After everything that happened a few days ago, the four of us decided to leave Rania and Roselia to deal with their own issues.
But just days after returning to Earth…
"Kyle."
"It's been years, hasn't it?" she said with a smile, her gaze drifting toward Lena and Francesca sitting on the floor beside the wooden cabinet, playing chess.
With the same chess set Mr. Mingyuan gave us that cost two hundred thousand.
"Sis…" My brows knit together. "…I appreciate you coming here, but—"
My eyes shifted toward the cars parked outside.
Around a dozen of them.
"An entire convoy…?"
My older sister, Rose, waved her hand dismissively.
"Come on, it's just a dozen."
"You're causing a scene in the neighborhood, you know…"
Her hand froze in mid-air before she forced a smile.
"We won't be here long anyway."
She sighed and leaned back against the couch.
"It's Mom and Dad," Rose added, running a hand down her face. "They want us to come back home before they die."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Die…?"
"I know," she cut in. "It's stupid. Anathasia told them she'd reincarnate them somewhere else, didn't she? That planet Sega or something."
"You mean Aegea?"
She pointed at me and nodded.
"Yeah, that one."
"They're still trying to process the fact that their son… daughter-in-law, and granddaughters are actual gods."
She trailed off, staring at the small table between us before clutching her head with both hands.
"I mean, even I still can't really believe my little brother is an Outer God."
"I thought that kind of thing only happened in movies and books."
I let out a dry laugh, glancing back at the cars parked just outside the concrete fence, the sleek black roofs visible over the wall.
"That's just how things are, I guess…" I turned back to her. "You said Mom and Dad want us to visit, right?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
"Nothing." I shifted my gaze away.
"Then what's the point of asking?"
Her tone turned dry. I caught her expression flatten from the corner of my eye before she shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Where's your wife anyway?" she finally asked, her eyes darting around the room.
"She's still asleep," I shrugged. "We took care of a few things these past few days, so she's still out."
"Making a younger sibling for little Fran?"
I shot her a dry look.
"Sis… come on…"
She immediately looked away and sank deeper into the couch.
"What? I was just saying." She pointed at me again. "You're the one who keeps poking at me first. What's a little comeback going to do?"
"Rose?"
A soft voice suddenly came from the door, making both of us turn.
Standing there, still in her pajamas, was Anathasia.
Yawning softly while rubbing her eyes, still groggy and half-asleep.
Then she flickered.
The next moment, she was already lying on my lap, her eyes still half closed.
Rose's expression softened.
I gently stroked Anathasia's hair as it fanned across my lap, some of the silky strands spilling over the side of the couch.
"Mn… Kyle…"
My hand continued combing through her hair while she mumbled something unintelligible under her breath.
"Good morning," I said, looking down at her. "Sleep well?"
Anathasia shifted slightly on my lap. Her half-lidded eyes met mine, and a smile immediately curved across her face as she reached up and tugged lightly at my hair.
She nodded sleepily.
"Mhm… good morning…"
"…Is this household like this every morning?" Rose asked, looking toward Lena and Francesca sitting on the floor playing chess.
My gaze followed hers.
"Yeah," Lena replied. "They're usually like that."
"Sometimes it's hard to believe Mom and Dad are already in their late thirties," Francesca added as she placed down her knight.
"Checkmate, big sis."
For once, Lena's eyes widened in genuine surprise.
"That's…" she paused before a small smile formed. "…well played, Fran."
She reached out and patted Francesca's head.
Rose turned toward us again.
More specifically, toward me.
"Little bro."
"Yes, sis?"
Her gaze hardened as she leaned forward, her voice suddenly serious.
"I'm proud of you."
I went quiet, raising an eyebrow.
"Thanks…?"
"No, I mean…" she gestured vaguely at the two of us. "You treat your wife so well. It's definitely because I was always around, isn't it?"
My expression flattened.
"Anathasia told me you took care of her when she had her period like you already knew exactly what to do. She even said she would choose you in every possible timeline, in every single moment."
"You should've seen how much she kept trying to talk about how good you were to her." Her eyes sparkled.
"It's because of me, isn't it?!"
"You kept nagging me about your periods and cravings back then," I cut her off with a sigh. "So of course I would know what to do whenever Anathasia went through the same thing."
"And yes… maybe you do get some of the credit for forcing me to become your errand boy during those moments."
A beat passed.
"And we'll spend Christmas and New Year's back at home too. That's basically what Mom and Dad were trying to say, right?"
