~'¶\ Broken Lies \¶'~(Ai Hoshino X OC)

Chapter 21: Hey Mom!

-Ai's House-

"Are you guys ready?" Kai asked, carrying Ai's luggage along with his own bag.

"Yeah!" Ai and the twins responded excitedly.
Kai grinned and instructed them to cling onto him. He took the time scroll from the table and began to focus.

Suddenly, they were enveloped in a dazzling light. Ruby looked a bit afraid, but Ai wrapped her right arm around her and Aqua, helping Ruby to relax a little. The blinding light intensified, and in an instant, they vanished from the house.
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Chronoa was sipping her evening tea, enjoying a moment of tranquility. Meanwhile, Trunks was resting at home, and Shallot was busy handling a series of Time Rifts that had appeared in Conton City. However, Shallot seemed different than usual since returning from tracking Towa and Mira.

In the Time Nest, she observed Ace sitting on the ground while Elder Kai held his hand out in front of him. Ace sat patiently but was growing increasingly irritated after sitting idle for the past 24 hours.

Elder Kai asked if Ace wanted to undergo a ritual to unlock his latent potential now that he had completed his Final Advancement Task-Super Class. Excited by the prospect of gaining a power-up similar to Gohan's, Ace agreed.

"Ehrm... How much longer?" Ace asked Elder Kai, who was distractedly reading a magazine during the ritual.

Snapping back to reality, Elder Kai coughed and replied, "Only 30 minutes left." Ace sighed in defeat.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared out of nowhere. Feeling curious, Chronoa moved toward the light as Ace and Elder Kai continued to watch.

To everyone's surprise, when the light dissipated, it revealed Kai, Ai, and the twins.
"Kai?!" Chronoa exclaimed in shock at seeing her son with a girl and two children. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"Hey Mom! I'm backkk....OUCH!!" Kai yelped as Chronoa immediately pulled on his right ear, making him cry out in pain.

"Don't 'Hey Mom!' me like that! Explain now!!!" Chronoa shouted at Kai, causing everyone present to sweat nervously at the scene unfolding before them.

"Alright! Alright!! Please stop pulling my ear!" Kai pleaded as Chronoa reluctantly released him. He then began to explain everything that had happened.
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"So that's all," Kai concluded, having introduced his mother to Ai, the twins, Elder Kai, and Toki-toki. He explained why he brought them along too.

Aqua and Ruby had already dashed off to play with Toki-toki, while Elder Kai continued his ritual with Ace.

Chronoa looked at Ai, who was sitting in her wheelchair. Without hesitation, she hugged her tightly. Ai felt a bit awkward but returned the embrace.

"Poor you... It must be painful," Chronoa said softly, rubbing Ai's back. Ai's eyes began to water at the unexpected warmth of the gesture. This feeling was new to her.

Kai noticed the change in Ai's expression. Was she crying? He had never seen her like this before, and for some reason, it made his heart ache to see her in distress.

"Don't worry. As long as Kai is there with you, he'll never let anyone hurt you. Right, Kai?" Chronoa assured her, glancing at her son. Kai's face flushed red at the implication, and even Ai blushed a little.

Chronoa smirked slyly at the sight. "Kai, go grab a Senzu bean from the Time Vault."

Kai nodded, momentarily forgetting that his mother could heal Ai herself.