I kept turning the small piece of paper between my fingers, watching it bend and straighten.
Should I call him?
The thought alone made my eye twitch.
Hell no.
Last time I saw him, he was chasing me across the city while surfing on girls's toys like some kind of cursed clown.
Yeah. No.
I stood up, walked over to the trash can, and dropped the paper in.
Problem solved.
I went back to my bed, flopped down, unlocked my phone—
—and something drifted down in front of my face.
…
I stared.
The same paper.
Floating. Slowly. Like it had all the time in the world.
"What the hell…" I muttered, sitting up. "I literally threw you away."
I grabbed it and marched back to the trash.
"Stay."
I shoved it in and closed the lid this time for extra emphasis.
I turned—
—and there it was again.
Floating. Right. In front. Of my face.
"…No."
I didn't even hesitate this time. Flames flickered in my hand, and I burned the paper to ash.
It crumbled. Fell. Black flakes scattering onto the floor.
I watched the ashes.
They suddenly twitched.
Then—like something out of a bad horror movie—they pulled together, piece by piece, reforming into a clean, untouched sheet.
My mouth twitched.
"…This guy."
I let out a long sigh, dragged a hand down my face, then grabbed my phone.
"Fine. You win."
I dialed the number.
It didn't even ring once.
He picked up instantly.
"Oh, my dear daughter…" his voice came through, soft and overly emotional. "How much I have missed you. Why are you ignoring your old man…"
I blinked.
Yeah, no. We're not doing this.
"Hello?" I said flatly. "Can't hear anything. Bad connection."
There was a pause.
Then a dramatic, soul-crushing sob.
"Oh… my daughter ignores me…" he cried. Loudly. Way too loudly. "What did I do to deserve such cruelty…"
I pulled the phone away from my ear.
Was he actually crying or just acting?
With him, I genuinely couldn't tell.
"Don't make me come there," he suddenly said, tone shifting. "I miss you, my girl… even now, you joke with me… how perfect you are…"
Okay. Now it was getting creepy.
I sighed.
Better to play along a little.
"Yo, dad," I said, casually. "I didn't even have a phone until today. How was I supposed to call you?"
Silence. Then a small hiccup.
"You… didn't have a phone?" he muttered.
"Hmph. What kind of father doesn't provide for his daughter?" I added, faking annoyance.
Another pause.
Then—
full breakdown mode.
"How could I fail you like this… my daughter…" he wailed. "I'm coming there."
"Wait—what?"
I lowered the phone slowly.
A presence. Right behind me.
…No way.
I turned.
And there he was.
Standing in my room, like he had always been there.
HOW DID HE EVEN GET HERE?!
I didn't say it out loud, but my brain was screaming.
He looked… normal.
Too normal.
A casual business suit, slightly wrinkled, and—of course—flip-flops.
Like an average Chinese dad who got lost on the way to a supermarket.
"My daughter…" he said warmly, grabbing my hand.
I froze. I don't like this.
"We are going shopping," he declared.
Then he pulled out his wallet.
Opened it. Empty.
He stared inside for a solid three seconds.
Then he turned his head away.
Then slowly looked up at me.
"…Waaah."
He dropped to his knees.
"I have failed as a father…"
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
The headache Todo gave me earlier came back twice as strong.
"Can this day get any worse…"
CRASH.
As if my wish were fulfilled, my dorm wall exploded inward.
Debris flew everywhere.
"KITA-SAN!"
Yuta Okkotsu burst through the wall, katana already drawn, eyes sharp and focused.
He landed between Takaba and me instantly.
"Who is that?" he demanded, blade angled slightly forward. "Did he attack you?"
I blinked.
"…Yuta-san."
He didn't lower his guard.
"The barrier reacted," he continued quickly. "The one we set up for Kenjaku, we were removing them just now, but then it triggered from your location. I came as fast as I could. Is he dangerous?"
I glanced at my completely destroyed wall.
Then at Takaba.
Who was barely holding in laughter.
His shoulders were shaking.
That bastard.
He definitely did this on purpose.
I ground my teeth.
"Yuta-san…" I said slowly, already tired. "This person is… my self-proclaimed father."
"…What?"
"WHAT SELF-PROCLAIMED FATHER?!" Takaba shot up instantly, pointing at me like he'd been betrayed. "You called me dad!"
"Allegedly," I replied without missing a beat.
Yuta looked at me.
Then at him.
Then back at me.
His expression didn't change, but I could feel the confusion.
"…I'm going to need an explanation," he said carefully.
"Same," I muttered, staring at Takaba. "Preferably one that doesn't involve him teleporting into my room like a horror villain."
Takaba gasped.
"I would never be a villain in my daughter's story!"
"…You literally spawned behind me."
"That was a dramatic entrance."
Yuta slowly lowered his sword… just a little.
"…He doesn't feel hostile," he admitted, though his eyes were still locked on Takaba. "But his cursed energy is… strange."
"Yeah," I said flatly. "That's one way to put it."
Takaba suddenly grabbed my shoulders.
"Come, my daughter! We must correct my failure as a father!"
"With what money?" I shot back immediately.
He froze.
"…We will improvise. Banks are just bigger piggy banks waiting to be collected."
"No, we will not."
Yuta exhaled quietly, finally lowering his sword fully.
"…I'll get someone to fix the wall," he said, glancing at the damage.
"Please do," I replied.
Then I looked at Takaba again.
"…And you," I pointed at him, "are not allowed to appear behind me ever again."
He placed a hand on his chest.
"I make no such promises."
"…I knew you'd say that."
I sighed.
This was going to be a long day.
"I just want to doom scroll on my phone, why is this happening to me..." I muttered to myself
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End of chapter