As time rewinds a bit, Yujin was preparing to leave for the United States.  
In Korea, a certain controversy was brewing.  
It was a controversy surrounding Yujin.  

**[Yujin, S-rank 7th place, controversy over S-rank gate expedition... Experts express concerns: 'This is an extremely dangerous decision']**  
**[Seol Ha-yeon, controversy surrounding her supportive comments for Yujin's participation in the S-rank gate]**

The level of the controversy was such that Yujin's name was plastered across various news outlets.  

It was hardly surprising.  
The next potential S-rank in Korea was throwing himself into the perilous depths of an S-rank gate in a distant land.  
People couldn’t help but wonder if he was insane.  

Of course, their reactions would change the next day, transforming into a chorus of "I believed in him!!" But for now,  
the atmosphere at the Academy grew uneasy as a result.  

- **Churup.**  

'That little rice cake. I told him he would die if he went… If he dies, I’ll just kill him. I’ll cry for a day and then kill him.'  

Thanks to this, Winter was engulfed in worry.  

While they had synced up several times during gate expeditions...  
Wasn't she significantly weaker in comparison?  
Given that she was an A-rank at the very top, Yujin's abilities were still lacking.  

And he was going to an S-rank gate?  
The kind of place where even Seol Ha-yeon had to be cautious?  

No matter that Ninomiya was accompanying him, it was no comfort.  
In fact, it made her even more worried. If anything were to happen to him, Haru would be devastated.  

**[Woojooju, are you worried that Daddy might die?]**

'Daddy… No, no!! What do you mean by that little rice cake being Daddy!! Get a grip, Winter!!'  

There was one more reason for her anxiety, but anyway.  

As a result, she continued to suffer from unease.  
Even her little sister, Haru, could feel it.  

'Seriously. Why do I have to be so anxious because of that little rice cake….'  

- **Churup, chup.**  

'Looks like you want to see Daddy too, sis. Just like me.'  

During practice, Haru's heart thudded painfully.  
It was because she thought of Daddy, Yujin.  

**[Just wait exactly five nights with your sister. Haru is a good girl, so you can wait, right?]**  

'Daddy, you said five nights.'  

Yujin had asked her to wait just five nights, yet her reaction was excessively sensitive.  
But there was a reason for Haru to feel that way.  

Because she was…  
———slowly regaining her memories.  

**[Just wait a hundred nights more, and Daddy will come.]**  
**[…It's been a hundred nights. Liar.]**  

'Daddy, what if he lies like that uncle?'  

During the recent terror incident,  
Haru's hypnosis collided with brainwashing.  
As a result, a small crack formed in her hypnosis,  
and her mind began to self-repair through that crack.  
Living with her sister and so on.  
Only the happy memories of her current days were being brought up to complete the immature self called 'Haru.'  

Thanks to this, she recalled the man who had given her chocolate in the lab…  

- **Churup… Chup.**  

'Daddy is different. Daddy is Daddy, so he keeps promises with Haru… unlike that bad uncle.'  

Where there is light, there is also darkness.  
Because of this, today she suffered from PTSD.  

The liar who said Daddy would come after a hundred days.  
The real Daddy who said he would come after five nights.  
The past moments kept overlapping with the present.  

This was the reason for Haru's increasingly spoiled behavior.  

"Puha!! Haru, little rice cake. That's enough for today."  
"Sis, just a little more."  
"What? Hey, we’ve practiced for ten minutes already… Ugh!!"  

- **Churup, churup.**  

Thanks to this, Winter was having a tough time,  

"Grandma. Let’s all sleep together tonight."  
"Oh dear. Is Yujin that anxious about leaving?"  
"Yeah. I miss Daddy…"  
"They say nothing will happen. It’s Yujin we’re talking about; he’ll come back faster. He could show up tomorrow even?"  
"……."  
"Oh my. Please lay out the bedding in the living room."  

There was a mishap of the chairman awkwardly lying down on the living room floor due to his creaking spine, but…  

"Yawn… Grandma, what are you doing… Daddy?"  
"Haru, Daddy’s here~."  
"……!!!"  

