Ren's POV
Peace had developed another problem.
For once, the problem did not involve Dungeons, dimensional fractures, surviving ancient civilizations, politically complicated demons, or anything attempting to replace a section of Japan with another world. No emergency call had arrived from the Guild that morning, nothing had exploded inside the condo, and Vael had already disappeared three floors downstairs for what he continued insisting was another perfectly ordinary meeting with Seris.
The problem was considerably smaller.
It had a touchscreen.
I discovered this at ten thirty-seven in the morning when I realized I had not heard Karin shout for almost twenty minutes. Considering Karin regarded silence as an unacceptable use of childhood, that alone deserved investigation.
I lowered the tablet I had been reading and listened from the sofa. The condo remained suspiciously peaceful, with none of the usual running footsteps, arguments over snacks, or Hikari asking questions that forced adults to reconsider fundamental laws of nature.
Their school was still closed because of reconstruction and safety inspections following last month's Velmoran Convergence Incident. Originally, all three girls had celebrated the unexpected vacation with the enthusiasm of children who believed education had finally been defeated.
By the second week, Ruri had created a study schedule. By the third, Karin declared that schedule an attack on childhood freedom, while Hikari solved the disagreement by drawing a golden dragon across the bottom half of the paper.
That morning, however, neither boredom nor worksheets had produced the usual household noise.
Something had gone wrong.
I stood from the sofa and stretched carefully. My right arm had almost completely recovered, although certain movements still produced enough stiffness that Ria could notice from across a room and immediately give me the kind of stare normally reserved for people attempting to damage something she owned.
Apparently that category now included me.
The healers had said another few weeks would probably return my pathways to normal. Ria had heard another few weeks and somehow translated it into my husband is still medically forbidden from lifting groceries without supervision.
Marriage had created an additional layer of healthcare administration.
I walked toward the hallway and heard something coming from the girls' room before I reached it. Electronic battle music filtered through the open doorway, followed by rapid tapping and Karin whispering with extraordinary intensity.
"Come on, come on—don't run now!"
I stopped outside the room.
Karin was lying on her stomach across the carpet with both feet raised behind her, a phone held horizontally between both hands. Her face had acquired the concentration normally reserved for threatening slimes, and both thumbs moved rapidly across what was unmistakably an Honor of Kings match.
Hikari sat beside her with a tablet balanced against her knees. Her golden eyes were equally focused, and her tongue protruded slightly from the corner of her mouth whenever she attempted something difficult.
Ruri stood behind both of them with her arms crossed.
Unlike her sisters, she looked less like a gamer and more like an exhausted parent reconsidering several life decisions.
"Karin," Ruri said, attempting patience despite the small crease already forming between her eyebrows, "you said the previous match would be your last."
Karin did not look away from her phone. Her hero was apparently one attack away from dying, and she leaned closer to the screen before answering.
"It was supposed to be the last one, but we lost."
Ruri stared at the back of her sister's head. "That doesn't change what last match means."
"It absolutely does," Karin argued, dodging another attack before retreating beneath a tower. "If I stop after losing, I'll spend the whole day thinking about the loss. That's unhealthy."
The expression on Ruri's face suggested she had encountered reasoning beyond her training.
"But if you play again and lose again," Ruri asked carefully, "wouldn't you feel even worse?"
Karin's thumbs stopped for half a second.
Apparently she had not considered this.
Then another enemy appeared on her screen, and the philosophical crisis was postponed. Karin hunched closer over her phone and answered with renewed confidence.
"That's why we're going to win this one."
I covered my mouth.
Sound logic.
Terrible conclusion.
Beside her, Hikari suddenly gasped. "Hikari got him!"
A kill notification appeared on the tablet, and Hikari's entire face brightened with uncomplicated delight. She bounced once where she sat, then immediately leaned toward the screen again when another enemy hero entered her vision.
"Hikari gets that one too."
Ruri turned toward the youngest with fresh concern. "Hikari, you're supposed to stop after this match too. Your eyes are going to hurt."
Hikari shook her head without looking away. "Hikari cannot stop yet."
"Why?"
"Hikari is protecting star."
Ruri closed her eyes briefly and gathered whatever patience remained. "Hikari, your rank star is not actually alive."
That finally made Hikari look up.
Her expression became genuinely troubled.
"But Hikari loses star if Hikari loses."
"That still doesn't make it alive."
Hikari thought about that for several seconds, then looked back toward the tablet and whispered with absolute conviction.
"Hikari protects star anyway."
Ruri slowly rubbed both hands over her face.
I had rarely seen my eldest daughter this defeated.
Karin suddenly slapped one palm against the carpet. "No!"
Her screen turned red.
DEFEAT.
Karin stared at the result as if Honor of Kings had personally insulted the Arclight family. Ruri immediately pointed toward the phone, visibly relieved to have reached what she believed was the end of the crisis.
"Okay. Finished. You lost, but that's enough for today."
Karin's thumb moved toward Play Again.
Ruri caught her wrist before it reached the button.
"Karin."
"But one more match—"
"You said that four matches ago."
