The Shadow Manipulator

Epilogue

"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" I tried to say with a lilt even though I was quite tired because of the journey. It's only been two days but it felt like I was gone for months. (probably because of the countless events that happened during that two-day trip.)

The house was as untouched and clean as ever, giving me a nostalgic vibe. My mom was busily cooking breakfast even though it was still early in the morning. On the other hand, my dad was sipping a cup of coffee as he was reading the morning newspaper. He was wearing a weird grin on his face as if trying to suppress his excitement while reading that he didn't even notice me come in. Only my mom greeted me back but I was still glad after seeing my dad.

My dad's recovery is going pretty well and a handful of days is enough for his complete recovery. Now that I think about it, dad looks like he recuperated pretty well in the past few days. 

"Oh, you're back, Hikari!" He excitedly exclaimed as he waved the newspaper at me. "Come take a look at this."

That's weird, dad never calls my attention to read the newspaper. This is a first. I thought as I curiously made my way and got the newspaper. "Read this section right here." He said.

As soon as I grabbed the newspaper from dad, the headline suddenly attracted my attention:

The Irregular Tournament! Sign Up Now!

It looked like an ad to some sort of scheme but it certainly was legit. After all, the one who published the article was the Institute of Irregulars themselves! It was the first ever irregular tournament that's going to be held next week during the summer break. It was one of the greatest anticipated festivals that's kept secret until now and now that they've announced it, they're expecting hundreds of thousands of participants. Mentioned in the articles as well were the celebrities and royalties that will be coming from around the world to participate in the tournament. 

"What do you think?" My dad grinned, thinking that I already finished reading. (I was actually finished but I kept on reading it again and again just to take it in.) "I'm beginning to get rusty as well, so I guess this tournament should be able to warm me up, at least." He continued, stretching his shoulders in the process.

"So, are you up to it, or not?" He finally asked my much anticipated question.