Thanks to this, Haru gained maximum happiness amidst minimal anxiety.  
Winter, suffering from a lack of oxygen, and Seol Ha-yeon, who was overexerting her back for her age,  
were both sure to be satisfied.  

And Haru ran to Daddy, who had kept his promise…  

"Daddy, you came back early this time…."  

- **Stop.**  

"Eh?"  

Just as she was about to hug him, her gaze slipped above Daddy's head.  
She locked eyes with the Saintess, who had a surprised expression.  

A benevolent smile and pure curiosity collided.  

"……."  

- **Ding.**  
**['???' apologizes with folded hands.]**  

The Saintess apologized.  
I’m sorry. Because of me, your Daddy had to go to America.  
That’s what it meant.  
She was someone who could see the anxiety that Haru felt in an instant.  

How did Haru react to that?  

- **Shudder.**  

'Ah, Daddy brought a sibling…!!!'  

She trembled in shock.  

Above Daddy’s head, there was a small, cute, little rice cake!  
Daddy's daughter? Did he go to America and bring back a sibling?!  
It was natural for such questions to whirl in her mind.  

'Then does that mean I’m not the youngest anymore…?'  

A sense of crisis hit her.  

All this time, Daddy’s daughter had been her, and although her sister was added to the family,  
wasn’t she still the youngest?  
She had always been the most loved youngest daughter.  

But what if Daddy brought back…?  
Something that looked just like a little rice cake.  
Something that suited the title of the youngest much more than she did…  
a sibling.  

In other words, for Haru, this was like having a sweet rice cake suddenly taken away from her.  
She couldn’t help but feel a sense of crisis.  

- **Hesitate.**  

"Daddy, congratulations on your marriage…?"  

Her once pristine mind turned into a chaotic mess.  

She had thought it would be nice if Daddy had a mommy,  
but to have a sibling already was something she didn’t expect.  

She still wanted to be spoiled by Daddy for a while longer.  
Playing fusion games, washing each other…  
…churup churup.  

There was still so much she wanted to do, but now she was losing her place as the youngest.  
I’m not the youngest anymore.  

In such thoughts, tears threatened to spill from Haru…  

- **Stop.**  

'……Wait. Marriage?'  

Just as she was about to cry,  
a question suddenly flashed in her mind.  

If he brought back a sibling, it meant he had gotten married.  
Who is it? Who on earth married Daddy?  

Countless imaginations raced through Haru’s mind.  
Flat, Pink, White.  
Imagining her Daddy happily married to those three.  

'Daddy's type is definitely flat….'  
*Throb.*  
'…No way. The flat one can't be it. The baby’s tummy will get skinny.'  

Her heart thudded painfully.  
It was because she imagined the scene of Yujin and Shirley, the flat one, together, churup churup.  

'Then what about Pink….'  
*Throb.*  
'White?'  
*Throb, throb.*  
'All of them are no good…?'  

Other potential moms weren’t any different.  
Imagining Yujin with another woman made her heart ache every time.  

For Haru, it was an inexplicable situation.  

It was sad to lose her place as the youngest daughter.  
But it was good that Daddy had a mommy.  
There was no reason for her to feel heartbroken.  

But…  
Why does imagining Daddy being churup churup with someone make her feel this way?  

Her heart kept feeling heavy and painful.  
It was too sad as if she were losing her Daddy.  
It was just about marrying Mommy.  
But it felt like Haru was losing Daddy entirely.  

The incomprehensible frustration tormented Haru.  

"…I don’t congratulate you. Daddy is mine. I oppose the marriage."  
"Haru?"  
"I’m against this marriage!!"  

Thus, Haru decided to give up on understanding it all.  
In any case, Daddy is mine. He can’t

 take him away.  
With such thoughts, she just shouted it out.  
It was a reaction like a child who had something she liked taken away.  

"Daddy is mine!!"  

- **Dodge.**  

However, unlike a child, Haru’s strength was A-rank.  
No. If she unleashed her unique talent, she could reach S-rank territory.  

