout out of her lungs. Zhiyuan didn’t run away from home. He was kidnapped. He loved his family so much and would never dare to leave them.
“You're really good at whistling, Zhiyuan,” Yukina once praised a long while ago. “Makes me want to dance around and go back to my childhood.”
“That’s the whole point,” he then said. “I want everyone who listens to my whistles to know what it’s like to have fun. Lin-jie and Feng-ge looked really stressed lately, so I better start practicing some more!”
The playful whistling harmoniously synced with the then windy streets of Lanting, giving many impressions to the pedestrians who decided to stop for a while and tuned in to the wonderful melodies Zhiyuan cooked up. That blissful song which brought everyone together including the often strict and old-fashioned Meiqi Suo, as well as the children who went out to play and dance to it.
“Yukina-jie. I think … whistling really is my calling,” the evanescent smile he sported that day was written in the stars as the beginning of a new journey for a child who’d just reached twelve-years-old. And yet that hope which once shined so brightly was snuffed out by people who dared to put down the happiness of others. The people who accused him and the rest of the missing children on baseless conjectures were no different.
But still, Jinhyuk Sam was a friend, who’d been so helpful both during their academy days and here as research colleagues of the K.R.I. Yukina kept her mouth shut, not wanting to cause a rift between them. If anything, once the missing children were recovered and the whole case came to a close, Jinhyuk would surely see his mistakes and seek to rectify it.
Right. Just keep it in. No need to argue with him. Remain as everyone’s friend. Yukina put on a smile and said, “I see. But I don’t think Mingzhu is the type to mistreat children. I’m sure she’ll be a great mom.”
“That is if she found a partner. Man, it’d be hard for her considering she’s in her thirties.”
“But aren’t you the same?” said Yukina, noticing the similar situation the two were in. “Oh! Oh! Does that mean you found a girlfriend, Jinhyuk-san?”
“That is …,” his voice dropped, eyes looked over to the side, as cold sweat suddenly appeared all over his face.
Eh, did I say something wrong? thought Yukina, having no idea of the considerable damage she’d dealt to her friend, who curiously started curling up like a ball before outright pushing Yukina toward the door.
“You’ve gotten your serum, right? So, get out! I’ve got some mutant plants to tend to and I don’t want to see any more skeletons inside those steeltraps. Bye bye now.”
And thus, after some decontamination, Yukina got kicked out of the greenhouse. That was so rude. Her face pouted, as she then moved on her way back into her office. Fortunately, it was still early in the morning and her fanbase of young apprentices had yet to group up. Most of the ‘crazy’ researchers also came in around noon, so walking through the halls was a breeze.
“MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY!” a guy shouted, running past her while pushing a burning stroller and chucking it out the window, followed by an explosion which turned the stroller into smithereens. Seconds later, everyone returned to work as if nothing happened.
Yup, this is the life. Yukina continued on until she entered her office, where she immediately started working. Room filled with smoke and steam, equipped with the standard Engineering Research Section forging tools, as automatons coated in waxbloom hammered in the smoldering metal on anvils, while the lights on the desk flickered of the many wires connected to the command cube, which Yukina inputted with specific commands.
The frame finished and Yukina attached the command cube inside, followed by more wires and special waxbloom-coated conductive canisters, one filled with the truth serum and the other with bright luminescent magions already prepared by the Energy Research Section as well as additional supply from the Prima Research Section.
And when the automatons finished cleaning the office-turned-forge, the doors slid open. Two people entered, one big and the other small, who both sat on the special absorbent sofa on the corner of the room. Yukina vaguely caught their presence, however, she was too busy tinkering with the device in front of her to allocate her brain power elsewhere. This was the moment of truth that required her fullest attention.
Okay, Yukina. You got this. Focus mode ON!
Everything was coming together. The device intricately assembled by careful hands and unblinking eyes, and with a press of a button, magion was injected and the gears within began turning. The magion canister flared up, lights flashing out and about, as the volatile essence started syncing up with the now bubbling truth serum, turning the once transparent liquid into a cool blue hue. Slowly, the magion stabilized and cooled the serum as well as the device frame. Its mechanism also appeared to be properly working, with no defective parts seen anywhere outside or inside, to which Yukina then enclosed it with its outer shell, becoming a full-fledged device ready for testing.