"This one would actually be the last one."
Ruri's eye twitched.
Interesting.
I had seen Ria's do the exact same thing many times.
Apparently prolonged exposure could transfer behaviors.
Hikari quietly pressed Play Again on her own tablet while everyone was distracted. The queue sound exposed her immediately, and Ruri's head turned with terrifying slowness.
"Hikari."
The youngest froze with the tablet still held in both hands. The queue timer continued counting upward while she smiled with suspicious innocence.
"Hikari made mistake."
"You pressed the button."
"Hikari's finger made mistake."
"Cancel it."
The match notification appeared before Hikari could obey.
She looked at the screen, then at Ruri, and her shoulders dropped with theatrical tragedy.
"Too late."
Ruri stared toward the ceiling as though silently asking why being the responsible sibling required this much suffering.
I stepped away from the doorway before anyone noticed me.
Apparently my daughters had discovered Honor of Kings.
That was not inherently concerning. Children played games, adults played games, and entire friendships had probably been created and destroyed because somebody refused to contest a Tyrant or insisted on fighting while outnumbered.
I knew enough about Honor of Kings through advertisements, Guild break rooms, and listening to Ruruka complain about teammates who apparently considered the minimap decorative. The basic idea was simple enough: five players, three lanes, jungle resources, objectives, and a final crystal everyone became emotionally attached to.
The concerning part was that two of my daughters had apparently transformed one more match into a religious doctrine.
Fortunately, Ruri existed.
Ruri believed in schedules and moderation. Ruri was capable of putting down a device without acting as if the government had confiscated it.
She could probably handle her sisters without intervention.
Seven minutes later, Ruri walked into the living room looking like a commander whose defensive line had collapsed.
"Papa," she called as she approached the sofa, and the tiredness in her voice immediately confirmed that my confidence had been misplaced.
I set my tablet down. "Ruri."
She climbed onto the sofa beside me and released a long breath, shoulders finally dropping now that she was no longer responsible for maintaining order alone.
"Karin and Hikari won't stop playing Honor of Kings," Ruri explained. "I told them they could play after they finished their worksheets, but Karin finished hers really fast so she could start, and Hikari said watching Karin finish counted as studying."
"That does not count as studying," I assured her.
Ruri nodded emphatically, clearly relieved that an adult had confirmed basic reality. "I know. Then Karin said she would only play three matches, but now every time she loses, she says she needs to win before stopping. When she wins, she says she has to keep playing because she's on a winning streak."
I considered that system for a moment. "It appears she has successfully designed a situation where stopping is impossible."
"Exactly!" Ruri leaned toward me with sudden intensity, pleased that someone finally understood the problem.
"And Hikari?" I asked.
Ruri's face became even more tired. "Hikari copies Karin. I told them too much screen time was bad, and Karin lowered the brightness and said she fixed it."
I stared at my daughter.
"She adapted."
"Papa."
"Sorry."
The small pout on Ruri's face weakened when I reached over and gently patted her head. After a moment, I asked whether she had already told Ria.
Ruri became quiet.
That was not promising.
"Yes," she eventually admitted.
"And?"
Her eyes moved toward the dining area before returning to me. "Papa should come."
That sentence had never led anywhere normal.
I followed her.
The dining area appeared civilized from a distance. Morning sunlight stretched across the table, a cup of coffee sat beside an open book, and everything looked exactly like the peaceful domestic morning Ria claimed she had always wanted.
Ria herself sat at the far end.
The book had been abandoned.
Her phone was held horizontally between both hands.
Silver hair had been gathered into a loose ponytail, although several strands had fallen around her cheeks while she leaned toward the screen. She wore a simple dark blouse and lounge pants, looking completely unlike the Demon Queen whose recent public appearances still caused entire press galleries to become nervous.
Her crimson eyes were locked onto Honor of Kings.
She did not notice us.
That alone was impressive.
I stopped beside Ruri, and my daughter folded her arms before giving me a meaningful look.
"See?"
I looked back toward my wife.
Ria was playing Diaochan.
Of course she was.
Her character danced between three enemy heroes in the middle of a fight, purple-blue effects covering most of the screen while Ria's thumbs moved with considerably more confidence than someone who had supposedly downloaded the game only for parental research.
An allied jungler charged directly into four enemies.
Ria's expression changed immediately. Her brows drew together and her lips parted in genuine disbelief as she watched the player continue forward despite every warning visible on the map.
"What are you doing?" Ria whispered toward the screen.
The jungler died.
Ria slowly closed her eyes.
The expression on her face looked almost identical to the one she used whenever government officials proposed something catastrophically stupid during negotiations.
"Why would you go in alone when all four of them are visible?" she murmured, opening her eyes again only when another fight began near the middle tower.
Ruri lightly tugged my sleeve.
"Papa."
"Yes?"
"I told Mama Karin and Hikari were playing too much."
"And Mama decided to investigate personally?"
Ruri nodded miserably. "Mama said she couldn't decide whether it was bad without understanding the game first."
Reasonable beginning.
Dangerous execution.
"How many matches?"
