At Akira's apartment, the evening passed lazily.
Akira and Aki were inside the bedroom, watching television together, while Ana and Aurora played nearby, fully lost in their own world.
Ana wore a cape with a crown perched on her head, a toy sword clutched in her small hand. She had declared herself the king. Aurora, wearing her own crown, played the princess. J crouched dramatically nearby, playing the role of the beast.
"Ah hahahaha! I will eat you, princess!" J declared.
Aurora immediately hid behind Ana.
"You can't, beast. My prince is here—my king!"
Ana narrowed her eyes and glared at J, raising her toy sword.
"I will eat him too," J growled.
Ana threw the sword straight at his face.
"Ouch!" J yelped, falling backward as the toy actually hit him.
"Yeah! The beast is dead!" Aurora cheered, then suddenly grew worried. "But… are you okay, Uncle J?"
J sat up, teary-eyed, a red sword-shaped print visible on his nose and cheeks. Aurora gently patted his head.
"Oh, there there. Don't cry, Uncle J… Ana, bad girl."
Ana stared at her seriously, then grabbed a stuffed monster and threw it at Aurora.
"Ana! I am your princess!" Aurora protested.
Ana calmly took the crown off Aurora's head and tossed it at her with a poker face.
J quickly stepped in front of Aurora protectively.
"Oh my god. Ana is just like boss."
Ana responded by throwing her milk bottle straight at J's face.
"Ahhh!" he cried.
"Mamaaa!" Aurora shouted.
Aki rushed out of the room.
"What happened, Aurora?"
Ana stood there smirking.
Aurora and J pointed at Ana together like victims.
Aki stared at Ana, pretending to be angry.
"Ana, did you hurt your sister and uncle again?"
Ana smiled like an evil mastermind.
Aki facepalmed, holding her own head.
"Bad girl, Ana. I'll tell your dad. So naughty."
Ana continued staring smugly at J and Aurora.
Aki grabbed Ana's cheeks gently.
"Look at me. I am scolding you."
Ana calmly pulled out her pacifier and shoved it into Aki's mouth.
Aki coughed.
"Ehh—Ana!!"
She picked Ana up and carried her to Akira.
Akira glanced up, confused, as Aki stood there pouting with Ana in her arms, Ana wearing a very serious expression.
"What did she do this time?" Akira asked.
Aki handed Ana over to him.
"Take care of your mini version. She is making everyone cry in the house."
Ana smirked.
"Look—she did that again," Aki added. "Scold her."
Akira looked at Ana.
Ana looked back at Akira.
They stared at each other, silently judging one another.
"Evil," Akira said.
Ana raised her hand. "Ah."
Akira patted her head and smiled.
"See? I told her she's being evil again, and she agreed."
Aki facepalmed.
Now Aki was scolding Akira instead—for not knowing how to scold properly. Akira and Ana listened with smiles, nodding seriously at every word.
Aki paused, blushing.
"Don't give me those eyes. And stop smiling… I am trying to scold you both."
Just then, the doorbell rang.
J and Aurora rushed to open the gate. Aki followed them, leaving Akira and Ana mid-scolding.
J opened the door dramatically.
"Helloooo~!!"
Yuke, Yuri, and Mickey stood there with Mickey's husband, Aoi, Astra, and the triplets—now eight-year-old boys.
Aurora's eyes sparkled.
"Wahhh! Grandma, uncles, and brothers are here!"
She ran straight into Astra's arms. Astra picked her up and kissed her cheeks.
Aki smiled and welcomed everyone inside.
Akira stepped out of the room with Ana in his arms. Yuke immediately leaned closer, giggling and playing with Ana.
"Aww, such a cute baby girl. Here—come to Uncle Yuke."
Ana stared at him with a serious face.
Mickey squinted.
"I've seen that expression before… but where?"
Aoi walked past holding a tray of snacks.
"Brother."
Mickey flinched as realization hit him.
"Right."
Akira smirked. Ana looked up at her dad and smirked too.
"Ohhh, carbon copy," Yuke, Mickey, and Mickey's husband said together.
Nearby, Aurora played with the triplets.
"Aurora, look! We brought chocolates for you," Noah said, handing her a bar.
Aurora stared with wide, sparkling eyes.
"Chocolate!!"
The triplets laughed. Miko picked her up while Mimi and Noah grinned.
On the couch, Astra, Aki, and Yuri sat together, watching them all with warm smiles.
Later, Akira and his siblings sat around a small round table, drinking juice and tea.
Yuke took a sip of his tea.
"Uhhmm… so sweet."
Akira casually swapped cups with him.
"That's mine."
Yuke blinked. "What? Really? It's so sweet."
"I like it sweet," Akira replied.
They laughed and continued talking.
Behind them, Astra, Aki, and Yuri looked through a family album Astra had brought, filled with childhood photos of Akira and his siblings.
Aki paused at one picture.
"Who is this tiny naked boy crying in the shower?"
Astra burst into laughter.
"Your husband."
Aki smiled in disbelief.
"Aww—haha. He looks traumatized. Did he not like taking baths?"
"Oh, it was a challenge," Astra said. "If we went in, he wouldn't come out. If we put soap on him, he started crying."
Aki sighed, smiling softly.
"So that's where Ana's soap-fight behavior comes from."
Another picture appeared—baby Yuke wearing a skirt.
Yuri laughed like a menace.
"Is that—bahahaha—Yuke?! I need to capture this!"
Yuke turned red, hiding his face while drinking his tea.
"Mom… why would you do this to me?"
"That was your dad's idea!" Astra defended herself.
Akira and Ana patted Yuke's shoulder in sympathy.
Another photo appeared—Astra and Leo holding tiny Akira and Yuke.
"Ohhh," Aki and Yuri said together. "Mom, is this when Yuke and Akira were babies?"
Astra nodded.
"Yes, it is."
Aki smiled.
"They're so cute. And Mr. Leo looks so handsome and young in this photo."
Astra sighed softly.
"He does."
Yuri leaned over Aki's shoulder.
"Mother-in-law, tell us your love story. How did you marry father-in-law?"
Astra paused, thinking.
"You want to hear it?"
Aki and Yuri nodded eagerly.
"Okay," Astra said, clearing her throat.
At the same time, Akira gathered his siblings and the kids.
"We're going out to the garden for a while, okay?"
"Okay, be careful," Aki, Yuri, and Astra replied together.
Once the door closed, Astra smiled.
"Now it's better. I can tell the story in peace. Although I regret marrying that man… he was my first crush, so yeah."
He looked at them.
"So… this is the love story."