She pressed the button and said, “I am Yukina Satomi.”
Blue liquid spent and a panel opened, a green flag shot out indicating ‘Truth’ in the words she uttered.
“Okay then how about … I am a two-month old golem with big muscles and a chiseled face,” — A red flag instead shot up, indicating a ‘Lie’ — “Maybe that was too obvious. Let’s try a metaphor. Ahem! I am Yukina Satomi, FOREVER SEVENTEEN!”
And a red flag shot up.
“I like cake.”
Green flag.
“I like mochi.”
Green flag.
“Like cake more than mochi.”
Green flag.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“I like mochi more than cake.”
Red flag.
So, it takes the current palette into account.
“I like mochi more than cake!”
A green flag shot up, except it didn’t come from Yukina, rather from the little boy with red hair standing next to her.
“Eh? Akito, what are you doing here?” her blue eyes then shifted to the other person in the back. The indistinguishable blue-haired man gazing at her with those beguiling dark eyes, catching Yukina by surprise. “Masaki? Why are you—why are you two here?!”
“Can’t a husband visit his wife?” he smiled cheekily. “Also, Akito really wanted to see how you work here in the institute. Never thought we’d get a front row seat, though I gotta say, it was hot.” Masaki casually unpinned his upper shirt buttons.
“You’re doing that on purpose,” Yukina blushed. “Also, Akito is supposed to be in school!”
“Hashiguchi-sensei suddenly said school’s on holiday,” her son replied. “Also, there were these officers standing in front of Class 5-A and Principal Yashi’s office. They look very strong.” Akito continued observing the lie detector device she just made. He seemed to have figured out its purpose, as he then barraged it with queries on queries. This should be a good opportunity to test its processing power.
Meanwhile, Yukina approached her husband and whispered, “The Murikami Order was in school?”
“Yes,” he answered. “Nakamura-sensei, the teacher of Class 5-A, was caught in possession of illegal drugs.”
“No way!” her brows shot up. “She was such a nice person though. Wait, could this be the Divine Droplet drug that has been going around lately?”
“You know about DD?”
“Four research groups in EcoRS were arrested yesterday for the same reason,” her statement had Masaki gawking in disbelief. Four research groups were no joke, as it meant that a total sixteen ecological researchers were caught in possession of the drug. “Now that I think about it, Mingzhu-san might have something to do with it. In a good way! Not in a bad, evil way. She recently got a request from Ryosuke-senpai to try finding out some kind of ingredient.”
“Most likely the core ingredient of the DD drug. Despite being around for hundreds of years, it hasn’t been figured out what the ingredients are nor the process of making it.”
“First, the missing children, and now drugs? What’s going on in Hoshikuni?” Yukina gripped her hand tight, when Masaki put his hand over her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.
“It’ll be alright,” he said. “We’ll get through this like we always have.”
It felt nice being in her husband’s comfort. His warm touch seemingly enveloped Yukina in a protective barrier, shielding her from the discomforts of the countless tragedies happening every so often in this land of stars. Just like that day in the aftermath of the Great Rebellion, when Masaki rushed to the hospital, ignoring the doctors’ and nurses’ warnings and went straight into the emergency room just to see Yukina and her pathetic self.
That dark place of the crumbling house remained ever so vivid in her memories, including her outstretched arm holding onto her little brother, as both were trapped beneath the rubble. Recalling those moments when Junpei was screaming in pain, pleading to make a device—any device to get them out of there. But Yukina couldn’t. She couldn’t make or build anything, yet she still must remain strong.
She said hopeful things to her little brother, reminiscing fun and calming memories up to a year’s worth, trying to get his mind off their damning situation. To distract him from the pain and … to keep him from seeing the other hand poking out behind him and cold lifeless eyes of Daisuke staring right back at her.