Haru's tantrum had a destructive power that was different.  

- **Ding!**  
**[Skill 'Awakening' is activated! All stats temporarily increase by 1.0.]**  
**[Current Agility: 9.85 (+1.0)]**  

'I’ll run away with Daddy!!'  

Because of that, Haru decided to be a bad girl.  
She wouldn’t use her abilities carelessly.  
Even this basic promise was something a bad girl would break.  

She scooped Yujin into her arms and leaped away.  

"Wait, Haru? Daddy is Haru’s…."  

- **Shove. Whoosh.**  

"Daddy, be quiet!!"  
"Ugh!!?"  
'What’s wrong with Haru!?'

Thanks to this, Yujin was suddenly kidnapped.  

The other S-rank, Kong, who was present, tried to chase after them, but…  

"Yujin!? Seol Ha-yeon!! Chase them."  
"Ugh, let it be."  

- **Ding.**  
**['???' laughs, saying they expected this to happen.]**  

What Kong faced was the Saintess, who smiled with a face resembling a grandmother, and the chairman.  

"No, Seol Ha-yeon the Awakener. Right now, Yujin is…."  
"Don’t you have any sense? Ugh, tsk. Get your ass moving."  
"W-Why are you suddenly cursing!?"  
"Don’t worry. Even if it were you, one day you’d come back…."  

It was the night Yujin was kidnapped.  

* * *  

Suddenly, Haru had fled, carrying Yujin with her.  
The place she headed was… the underground of the Academy.  
It was where we had first met.  

- **Swish.**  

"Puha!!"  

Only after arriving there did her mouth, which had been shut, finally open.  
Though it still felt like she was in princess mode, that didn’t matter.  

She quickly asked,  

"Haru, why are you acting like this all of a sudden?"  
"Daddy is mine. I can’t give him up."  
"……?"  

What’s wrong with her?  

Her head tilted instinctively.  
Our Haru wasn’t the type to cling to Daddy like this…  
What on earth happened?  

**[Daddy brought back a sibling….]**  

'Ah. She must be jealous, thinking the Saintess is her sister.'  

A strong candidate for the cause was discovered.  
She must be sulking because she thought she got a sibling.  

"Haru? Listen well. That horned kid is not your sibling."  
"……."  
"It's the Saintess…."  

He explained quickly.  
Making sure to keep it simple for the startled Haru.  

"So you see? Daddy only has one daughter, and that’s you!"  
"…."  
"…Of course, your sister, Winter, is also Daddy’s daughter, but Daddy’s favorite daughter is you, Haru!"  
"……Hehe."  

At my concise and clear explanation, Haru beamed.  
A bright smile appeared, as if she felt reassured.  

"Then Daddy hasn’t gotten married yet?"  
"Of course~ Do you think Daddy would not call you on the day he gets married? I’d take you to the buffet to eat lots of delicious food…."  

"———Then I’ll marry you."  
"Uh… what?"  

The cheerful statement sounded a bit odd.  
What does that mean? Does she want to marry Daddy when she grows up?  

It was so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.  

"Puha. Our Haru wants to marry Daddy~?"  
"Yeah. Daddy is mine. I can’t give him to anyone else."  
"Aw, I see~ Daddy is happy~."  

As I laughed, Haru also beamed.  
A delightful little rice cake father-daughter duo.  

"Then can I marry Daddy?"  
"Hehe. If Haru says the same thing when she grows up, it might be a big dilemma~."  
"……."  

However, I overlooked it while laughing.  

- **Ding.**  
**[Skill 'Complete Hypnosis' is activated…]**  
**[Not three keys, is it okay? They tilt their heads.]**  
**[Complete Hypnosis says it’s tired and goes back to sleep.]**  

- **Squeak.**  

"Haru, you’re really big. The baby is full, so she’s smiling."  
"……Haru?"  

My 'when you grow up' and Haru's 'when you grow up.'  
Between these two phrases, a vast chasm existed.  

- **Plop. Thud.**  

"I’ll marry Daddy. Churup churup."  

The price of her recklessness was more expensive than expected.