The golden light of sunrise poured through the windows, bathing the room in a warm glow. It was the first time in what felt like forever that they had woken up without fear.
Kisimoto stretched, feeling the stiffness in his muscles ease. He glanced over to the small kitchen where his mother was already preparing breakfast. The scent of simple, home-cooked food filled the air.
He wasn't sure when he had last felt this… normal.
Serena sat at the table, twirling a spoon between her fingers.
And she was Serena.
No eerie humming. No distant gaze. Just her usual, calm self.
Roko, still half-asleep, dragged himself onto a chair. "Morning."
Kisimoto tossed him a piece of bread. "Eat."
Roko groaned but took a bite anyway. "We need jobs," he mumbled through a mouthful.
Their mother nodded. "We can't live off scraps forever."
Kisimoto had already thought about it. "There's a few stores hiring in town. I'll check them out today."
Roko smirked. "You? A store clerk? That's rich."
Kisimoto shot him a look. "What else do you suggest?"
Roko leaned back. "Dunno. Mercenary work?"
Their mother glared. "Absolutely not."
Roko laughed, hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright."
Serena, quiet all this time, finally spoke. "What about Otouchan?"
The room fell silent.
Kisimoto's stomach twisted. "…What about him?"
Serena's gaze darkened. "Was it really him that night?"
Their mother's fingers tightened around her cup. "It had to be."
Roko frowned. "But what if it wasn't?"
They all looked at each other.
And the memory of the lab crept in.
Kisimoto clenched his fists. "Let's talk about what we remember."
They started piecing it together—the experiments, the C-Bots, the corpses repurposed into machines.
Was Otouchan even alive?
Or was he just another puppet?
Serena's spoon clinked against her plate. She looked at them, her green eyes flickering. "Then there's only one way to find out."
Silence.
Then—
Kisimoto exhaled. "We find the truth."
TO BE CONTINUED…