At the kindergarten gate, Rina Nakiri turned her head away, remaining silent—refusing to acknowledge her mother. Erina Nakiri reached out to hug her adorable daughter. Why had she agreed to pick Rina up today? And why wasn't she bothered by Renz's tone earlier? Clearly, it was to create some alone time with her daughter.
However, Rina was in a bad mood. The pick-up had been very, very late, leaving her waiting for what felt like an eternity.
In truth, it hadn't been that long—but children perceive time differently. They judge waiting based on how they feel, and for Rina, the delay was torturous. That's why she believed her mother took forever to come. She was mad—pouting fiercely.
"Let's go home," Erina said.
Her movements froze. She was flustered; this was her first time dealing with a child's tantrum.
"No, I won't!" Rina hugged herself tightly, still looking away. Late is late, and in her eyes, a late pick-up was inexcusable.
"Then what will make you go home?" Erina crouched down in front of her. She had a high tolerance for her daughter's moods. If it were anyone else, she probably would've turned around and walked away.
"I want ice cream," Rina immediately declared. Children really do love sweets.
This was the perfect chance to deepen their bond. Erina's eyes lit up—but then she hesitated. For such a small child, wouldn't ice cream upset her stomach? Kids have delicate digestion.
Should she prioritize bonding or Rina's health?
In the end, Erina chose the latter. Children should be spoiled, but not indulged. The demand was a bit unreasonable.
"Let's go home. Mom will make you something delicious," Erina said firmly. Her tone gave no room for negotiation. If Rina refused, she'd resort to forceful persuasion.
Rina's eyes instantly filled with tears. Mom wasn't being fair!
"No! I want ice cream!" Rina shouted with all her might. Her arms, once crossed, dropped to her sides for better leverage.
While Rina stood her ground, her brother didn't.
"Eat yummy food! Eat yummy food!" Haruki Nakiri cheered, waving his arms enthusiastically. "Let's go home and eat yummy food!"
The daughter was a tsundere. Was the son… an idiot?
If Rina's personality was like hers, then whose personality was his? Erina found herself pondering this deep, philosophical question.
"Haruki!!!" Rina exploded. Her brother had betrayed her. A turncoat!
"Wouldn't it be better if Mom bought me ice cream later, and I gave you a bite?" she argued.
"I don't eat ice cream," Haruki said innocently. "I want Mom's cooking. Dad said kids who eat ice cream turn into idiots."
"You're already an idiot even without eating it!" Rina huffed.
"Mom, am I an idiot?" Haruki looked hurt, turning to Erina.
"Haruki is very obedient, not an idiot at all! Rina is the idiot!" Erina said with mock seriousness, hiding her amusement. Watching children bicker was just too entertaining.
"Rina isn't an idiot! Haruki is a big idiot!" Rina fired back. With her limited vocabulary, "idiot" was the harshest insult—and "big idiot" was even worse.
"I'm an idiot? Then what's the idiot's sister called?" Haruki countered. "An idiot's sister is an idiot sister!"
"Mom! Take me home and leave this idiot at kindergarten!" Haruki finally snapped.
"Alright, alright, I'll take you home," Erina said, taking Haruki's small hand.
Suddenly, Rina burst into tears. "I want to go home too!" She reached out, tugging at Erina's clothes, crying through clenched teeth. "Hold my hand."
Erina extended her other hand and took Rina's.
"I want to go home and find Daddy! Let Daddy make sense of this!" Rina cried. "You were clearly late picking me up, and you're being unreasonable! You bad woman!"
Erina's face darkened. How was this her fault? It was that idiot Renz who forgot the pick-up time and frantically called her for help. She rushed over to save the day!
"Then go home and find your dad," Erina pouted. "You can eat instant noodles with him for dinner."
"I'll eat it!" Rina said defiantly. "Dad's instant noodles are a million times better than the food you, bad woman, make!" she huffed—but her little hand still clung tightly to Erina's.
---
"Can the chat please stop asking who that woman was?" Renz said, clearly irritated.
The stream had been going great—until Erina Nakiri appeared in his room. Since then, the entire vibe shifted. Everyone kept asking about her.
"She's my cousin. Really, my cousin," Renz coughed, trying to clarify. "Mods, ban anyone stirring things up. What? The mod is stirring things up too? Never mind—I'll demote you."
He said it, but didn't actually follow through. It's better to guide than to block. The more you try to suppress gossip, the worse it gets. Eventually, they'd get bored and stop.
Hopefully.
"Let's switch games," he muttered, scrolling through options when—
BANG!
The room door burst open.
"Daddy!" Rina sprinted in and shouted, "Mommy bullied me! She picked me up late, called me an idiot, wouldn't let me eat ice cream, and made me eat instant noodles with you!"
Emergency! Level five alert!
Renz froze, practically turning into a molten statue on the spot. He had just stabilized the stream's energy, and then… boom. Rina dropped a nuclear bomb.
Did she think chat didn't understand Japanese? Sure, some words might fly over their heads—but "Otousan"? "Daddy"? Nearly everyone watches anime!
This little loli—was she Renz's daughter?! Then that woman… his wife?! But hadn't he just said she was his cousin?
"His cousin is his wife?!"
The implications were beyond horrifying.
> "God z, ****** awaits you,"
The chat exploded, flooding with sarcastic fire.
Damn it! What do I do now?!
Admit she's his cousin? Then it's game over—the "cousin = wife" theory gets confirmed.
Deny it and admit she's his wife? The viewers would unleash all their rage, torching him online with the full wrath of meme-fueled sorcery.
But admitting she was his wife was still better than being sent to German bone surgery. He had to pick the lesser evil. This was a matter of moral integrity!
Cold sweat began to trickle down Renz's forehead.
What to do?!
---
What do you think Renz will do to salvage the situation? And how will this unexpected public reveal affect his relationship with Erina—and their future together?
---Support with power stones