Night had already settled in, quiet and still, yet the entire city glowed with the warm light of street lamps.
Ao stepped out of the supermarket wearing his usual scowl, both arms loaded with grocery bags.
The residential district was lined with houses and tall apartment buildings, separated from the central city by a long river flowing between them.
Ao finally reached his apartment building and unlocked the door, shoulders drooping with exhaustion.
"I'm back," he called while slipping off his shoes.
Almost immediately—
pat pat pat pat!!
Two small figures sprinted toward him.
A little boy with white hair and jet-black eyes, and a girl who looked identical to him—like a pair of twins.
The boy beamed with endless energy; the girl followed quietly, shy but not timid.
"Big bro Ao's home!!"
The boy latched onto Ao's leg with so much force he nearly tipped over.
The girl, arriving a moment later, threw herself at him as well.
"Alright, alright. Move aside—I need to get into the kitchen."
Ao's expression shifted instantly.
The scowl melted away, replaced by a bright smile rarely seen outside this house.
"Hey, Ao!! Wanna see something cool!?" the boy asked, tugging at his sleeve.
"What is it, Hiro?"
"Watch this!!" Hiro held out his hand and concentrated.
"Fireball!!"
A tiny flame—no bigger than a lighter—flickered to life on his palm.
He looked up at Ao with an ear-to-ear grin.
"Whoa!! That's amazing, Hiro! You're better than me!"
"I know, right!!"
He puffed his chest out proudly.
Behind him, Mashiro quietly raised her own hand.
"Don't tell me—you can do it too, Mashiro?" Ao lifted a brow.
A flame even bigger than Hiro's flared up on her palm.
Hiro's expression immediately soured.
"Mashiro's got real talent! She'll be a powerful mage someday.
Alright—time to train your fear of heights!"
Ao scooped Mashiro onto his shoulders.
"Hey!! No fair, Mashiro!! I wanna ride on your shoulders too!!"
"Nope. It's Mashiro's turn."
Ao teased, walking away as Hiro clung to his leg, trying to climb him.
The three of them played for a long while—
Until a woman wearing an apron poked her head out of the kitchen.
"Could you three please keep it down? You're disturbing the neighbors."
"Okayyyyy—" all three answered at once.
Dinner Prep
Ao headed into the kitchen, tying an apron around his waist and laying out the ingredients.
The kids were glued to the TV, eyes sparkling.
"Stop right there, Terromagia!!" shouted a hero on the screen.
Ao glanced over while chopping vegetables.
"No way, mages!! Our plan will be complete in just a few days!!"
The villain laughed maniacally.
"Take this!! Fireball!!"
The children mimicked the gestures with dramatic flair.
"Die, Terromagia!!!" Hiro shouted, flicking a tiny spark from his palm.
They played as heroes defeating villains—full of smiles and determination.
Ao watched them quietly.
His own expression, however, drifted far away.
In his mind—
He saw fists stained red from punching logs until they splintered.
He heard the repeated thudding of knuckles striking wood…
…then stone.
I don't ever want them to end up like this…
The sight of their innocent excitement reflected a distant version of himself—back when he was in first grade.
He smiled faintly.
But inside, something heavy pressed against his chest.
As he turned back to cooking, a faint movement caught his eye.
Desz—the family's housekeeper—stepped out of her room, dressed to leave.
"Wait—Miss Desz. Aren't you staying for dinner?"
She clutched a cloth bag tightly, lips pressed thin.
"Not tonight. I need to go check on my mother."
"Alright. Travel safe."
Desz had been the Onishima family's housekeeper ever since Ao's mother became a widow and needed help raising three children.
Back then, Desz barely spoke, keeping to herself with a stiff seriousness that made the house feel heavy.
Her mother had cancer, constantly hospitalized.
Every coin Desz earned went straight to medical bills—leaving nothing for herself.
She only began opening up after several days of skipping meals… until Ao's mother quietly added free breakfast, lunch, and dinner to her contract.
A simple gesture—
But for Desz, it was like being saved by an angel.
From that day on, she refused to leave the household, becoming something like the eldest sister of the Onishima family.
Ao stored away the extra groceries and began cooking for four.
Soon enough, a beautiful dinner was ready—hamburg steaks for himself, the kids, and his mother.
It looked like a dish from a cooking show.
