ʜᴇᴀᴠᴇɴ - ᴊᴜᴊᴜᴛꜱᴜ ᴋᴀɪꜱᴇɴ

Chapter 12

"Come on, stay still," Akira gently urged, his fingers delicately brushing through Megumi's unruly hair.

With a wince, Megumi protested, "It hurts!" The comb had encountered a particularly stubborn knot, causing him discomfort.

"I know," Akira replied apologetically, his touch softening as he continued to work through the tangled strands. He offered a reassuring pat on Megumi's head.

In moments of sharp pain, Megumi instinctively reached out, clutching onto Akira's leg for comfort and support. 

After a couple more minutes of patient detangling, Akira finally completed the task. He allowed Megumi to stand up, giving his hair one last, affectionate pat.

Akira then straightened up and made his way to the kitchen. As he opened the fridge to gather ingredients for their meal, he discovered it was nearly bare. Realizing they needed to stock up, he hurriedly reached for his phone and dialed Satoru's number.

Satoru picked up, and Akira wasted no time in getting to the point. "We need to go shopping, Satoru," he announced.

"Hmm... okay, I'm on my way," Satoru replied before abruptly ending the call.

With their shopping plans set in motion, Akira returned to the living room. He turned his attention to Megumi and gently informed him, "Megumi, get dressed. We'll be leaving soon."

Megumi nodded and headed towards his room to prepare. Meanwhile, Akira ventured into Tsumiki's room, where he found her engrossed in a playful world of dolls. 

He softly knocked on the wall to capture her attention, a warm smile on his face as he delivered the news. "Get ready, sweetheart. We're going shopping."

--

"Get whatever you want, Satoru's paying," Akira declared with cheerful enthusiasm, encouraging the children to dash around the store and grab whatever items caught their fancy.

Satoru couldn't help but roll his eyes at Akira's generosity. He flicked Akira's forehead gently, teasingly chastising him. "You're spoiling them too much," he quipped.

Akira's eyes sparkled with affection as he defended his position. "How can you resist spoiling them? Look at how cute they are!" He pointed towards Megumi to underscore his point.

Megumi, in his typically stoic manner, turned around to face Satoru, his expression remaining unflinching. Satoru shot Akira a sidelong glance, playfully incredulous. "How can you want to spoil such a mean-looking child?" he teased.

Akira squared off with Satoru, his tone teasingly defiant. "He's cuter than you!"

Satoru feigned shock, his hand on his chest. "How can you say that?" he exclaimed dramatically.

Megumi couldn't help but shake his head, sighing in resignation. "So embarrassing," he muttered, bemused by the banter between the two adults who had become an unexpected but cherished part of his life.

----

"Oh my god, you're so adorable!" Akira couldn't contain his excitement as he carefully dressed Megumi in his school uniform, his eyes filled with adoration.

Megumi, though flustered by the attention, managed a somewhat embarrassed response. "Are you done?" he inquired, trying to maintain his composure.

Akira's enthusiasm was unrelenting. "Almost, let me take a quick picture," he insisted, reaching for his phone.

Turning his attention to Tsumiki, Akira called out, "Tsumiki, come stand beside Megumi." He wanted to capture the moment of both siblings in their school attire.