Ruri raised both hands and began counting. "Mama said the first match didn't count because she didn't understand the controls. Then the second didn't count because someone took her lane. After that, somebody went AFK, and Mama said she needed a proper match to judge the game fairly."
I looked toward Ria, who was currently retreating from a fight only to turn around the moment an opponent followed too far.
"How many total?"
Ruri's shoulders sank. "Thirteen."
I rubbed my chin.
Apparently the research had become extensive.
Ria suddenly leaned closer to the screen.
Three enemy heroes were approaching her character while Diaochan had less than half health remaining. Instead of retreating, my wife smiled.
That was never a good sign.
"Come closer," Ria murmured.
The enemies came closer.
Diaochan disappeared into a storm of movement and abilities, blinking between attacks so quickly that even I had to follow the sequence carefully. One enemy fell, then another, and when the third elimination appeared, the announcer became considerably more excited than the situation warranted.
Ria's lips curved into a small, extremely satisfied smile.
"Predictable."
I stepped behind her while Ruri immediately positioned herself slightly behind my side, apparently deciding Papa could now serve as physical cover.
"Your daughters are addicted to Honor of Kings," I said.
Ria froze.
Not her character.
Ria.
Her shoulders became perfectly still, and after several seconds she slowly turned her head. Crimson eyes found me first, then moved toward Ruri, who quietly shifted farther behind my leg.
Ria looked back toward the phone, where her team was destroying the enemy crystal.
The victory animation appeared.
She looked toward me again.
"Ren."
"Ria."
Her cheeks became faintly pink.
"I can explain."
"Ruri already provided an excellent summary."
Ria's eyes narrowed slightly toward our eldest daughter, but Ruri had apparently decided the safest location in Japan was directly behind an SS-rank Archmage.
My wife straightened in her chair and recovered enough dignity to address an international summit.
"I was investigating the game," Ria explained. "The children were interacting with strangers in a competitive environment. As their mother, I considered it responsible to understand what they were doing before imposing restrictions."
I glanced toward the abandoned book beside her. "Thirteen matches?"
"Fourteen now," Ria corrected.
At least she was honest.
Ruri peeked around my side. "Mama said the first one doesn't count."
Ria's head turned. "Because it does not."
"It appears in your match history," I pointed out.
My wife's crimson eyes returned to me.
Danger.
I remained calm.
"What rank are you?"
Ria's expression changed immediately.
Interesting.
"Rank is not relevant to parental supervision."
"What rank, Ria?"
She looked toward the window.
Ruri answered for her. "Diamond One."
Ria closed her eyes.
"Ruri."
"You told us not to hide things from Papa."
"That principle is being applied far too broadly."
I laughed, and Ria glared at me, although the pink coloring her cheeks made the threat significantly less effective.
I looked toward Ruri again. "How about Karin and Hikari?"
"Karin is Platinum Two, and Hikari is Platinum One," Ruri replied immediately.
Ria's posture straightened slightly.
Very slightly.
But I noticed.
"Proud?"
"I am not proud."
"You looked proud."
"I am merely observing that my understanding of the game has developed faster than theirs."
Ruri suddenly became very quiet.
I looked down at her.
She looked away.
That was interesting too.
"Ruri."
"Yes, Papa?"
"You downloaded Honor of Kings as well."
Her fingers started fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "Only because Karin said they needed someone who actually looked at the map."
Ria's attention immediately shifted.
A small smile appeared on my wife's face.
Apparently justice had arrived.
"I barely play," Ruri added quickly. "I finish my worksheets first, and I don't play when we eat. I only joined because Hikari kept following enemies into the jungle and Karin kept starting fights."
Reasonable.
"What rank?"
Ruri looked increasingly uncomfortable.
"Ruri?"
She lowered her voice. "Grandmaster."
Silence settled across the dining room.
I looked at Ruri.
Then at Ria.
Ria stared at our daughter with genuine disbelief.
"Grandmaster?"
Ruri nodded cautiously.
My wife's posture changed completely. She leaned forward, forearms resting against the table while her eyes narrowed in concentration.
"You told me you barely played."
"I don't play very much," Ruri insisted. "Maybe three or four matches when I'm finished with everything."
Ria looked personally offended by this information. "How are you Grandmaster?"
Ruri blinked.
"I look at the map."
I had to turn my face away.
Ria remained staring at her while Ruri continued innocently, apparently unaware of the damage being inflicted.
"And I don't fight when we're outnumbered," Ruri explained. "If everyone is on one side, I push the other side or help with objectives. Sometimes Karin gets angry and wants to chase people, so I tell her not to."
A faint sound escaped me.
Ria slowly looked toward me.
"Ren."
"Sorry."
"You are laughing."
"A little."
Ruri tilted her head. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No," I assured her, putting one hand gently on her head. "You explained everything perfectly."
For some reason, that made Ria's expression considerably worse.
My wife picked up her coffee and took a long drink while staring toward absolutely nothing.
A former Demon Queen had just discovered that her six-year-old daughter who barely played Honor of Kings outranked her.
Peace was incredible.
