Lena and Kaito sat on the floor of her modest bedroom, the low evening light filtering through the window and casting long shadows across the tatami-style flooring.
The air carried the faint scent of the hospital still clinging to her bandages mixed with the cotton of her gray hoodie.
Her leg throbbed from the earlier fight, but the quiet conversation with Kaito had eased some of the tension coiled in her chest.
They spoke in low voices about training adjustments for the Worlds and small differences between German and Japanese gym culture.
The door creaked open suddenly. Two small faces peeked in—Lukas, the six-year-old boy with messy light brown hair like his father's, and Sophie, the four-year-old girl clutching a stuffed rabbit, her dark pigtails bouncing.
"Play?" Lukas asked shyly, eyes wide at the sight of their step-sister and the Japanese boy on the floor.
Lena's expression softened despite everything. A small, genuine smile tugged at her lips.
"Sure. Come in."
The children darted inside, giggling. Kaito raised an eyebrow but played along, grabbing one of the spare pillows from the bed. What started as gentle taps quickly escalated into a full pillow fight.
Feathers threatened to burst from the seams as Lena swung lightly, letting Lukas "defeat" her with dramatic falls.
Sophie squealed with delight when Kaito lifted her for a gentle bounce attack.
Lena's laughter—rare and bright—filled the room as she blocked a pillow from Lukas and countered with a soft tap to his side. For a few minutes, the weight of the day lifted.
Bandages, bruises, and the looming presence of her father downstairs faded into the background.
A soft knock interrupted them.
Lena's mother stood in the doorway, her face tired but warm.
"Dinner's ready if anyone's hungry."
"Yes!" the children cheered, dropping their pillows and racing downstairs with excited footsteps.
Lena pushed herself up, wincing slightly at the pull in her thigh.
Kaito offered a hand, which she took.
As they headed down together, he leaned in. "You don't hate the kids?"
Lena shrugged. "Why would I? They have nothing to do with any of this. They're just kids."
Kaito laughed softly, the sound warm in the narrow hallway. "You may be hard-headed, but you're logical at least."
Lena punched his shoulder lightly with her good arm. "Watch it."
They entered the dining area. The small table had been extended to fit everyone. Elena sat at the head, composed but strained. Thomas Schneider occupied the opposite end, trying to look relaxed.
Kaito slid into a seat beside Lukas and Sophie, engaging them with simple questions about their favorite Japanese snacks to ease the awkwardness.
Lena went into the adjacent kitchen to grab a cold drink for her meal.
Mia, her stepmother, was already there, arranging side dishes with precise movements.
The woman turned, her polished smile fading into something sharper as she looked Lena up and down.
"You shouldn't be so disrespectful to your father," Mia said, voice low but cutting. "And honestly, look at you—bandages, bruises, that muscular build. You're manly, not a proper woman. No wonder you drive everyone away."
Lena stopped mid-reach for a glass. She set it down slowly and walked directly up to Mia, towering over the smaller woman with her broad, athletic frame. Her eyes were ice-cold.
"I don't need comments from a low-grade whore who liked the feeling of having a married man's wrinkled dick inside her used cunt because she had no sense of any shame or masculine figure in her life."
Mia's face went slack, mouth opening and closing in baffled shock. Color drained from her cheeks.
Lena smiled thinly, turned on her heel, and walked out to the dining room carrying her drink.
She sat down beside Kaito—deliberately placing herself next to her father as well. The tension in the room thickened slightly.
Mia emerged a minute later, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She sat quietly without meeting anyone's eyes.
They began eating. The food—rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and vegetables—smelled delicious, but the atmosphere choked any enjoyment.
Thomas cleared his throat, attempting small talk. "I've watched some of your tournament videos, Lena. They're good. Really impressive. But you could use a little more—"
The screech of Lena's fork scraping harshly across her plate cut him off.
She glared at him, picking a piece of meat from her teeth with deliberate slowness.
"I never asked for your input. And I don't want it from a man who's never even been there for a majority of my life."
Thomas's face tightened. "That's because you won't let me, Lena."
"Oh, I wonder why," she replied in a flat, static tone, eyes boring into him.
Elena shot her daughter a warning glare across the table.
"Lena. Enough."
Kaito shifted uncomfortably in his seat, clearly feeling out of place amid the family warfare.
He focused on helping Sophie with her chopsticks, avoiding eye contact.
Lena noticed and turned to him smoothly.
"So, that new grip technique you showed me yesterday—think it'll work against taller opponents in the Worlds?" she asked, voice deliberately lighter.
Kaito relaxed visibly, latching onto the safe topic. "Yeah, if you drop your level faster. Your balance is already solid, so chaining it with your osoto gari should be nasty."
They continued talking quietly between themselves, their conversation light.
The children chattered innocently, oblivious.
Elena mediated lightly when needed.
Mia stayed silent.
Thomas attempted a few more comments but eventually gave up.
Dinner dragged on but finally ended.
The children were ushered upstairs to bed by Mia, their excited voices fading.
Elena and Kaito moved to the kitchen to help clean up, the clink of dishes and running water providing a almost calming noise similar to a waterfall.
Lena remained in the living room.
Thomas and Mia sat across from her on the couch, their expressions a mix of anger and unease.
Lena leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, bandages peeking from under her sleeve, waiting for whatever "talk" they thought they were going to have.