NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 5: Bang Her
Riku quickly scanned Ai's Fate Chains. They appeared in front of him—delicate, shimmering threads weaving through her body. He didn't have much time to process them; the frozen world only lasted for a few seconds at most.
The threads around Ai were mostly soft—delicate blues and purples, representing her deep emotional connections, as well as some yellow, denoting her impending choices. There were the occasional weak, fluttering strands of white that symbolized undefined or fragile events.
The frozen world is broken after he could take that all in.
Ai was still standing there, her sheepish smile brightening up the moment. "Riku Nifuruji-kun? I recognize you from Miyako-san's description."
"That makes it easier, then," he laughed.
Ai took a quiet moment to size him up, evaluating him. 'He's young, huh…? Probably around the same age as me. Miyako-san said he knows self-defense and is good with communication. Hey, maybe I'll see some cool stuff like in the movies?! Hehe, that'll be fun.'
Riku cleared his throat, snapping her from her fantasy. "So I was told you just moved in and haven't gotten everything set up or bought yet."
It was his first job to help her with it!
Ai's face lit up with an enthusiastic smile. "You're right!"
Ichigo and Miyako had decided that Ai needed to live on her own, but considering her lack of "independent life skills" and her need to care for her child, they'd hired a personal accountant to manage her finances. And, of course, the accountant had to be someone capable of taking care of kids, be around Ai's age for companionship, and—conveniently—be someone Miyako knew well. Enter Riku.
Originally, Miyako was supposed to be the one helping Ai, but when she saw how much she could push onto Riku, she happily handed over all the responsibility.
Ai didn't seem to think too much about it, so she kept talking. "Nifuruji-kun, you'll help me with all that, right?"
'Well, isn't that obvious?' Riku held back a snarky remark and kept the polite smile plastered on his face. "Of course, that's my role."
His gaze shifted around the room, and then he spotted them—the twins. They were sprawled out on the floor like a pair of adorable, clueless little balls of chaos, staring up at him with wide, sparkly eyes.
Riku couldn't help the brief flicker of pity that crossed his face. 'What kind of mother just leaves her kids lying around like that?'
He shoved the thought aside, only to immediately realize Ai had caught his look. She stared at him with confusion. "Why are you looking at them like that?"
"Huh?" Riku blinked at her, just as confused. "Looking at them like what?"
Ai let out an exasperated little groan. "Ugh, I don't know how to describe it! —ah, actually, I know! Pity…!"
Riku's eyebrows twitched. 'Right, she's not that clueless when it comes to reading emotions. I guess I need to be super extra careful around her when it comes to that stuff.'
And now, he had two choices here: lie through his teeth to keep things polite, or be brutally honest, the way he felt about how utterly incompetent her parenting was. Without hesitation, he went for the second option.
He sighed, loud and exaggerated, just to make sure she got the message.
"I just feel sorry for the way their parents are treating them."
"Eh?" Ai blinked at him, looking as if he'd just kicked a puppy.
Riku couldn't stop himself from scoffing. "I mean, seriously—what kind of mother just leaves two kids under two years old, who can barely even walk, just sprawled out on the floor like that?" he said, gesturing at the twins. "And don't even get me started on the stuff piled all around them that could fall and crush them if they accidentally bump into it. You know, if they do get hurt and you panic trying to pick them up, you might just kill them with your clumsy ass carelessness."
"H-Hey, that's a bit too extreme, isn't it?!" Ai stammered, visibly shaken by the apocalyptic scenario Riku had just painted.
"Doesn't change the fact that it's totally possible, though," Riku shot back, his tone deadpan.
Ai's face flushed with color as her temper flared. "You just don't know how to judge things properly with those eyes!"
Riku snorted. "And clearly, you don't have the mental capacity to raise them. Don't go having kids if you're not mentally prepared for it."
Ai's face was now a bright shade of red. "S-Shut up! I-It's my choice, okay…?!"
"Sure, sure," Riku said with a mock gesture, as though waving her off. "On the contrary, I should actually be thanking you. After all, rich people like you with shallow thinking are a goldmine for us peasants—you know, people who actually have brains but not enough money."
By now, Ai was so furious she looked like she might explode. Her face had gone from flushed to bright red, and before Riku knew what was happening, she stormed over to the door and slammed it shut in his face with such force it rattled the frame.
"—?!"
Riku didn't expect that kind of response, but he managed to catch the door with his hand before it slammed him. He clicked his tongue. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"It's just gonna give you a bump on the head! Get over it and stop overreacting!"
Ai shoved against the door, trying to force it shut again.
Riku was mildly irritated by Ai's antics and decided to escalate things—just a little. He suddenly weakened his push, making Ai lose her balance. With a startled squeak, she tumbled a bit, her eyes wide before she slammed her forehead into the door.
"W-What the hell was that?!"
"It's the payback, obviously."
"I didn't even hit you…!"
The twins were silently watching this little exchange, each having their own very different reactions.
Ruby was gleaming, bouncing in place like she'd just witnessed an exciting drama unfold. 'So romantic!' she thought, twirling in place, clearly living out some rom-com fantasy in her head.
Aqua, looking unimpressed, squinted slightly. 'Is he going to bang Ai and get us another sibling?'
***
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