Rapid footsteps came from the hallway before Ria could fully process the defeat.
Karin appeared first with her phone still in one hand, while Hikari hurried behind her carrying the tablet against her chest.
"Mama!" Karin called, slowing when she noticed me standing there. "Ruri said Papa knows."
Ria immediately pointed toward our eldest. "Your sister betrayed everyone."
Ruri gasped. "Mama!"
Hikari looked toward me with wide golden eyes. "Papa angry?"
"Not yet," I answered.
Both younger girls relaxed.
I let that last for approximately two seconds before adding, "It depends on what happens next."
Their relief vanished.
Karin quietly lowered her phone while Hikari attempted to hide a tablet nearly the width of her torso behind her back.
I pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat down. "All of you, come here."
Karin grimaced but obeyed. Hikari climbed into the chair beside her and rested her chin against both hands with the expression of someone preparing for sentencing, while Ruri immediately took the chair beside me.
Ria remained where she was.
I looked toward my wife.
She raised one elegant eyebrow. "Yes?"
"All of you includes Mama."
Karin's eyes widened.
Hikari leaned toward her and whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Mama in trouble."
Ria's crimson gaze narrowed at me, although there was already the slightest hint of embarrassment behind it.
"I am already sitting, Ren."
Technically true.
Annoying woman.
Once everyone was settled, I folded my arms against the table.
"Honor of Kings itself isn't the problem," I began.
Karin's expression immediately brightened.
I raised one hand before she could celebrate. "You are still in trouble."
Her shoulders dropped again.
"The problem is playing for several hours and treating one more match like a legally binding requirement. Games are supposed to be fun. You're allowed to play them, especially while school is still closed, but not if everything else in the house disappears because you need another star."
Ruri nodded firmly beside me, finally seeing some appreciation for her suffering.
"So from now on, worksheets, reading, chores, meals, and anything else you need to finish come first," I continued. "After that, you can play."
Karin immediately raised her hand. "How long?"
"One hour and thirty minutes on normal days."
Her face collapsed. "Papa!"
Hikari looked equally horrified. "Only ninety minutes?"
Across the table, Ria shifted slightly in her chair.
I noticed.
"You have something to add?"
My wife straightened. "I was merely considering whether ninety minutes might be unnecessarily restrictive."
Ruri slowly turned her head toward Mama.
Ria noticed the look and frowned. "What?"
"Mama."
The disappointment in Ruri's voice was devastating.
Ria looked away.
I leaned back and studied my wife. "The parent who was supposed to help control the children is negotiating for additional Honor of Kings time."
"I am considering fairness."
"You played fourteen matches this morning."
"Research."
"Diamond One."
A faint flush appeared across her cheeks.
Karin started laughing.
Ria's eyes moved toward her.
The laughter stopped immediately.
I decided to make one concession before the household declared rebellion.
"Two hours on weekends," I amended. "But only if everything else is finished first."
Karin immediately began calculating whether this represented victory. Hikari whispered the number two hours to herself as though memorizing treaty terms, while Ruri smiled with obvious approval.
Ria looked thoughtful too.
That was concerning.
"Next rule," I continued. "No playing during meals, no phones or tablets after bedtime, and no sneaking another match because you lost a star."
Karin's face became guilty.
Hikari's did too.
Ria remained perfectly composed.
I looked directly at her.
Ruri followed my gaze.
Ria slowly raised one eyebrow. "Why are both of you looking at me?"
"You played in bed last night."
Her dignity cracked.
"How do you know?"
"You were leaning against me while doing it."
Karin's mouth opened.
Ria immediately pointed toward her without even turning. "Do not."
Karin covered her mouth with both hands, but her shoulders started shaking anyway. Hikari looked between Mama and me with delighted curiosity, while Ruri turned pink and suddenly found the tabletop extremely interesting.
I mercifully continued. "No spending money on skins, tokens, or anything else without asking first."
The three girls reacted normally.
Ria became completely still.
Oh.
I looked toward her.
She looked back.
"Ria."
"Yes?"
"Did you buy something?"
"No."
Hikari immediately raised one hand.
Ria closed her eyes.
"Mama bought Diaochan clothes."
Karin leaned forward enthusiastically. "The limited skin! The really pretty one with all the flowers."
Ruri looked toward Mama with quiet disappointment.
Ria inhaled slowly.
I held out my hand. "Phone."
"You are enjoying this too much."
"Phone, Ria."
She reluctantly passed it over.
I opened the skin menu and found exactly what I expected: Diaochan wearing elaborate black-and-crimson clothing surrounded by luminous flowers, ornate effects, and enough visual decoration to make the artificial Sovereign's design look restrained.
I checked the price.
Then I looked toward my wife.
Ria immediately defended herself. "It was discounted."
"That is usually how they get you."
"It was also limited."
"That is also how they get you."
"The effects are beautiful."
I looked at the preview again.
Unfortunately, she was correct.
"That isn't the point."
Ria crossed her arms and attempted to recover some dignity. "I have my own money, Ren."
"Yes."
"And I liked the skin."