Don’t look at him. Don’t look at him.
Then the cold night came and the once blaring conflict seemed to have come to an end, except they were still trapped. Kouki, their eldest brother, who told them to stay inside, never returned. And so too did their parents, who’d left for a business deal and had both Kouki and Yukina in the house take care of their two younger brothers. However, Daisuke was dead, and Junpei was close to it. It felt strange to hear his voice soften unlike usual. The loud bratty Junpei for once in his life became oddly quiet.
“Yukina, you’re alright?” Masaki’s voice brought Yukina back to reality. The scene which she most dreaded vanished just by him uttering her name, as did his warmth which could seemingly rendered the most darkened hearts into vulnerability, for it to be capable of grasping the light that it had lost.
I really can’t live without you. Yukina wore back the expression of joy everyone recognized her for. With her head back in the game, she marched toward the lie detector device which her son appeared to have immersed himself in.
“I am a kaiju monster sent to earth to destroy the world!”
Red flag.
“Then I shall become the greatest scientist known across Antryion!”
Now a gray flag appeared, which led Akito scratching his head.
“Mom, what does the gray flag mean?” he asked.
“It means that what you said is neither true or false. A hypothesis or conjecture yet to be proven, or a future that hasn’t happened. Kind of like when a bird from very far away falls, you don’t know if it was because it was diving down or it got swept by the wind or if its wings suddenly broke,” she answered in detail, and to her surprise, it appeared Akito understood her explanation.
“Then what about the glowing canister? Is it really magion?” his curiosity intensed, as his small hand approached the special glass canister.
“Yes and you shouldn’t touch it carelessly,” Yukina stopped him. “Magion is a dangerous product of the ley lines, safely extracted through very difficult means. This device is just a prototype and Mom hasn’t made a failsafe in case things went wrong.”
“But it’s working just fine though.”
“Working fine isn’t good enough,” she said. “Listen here, Akito. If you ever want to become a researcher for the K.R.I. like me, you need to be able to make your research as safe as possible to be used, otherwise bad things will happen. Since you’re here, I’m sure you’ve seen the many mishaps of other researchers who are too careless to practice safety measures.”
“Like that burning trolley Dad and I saw while walking here?”
“Yup.”
“Also like that guy there piloting that cool flying airplane?” Akito pointed at the direction of the balcony, where outside in the air was an airplane with one man, its pilot and likely its creator, dangling on one leg tied with a rope. Yukina nodded fervently to the perfectly-timed example. “Uh … Mom, shouldn't we get help?”
“Oh, it’s fine. He’s not screaming, is he? That means everything is under control,” —And low and behold, two flight-type mages swooped in to the rescue— “See! The K.R.I. is a very safe place … apart from the large-scale experimental rooms. That’s why you should be like me, your mother, who always builds her inventions as close to perfection as possible before testing.”
Yukina proudly proclaimed her method of doing things, though it did receive a side eye glance from Masaki, likely reminiscing on the many failed attempts she made when constructing automatons, which Yukina had no choice but to admit. However, it’d be better to not tell Akito this, so that he’d actually become a researcher, who prioritized safety and caution twenty-four-seven.
“What your mom says is true, Akito. She’s the ideal researcher everyone’s been hoping to be,” her husband said. “That being said, it’s alright to make a few mistakes here and there. Research is about trial and error. So, you should keep on trying until you feel satisfied.”
“Has Dad done any research before?”
“Your Dad works with a lot of people in the capital. I’ve got to do at least a little bit of research in order to get to know them, as some can be a bit … sneaky in their attempts to alter the motion of the parliament. If one day you should ever enter Juryokaku or any parliamentary building, always keep your guard up. You never know how many snakes can be present inside waiting to latch its fangs on your neck.”
Masaki spoke in an off putting tone, as Akito then ran to hide behind Yukina.
“Don’t want to. Dad and parliament sounds scary.”
A green flag shot up from the device.
“Hey don’t be like that,” he said. “I’m sorry, Akito-kun. I wasn’t trying to scare you.”
