Yuzuki's Hour 1: — "Unspoken Love Between a Daughter and Her Father"

I sat at the kitchen table, spoon in hand, staring blankly at my cereal like it held the answers to life, or at least the answers to yesterday’s chaos.

You probably remember my dad. Or at least, you’ve seen him through the mess of all these chapters. Annoying, weird, introverted… the kind of guy who barely talks to anyone, especially me. Seriously, we barely socialize. Most days, it feels like I live with a ghost that occasionally mutters something about money or drones.

As I was thinking about that, the drone, yes, the drone, floated up beside me, tilting its head like it actually had a clue what I was thinking.

“What are you thinking, Yuzuki?” it asked, in that annoyingly polite mechanical voice.

I glared at it, my patience thinner than the cereal I was eating, and gave it the finger.

The drone froze mid-air, little digital lights flickering nervously. “D-Did I do something wrong?”

Before I could even answer, my dad’s voice echoed from somewhere distant, cold and unamused: “When she flips you off, it means she’s not in the mood to talk. Just… leave her alone.”

Poor drone. I think it actually shivered. Nobody ever thanks it. Nobody ever notices it. Except me, sometimes.

And yeah… I feel a tiny bit bad for it. Not enough to admit it, of course. Around here, drones don’t get rights. They were made by my introverted dad to clean and serve, not to get all emotional or existential.

I shrugged and went back to my cereal, ignoring the soft whirring of the poor little machine, hoping it would forgive me… eventually.

I took another bite of cereal and rolled my eyes, because you know what else? My dad is a total simp. I’ve seen it firsthand. He flirts with women like he’s in some old romantic comedy, talks to them on the phone like he’s auditioning for a soap opera, and yeah… he even reads those magazines. You know, the ones with women… without swimsuits. I might have even caught him looking at that thing on the internet once or twice.

And don’t even get me started on the women magazines. You remember back from Chapter 6, when I was gonna stalk Kaito but my father stopped me? He only let me go when I lied about bringing him magazines with butt-booty naked women… that just shows he’s a simp who just wants all the women… no doubt about that!

Honestly, it’s kind of hilarious, and tragic. I mean, here I am, out saving the world with Kaito and Rin, and my dad is just obsessing over women and drones. It’s like… priorities, Dad.

I sighed, staring at my cereal again. Some people have boring mornings. Me? I get to think about rogue drones, exploding buildings, and my father’s… particular hobbies, all while trying not to choke on soggy cornflakes.

I got up from the chair, pushing my empty cereal bowl aside. Before I could even start talking to you guys, my dad piped up from the couch like he owned the world.

“Yuzuki! Grab me a beer,” he said, all casual, like he was asking a favor from a minion.

I rolled my eyes and headed to the fridge… and of course, there was no beer.

“Dad… there’s no beer,” I muttered.

His face scrunched up in frustration. “Then… go buy some! Please?”

I stopped and looked at him... yeah, this was his thing. He always started with begging, all soft and sweet. But refuse him? He flipped. Suddenly, he became a raging demon, yelling like the world was ending.

“Get your lazy butt off the chair and buy the damn beer yourself!” I snapped.

His yelling started immediately. "HOW DARE YOU YELL BACK AT YOUR FATHER YOUNG LADY?! YOU GO BUY ME SOME GOD DAMN BEER RIGHT NOW!"

I shook my head, stomped toward my room, slammed the door, and locked it behind me. Honestly, some people just didn’t know how to live.

I flopped onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. Time to spill a little truth about me.

I wasn’t… normal. Not fully, anyway. I was half warlock, half human. Dad was just human, plain and simple. Mom… she had been a warlock. That was how I ended up like this, stuck in between two worlds.

My powers? Well… I had had this futuregaze thing since I was a toddler. My parents had taught me using the sphere, this weird little orb that let me peek at the future. Recently, though… something had changed. I had started seeing glimpses of the future in my own mind, without the sphere. Tiny flashes, like whispers. Could this mean I was finally starting to grow into new powers? Maybe. I honestly didn’t know yet.

And then there was Mom…

I choked up a little as I thought about her. Nobody knew what had happened. One day she had just… vanished. No trace, no calls, no way to contact her. She was gone when I was only six. Gone forever, or at least that’s what it felt like.

I let out a shaky breath, staring at the ceiling again. Part of me had accepted it. There was nothing left to hope for. My mother… gone.

—

I took a deep breath, letting the heaviness in my chest settle for a moment. Then, I forced myself to think about something else, Kaito and Rin.

They were… different now. My futuregaze powers were out in the open, and both of them knew. Rin knew because I had shown her, and Kaito knew because Rin had told him. It was exposed, undeniable.

But there was something I hadn’t told them, and maybe never would. That I wasn’t fully human. That I was half warlock, half human.

I didn’t know how they’d react. Would Rin judge me? Probably not, she was already cold and badass, and I trusted her. But Kaito… my crush, the one I cared about most, and still do… what would he think if he knew? Would he see me as weird? Dangerous? Would he treat me differently?

I shook my head, pushing the thought away. No. It wasn’t important. I’d never gained any new powers from my warlock side anyway. For over twelve years, all I had was this one power, the futuregaze. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less.

So, I decided: I wouldn’t tell them. Not now, maybe not ever. It didn’t matter. They didn’t need to know. And besides… it wasn’t like anything had changed. My life would go on, just as it always had.

—

I finally dragged myself out of bed, each step heavier than the last, and made my way toward the bathroom. The mirror reflected back a girl I barely recognized—tired, broken, streaked with remnants of tears. All of it from thinking about my mother.

I guess even though my dad and I barely talk, even though we don’t show any affection or connection… I still love him. I can admit that to myself, at least. But I’d never say it out loud. That’s just not how we are.

What I can admit, though, is this: ever since my mother disappeared, I’d lost all hope. She was my world… my anchor. Without her, I was nothing. I was bullied in elementary school, didn’t make friends, didn’t belong anywhere.

Not until now. Now I have Rin. Now I have Kaito… my crush. My heart does this weird little jump just thinking about it, and I can’t help but chuckle a little. Friends. Real friends. Maybe even family in a way.

My life after my mother vanished? Hard. Empty. I was just a tiny, lost soul, trying to survive in a world that didn’t care. But… not anymore.

I took a deep breath, staring at myself in the mirror, letting the resolve settle like fire in my chest. It’s gonna change now. I have Rin. I have Kaito. I have people who matter. And now… my job is clear. My mission is clear.

We’re going to take down that fucking company. That bastard building these AI, these drones… everything. And I’m NOT holding back. Not EVER again.