Ren woke up to noise.
Loud noise.
"WAKE UP!!! IT'S NEW YEAR!!!"
"…It was yesterday…"
Aanya jumped on him anyway.
"IT STILL COUNTS!"
"…Who made that rule…"
"I DID!"
Ren sighed, staring at the ceiling.
"…This house is dangerous…"
From the corner, Kaito quietly spoke.
"…You said yesterday we would celebrate properly today."
Ren blinked.
"…Did I?"
"…Yes."
"…Then I guess I'm trapped."
Aanya grabbed his hand and started pulling him.
"COME ON!! FOOD!!"
"…You just woke up…"
"FOOOOD!!"
"…Fine, fine…"
Kitchen.
Chaos.
Absolute chaos.
Ren stood in front of the stove like a man going to war.
"…Alright."
"…Today…"
"…We cook like real Nepali people."
Aanya clapped.
"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!"
"…It means… we try not to burn the house."
"…That's not comforting…"
Kaito silently sat on the counter, watching.
Ren started preparing chicken, spices filling the air.
Oil sizzling.
Steam rising.
"…Careful…" Kaito suddenly said.
"…I know what I'm doing."
SSSSHHH
Oil splashed.
"…I slightly know what I'm doing."
Aanya laughed loudly.
"DAD IS LOSING!"
"…I am not—"
He flipped the chicken.
Perfect.
Golden.
Aanya's eyes sparkled.
"…Okay… maybe I'm winning."
A little later—
They sat together.
Plates full.
Hot food.
Simple.
Warm.
Aanya took a bite.
Then froze.
Ren panicked.
"…Is it bad?"
"…It's AMAZING!!"
She started eating faster.
"THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!"
Ren smirked proudly.
"…Of course it is."
Kaito took a bite quietly.
Chewed.
Swallowed.
"…It's good."
Ren leaned back.
"…That's the highest praise I'll ever get from you, isn't it?"
"…Yes."
"…I'll take it."
After eating—
They went outside.
Open sky.
Clear wind.
"KITE!! KITE!!"
Aanya ran around excitedly.
Ren held the string.
"…Do you even know how to fly this?"
"…No."
"…Then why are you so confident?"
"…Because I'm me."
"…That's not a reason."
The kite went up.
Wobbly at first.
Then steady.
"IT'S FLYING!!!"
Aanya jumped.
Ren smiled slightly.
"…Yeah…"
"…It is."
Kaito stood beside him.
Looking at the sky.
"…Higher," he said.
Ren adjusted the string.
"…Like this?"
"…Yes."
The kite climbed higher.
Dancing in the wind.
For a moment—
Everything felt… normal.
Then—
Kaito's eyes shifted slightly.
Just for a second.
As if he was checking something.
Not the kite.
Something else.
But he said nothing.
"LET'S GO TO THE FAIR!!"
Aanya shouted.
"…You still have energy?"
"…YES!"
"…Of course you do…"
Evening.
Lights everywhere.
A big local fair.
Crowded.
Lively.
No giant roller coasters.
No huge wheels.
Just simple rides.
Swings.
Games.
Laughter.
"THIS ONE!!"
Aanya dragged Ren to a swing ride.
"…I'm too old for this."
"NO YOU'RE NOT!"
"…I regret everything…"
They sat.
The swing started moving.
"…This isn't that bad—"
It went higher.
Faster.
"…I TAKE IT BACK—"
Aanya laughed loudly.
Kaito just held the bar silently.
Unbothered.
After that—
Food stalls.
Games.
Noise everywhere.
Aanya tried a small game.
Missed.
Missed again.
"…This game is rigged!"
"…Or you're just bad."
"SHUT UP!"
Ren tried.
Won.
"…See?"
"…Show off…"
He handed her a small prize.
She smiled brightly.
"…Thanks… Dad."
Ren paused.
Just for a second.
"…Yeah…"
Night.
They walked back home.
Tired.
But happy.
Aanya was half-asleep while walking.
Holding his hand loosely.
Kaito walked beside him.
Silent as always.
"…Today was fun," Ren said.
"…Yes."
"…We should do this more."
"…We will."
Ren glanced at him.
"…You sound sure."
Kaito looked ahead.
"…Because some things… are decided already."
Ren frowned slightly.
"…What do you mean?"
"…Nothing."
Silence.
When they reached home—
Aanya was already asleep.
Ren carried her to bed.
Carefully.
He looked at both of them.
"…A simple day…"
"…I guess I needed that."
But for some reason—
That feeling didn't last long.
Because somewhere deep inside—
It felt like…
This peace—
Was temporary.
Very temporary.