A red flag shot up.
“Device says you’re lying,” Akito’s eyes stared dead at his father, who approached him in an attempt to calm his fear.
“Okay, maybe I was trying to scare you a little bit.”
A green flag shot up.
“This damned machine …,” a vein twitched upon his forehead. “Why did you build a lie detector, exactly? Isn’t there already an abundance of them used by the Murikami Order?”
“This one is a little different though, my dear husband,” she said. “Instead of calculating heart rate and muscle tension, it uses truth serum infused with magion so that it could accurately detect lies and truths based on brainwaves. You know, since truth serum directly interferes with how the brain processes in order to spill out truth, and with it being synced with magion, the command cube can turn it into an area-wide spell. That being it seems that the area-of-effect is a bit too small for my liking.”
Lack of processing power or lack of fuel to provide sustenance for the spell. It’s either one of the two.
Yukina subconsciously went back through her head to try to figure out a solution, when Masaki then said, “Okay. That’s impressive and all … I think. But I’m asking why you bother making a lie detector in the first place? It doesn't seem like the type of invention you’re used to creating. Unless you want to implement it into an automaton as a walking lie detector.”
“You know that's actually a pretty good idea.”
“It’s a horrible idea that you should never make. Imagine the amount of distrust it could sow on the people.”
“You’re probably right,” she let out a chuckle. “Anyway, as for the reason why I created it, I simply want to help people. I want to help those people find the ones they’ve lost. Of course, I know what you’re going to say. I’ve tried making a child detector and it doesn’t work. Too many existing variables and no portability method at the moment, so I decided to go for the simpler method.”
“I’m guessing you want it to be used in interrogation rooms?”
“Not just interrogation. Questioning as well. Because these people who live in the shadows are surely adept in lying. They might even be living right next door for all we know,” her voice turned into a whisper. “Chiyo-san had a neighbor up until recently. When Sayaka-chan disappeared, her neighbor was questioned before disappearing the next day. What’s more, his body was later found buried beneath the house and Xiaodan said that he had been dead for at least four months.”
Masaki put his hand on his chin. “Chiyo-san isn’t the type to mistook a person, especially a neighbor who's been living next to her for months.”
“And that is why I want to build a foolproof lie detector,” she said. “With this, the investigation team wouldn't need to be skeptical and can instead get straight to business. But now that I think about it, I may need to find a way to make it more portable. But a smaller size means less effectiveness. What should I do …?”
Akito pulled her coat, grasping for attention as if he was desperately in need of it. Although, judging from his expression, he looked more curious than anything.
“What were you two talking about?” Akito asked.
“Nothing much really,” Yukina said, yet she would realize her mistake, as the red flag shot out from the device. She gulped and immediately took several paces back, when her back suddenly hit something. Turning to look, a large automaton was standing right behind her as well as another behind her husband. The two grabbed hold of them both and placed them close to the desk where the lie detector was.
“Yukina, what is our son holding?” Masaki nervously asked, unable to break free, staring deadeye at the remote on Akito’s palm. He must’ve found it and, to Yukina’s amazement, figured out its functions. “Akito, please free your mom and dad. That is not a toy you should be playing with.”
“But I have a question,” he said sternly. “I have a question about what mom and dad were talking about.”
“Akito …,” Yukina sported a motherly gaze, hoping to dissuade him from using the remote control.
“Nope. I’m not giving in. There are a lot of things I want to know.”
There was no use. He’d received too much power with that remote alone. The only way to put it down was to fulfill his demands like a hostage held at gunpoint. Who knew Akito could have a devilish side to him? Then again, the father was a man named Masaki Koshiji.
“I can already see what you’re thinking,” he said, not denying the thing she was thinking.
“First question,” Akito said. “Where did you hide the chocolate bars?”
Eh? I thought it was going to be about just now, Yukina thought. It seemed Akito was indeed a still child with childish behavior and mindset. Since he asked a question, she could only answer a reply, as Yukina put on the most innocent face she could.