"Also yes."
A small victory appeared in her eyes.
I continued before she could enjoy it. "But yesterday, you told the girls that they needed to ask us before buying anything inside a game."
The victory disappeared.
Ruri nodded solemnly beside me.
Karin's grin became enormous.
Hikari leaned toward Mama with the fascinated attention of a spectator watching a boss fight.
Ria looked from one daughter to another before finally turning toward me.
Nobody saved her.
After several seconds, her shoulders lowered and she released a reluctant sigh.
"Fine. I should have followed the same rule I gave the girls."
Ruri immediately smiled. "Thank you, Mama."
Ria looked offended by how effectively responsible parenting had been turned against her.
I returned her phone and waited until she accepted it before continuing.
"One last rule. If I hear one more match twenty times in one day again, I pull the Wi-Fi."
The reaction was immediate.
Karin's mouth fell open.
Hikari slowly lowered her tablet onto the table.
Even Ria's expression changed.
My wife stared toward the router across the living room before turning back toward me. "You would not."
"I absolutely would."
"Ren."
"Ria."
Her crimson eyes narrowed. "You cannot punish an entire household because two children refuse to stop playing."
"Three."
Ria's mouth closed.
Ruri covered her smile with one hand while Karin turned toward Mama with delighted disbelief.
"Mama got counted."
Hikari nodded seriously. "Mama addicted too."
"I am not addicted," Ria replied, visibly offended.
Her phone made the unmistakable Honor of Kings matchmaking sound.
Everyone looked down.
Apparently at some point during the conversation, Ria had somehow remained inside the queue.
A match had been found.
The Accept button glowed across the screen.
Ria stared at it.
Her thumb moved.
Then stopped.
I watched.
She noticed me watching.
For several agonizing seconds, Astrea von Velmora—the former Demon Queen, original sovereign of Velmora, one of humanity's first two SS-rank Hunters, and a woman who had stared down an artificial king without kneeling—fought a bright blue button on a mobile game.
Her thumb twitched again.
Karin leaned forward.
Hikari held her breath.
Ruri watched Mama with desperate hope.
Ria closed her eyes.
Then she pressed Decline.
The queue disappeared.
Ruri's whole face brightened. "Mama did it!"
Karin looked genuinely shocked. "You declined a ranked match."
Hikari stared at her mother with admiration. "Mama strong."
Ria looked exhausted enough to suggest the decision had required considerably more willpower than anyone should need for a phone game.
"I hope everyone appreciates what I just sacrificed."
I did.
Probably more than she expected.
I stood from my chair and walked around the table.
Ria watched me approach with mild suspicion, but before she could ask what I was doing, I bent down and placed one hand gently against her cheek.
Then I kissed her.
Her crimson eyes widened.
The girls went completely quiet.
I kept the kiss brief, just long enough for Ria's surprise to soften and the tension in her shoulders to disappear. When I pulled away, warm color had already spread across her cheeks while her fingers remained frozen around the phone.
"Good job," I told her.
Ria stared at me.
Karin stared at us.
Ruri's eyes had become very wide.
Hikari looked absolutely delighted.
For several seconds, the former Demon Queen appeared to forget Honor of Kings existed.
Then Ria slowly touched her lips with the tips of two fingers.
"You kissed me because I declined a match?"
"Yes."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Not angrily.
Thoughtfully.
That was worse.
I immediately recognized the calculation happening behind them.
"Do not turn this into a reward system."
The corner of Ria's mouth curved. "I said nothing."
"You're thinking about it."
"Perhaps responsible behavior should be encouraged."
"Ria."
She looked extremely pleased with herself now. "What? My husband cannot kiss his wife when she demonstrates self-control?"
Karin suddenly raised her phone with both hands. "I CAN DECLINE TOO!"
"No."
Her face collapsed. "Why does Mama get a reward?"
Ria answered before I could. "Because Mama has different privileges."
I looked toward my wife.
She met my eyes shamelessly, still blushing but apparently far too pleased with the arrangement to care.
Marriage negotiations had resumed.
Ruri covered a small laugh with one hand, while Hikari looked toward me with complete seriousness.
"If Hikari declines game, Hikari gets Papa kiss too?"
"Cheek," I clarified immediately.
Ria's head snapped toward me.
I looked toward my wife.
"What?"
Ria narrowed her eyes and folded her arms. "Nothing."
That sounded suspiciously territorial.
Cute.
Very cute.
I sat down again before the conversation became more complicated.
"The rules still stand," I reminded everyone. "And the Wi-Fi remains vulnerable."
Karin immediately placed her phone face down.
Hikari copied her.
Ria looked toward her own device, hesitated, and then reluctantly placed it beside mine.
Ruri smiled with the satisfaction of someone whose government had finally received military support.
The household gaming crisis should have ended there.
It did not.
Ruri pulled out her own phone to check the time, and a rank notification appeared across the screen.
Ria noticed first.
Her eyes narrowed.
"What was that?"
Ruri blinked. "What?"
"Your rank changed."
Karin immediately leaned across the table. "Wait, Ruri ranked up?"
