The clock showed 20:54, Yuu surprised by the loud voice of Hiroki behind her.
"Yuu, don't open the door!" shouted Hiroki while rushing towards Yuu. Hiroki held Yuu's hand that was on the doorknob.
"What do you mean by 'don't open the door'?" asked Yuu, puzzled.
"It's not safe, Yuu." Hiroki removed Yuu's hand from the doorknob.
Ding dong, The doorbell rang again. Yuu and Hiroki turned to the front door and turned to each other and exchanging gazes.
"It's your parents, Yuu," whispered Jer on Yuu's right ear.
Yuu brushed off Hiroki's hand and tried to open the door but got stopped by Hiroki.
"Please, Yuu. Don't open the door," begged Hiroki.
Knock knock. "Yuu? Are you in there?" said a female voice on the other side of the door.
"It's my mom, Hiroki! I need to open the door," said Yuu while brushing off Hiroki's hand.
"Don't open, Yuu. It's dangerous," pleaded Hiroki.
Yuu looked at Hiroki for a few seconds and sighed. "Hiroki," said Yuu lightly and let out another sigh. "Owner of HRK110, Yuu, commanded to wait inside the bedroom."
"Don…" before Hiroki managed to finish his words, the program took control of his body, and he robotically answered, "As you wish, my Master."
Yuu's gaze followed Hiroki as he walked to the bedroom. Yuu turned to the front door and tried to straighten herself. She took a deep breath before she opened the door.
"Hello, Mom, Dad," said Yuu.
"What took you so long to open the door?" grumbled Yuu's mother.
Yuu stepped aside from the front door, and her mother and father stepped inside the house. They glanced around the house as if they were trying to search for dust spots. Their gazes stopped at the dining table.
"Do you have your dinner?" asked Yuu's mother while pointing at the dining table.
Yuu turned to look at the dining table and answered, "Ah, yes."
Yuu's mother walked across the room and stopped at the dining table while Yuu's father sat on the couch. Yuu was very nervous as she looked at her both parents inside her house. She still stood at the same place and didn't dare to move an inch.
"How are you lately, Yuu?" asked Yuu's father as he kept touching the couch's armrest.
"I'm quite fine, father. How about you and mother?" asked Yuu back.
"We are fine, too," answered Yuu's father. He kept looking around the room, and his gaze stopped at the bookshelf.
"How is your research's progress?" asked Yuu's father.
Yuu was startled a bit but tried to keep herself composed. She stumbled on her words as she answered, "I-It's progressing just fine, father."
"Are you eating dinner with someone else?" asked Yuu's mother while touching Yuu's dinner plate.
"E-Erm, no?" stumbled Yuu, "I-I was eating alone." She tried her best to calm herself.
"Why are there two plates of dinner on the table?" asked Yuu's mother as she turned to look at Yuu.
"It was for me, Mom." Yuu rushed to the dining table and tried to clean the plates out of Yuu's mother's sight.
"What brings you guys here, Mom?" asked Yuu, nervous.
"We came here after we got your address from the Peace Faction," answered Yuu's father.
Yuu was surprised by her father's answer.
"You should have told us your address if you moved out of the house, Yuu," said Yuu's mother.
Yuu tried to keep herself busy by making teas for her parents. The silence atmosphere in the house kept going on until hot water's kettle whistled. She poured the hot water into a teapot.
"You know, Yuu," said Yuu's father hesitated. "Your mother cried every night since we can't get in touch with you," he continued, "Her eyes were so swollen every morning, it's so hard for her to concentrate on the research."
Yuu gently put down the kettle and close the teapot lid. Then she grabbed the sugar jar and two cups on a tray.
"I know you don't wanna join the Peace Faction, Yuu," said Yuu's father, regretting.
Yuu grabbed the tray and headed towards the coffee table in front of her father. Her mother joined and sat beside her father. She poured tea to both of the cups.
"But, your Mom and I think it's the best to join the Peace Faction instead of the Neutral Faction, Yuu," said Yuu's father.
"I don't wanna join the Peace Faction, father. I already told you why," grumbled Yuu as she put the teacups in front of her parents.
"But, your research is the best of all, Yuu!" Yuu's father bent forward.
Yuu sat down across her parents. "That's why I don't want things to turn out naught because of my research!" complained Yuu.
"No, Yuu. You are the most valuable researcher the Peace Faction can get." Yuu's father tried to reason with Yuu.
"That's the biggest reason why I didn't want to join the Peace Faction, father," argued Yuu, "What if they used my research for bad things? What would happen to the world that is already crumbled?"
Yuu's father couldn't find any words to argue back and could only stare at Yuu. Yuu didn't give in and tried to give a stern look.
"Now, now, Dad," cut Yuu's mother. She grabbed the teacup and lightly sniffed on it before she continued, "Yuu, are you sure you are going to keep staying in the Neutral Faction no matter what?"
"Yes, Mother. I'm staying," convinced Yuu.
Yuu's mother let out a sigh and put back the teacup. She looked at Yuu straight and said, "I'm sorry Darling. This is for your own good."
After Yuu's mother finished her sentence, a bounce of people burst into the house. Yuu startled as she stood up. They were armed Ageha-humans. Yuu tried to step back and bumped her back on a wall. As her parents stood up, a man in a long black-coat stepped into the house.
"Researcher Yuu," said the man, smirked, and continued, "Don't blame me for not warning you."