The day shone brighter upon Yumi’s face. Haruto always loved the spitting image of both parents. Her smile amounted to fifty lifespans. He would trade the whole world for it.

Maki walked toward her daughter. “Oh no, honey. You shouldn’t have hugged your dad. Go change your wet clothes.”

“Okay!” She sprinted back inside.

Maki pulled her husband up. “Still quite the ball of pure energy, isn’t she?”

He chuckled. “I can say the same for you. Your meek, old self is all but gone now.”

“And I prefer it that way. It’s what I always say. People change. Did I for the better?” She smirked, hand on her hip.

He smiled and sighed. “Well, only if you stop teasing me for a minute.”

“Nope,” she flicked his nose. “I’ll keep on doing it till I die. It’s what you need. Now go inside, too. Our little rascal might need help.”

Maki was right in more ways than one. Yumi could not hope to pull her shirt off. “Thanks, Dad!” She returned outside in a flash.

Haruto changed himself, but he began feeling lightheaded. Breathing deeper did not help. “Oh, no,” he said faintly, holding his chest.

He went for pills from the bedroom dresser. Going downstairs for tap water, the haziness worsened. He breathed deeper after the intake. Luckily, he regained his strength to exit.

Outside, Nisemono hugged him and smiled like the rest. Haruto treasured both foster parents as his own ever since. He returned the love tenfold, and they neared the table.

Alongside udon and ramen, they had yakitori, tonkatsu, and takoyaki. Dango and castella could not have been a better dessert. Yumi grabbed a handful, yet none stopped her.

Haruto sat beside his wife and made a move on her cheek. Eyes closed, she giggled and returned it. Then, their daughter broke the moment by eating tonkatsu barehanded.

“Honey, don’t be barbaric,” Maki wiped her mouth. “Even if it’s fried, you need proper etiquette. Here….” She taught her how to use chopsticks.

Unimpressed, she looked up. “But what about KFC, Mommy? Every Christmas, we use our hands.”

Shōmei chuckled, mouth closed. “It’s a matter of custom, dear. It’s never the same in many parts of the world.”

Yumi looked back at her held meal and pouted. She placed the chopsticks aside and picked more tonkatsu. She drove her rebellion further by the mouthful.

Maki sighed. “What am I ever gonna do with you.” she patted her head, making her giggle. Haruto chuckled as their daughter continued. Crumbs rolled down her shirt.

As for him, he only ate udon, even when his wife tried convincing him otherwise. He asked Nisemono for seconds, smiling. However, it faded quickly. His heart slowed, and everything was a blur. Yet he wanted none to worry. He puffed up his chest to look better.

Maki held his hand. “Did you take medication, again?” Her concerns reached their peak despite soft words.

“Yeah…” he nodded. “I’ll pull through. Don’t worry.”

Nisemono gave his bowl back, and an idea popped. “Hey, sport! Wanna see the present I got for you right now? It’s really something.”

He walked near the pool and shuffled through more gifts. Minutes in, he grabbed the long one wrapped in manila paper. “Check this out!”

They gasped upon seeing a hilt from the unwrapping. A katana, twenty-seven centimeters. The ornate scabbard showed eastern dragons riding flame-like clouds.

Shōmei’s eyes widened more. “Oh my word, dear… How did you get that?”

He chuckled. “I know, right? I tested this baby before. It’s the real deal. My gym buddy sold it for ¥15K. What a steal!” He lowered the sword. “Now that I mentioned it, should we invite him? We cooked more than we can chew.”

Haruto squinted. “Wait a minute, Dad. What do you mean by your ‘gym buddy’? You never told us.”

“Oh, he’s quite the guy! Pretty lanky fellow, taller than me. But he’s got tons of muscle. He punches sandbags until the chains break. Later on, he talked about his fireworks. I politely declined. So, should we?”

The revelation lit up Maki’s eyes. She covered her husband’s mouth before he could say yes. Haruto saw her shaking head and quickly inferred the concern. He rejected Nisemono’s suggestion and continued the party.

Yumi finally decided to use chopsticks. Though, her tongue-out smile gave no good intentions. One by one, she made stacks of takoyaki kebabs. Her grandparents raised their eyebrows.

Maki giggled. “You know what? We raised you right 100%, honey. I love your spirit.”

She gulped another mouthful. “Really!? How about you, Dad?”

He patted her head next. “Always. You’re still the bundle of joy I remember. And the ball of energy.”

She gasped with a smile and hugged him. Her thanks would outlast the world. Fortunately, she had not finished the kebab pyramid. Maki’s help sped up the process threefold.