Hikari climbed halfway onto her chair for a better look.
Ruri opened Honor of Kings reluctantly and turned the phone around.
Grandmaster — 19 Stars.
Karin stared.
Hikari gasped.
Ria slowly leaned forward and studied the screen as though it contained a military report.
"You gained another star?"
Ruri nodded. "The match from before finished before I came to tell Papa. I forgot to check."
My wife's gaze remained fixed on 19 Stars for several seconds.
Then her eyes drifted toward her own Diamond One badge.
Her lips tightened.
I recognized danger immediately.
"Don't."
Ria looked toward me with perfect innocence. "Don't what?"
"Whatever you're thinking."
"I am not thinking anything."
"You are staring at Ruri's rank like it insulted you."
"She barely plays."
"That appears to be helping."
Ria turned toward me.
I probably deserved that look.
Karin started laughing. "Mama is jealous!"
"I am not jealous," Ria replied, lifting her chin with wounded dignity. "I simply find the difference suspicious considering I have substantially more combat experience."
Ruri looked genuinely concerned. "Mama, Honor of Kings isn't real combat."
Silence settled over the table.
I lowered my head.
Karin fell sideways laughing.
Hikari began giggling too.
Ria slowly looked toward her eldest daughter.
"I am aware."
Ruri smiled apologetically. "Ruri can help Mama if Mama wants."
That was devastating.
Ria stared at her.
"Help me?"
Ruri nodded enthusiastically, clearly believing she had offered something kind. "Mama fights too much. Sometimes you chase people after they're already running away when you should take towers instead."
I covered my mouth.
Karin slapped the table while laughing.
Hikari nodded solemnly. "Mama chases."
Ria looked toward me.
Her expression demanded spousal support.
I had none to provide.
"You are supposed to be my husband," she said.
"I am."
"Then defend me."
I tried.
Really.
But Ruri had evidence.
"I can't defend bad macro."
Ria's mouth opened.
No sound came out.
For approximately three seconds, the woman who had survived war, sealing, and sovereign rebellion looked personally wounded by game terminology.
Then she crossed her arms and turned away.
"I dislike this family."
Hikari immediately climbed down from her chair, hurried around the table, and hugged Ria around the waist.
"Mama loves family."
Ria's expression softened almost instantly. She looked down at the youngest dragon clinging to her, and one hand gently settled over Hikari's hair.
"Yes," Ria admitted with a tired sigh. "Unfortunately."
Karin joined the hug from the opposite side, mostly because she apparently feared being excluded. Ruri hesitated for only a second before moving around the table too.
Within moments, the former Demon Queen had disappeared beneath three daughters.
Ria looked toward me over their heads.
The irritation had vanished from her face, replaced by something softer and quietly helpless.
I smiled.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, although affection had already ruined the threat.
"Do not say anything, Ren."
"I wasn't going to."
"You were thinking something."
"Probably."
Ria sighed while Ruri hugged her tighter, and the small smile forming at the corner of her mouth betrayed how little she actually objected.
Then Karin's phone made a notification sound from the table.
Her head snapped toward it.
I cleared my throat.
Karin froze.
Slowly, she looked at me.
I pointed toward the router across the living room.
Her eyes widened. "I didn't even touch it!"
"You looked at it."
"Looking isn't playing!"
I considered the defense for a moment before nodding. "Accepted."
Karin visibly relaxed.
Hikari, however, had become fixated on something more important. She looked toward the router with sudden concern before lifting her face toward me.
"Papa can really remove Wi-Fi?"
"Yes."
"All Wi-Fi?"
"All of it."
Hikari's golden eyes became enormous.
The realization seemed to shake her more deeply than anything the artificial Sovereign had accomplished.
Ria glanced toward the router as well, then looked toward me with growing suspicion.
"You understand that I require internet access for Guild communications."
"Mobile data."
Her expression hardened.
"You planned this."
"I've been raising three children long enough to develop countermeasures."
Ruri looked immensely satisfied beside us.
Finally, she had reinforcements.
The three girls placed their devices together on the shelf.
Ria kept hers.
I stared at her.
My wife looked down at the phone still in her hand, then toward me with an expression of remarkable innocence.
"Guild communication."
"Of course."
She held my gaze for another moment before sighing and placing the phone face down on the table anyway.
"Happy?"
"Very."
Ria's eyes narrowed, but then her gaze drifted toward my mouth and she apparently remembered what happened the last time she behaved responsibly.
Her expression softened almost immediately.
Interesting.
Very dangerous development.
Ten minutes later, the condo had returned to its normal amount of noise.
Ruri brought out drawing paper and colored pencils, while Hikari immediately began drawing what appeared to be Diaochan riding a golden dragon. Karin complained that she was bored for approximately thirty seconds before becoming interested in helping Ruri construct a cardboard castle.
Ria returned to the book she had abandoned earlier.
She managed to read for almost three minutes.
Then her eyes drifted toward the phone.
I noticed.
Ria noticed me noticing.
Her gaze immediately returned to the book.
I smiled.
