Morning sunlight spilled through the apartment window, pooling softly across the tatami mats and catching the edge of Akio’s tea cup. The steam drifted upward in thin, lazy curls as he turned a page of the book resting on the low dining table. It was a rare kind of quiet—the sort that only existed in brief slivers between missions. He let it linger, savoring the calm hum of the city outside and the faint tick of the wall clock.

  The peace didn’t last long.

  A sharp thud broke the air as Aira’s bedroom door slammed open. She emerged with the energy of a sunrise, hands on her hips, hair still tousled from sleep.

  “We’re going to the beach today,” she announced, as though declaring a national holiday.

  Akio looked up from his book, blinking once. “The beach?”

  “Yes,” she said, already animated. “It’s summer, the weather’s perfect, and when term starts again we won’t have time to do anything fun. Plus, I’m bored.”

  She began pacing as she spoke, ticking points off on her fingers. “I heard the coast is gorgeous this time of year,” she said, excitement rising. “And the last time we went was when Akiren took us, remember? That was so long ago! We were just kids.”

  Akio took another sip of tea, the taste grounding and faintly sweet. He remembered those trips vividly—their older brother leading them through crowded boardwalks, the smell of salt and seaweed, Aira running ahead with a bucket too big for her arms. It had been a long time.

  “Fair enough,” he murmured.

  Aira stretched, all bright resolve again. “Then it’s decided! I’m going to get ready and you’re coming too.” She pointed at him for emphasis before disappearing back into her room with the clatter of drawers opening.

  Akio watched the door close, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He set his cup down and leaned back slightly, letting the morning quiet return around the echo of her energy. There were no urgent calls waiting for the Dawn Hound today—no missions, no injuries to conceal, no fabricated alibis to maintain. Just the still hum of an ordinary day.

  He exhaled softly through his nose, the faintest glimmer of amusement crossing his face.

  “Guess I should get ready,” he said to the empty room, the corners of his eyes warming with quiet fondness.

  ~~~

  The beach was alive with laughter and sunlight, a gentle chaos that rolled with the rhythm of the waves. Golden sand stretched beneath Akio’s feet as he anchored the umbrella into place, its fabric snapping faintly in the warm breeze. Aira was beside him, half-buried in the beach bag, tugging out towels and tossing them onto the chairs with a triumphant grin.

  Akio straightened once the umbrella was steady, brushing the sand from his palms. He paused for a moment to take it in—the cloudless sky, the glimmer of the sea, the sound of children shouting somewhere down the shore. The warmth on his skin felt good, like the kind of peace he rarely allowed himself. His white collared shirt fluttered in the breeze, the fabric light against his chest.

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  “Alright!”

  Aira’s voice broke through his quiet reverie. She was sitting on one of the chairs, holding up a bottle of sunblock like it was an urgent medical order. “Your turn to be useful. I need help with my back.”

  Akio huffed a quiet laugh and took the bottle from her. “Of course.”

  As he sat behind her, Aira kept talking, gesturing with exaggerated complaint. “I just wish this stuff would dry instantly. Why do we have to wait thirty minutes before going into the water? It’s so dumb.”

  “That’s how you prevent skin cancer,” he said mildly, squeezing a line of lotion onto her back.

  Aira jolted forward with a loud yelp. “It’s so cold! What is that!”

  Akio chuckled under his breath, rubbing the lotion in with calm, practiced motions. “It’s not that bad.”

  She twisted to glare at him over her shoulder, cheeks puffed out. “Easy for you to say, it’s only cold on your hand.”

  He only hummed in response, finishing the last few strokes with methodical precision. When he finally leaned back, Aira snatched the bottle from his hand with a grin that could only mean trouble.

  “Your turn,” she said, voice dripping with triumph and mischief.

  Akio sighed and set his shirt aside, folding it neatly before glancing over to where Aira sat cross-legged on the chair. He expected her to already be waving the bottle of sunblock like a weapon, but she was just staring at him instead—brows furrowed, lips pursed, an expression caught somewhere between disbelief and suspicion.

  “What is it?” he asked, tilting his head.

  Aira blinked, squinting at him like she was trying to process an optical illusion. “Wait, can you stand up for a second?”

  He raised an eyebrow but humored her, standing and brushing a few grains of sand from his pants. She didn’t move. Just stared.

  A moment later, she pointed at him, incredulous. “Since when did you have abs??”

  Akio followed her gaze downward.

  Ah, right. That.

  It wasn’t something he thought about—training and nightly patrols as the Dawn Hound left him naturally in shape. But Aira’s reaction was... understandable. In her head, he was the meticulous academic type, all books and caffeine. Seeing him looking like a fitness model probably shattered some lifelong assumption.

  He wasn’t about to explain why he was in such shape. That conversation would spiral quickly. So, as always, he took the safer route: deflection by excessive nerd talk.

  “It’s my diet,” he said smoothly.

  Aira gawked at him. “Okay, but you don’t just diet your way into muscles like that! I literally never see you work out—how?”

  Akio tapped his chin as though considering it. “Actually, it’s quite simple. Diet and genetics play a significant role in muscle aesthetics. By tracking macros and maintaining sub-ten-percent body fat year round, combined with favorable genetic predisposition and mild dehydration, one can achieve a reasonably athletic looking build.”

  Aira crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. “Okay, but if it’s that easy, why doesn’t everyone have abs?”

  Akio didn’t falter, his tone sliding effortlessly into lecture mode. “Because it’s not easy. Most people underestimate how much discipline it takes to maintain a caloric deficit while still building muscle mass. Not to mention hydration levels, sleep quality, and water retention. The difference between bodybuilding for aesthetic and bodybuilding for strength is all about consistency. One focuses on visual ratio and symmetry, the other on power output. It’s really a question of—”

  He didn’t get to finish. A towel smacked him square in the face, draping over his head.

  “OKAY, I GET IT,” Aira groaned. “You’re such a nerd. Sit down so I can put the sunblock on you.”

  Akio chuckled quietly under the towel, his mouth curving into a smug smile.

  Deflection: successful.

  He sat back down, folding his arms loosely over his knees as Aira knelt behind him. The first touch of lotion was startlingly cold, a streak of ice against the warmth of his back. He didn’t flinch, keeping his expression perfectly neutral, though he couldn’t resist letting out a dry remark.

  “It’s actually pretty warm,” he said lightly.

  “You’re lying,” Aira accused, rubbing in the lotion. “I know it’s cold.”

  Akio’s tone was perfectly mild. “Am I?”

  She huffed, muttering something under her breath about him being insufferable. Akio couldn’t help but smirk faintly, quietly entertained by the exchange. And though he would never admit it aloud, it was small moments like these he cherished the most.

  ─ ? NEXT CHAPTER POV ? ─

  Akio