Despite smiling for them, Haruto felt the truth creeping. It arrived at his chest faster than expected. The pace slowed in half by the minute.

Everyone finished their meal before him. He laughed off their doubts but even sitting turned difficult. He subtly wobbled only to straighten his back.

Maki frowned in deep concern. She held his shoulder. “Haru—”

Nisemono butted in. “Alright, sport! How about we take pictures with your sword? You finally get to live your dream from the shows you loved.” He pulled up his smartphone.

Haruto sighed and nodded. He slowly walked and stood behind the pool. His foster father handed him the katana and suggested doing a drawing pose. He smiled as he did. Yumi clapped in sheer joy.

He smiled more for everyone, muscles tensed for a better pose. Sadly, his heart could not endure the fun. He dropped the katana and fell into the water behind. He had stared at them with tired eyes.

The splash hit all the family. “Haruto!” shouted Nisemono, shirtless in a second.

His eyes slowly opened, discerning their bedroom. Maki organized a box of pills beside him. “You should rest for the whole day. Any more, and it could happen again.” She closed the dresser.

She showed him a daruma the size of her hand. “This is from Yumi. She was scared to give this to you at first. But she said it’ll bring us good luck.”

Haruto wholly accepted the gift. Never believed the lone dolls caused his past misery. Next, his wife gave him two Zoro figurines. One had done his iconic Onigiri stance, and the other his Daisen Sekai.

Maki suddenly locked the door and closed the curtains. “This is your last present, honey.” She laid atop her husband. “Me…” she smiled, eyes relaxed.

She made out for a minute. “It’s a safe day. I know you like doing the work, but that scares me. You had another heart attack on our first time alone. I cried so much, calling for help at the hotel.

“So for now,” she sat on his crotch, legs spread, “I’d love to do it for you.” She moved her hand below. “I watched some videos last night. So I’m still new to this. If anything feels wrong, I’ll stop.”

Twenty minutes in, Yumi in the living room defeated Nisemono in shogi for the third time. His wife covered her mouth and giggled. He did not fare well in Othello, either.

Twenty more minutes in at the couple’s room, the bedsprings creaked louder. Maki moved faster, panting. “So… does it hurt? Feeling good?” Their cheeks reddened further.

Haruto nodded with droopy eyes. “Yeah… it does. The bed stopped moving. “N-No, wait! I mean.” He clenched his teeth during the climax. Sheer elation came out from both.

She looked up, eyes rolling back. “Oh, God. Oh, my God! A-Ahhh….” No energy left, she flopped down onto her husband. Their breaths warmed them further.

Maki fixed her clothes, helping Haruto before his nap. She held his right cheek. “Oh, honey. I always loved the way you look. It’s like a child that needs saving.”

She stood up from bed. “Let’s do it again later. That was a lot more fun than I thought. In fact, I might be addicted to it.” She smirked at him again.

He blushed and got up. “B-But, Maki… I—”

She blocked his lips with her index finger. “Ah, ah, ah… I wasn’t asking. For now, I’ll be in charge. Rewarding for both, either way.” Her demeanor only faded after a quick session. She tucked him in bed and grabbed her handbag.

Anxiety had clad Haruto within milliseconds. “What are you doing?” his eyes lit up.

She hated such a reaction, but it was inevitable. She sighed and opened the door. “I’m off to the pharmacy. A lot of expired medication. So I’ll be there for a while.”

His heart matched a rabbit’s. He walked fast and reached a hand. “W-Wait a minute. Hear me out.”

She turned and looked straight in the eye. “No, Haruto. Stay. I went outside with Shōmei, and I was fine. I don’t want this fight again.” She laid him in bed again. “Please. It aches my heart. Yours would burst at any moment.”

More than one deity got thanked that day. To think he had accepted without the vitriol. She still recalled the vitriol—and vowed to her daughter to hear none again.

His eyes lowered more, hopeless. “It’s not that. I don’t question you going out anymore. I just can’t stop worrying. Believe me that I wouldn’t mind if I could.

“But dark thoughts still linger. Especially now. So I have a request.” He got up again and held her shoulders. “Please give me confirmation.”

She saw his beloved face once more and smiled. She made him hold the daruma with both hands. “This… is your confirmation. With this, Haruto’s the luckiest boy on the planet. Misfortune, be damned!” Still smiling, she did one last move on him.

The door closed before Haruto. Back in bed, he held the doll on his chest. “Maki. You’re my brightest light in this godforsaken world.” He started at the ceiling.