“It was in the cupboard above the fridge, but your mother ate all of it,” Masaki beat her to the punch and smirked at her, as a green flag shot out of the device. A fire then lit inside Yukina; the competitive spirit she’d been gathering since their last game of Dungeon Exploration had now found its way out.
Akito threw in more childish questions: the location of one of his missing toy, the suspiciously misfortunate end of his pet fish, the reason behind the weird diagonal placement of the beds set to face opposite to the door. Both Yukina and Masaki fought to get their truths out quicker than the other. The situation turned less of an interrogation and more so a fun quiz game to pass the time.
That was until it came to a certain point, when Akito finally decided to ask a serious question. Except, to Yukina’s bafflement, it was still not about what they’d talk about.
“Dad,” his blue eyes stared at his father’s black ones, as the bright blue sky seemed to be enveloping Masaki’s alluring darkness. “You’ve been looking somewhat suspicious everytime you meet up with Uncle Yamada.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” he said, but a red flag rose up, indicating a lie in his statement. “Damn …”
That reaction was unlike him. It appeared this question seemed more personal than anything. Yukina got very curious, but at the same time, the person Akito was referring to was her husband’s colleague and right-hand man, so it probably had something to do with politics. It was probably due to an Non Disclosure Agreement or some kind of information which he’d use as a card for a parliamentary meeting.
But what if it’s not … Yukina immediately cleared those doubts. She knew Masaki as the kind of person to keep secrets, but all the secrets he kept had always been for a good cause. Like the time he kept the poverty-prevention bill a secret so that it wouldn’t be leaked. The same went for all the other bills he and his allies in the ministry came up with. However, Akito couldn’t have known this, so what was he trying to insinuate with this query?
“It’s top secret, Akito-kun.”
“So, that means you cannot tell mom?”
Yukina turned her head. “Tell me what?”
“Nothing,” he sterned, alas, a red flag appeared once more. “Okay, Akito, just let go of the remote and free us, okay? Listen to your father right now and let go of the remote.”
“Masaki, aren’t you being a little too defensive?”
He paused for a moment, as if taken aback from Yukina’s question, before shifting his focus toward the device. He then gave his answer. “It has something to do with politics.”
A green flag appeared, which in turn dispelled her doubts. Yukina turned to her son, “See, Akito-kun. It’s about something really important for work.”
“Not yet,” Akito pressed his interrogation, except instead of stubbornness, he looked more so afraid if anything. “Dad, you’ve been working very late the month before your trip and also this past month …”
“Akito, please listen to me.”
“Dad and Uncle Yamada were always together every time you pick me up from school.”
Green flag.
“He’s my friend and trusty assistant. Of course he’d be following me around whenever I have work.”
Green flag.
“But Dad keeps looking at Uncle Yamada very weirdly.”
Green flag.
Somehow, Masaki’s expression turned into the blues, yet not out of guilt, rather of embarrassment. “Akito … choose your next words carefully,” he spoke calmly. “What are you accusing your father of doing exactly?”
Akito bit his lips, braving his heart for this exact purpose, as he took a deep breath and cried, “Is Dad cheating on mom with Uncle Yamada?!”
“OF COURSE NOT!” he yelled in an instant, scolding red in the face, shutting down the query as shown with the green flag shooting out of the device. Terrified, Akito dropped the remote and thus, the automatons let go of their grasps. A raging Masaki then stomped his way toward Akito, pinching his ears and giving him an earful to the point where he cried sobbing in regret for what he’d done. “You really … What on Antryion makes you think that I was having an affair with a man?!”
“Nino’s mom … cheated with another woman … and said …she said things … that Dad has done and … and …,” Akito couldn’t continue his speech from the endless pouring and snot dripping out of his nose.
Yukina tried approach in hopes to intervene, feeling that their son had already received enough scolding, but the livid expression and the blood-spiked veins bulging out of his temple and Yukina stepping back to the edge of the room, wishing Akito good luck, as he received further scolding.
Masaki was indeed a very loving husband and caring father. However, when it came to scolding their son for his mistakes, truly, he became a monster in the flesh.