As the evening glow vanished, a luminous moon slowly rose.
"It's the 'God' Angemon spoke of," Renamon whispered, half-crouched on the pitch-dark balcony, eyes sweeping across the wildly flickering electronics nearby.
"It seems Homeostasis has finally dropped all previous concerns and is preparing to open a gate to the Digital World."
Though the gate itself wasn't fully open yet, the chaotic behavior of all these electronic devices showed Homeostasis's intentions clearly: it was planning to forcibly retrieve all Digimon scattered across the real world.
"So this was the true reason behind Parrotmon's appearance…"
Unlike Renamon, Chen Ze had long known the broad strokes of how these events would unfold, so Homeostasis's plan to forcibly retrieve the Digimon didn't surprise him.
The only unexpected thing was realizing that his and Renamon's interference had become the direct cause for Parrotmon's arrival.
Chen Ze wasn't sure exactly why, in the original movie, Homeostasis had dispatched an Ultimate-level Digimon like Parrotmon just to retrieve a Digi-Egg that had been in the human world for less than a day.
Maybe because the newly evolved Agumon had clearly lost all reason?
Or perhaps Homeostasis had anticipated the sudden emergence of Greymon?
But whatever Homeostasis's reasoning on that original timeline, the reason for Parrotmon's arrival on this timeline was startlingly simple:
He and Renamon had defeated Angemon and caused a massive disturbance in cyberspace, alerting the Ultimate-level Parrotmon.
Is this convergence or historical inertia?
Chen Ze gave a bitter smile, unsure whether to marvel at the attention Homeostasis was paying them, or pity the Agumon that had unwittingly become a scapegoat.
In any case, Homeostasis had clearly decided to abandon its previous gentle approach, resorting instead to forceful means to reclaim every Digimon that had appeared in the human world.
"The adults of this house seem to be coming home," Renamon suddenly said, interrupting Chen Ze's thoughts with her sharp senses.
"That must be Mimi's father."
Following Renamon's gaze, Chen Ze spotted a slightly weary-looking middle-aged man walking downstairs.
Even in the heat of July and August, he wore a standard business suit, unmistakably the image of a high-class corporate drone.
"Yes, that must be him," Chen Ze confirmed.
Though he had never clearly seen Mr. Tachikawa's face, Chen Ze could easily guess his identity by his tired steps and the direction he was heading.
"He seems to have been drinking a bit."
Watching Mr. Tachikawa's obviously exhausted yet determined gait, Chen Ze quietly shrank back, hiding himself deeper in the balcony's shadows.
"But just in case, let's wait until he gets home before leaving."
...
"It's gotten late again."
Fresh from entertaining clients, Mr. Tachikawa muttered vaguely to himself, feeling waves of nausea churning in his stomach.
"Maybe it really is time to find a new job."
Mr. Tachikawa was a professional financial manager, responsible primarily for managing stock investments and fund transactions. His salary and benefits were among the industry's best.
However, his job required frequent social engagements, especially to calm and reassure clients worried by market fluctuations.
He had once been hospitalized due to alcohol poisoning because of it.
Ever since then, both he and his family had become extremely wary about this aspect of his job.
Without question, Mr. Tachikawa was a family-oriented man. Anyone could see that from the way he spoiled his wife and daughter.
After the hospitalization incident, he'd considered changing jobs. But because of his colleagues' and superiors' persuasions, he hadn't made a final decision.
"Tomorrow, I'll resign," he finally resolved, glancing upward toward his own balcony.
Before being a professional manager, he was first a husband, a father. Leaving his young daughter home alone all the time had left both Mr. and Mrs. Tachikawa feeling guilty—even if Mimi herself never complained.
As for letting his wife close her flower shop to focus on being a housewife?
Never mind whether her prideful personality could handle such a life—he himself wasn't entirely comfortable leaving Mimi solely under Mrs. Tachikawa's care.
After all, despite her age, he still saw his wife as a "girl" who hadn't completely grown up.
"Maybe after resigning, I'll just do some freelance work."
About what he'd do after quitting, Mr. Tachikawa had long since formed a rough plan.
As an experienced financial professional, he had long noticed the economic bubble that had formed in Japan over recent years.
According to his estimate, within one or two years—or perhaps three to five at most—Japan's bubble economy would burst. His goal now was simply to accumulate as much capital as possible before it happened.
Profiting from a national crisis certainly wasn't ethical, but for an ordinary person like himself, such opportunities were once-in-a-lifetime.
He had no way of knowing that the economic bubble he saw as a temporary inconvenience would, under foreign speculative influences, erupt two years later into a financial crisis sweeping across all of Asia.
"Mimi-chan, Papa's home!"
Thus, with determination in his voice, Mr. Tachikawa stepped toward his apartment.
But unexpectedly, Mimi, who usually rushed out to greet him the moment he called, didn't respond this time.
"Mimi? Are you home?"
Pausing uncertainly, not realizing his daughter had already fallen asleep, Mr. Tachikawa quickly fished out his keys and opened the door.
"Mimi?"
He called out nervously, quickly switching on every light in the apartment.
"Mimi, where are you?"
Only after he hurriedly pushed open the door to Mimi's room and saw her peacefully asleep did Mr. Tachikawa finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"This little troublemaker, falling asleep so early today! She nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Softening his voice, Mr. Tachikawa smiled gently, completely unaware that at the very moment he'd opened the bedroom door, a fox-like shadow had quietly leaped down from the balcony—carrying a small white puffball in its arms—as it disappeared into the darkness below.