She looked at me over the top edge of the page. "Stop watching me."
"I'm not."
"You are looking directly at me."
"Interesting book."
Ria lowered the page slightly, her expression becoming suspicious. "I am the book?"
"Apparently."
A faint blush touched her cheeks.
She lifted the book higher again, although I could still see the tiny movement at the corner of her mouth.
Cute.
I returned my attention to my tablet.
Several quiet minutes passed before something warm pressed against my arm.
At some point, Ria had moved from the dining chair to the sofa beside me. She still held the book in one hand, while her other arm had quietly wrapped around mine.
I looked down at where she had attached herself, then toward her face.
Ria continued reading as though nothing unusual had happened.
"Something you need?"
"No," she answered without looking up.
"You crossed the room."
"The light is better here."
I looked toward the windows.
The lighting was almost identical.
"Of course."
Ria leaned slightly closer until her shoulder rested fully against mine, and the faint smile behind the book confirmed that we both knew the explanation was nonsense.
I decided not to challenge it.
From the floor, Karin suddenly looked up from the cardboard structure she and Ruri were building.
"Papa, how long until we can play again?"
I checked the time before answering. "You've already used your game time today."
Karin's face collapsed. "What?!"
Hikari looked equally devastated, her crayon stopping halfway across the paper. "No more today?"
"Not today."
Ruri continued drawing with the calm satisfaction of someone who had already accepted the rules.
Beside me, Ria's fingers tightened slightly around my arm.
I slowly turned toward her.
She looked innocent.
"What?"
"You're disappointed too."
"I am sympathizing with our daughters."
"Diamond One."
Her eye twitched.
Karin immediately started laughing again.
Ria pointed at her without lifting her head from my shoulder. "Continue laughing and I will ban your hero when we play together next time."
Karin gasped. "You can't do that!"
"I can."
"That is evil!"
Ria's crimson eyes gleamed with familiar pride. "I was the Demon Queen."
Apparently old titles still had practical uses.
Ruri looked up from the cardboard castle, eyebrows drawing together in mild disapproval.
"Mama, banning your teammate's hero because you're annoyed is bad behavior."
Ria slowly closed her eyes.
I laughed into my hand.
She elbowed me lightly without leaving my shoulder.
Peace remained complicated.
About an hour later, I started preparing lunch while the girls argued over whether their cardboard castle needed a Dungeon Gate. Ruri wanted structural consistency, Karin wanted six defensive towers because apparently three were insufficient, and Hikari wanted an enormous golden dragon living on the roof.
All valid concerns.
I had just started cooking when quiet footsteps entered the kitchen behind me.
Ria did not announce herself.
She rarely did when she wanted affection.
Her arms simply wrapped around my waist from behind, and a moment later her cheek settled comfortably between my shoulder blades.
I looked down at her hands where they rested over my stomach.
"Need something?"
"No," Ria answered.
"Then why are you attached to me?"
"My husband is cooking."
"That usually requires less physical restraint."
"You complain too much."
Her arms tightened slightly.
I smiled and returned to the pan.
For several quiet seconds, she remained there without speaking. Her warmth settled against my back, and I could feel the slow rhythm of her breathing through my shirt.
Then Ria shifted slightly.
"Ren?"
"Yes?"
Her voice became noticeably softer. "Can I play one match while you cook?"
I stopped moving.
Behind me, Ria also became completely still.
Slowly, I turned my head.
She looked up at me.
Her crimson eyes had widened slightly, and there was even the beginning of a tiny pout she would have denied making under interrogation.
Weaponized cuteness.
Again.
"You're doing the face."
Ria blinked innocently. "What face?"
"The one you used when you wanted me to carry you to breakfast yesterday."
"I have only one face."
"That is objectively false."
Her mouth twitched.
I pointed toward the router visible through the kitchen entrance.
Ria's expression immediately soured.
"You are enjoying this power far too much."
"Immensely."
"Tyrant."
"Former Demon Queen."
"That is unrelated."
"Completely."
Ria tried maintaining her offended expression, but the corner of her mouth kept moving.
I turned around fully and leaned down.
She looked suspicious.
Then I kissed her forehead.
The irritation disappeared almost instantly.
Ria blinked up at me, cheeks turning faintly pink while her hands remained loosely around my waist.
"That was bribery."
"Positive reinforcement."
"You mocked me when I suggested that earlier."
"You were trying to create a ranked-match reward economy."
"It was an innovative parenting model."
I laughed, and Ria's eyes softened despite herself.
Then she leaned forward and wrapped both arms around my waist again, this time pressing a small kiss between my shoulder blades before resting her cheek against me.
"Fine," Ria murmured. "I will wait until tomorrow."
I glanced down at her hands. "Responsible."
She squeezed me. "Do I get another kiss?"
I stopped stirring.
Interesting.
"You really did create a reward system."
"I am adapting."
Before I could answer, Karin shouted from the living room.
"MAMA! WHEN PAPA ISN'T LOOKING, CAN WE USE MOBILE DATA?!"
Ria lifted her head from my back.
I slowly closed my eyes.
