The castle was unusually quiet for a morning in Hell, but that silence was abruptly shattered by a loud **THUNK** followed by a muffled sob.
Yumi bolted from the kitchen, holding a mixing bowl, only to find Aralyn on the floor rubbing her forehead with a pout. The tiny angel girl had managed to run headfirst into the wall again.
"For the love of—Aralyn, how many times do I have to tell you to watch where you're going?" Yumi groaned, crouching down to check on her daughter.
Aralyn sniffled, looking up at her mom with wide, teary eyes. "It jumped out at me!"
Yumi sighed, picking her up. "It's a wall, Aralyn. It doesn't move."
Kikidori leaned against the doorframe, clearly trying to contain his amusement. His lips twitched, and he pressed a hand over his mouth as his shoulders shook slightly.
Yumi noticed immediately and shot him a warning glare. "Don't you dare laugh."
"I'm not laughing," Kikidori said, voice strained as he desperately tried to keep it together. "I'm just... appreciating how much Aralyn takes after her dad."
"Excuse me?" Akuma said, walking into the room with a raised brow.
Kikidori smirked. "I mean, she's running into walls and everything. She's got your level of coordination, man."
Akuma rolled his eyes, while Yumi's irritation visibly grew.
"Don't you have anything better to do, Dad?" Yumi snapped, rocking Aralyn gently to soothe her.
Kikidori shrugged, pushing off the doorframe. "Not really. Watching this circus is pretty entertaining."
Yumi narrowed her eyes and set Aralyn down. Without saying a word, she marched to the kitchen, grabbed the nearest knife, and returned with purposeful strides.
Kikidori raised a brow. "Oh, come on, Yumi. You're not really gonna—"
Before he could finish, Yumi hurled the knife with surprising precision. The blade flew through the air and embedded itself in Kikidori's chest with a sickening **thud.**
Kael, who had just entered the room holding a toy, froze in place. "Holy crap."
Kikidori looked down at the knife sticking out of him, then back up at Yumi, completely unfazed. "Really? A knife? That's the best you've got?"
Yumi crossed her arms. "Don't test me, Dad. I've got more where that came from."
Kikidori chuckled, gripping the hilt of the knife and yanking it out in one smooth motion. Not a single wince or grunt escaped him. He twirled the blade in his fingers before tossing it onto the table.
"Nice aim, though," he said casually.
Yumi groaned, clearly more annoyed than before. "Why do you have to be so damn annoying all the time?"
"Because it's fun," Kikidori said with a smirk.
Kael, still standing in the doorway, couldn't hold back his laughter. "yumi, you actually stabbed him!"
"And I'll do it again if he keeps pushing my buttons," Yumi muttered, picking Aralyn back up.
Akuma sighed, rubbing his temples. "Can we not turn every morning into a battlefield?"
Kikidori clapped a hand on Akuma's shoulder. "Lighten up, son-in-law. This is what keeps life interesting."
"Interesting for you, maybe," Akuma grumbled.
Aralyn, now fully recovered from her encounter with the wall, giggled in Yumi's arms. "Grandpa's funny."
"See? The kid gets it," Kikidori said with a grin.
Yumi rolled her eyes and walked out of the room with Aralyn, muttering something about her dad being insufferable. Akuma followed, leaving Kikidori and Kael alone.
Kael looked up at his dad, still grinning. "You're crazy, you know that?"
Kikidori ruffled his son's hair. "Takes one to know one, kid."
The end of Chapter 31.