Chapter 24: Judgment

John knocked on the door to Rin’s house, Alpha standing behind him.

“I’ll get it!” Rin’s voice echoed, and then the door opened.

Perhaps remembering what happened yesterday, Rin had changed ahead of time into a loose pair of gray t-shirt and sweat pants.

She smiled and said, “Good morning Mister-” But then she noticed the state John was in and gasped. Mister John! What happened to you?!”

John sighed and walked inside.

“Oh, Master? You arrived already?” Beta walked over from the kitchen, carrying a platter of pancakes. But when she saw the state John was in, she simply sighed and placed it on the dining table.

As for Sakura… “Pft. What, did you get run over by a car on your way here, Mister Smith?” She laughed, placing down a pot of rice and various side dishes.

John brushed himself off and said, “Don’t worry about it. Just some karma catching up to me.”

Sakura took a seat at the table and said, “Karma, huh? What, did you do some bad things when you were younger?”

At that time, Alpha walked in and said, “You have no idea, Miss Sakura.”

Sakura paused and looked towards Alpha. “Huh? Another one…” She looked at John and said, “You really like surrounding yourself with beautiful woman, huh?”

John took a seat at the dining table and said, “You act like I go out of my way to do that.”

Beta cleared her throat.

John ignored her. “Anyway…” He looked at the food and then at Beta, who was still wearing an apron. “…Did you forget what I said?”

“Ah.” Beta flushed and then bowed her head. “My apologies. But-“

Sakura spoke up and said, “Don’t blame her too much. I was curious at just how good Miss Beta was at cooking. Though… I guess we got a bit carried away?”

“I can see that…” The dining table was filled with enough food that it wouldn’t be odd to think they were celebrating the New Year or something.

Rin took a seat beside John and said, “Will it be a problem for practice today, Mister John?”

“It’ll be fine. I’m not planning to run a super strict agency anyway, so we have some wiggle room.” He paused. “Though I’ll have to make sure the bookkeeping matches up later… Mm. Knowing her, I’ll get audited the moment I let my guard down.”

Not a major problem, but one to consider now.

Alpha plopped down into the chair next to John and pulled out her Mintendo Switch.

Seeing that, John sighed and then said, “Alright. Let’s eat and then head back. Ah.” He paused and then turned towards Sakura. “And congratulations on your miraculous recovery.”

Sakura smiled.

—–AI|IA—–

…Sakura was no longer smiling.

Back at Myth Inc. HQ, Rin and John were practicing in the dance studio.

Because Sakura was curious about exactly how John was training Rin, and because Rin insisted on showing off to her mother, Sakura followed them up.

That Miss Beta had come with Sakura as well, but the other beautiful young woman, Alpha… And foreigner names really were strange, weren’t they?

In any case, Alpha had gone off somewhere, still clutching that game console and muttering about practicing.

That left Sakura standing off to the side with Beta, watching Rin and John practice..

And what she saw…

Sakura glanced over at Beta and said, “Is Mister Smith an overseas superstar?”

John slid across the floor before spinning around. Coming to a sudden stop, his blonde hair shifted, letting him take a stylish pose.

Beta watched her Master for a bit and then said, “Master is indeed quite infamous back home for his skills. Many a man and woman were jealous, envious, and furious about his ease at obtaining various skills and talents.”

Sakura glanced back at John, watching him suddenly switch from dancing like a stylish male idol to… running through cutesy pop idol routines.

Even so, while it should have looked ridiculous, his face made it somehow not.

Sakura slowly nodded. “With that face, I’d get pissed off too.”

It was the perfect riajuu look. The face of someone successful in life, the confident and calm expression of a person who wasn’t fazed by trouble… Not to mention looks that were 11/10, even if Sakura was being harsh.

Paired with the fact that he was that skilled and didn’t even look bad doing what should have been ridiculously embarrassing acts…

“…No wonder you love him enough to call him Master.”

It was the sort of face that men would be pissed off with since they couldn’t compete. It was also the sort of face that would make women jealous of whatever girl he had at his side. At the same time, the women who managed to get his attention would probably excuse whatever he did.

Sakura would know from past experiences.

Beta coughed. “Again, Miss Sakura, I would like to inform you that I am not his lover.”

Sakura rolled her eyes. Still, since that Miss Beta was pleasant company and a decent cook, Sakura decided to tease her a bit. “Of course not. He’s just your ‘Master’ that you dote and care about so much. Oh wait, you said he was your father, didn’t you?”