The aroma filled the entire room, making the kids drool.
The front door opened.
"I need beer!!!!"
His mother's tired voice echoed through the entryway.
"Get up and grab one yourself, Mom!!"
Ao yelled back while washing utensils.
The Onishima family reunited around the table.
"Let's eat!!"
The moment the food touched his mother's tongue, she melted into bliss.
"I knew it!! A-chan's cooking is the best!! Even if it doesn't go with beer!"
"If you want something that goes with beer, cook it yourself—you know how."
"You're so mean!!"
"Nee, Ao!! The lemon cake in that anime looked sooo good! Make one!!"
"There was cake in that battle anime…?
Fine, Hiro. But you're sharing with Mashiro."
"Ugh… fine."
"Why do they get cake but I don't!?" Ao's mother wailed dramatically, tears streaming down her cheek.
"And she hasn't even had a drink yet…" Ao muttered.
Dinner was noisy, chaotic, and warm.
For Ao, it was one of the few times he smiled without forcing it.
Later, after bathing the kids and tucking them into bed, Ao stepped out of their room.
The moment he closed the door, his smile faded.
He drifted through the hallway, numb, until he spotted a dim glow from the living room.
His mother sat on the sofa, watching TV with a cold beer in hand.
"You're still up, Mom…?"
Ao walked over.
"Finished putting the kids to bed… A-chan?" she asked without turning.
"You're drinking too much," Ao sighed, sitting beside her.
"You can cook for yourself, you know…"
"That skewered stuff is store-bought."
Silence fell.
Only the TV kept playing.
After a while—
"A-chan…"
"…What?"
"Do you still want to become a mage?"
Silence.
Even the TV seemed distant.
"…Of course I do. Why?"
"No reason… I just wanted to know."
"That's a weird question. There's more to it, isn't there?"
His mother didn't answer.
She only nibbled at a snack and sipped her beer.
"Mom. Say something."
"Nothing I say will change your mind anyway… so what's the point?"
"You know me too well."
"I just wonder… every time you say the word 'mage,' your face stiffens.
It used to light up when you were little.
Did something happen…?"
He went silent.
"…It's because of Dad. Everything is."
"Why? Your father didn't do anything wrong—"
Ao snapped.
"He abandoned you!! Didn't he!?
So I'm going to deal with him myself!!"
"...A-chan."
Her tone softened immensely—so unlike his.
"I've made peace with it long ago."
"What…?"
"If your goal is to become a mage just to punish your father… then what will you do if he's already gone, A-chan?
What happens to you once you actually become a mage?"
Ao froze.
His mother smiled faintly at his conflicted expression.
"It's your life. Not mine. All I want… is for you to choose what's best for yourself."
Her eyes held no pressure—only quiet hope.
Her words echoed long after they went to bed.
Choose what's best for yourself.
Ao lay in his room, staring at the ceiling.
A long, heavy exhale escaped him.
I always believed effort could overcome anything… but lately, that belief has been fading.
I get challenged like always. I think I'll win like always.
But magic keeps beating me down.
Thrown around. Ribs cracked. Hands shattered.
Blood everywhere.
Back to the hospital again.
Every time I think "I've got this," I end up on the ground, knocked out while the crowd jeers.
I keep telling myself: "Don't give up yet—just find a way around it." But after ten, twenty tries… my body won't move the same.
My fists, once able to break any spell—now shake. My arms, once strong enough to crush targets—now hurt just lifting up.
I trained for years—gave up almost everything—just so I could someday punch that man in the face.
But today I wondered… Will I ever reach that point?
I've lived on that belief for so long I can't go back to being normal. But going forward… feels impossible.
Like I'm stuck in a narrow path— ahead is a cliff, behind is nothing, and I'm standing with nowhere to go.
And if the goal I carried since childhood collapses…
Even if I did punch my father someday—then what? Would I still want to be a mage? Was it all just revenge?
My body can't keep up anymore. And I can't return to a normal life either.
Sure, I still have Mom, Hiro, and Mashiro. They're the only reason I'm still here.
But deep down… I know that if I ever truly reach a dead end…
Even if I'm still breathing, I'll just be "existing." No meaning. No spark. No reason to move forward.
And if that day really comes…
Will there be anything left of me at all?
Or should I just… disappear, and let everything end?