Kikidori sat at the dining table, a cup of dark, steaming liquid in his hand—whether it was coffee, wine, or some unholy combination was anyone's guess. Ere'ana stood nearby, tending to Kael, who was busy drawing random shapes on a piece of parchment. The atmosphere was finally peaceful, save for Kikidori occasionally smirking to himself, clearly still amused by the earlier events.
Then the door to Yumi and Akuma's room creaked open.
The couple emerged, their hair disheveled and faces flushed. Yumi's attempt at nonchalance was betrayed by the way she leaned on the wall for support, while Akuma rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact with everyone.
"Hey," Yumi said, her voice slightly hoarse. "What's... uh, what's everyone up to?"
Ere'ana raised an unimpressed brow but said nothing. Kikidori, on the other hand, couldn't resist.
"Enjoy your *exercise*?" he asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Akuma coughed, his face turning crimson. "Y-Yeah, just... needed to, uh, stretch our legs a bit."
Yumi glared at her father, mouthing, *Shut up!*
Kael, however, perked up at the mention of exercise. "You guys were running?" he asked innocently, his big, curious eyes fixed on them.
Yumi froze, her face contorting as she tried to think of an answer. "Uh, yeah! Running. Totally."
"Inside?" Kael tilted his head. "But there's not much room to run in your room. Were you playing tag?"
Akuma choked on his own breath, and Kikidori let out a bark of laughter, nearly spilling his drink. "Tag! That's a good one, kid."
"Kael," Ere'ana interjected quickly, her voice tight, "how about you focus on your drawing, sweetie?"
"But I wanna know how they were running!" Kael insisted, his little brows furrowing. He pointed at Yumi and Akuma, who both looked like they wanted to sink into the floor. "You're both all sweaty! Were you racing?"
Ere'ana closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Kikidori, meanwhile, was grinning like a madman, clearly enjoying the show.
"Yeah, kid," Yumi finally said, her voice shaky. "We were racing. That's all. Just a quick race around the... uh, bed."
Kael's eyes lit up. "Can I race with you next time?"
Akuma made a strangled noise, and Yumi immediately waved her hands. "No! I mean, no, it's... it's an adult race. Not for kids."
Kael pouted, clearly dissatisfied. "That's not fair. Adults get all the fun games."
"Trust me, kid," Kikidori said with a smirk, "some games are better left to the grown-ups."
Ere'ana shot him a warning look. "Not helping."
Kael sighed dramatically and went back to his drawing, muttering under his breath about how adults never let him do anything fun.
Yumi and Akuma took the opportunity to escape, quickly making their way to the kitchen. Ere'ana followed shortly after, leaving Kikidori alone with Kael.
"Dad?" Kael asked after a moment, looking up from his drawing.
"Yeah, kid?" Kikidori replied, leaning back in his chair.
"Why do adults get all the good games?"
Kikidori chuckled, ruffling Kael's hair. "Because we earned it, kid. Trust me, you're better off not knowing about some of them."
Kael didn't look convinced, but he dropped the subject, turning back to his drawing.
From the kitchen, Yumi's voice carried faintly into the room. "I swear, Dad is the worst!"
"You should've locked the door," Ere'ana replied.
Kikidori smirked to himself. It was going to be a long day.
End of Chapter 5