A long silence followed.
Then my wife raised her voice toward the living room, unable to hide the laughter already creeping into it.
"Karin, do not give me ideas!"
"I knew it," I said.
Ria immediately buried her face against my back again.
Her shoulders shook with quiet laughter, and from the living room Ruri's horrified voice followed almost immediately.
"Mama!"
Hikari started giggling while Karin loudly defended herself against accusations of corrupting the household. Ria remained wrapped around me, apparently deciding that if she could not play Honor of Kings, she might as well continue using her husband as furniture.
I returned to cooking.
Peace, apparently, was not going to be quiet.
It was going to involve Honor of Kings, rank jealousy, three daughters learning the phrase one more match, and the former Demon Queen requiring parental controls despite technically being one of the parents.
Ruri, despite barely playing, somehow outranked everyone because she possessed the revolutionary ability to look at the minimap and leave fights she could not win. Karin treated every defeat as a personal challenge, Hikari believed rank stars required emotional protection, and Ria had discovered Diaochan, limited skins, and the dangerous concept of a promotion match.
Apparently my responsibilities as the world's first SS-rank Archmage now included threatening to unplug the Wi-Fi.
I had defeated monsters, sealed a Demon Queen, broken an artificial Sovereign, and survived enough battles that most countries had finally stopped pretending my old A-rank registration made sense.
None of those accomplishments had prepared me for four members of my family staring at a glowing Accept Match button as though destiny itself had appeared on a phone screen.
Fortunately, I had discovered their weakness.
The router.
And, apparently in Ria's case, kisses.
Behind me, my wife tightened her arms around my waist while I adjusted the heat beneath the pan.
"Ren?" Ria asked after a few quiet seconds.
"Yes?"
"If I reach Grandmaster before the girls return to school, will you be impressed?"
I looked over my shoulder.
Ria gazed up at me with completely sincere curiosity, her earlier embarrassment gone now that competitive ambition had returned.
I considered my answer carefully.
"I'll be more impressed if Ruri doesn't have to report you again."
Ria's cheeks puffed slightly before her crimson eyes narrowed with renewed determination. "I can do both."
From the living room, Ruri immediately shouted, "Mama, I heard that!"
Ria froze against my back.
I started laughing.
She buried her face between my shoulder blades again while Karin and Hikari joined Ruri from the other room, all three daughters talking over one another about Mama's rank addiction.
Ria remained attached to me throughout the entire argument, her face hidden against my shirt while I could still feel her laughing.
Annoyingly peaceful had somehow become annoyingly competitive.
I could live with that too.
*****
End of Chapter 66
Arclight Parenting Status
Parents:
Ren Arclight — Retired Archmage / Dragon Dad / Supreme Router Administrator
Ria Arclight — Former Demon Queen / Dragon Mom / Diamond I "Researcher"
Current Family Objective:
Establish healthy gaming limits
Protect household productivity
Prevent "one more match" from becoming family doctrine
Children Under Protection:
Ruri — Ice / Emotional Anchor / Grandmaster Macro Specialist
Karin — Fire / Chaos / Cannot End On A Loss
Hikari — Light / Reality Risk / Protector of Rank Stars
Today's Activities:
Discovered the Arclight gaming epidemic
Established household screen-time rules
Survived Diamond I maternal negotiations
Successfully declined one ranked match
Threatened the Wi-Fi
New Developments:
Ruri somehow reached Grandmaster
Ria purchased her first limited skin
Ren discovered router-based sovereign authority
Kisses have become a dangerously effective reward system
Household Status:
Peaceful
Competitive
Moderately Regulated
One Match Away From Disaster
Parents Stress Levels:
Ren
Amused
Authoritative
In Control Of Router
Ria
Competitive
Slightly Addicted
Still Diamond I
Parenting Skill Growth:
Ren: 100% (Parental Controls Unlocked)
Ria: 100% (Rules Apply To Mama Too)
Family Synergy: 100% (Five-Stack Potential Extremely Concerning)
Current Parents Status:
Ren
Responsible
Victorious
Wi-Fi Tyrant
Ria
Affectionate
Competitive
Planning Grandmaster Climb
Immediate Priorities:
Keep devices away during meals
Prevent unauthorized purchases
Stop Karin from inventing loopholes
Keep Ria away from the Accept button
Operational Assessment:
Mission Type:
Gaming Regulation + Domestic Crisis Management
Difficulty:
Ranked Addiction
Emotional Status:
Ren
Entertained — Content — Powerful
Ria
Embarrassed — Determined — Competitive
Future Outlook:
Ruri Expected To Continue Outranking Everyone
Karin Expected To Demand Rematches
Hikari Will Continue Protecting Stars
Ria's Grandmaster Campaign Increasingly Inevitable
Ren's Router Authority Expected To Be Challenged
Parents Personal Statement:
Ren:
"I can't defend bad macro."
Ria:
"I can do both."
Reality's Response:
"The Demon Queen once fought for control of Velmora. Now she was fighting for Grandmaster while her husband guarded the Wi-Fi. Peace had become strangely competitive."