On the rooftop of the remodeled building where Anton lived, inside a beautiful glass greenhouse, Koji was trimming the leaves of small trees on a table.
Anton approached and poured himself a cup of tea, looking at the hundreds of trees, feeling much calmer knowing they were being excellently cared for.
"Tell me, Anton, how is it working with my daughter?" Koji was aware of the operations that had taken place, so he wanted to know from his son-in-law's perspective.
Anton didn't hesitate and said, "Complicated. She is a strong-willed woman who doesn't need any man to protect her, but I feel the need to do so, even if it bothers her."
"I suppose that's why she's upset, ha, ha, ha."
"Tell me, am I wrong? I've slowly introduced her to the work I do, but I would never allow her to be in excessive danger because I couldn't forgive myself if she got hurt." Anton wanted to know what someone like Koji thought about it.
Koji showed a wide smile. Everything was going well if Anton had these concerns about his fiancée. If he worried about her and was attentive enough to learn more about their relationship, it meant he had done a good job evaluating him.
"Akira grew up without her mother. She saw me fall into melancholy, even though I was very hard on my emotions. Nevertheless, she is very good at identifying people who are sad or lonely." After saying this, Koji remained silent for a few seconds and then said, "I tried to keep her away from the Continental, but she was very stubborn about being part of it and helping me, which mattered most to her."
Anton listened in silence. Life had taken many turns, and he never thought he could find something as stable as this. If asked, he would say this was not a punishment at all but his second chance to redeem himself and create everything he once wanted but set aside for power, money, and the desire to gain more and more.
Money and power were worthless in this world; if you were the target of a dark entity, there would always be chaos, and you never knew when the end of humanity, as we know it, would come. But as long as Anton was alive, he would fight for everything he had achieved in this life without a second thought, but what he couldn't do was lead others down that path, and that included Akira.
"I know what worries you. I've seen that look in your father's eyes, and all I can tell you is that if my daughter is willing to follow you down that thorny path, you should value it." Koji said this while continuing to trim the leaves of the trees.
Anton nodded, knowing that the most sincere way to apologize was also to acknowledge that what was needed was not an apology.
"In a few hours, I'm going to try to prepare a meal. I hope you join us," Anton said while bowing, giving respect to his Japanese father-in-law. It wasn't difficult to bow to this man; he didn't do it often, but somehow, it was the closest action he could give to people with such customs of respect.
Koji watched Anton walk away, stopped trimming the leaves of the trees, and sighed. "I don't know what path awaits you, my daughter, but I'm sure you won't regret it."
Anton was now a Guardian Archbishop, which meant he would soon become a Cardinal of the Light. This also meant that from this point on, Anton would start facing the most catastrophic events that the most skilled individuals usually encounter.
As he understood it, Cardinals of the Light entered the Pope's council room and were responsible for managing disasters in different countries around the world and reclaiming areas taken by dark entities.
At this point, Anton was about to take on the world's work, bearing millions of lives on his shoulders. He would decide who lives and who dies, who can be saved and who cannot. If he had been doing this so far, the way he would do it after becoming a Cardinal would be on a much larger scale.
"I suppose they'll give him the job of dealing with the parasites. If they have consciousness, it will be a danger to him because he will be the target of all parasites," Koji thought as he resumed his work.
...
Anton, who knew nothing about this, arrived at the master bedroom, took a deep breath, and opened the door. "Akira, from now on, I'm not going to push you away."
"I'm pregnant." Akira emerged from the bathroom, holding a pregnancy test.
Anton looked at Akira without showing any expression. This news was like a bomb in his head because he had never imagined something like this before.
How old are they?
Being a parent was a new responsibility that had never occurred to him. Quickly, anxiety filled his mind more than happiness, given the state of the world.
"Aren't you happy?" Akira watched Anton, paying attention to his reactions.
Anton quickly approached Akira and said, "You should take a more thorough test tomorrow. Didn't you have your period?"
"It was a lie. The truth is, I'm ten days late," Akira said, thinking about the time she had been with Anton after the attack on the Continental.
"I really regretted pushing you away. I wanted to tell you this, but now things have changed so much."
Akira held Anton's hand and said, "I know what worries you, but we'll be fine."
Anton nodded, a little worried. This had completely changed the way he worked his mind.