Rose nodded while Anathasia continued nuzzling against my stomach, her arms wrapped around my waist.
"…Almost twenty years," Rose muttered. "And you two are still as steady as before."
She pried her eyes off Anathasia and met my gaze.
"Do you guys even argue?"
"Arguments are normal for couples, so of course," I said, poking Anathasia's cheek gently, making her grumble softly.
"Just not your typical screaming matches though… more like—"
"Debates," Lena chimed in. "Mom and Dad rarely argue, true. But they debate like they're still in college."
We both glanced at her.
She turned to Francesca, who was quietly putting away the chess set.
"Francesca's been learning logical reasoning from them too. Since they both hate shouting."
She stood up slowly and turned back to Rose.
"It hurts their throat, they said."
"Yeah, that basically sums it up." I flashed Lena a smile.
She returned it before heading toward the kitchen.
Francesca followed right behind her.
"I'll help big sis make breakfast."
Then she disappeared into the hallway, leaving the three of us in the living room.
Anathasia still refused to leave my lap.
"…Wow," Rose murmured. "Is this what it looks like to have a stable family?"
My eyes narrowed.
"Sis… what's that supposed to mean?"
She lowered her gaze, quietly rubbing her chin.
"Well, for starters… you almost never argue with Anathasia."
She lifted her head and looked at me while I continued playing with Anathasia's hair.
"And your daughters aren't rebellious. Especially Francesca."
"Carthanalenia—I mean, Lena—was already pretty mature even back then, but she still acted like a child," she trailed off.
"And now she's like a poised CEO."
She gestured toward me.
"Kind of like how calm and collected you usually are."
"While Francesca has Anathasia's grace and playfulness… and somehow your house isn't a mess even though the two of you look like you're just taking it easy."
She looked down at Anathasia clinging to my waist, nuzzling her cheek against my stomach.
"Oh yeah. Which Outer God are you again?"
My brows knit together.
"What's with that random question…?"
Her expression turned dry as she raised her gaze to stare at me.
"Just answer my question. I'm your older sister, you know?"
"Still power-tripping even now…" I muttered with a soft sigh.
"The Fifth Outer God of Stillness, okay? It sounds cringe saying it out loud, so please don't ask me again."
She leaned back, crossing one leg over the other.
"Stillness, huh…"
"And the others are?"
"Continuity—Anathasia. Then there's Finality, Equilibrium, and Causality."
As I spoke, I suddenly felt the urge to squish Anathasia's cheeks. So I did.
"Whash are you doing…?" she grumbled, shifting on my lap as she fully opened her eyes, though she never pushed my hand away.
Her gaze met mine before slowly drifting toward Rose on the other couch.
Anathasia's eyes widened.
She scrambled to sit up.
"Good morning, Rose. When did you get here?"
"Girl, she's been here since the moment you clung to me half-asleep…"
Anathasia immediately shot me a glare before snapping her fingers, her clothes shifting into her loungewear.
"Why didn't you wake me up??"
My expression softened as I reached out and pinched her cheek lightly.
"You were asleep, and big sis doesn't mind either way."
I glanced at Rose, who simply nodded.
"I think it's cute. The two of you look exactly the same as always…"
"…while my skin's starting to wrinkle over here."
Rose's phone suddenly buzzed on the small table in front of us, the screen lighting up.
She glanced over, checking the notifications before straightening her business suit and draping her blazer over her shoulder as she stood up.
"Well, looks like we'll end our talk here for now," she said, picking up her phone.
"Business meetings… and I've gotta check on my sons too."
Rose smiled at us before turning.
"See you next month."
"Oh yeah, say hi to Kian for me," I added quickly as she stepped into the hallway.
"And my nephews as well."
She paused at the door and glanced back with a smile.
"Will do."
And just like that, she left.
The cars outside immediately pulled out and drove away, leaving Anathasia and me alone on the couch.
"Speaking of business," she said, swinging her leg onto the couch as she turned to me.
"How are our shares doing under Hinami and Mei's care?"
I casually picked up my phone from beside me and handed it to her.
"It's in the eight digits by now," I shrugged. "More like passive income at this point."
A moment later, faint sounds of gunfire started coming from my phone.
Before I realized it, Anathasia was already holding my phone horizontally with both hands.
"…Are you seriously playing on my phone right now?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she simply lay back down on my lap again. Still staring at the screen.