ᖴOᖇᘜᗴᖇ'Տ ᗴᒪᗪᗴՏT

.20.

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

[Yeah, the schedule is gonna be all over the place for a while.💀]

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Sylvia Sherwood, a.k.a. Handler, sat across from Loid. As they stared one other down, a somber vibe suffocated the dimly lighted room.

Handler sat with her legs crossed, swinging her leg slightly. 

"So, Twilight, how are things going? How are your daughters doing academically? HQ estimated that they would be able to receive eight Stella in four months."

Loid felt a drop of sweat run down his brow as he considered his youngest's grades. 

"F-Four... That's no problem." As she loomed over him, Handler let out a tiny smirk. "I see...that your ability to lie has diminished." Loid exhaled a sigh. 'However, I'm convinced she'll be able to earn eight Tonitrus Bolts in two months.'

Handler switched her crossed legs. "No matter."

Handler sighed, closing and reopening her eyes. With seriousness and worry, she looked at her fellow spy.

"By the way...this morning our informant at city hall was compromised." She chose to lean forward, resting her chin on her clasped fingers. 

"The enemy is upping their game. Twilight, be on your guard." Loid stayed silent, absorbing in all and never faltering. Handler proceeded.

"I shouldn't have to say this about living in the city, but you never know where eyes will be watching you, whether at Eden College or elsewhere. The counter-intelligence agency in this country is quite tough." 

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The Forgers—minus Yor—sat in the living room later that evening. Anya, engrossed in her Spy Wars anime.

Olivia and Snooze cuddled on the couch while she texted her friends on her phone, [ᵈᵒ ᵗʰᵉʸ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᶜᵉˡˡᵖʰᵒⁿᵉˢ? ᵗʰᵉʸ ᵈᵒ ʳⁱᵍʰᵗ? ⁱ ᶠᵉᵉˡ ˡⁱᵏᵉ ᵗʰᵉʸ ᵈᵒ] and Loid calmly read to himself as he occasionally peeked at Anya. 'If only she could concentrate like this on her academics.' 

Anya kept watching, pausing the show when Bondman mentioned specific line. "How may bullets can Bondman's pistol hold?" 

Loid held his chin in thinking while Olivia glanced at Anya before returning her attention to her phone.

"Hm? I'm fairly certain it was eight." Anya perked up, waving her hands in delight. "That makes it two-eighths!"

Loid, Olivia, and Snooze all stared at Anya as she stated a correct fraction, totally wide-eyed. "Yes! You're right!" 

Anya rose from her seat, striking a weird pose and a weird expression as she repeated her incredible response. "He's only got two-eighths of his bullets left!" In exchange, Loid gave her an awkward smile. "How do you even know those words?" 

He leaned back in his seat, his gaze fixed on the television. 'So the anime makes things easier for her to understand?'

Soon after, the front door burst open, and Yor stumbled in, straight to Loid. "Th-Th-Th-Th-Th-Th-There's trouble, Loid!" Ignoring her anxious state, he smiled sweetly at her. "Welcome home, Yor." Olivia raised Snooze's paws and waved it towards Yor. "Welcome back." 

"Meow."

Anya welcomed her mother in her own distinct manner. "He's only got two-eighths of his bullets left!" Yor blinked, her gaze fixed on Anya. She had no notion what to say in response. She shook her head and returned to loid, her frantic face intact. 

"Yuri... I mean, my younger brother is coming here today!" Olivia and Loid stood there silently staring at Yor, processing her words before gaping at her. "Today?!"

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The home had cooled down after Yor explained the situation more thoroughly. "So, yes...He insists on coming over and congratulating us."

Yor fiddled with her fingers anxiously. "What shall we do? He won't find out that this marriage is fake, will he?" Loid smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I've prepared lovey-dovey accessories specifically for this occasion."

Olivia cocked her brow at him. "When did you do that?" In response, Loid simply shrugs.

Loid then led the three girls through the house, showing them all of his lovey-dovey and family adornments. 

Their final stop was the bedroom, which had a very romantic vibe to it. Anya cast a glance between Loid and Yor. "Papa and Mama are flirting." Anya's assumption caused both parents to flush with embarrassment. 

"No, we are not!"

Olivia smirked, winking at Loid. "You don't need to be embarrassed. Flirting is a common occurrence between lovers." Yor hid her flushed face in her hands rapidly shaking it, as Loid flicked Olivia's forehead. 

"Owie."

The family chose to relax in the living room after the entire decoration tour, patiently waiting for Yor's little brother to arrive.

Olivia thought Loid and Anya looked adorable as they sat on the same couch, each reading a Spy Wars manga. 

She smiled as she stared at them from her own couch, Snooze cuddling with her and minding his own business as usual. Yor decided to take a few steps closer to the door, delighted yet nervous to see her younger brother.

While she was pacing back and forth, something caught her attention in the corner of her eye. 

It was a framed photograph. When she got a better look at it, she let out a small squeal, cupping her semi-flushed cheeks. Yor was looked at by the three couch potatoes, each has their own bewildered expression. 

Yor smiled as she took up the picture and showed it to them. "Would this be Via and Anya when they were younger!?" She turned the photo to herself, carefully inspecting it before displaying it to them again. 

"Aww how cute they were! And Loid, you don't seem to have aged at all!" Loid examined the image before nodding to Yor and patting himself on the back for his excellent editing talents.

"Yes, Anya had finally arrived home after spending some time in the hospital. Olivia was still a child at the time. Unfortunately, their mother was unable to be in the picture since she had not entirely recovered."

Yor then bombarded Loid with questions about Baby Anya and Baby Olivia, leaving Anya to shrug and return to her manga. 

When it came to Olivia, she glanced back at the framed picture with longing and grief. Seeing the modified photo reminded her of the original. She's certain Loid took that picture from her room, which she wasn't too upset about. 

Their mother was smiling in the original photo, her arms wrapped over Olivia's shoulders and her cheek resting on her head. Olivia sat cozy in her mother's arm, beaming brightly and proudly showing off her missing tooth. A baby Anya lay happily asleep in Olivia's arms, covered in pink blankets. Olivia let out a sigh before taking her eyes of the photo. 

'I miss you.'

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[EDITED]