The kitchen tension shifted from logistics to the lingering danger of the "Nijigasaki Rooftop Incident." Shioriko, ever the pragmatist, adjusted her glasses, her expression tight with concern.
"Wait, Agung," Shioriko interjected, her voice sharp. "Did you promise to meet with us again after you were done here in Numazu and with Lanzhu's business in Hong Kong? What if those five—Karin, Shizuku, Setsuna, Emma, and Rina—are still waiting for you back in Tokyo?"
Agung stopped stirring the pot. He slowly turned around, his round face darkening with a mixture of disbelief and genuine fear.
"Risking my life being killed by **Ayumu**?" Agung asked, his voice climbing an octave. "Not a chance! Shioriko, you were there! All of you saw it! Except for the Aqours girls who were already here in Numazu, and Honoka, Rin, and Hanayo who didn't make the trip to Odaiba... you all witnessed the carnage!"
He gestured wildly with a soup ladle.
"When I gave Nijigasaki the chance to throw anything at me to appease their anger—to let out three years of pain—I meant it! But Ayumu took it to a literal level. Even after Kanata-chan posted in the Nijigasaki group chat that I'm *not* the same man, that I'm the 'Magician Panda' version... Ayumu still hurled a **fruit knife** at my head!"
Agung mimicked the whistling sound of a blade passing his ear.
"If I go back there to meet those five, Ayumu won't just bring fruit knives next time. She'll bring the whole kitchen drawer! No, the 'Choice' was final. I'm staying in the safe zone. Between the 'Discipline Master' Aoi and Ayumu's throwing arm, I'll take the seven-year-old with the wooden sword any day."
He looked at Maki and Umi, who both looked slightly horrified.
**The "Nijigasaki Rooftop" Casualty Report:**
> * **Projectiles Thrown:** Purses, shoes, high-end makeup kits, and one (1) stainless steel fruit knife.
> * **Agung's Status:** Miraculously un-perforated thanks to a last-second "Panda Roll."
> * **Ayumu's Status:** Currently labeled as "Extreme Hazard - Do Not Approach Without Armor."
"Look," Agung continued, his breathing leveling out as he leaned against the counter. "I gave them the rooftop choice to stay or go. Those five stayed behind in Tokyo. If they are waiting, they are waiting for a ghost that doesn't exist anymore. I am here for the fourteen of you who chose to follow this 'Marshmallow' to the seaside."
He turned his focus back to Shioriko, his gaze softening but firm.
"I'm a magician, Shioriko-chan, but even magic has limits. I can't fix a heart that still wants to throw knives at me. I'm moving forward. We have fourteen kids to raise, a school bus to manifest, and a 'Panda Headquarters' to build. Let the Tokyo Five find their own peace. My peace is right here in this kitchen."
Maki stepped up, placing a hand on Agung's round shoulder. "She really did throw a knife, didn't she?"
"She had a scary look in her eyes, Maki," Agung whispered, shivering. "A very, very pink, scary look."