While Yuno and her brother were having fun, Deya, at her brother's insistence, reconnected with her friends. Her training hadn't gone away, but having learned the truth, she fully understood her brother's motives and no longer tried to slack off.
Among her group of friends, she was the unofficial leader, so under her influence, the kids played active games.
When her brother and Yuno returned, there weren't many changes in their relationship. One detail Deya could notice was that now Yuno almost always called Ray "Daddy." Besides that, Yuno now took every opportunity to get a little affection.
She acted like a cat who loves her owner very much. Deya was very happy to see her beautiful niece so happy. Another new detail was that now Yuno called Deya "little aunt."
Time passed. Even though Ray couldn't go into the field, he continued to supervise particularly complex operations, which, combined with his past combat achievements, allowed him to maintain respect among the "Devils."
Now he headed to Samantha's room, who had been wounded during the last operation.
"How are you?" he asked upon entering the girl's room.
"For a commander, a cool head is very important."
Hearing Ray's stern reprimand, the girl bit her lip, remembering that two from her group had died. Lifting her head, she said:
"I don't want to be a commander anymore."
"I believe you can become a good commander, maybe one of the best."
"You have potential, you just lack experience. But if this happens again, I'll have to find another commander for your group. Try not to undermine my trust."
"Daddy, does your trust have anything to do with the fact that you're fucking my mother?" Samantha said unexpectedly for both of them.
She could clearly see that her mother was truly happy with this man, even though she wasn't his only one. After realizing what she had said, the girl desperately wanted to run away. She was very embarrassed.
Looking at her, Ray raised his hand, but instead of the blow she expected, he simply stroked her head and, smiling tenderly, said:
"I'm not just fucking your mother — we're making love."
"I have nothing against your games, but I still hope that one day a man will come into your life whom you can love. And even if you're a little lacking in manners, I'm still glad to have such a daughter," Ray remarked playfully.
"Honestly, I wouldn't want you to work in the field, but we both know I can't talk you out of it."
"Believe me, losing a child is one of the worst things that can happen to a person, and I wouldn't want your mother to go through that."
"But we both know you can't give this up. That means you have to be the best not only in combat and shooting but also use your head."
"I know my reputation precedes me, and you've probably heard about the scrapes I've gotten out of. I really was looking for death, but I always did my best to survive."
"I know how strange that sounds, but I had people who needed me. For you, that person is your mother. Maybe in the future, there will be someone else."
"I won't try to talk you out of it, and neither will she, but you must prepare thoroughly for every operation, because your death would be such a blow that your mother would hardly recover. Never forget that."
When starting a relationship with Ray, Kira thought he wouldn't be able to give her enough time. She had accepted that. All she needed was a small share of his warmth.
But the fact that, upon learning of Samantha's injury, Ray immediately came, despite being confined to a wheelchair, made the girl realize that despite the unusual nature of their relationship, Ray valued her and, if she needed him, he would be there.
Now she was in Ray's embrace. Even though some time had passed since her daughter's injury and, according to the doctors, she was now out of danger, the fear of loss she had felt upon learning of the injury still tormented her soul.
"Don't be afraid. We have reliable doctors. You saw her yourself, she's fine."
"I know, I know. It's just that I thought I was ready for any outcome when she said she wanted to join a combat unit, but it turned out I wasn't ready at all."
"You can never be ready for this, but we both understand we can't talk her out of it. I talked to her, and I think she understood my reasoning and will be more careful in the future."
"You know, now I regret that she, like me, can no longer have children. Maybe a child would help her settle down."
"Maybe, but that approach isn't for everyone. Besides, there needs to be a man in her life to whom she'd want to give a child," Ray said.
"I think such a man is already in her life. She just doesn't see it yet," Kira said playfully.
Not so long ago, Ray would have just joked it off, but after Tami and Alexandra's deaths, his attitude toward this had changed drastically.
He still regretted rejecting those girls. He could see their feelings were sincere, but at the time, he thought he was doing the right thing. That's why, looking into Kira's eyes, he said seriously:
"If that's what she wants, and you don't mind, I'll do it. But you must understand: once we cross that line, I won't be able to let her go."
"I know. But I'm sure that afterward, she won't want to run anywhere."
"Betrayal is one of the hardest things for me. I know it's not my place to say this, but for me, it's one of the most painful blows."
"I thought I was good enough to keep a girl from cheating, but it turns out I wasn't."
"Calm down. You're not cheating on me or little Yuno. We've both accepted this. That girl only ran away because she hadn't seen life yet. I'm sure that in the future, it will be one of her biggest regrets," Kira said, pressing closer to her beloved.
"I still regret not having the courage to accept Lily's offer," she said, smiling bitterly.
"Alright, let's not talk about that. How's Deya's training going?"
"Everything's great. I'm glad I finally managed to strike a balance and she has time for friends. I had to grow up very quickly, but I want her to stay a child as long as possible."
"How's your assignment going?"
"Everything's going well. I've chosen the people, and we've organized our gang. Now all the 'Night Butterflies' are under our wing. We're scouting buildings."
"I told some of the girls among the 'Devils' about my idea, and several decided to join. Mostly those who can't fight or those who've lost loved ones. That will make gathering compromising material easier. We'll only need to choose the right moment to drop the bombs."