Beta nodded. “He is… despite the vast number of men and women who refuse to believe it.”

Sakura shrugged and leaned back on the wall. “Well of course. That guy isn’t even old enough to have a daughter your age.”

Beta blinked and then said, “I… believe you have a misunderstanding.”

“Eh? Wait.” Sakura frowned. “…How old is Mister Smith?” She was under the impression that he was in his mid-twenties at the latest, but from Beta’s words…

Beta paused, placing a hand on her chin. After a moment of silence, she carefully said, “Older than you?”

Sakura paused and then laughed. “That’s a good joke, Miss Beta.”

Beta gave her a blank stare in return.

“Wait. You’re being serious?”

Beta nodded. “I am. Master…” She glanced over at John and then quietly said, “Father is actually older than he looks.”

“…How much older?”

Beta looked complicated and then said, “That would be better to ask him?”

Sakura blinked and turned back to John. “…Huh. No wonder he’s hated.”

Looking that good in his thirties… No, from how old Miss Beta was, he had to be in at least his forties. “…Ah.” Suddenly she realized why he brushed off her jokes at pairing Rin with him.

If Beta was really his daughter… And now that she thought about it, she could definitely see a bit of John in the beautiful crimson-haired young woman, he must have been turned off at the thought.

Though it did explain why he helped Rin out. Having a daughter of his own, especially one that beautiful, seeing Rin in that situation must have struck a chord with the man.

Beta blinked and then narrowed her eyes. “…Why do I sense that you are misunderstanding something again, Miss Sakura?”

“You’re just imagining things. But…”

John spun around again and pulled a mic out from somewhere, singing in a low and suave voice.

*I’m a no-good stray dog come off the rails

But I won’t wag my tail so easily…

I missed my chance to become a yes man…

Whoa Breaking the law~ Breaking the world… Break it apart!*

Sakura paused and turned back to Beta. “Are you… sure that he’s older than me?”

Beta nodded. “He is also married.”

“I suppose I should have a talk with Rin then…”

Seeing her daughter look so happy dancing with that guy… It’d be better to nip it in the bud sooner before it was too late. After all, it’d be far too easy to fall for someone that smooth, suave, and sexy-

“Gah!” John slipped, tripping over his own feet and slamming face first onto the ground.

“Mister John!”

…Or maybe there wouldn’t be a problem after all?

—–AI|IA—–

Kai bowed his head at Takashi Kimura as the officer opened the door for Kai.

“Daddy!” The moment that the door opened, a bright and excited voice called out, followed by rapid footsteps. Tsuki ran over to the door and jumped at Kai.

He laughed and opened his arms to catch her, spinning Tsuki around. “Morning, Princess. Have you been good?”

Tsuki nodded and said, “Yes! Uncle played with me a lot and Chihiro nee-chan read books with me!”

“That’s great!” Kai set Tsuki down, patting her head and said, “Get your things ready, alright? We’ll head home in a bit.”

“Okay!” Saying that, the young girl ran off.

Takashi walked over, watching Tsuki packing, and then leaned over to Kai. “Even if it’s to meet old friends, you should cherish this time you have with her.”

Kai sighed. “I know, Aniki.”

The officer shook his head and said, “And so long as you do.” He stared at Tsuki and said, “She’s acting like this now, but it’s only a few years before she’s a teenager, you know? At that point you’ll be regretting missing out on the cute years… And too busy scaring off boyfriends.”

Kai tensed, his eyes narrowing. “Right…”

Perhaps he should get in touch with a few of his ‘friends’ to prepare for the latter eventuality…

“Anyway,” Takashi said. “What took you? The Kai I know is always on time.”

Kai shook his head. “It turns out my old friend had a lot to say.”

“Mm. I was starting to worry that you were off flirting with some woman instead of spending time with your daughter.”

“…”

“…Kai?”

Kai sighed. “She isn’t interested anyway. And thank you again, Aniki. I’ll pay this favor back.”

Takashi waved and said, “Pay me back by taking Tsuki out today. The poor girl was waiting for you all night.”

Kai’s heart clenched and he nodded. “I will.”

“Daddy?” The girl walked over, carrying a pink Hello Kitty backpack. “Are we going now?”

“Of course, Princess.” He gently held her hand and said, “How about we go have some fun today?”

Tsuki gasped. “Can we?!”

“Whatever you want, Princess.”

“Then… Can I meet Daddy’s friend?”

“…”

_________