---

Scene: The Interview

Reo Miizushima squinted at the fancy iron gate in front of him.

“Private residence,” the listing had said. “High pay. Discretion required.”

He didn't expect a damn mansion.

He buzzed the intercom.

No answer.

He buzzed again, longer this time.

The gate clicked open.

“…Cool. Definitely not creepy.”

He stepped in, walking past perfectly trimmed hedges and koi ponds that screamed rich and possibly criminal. Just as he reached the front door, it creaked open before he could knock.

Standing there was a man in a black button-down, sleeves rolled up, arms crossed. Cold, sharp gaze. Ridiculously pretty face that looked carved out of marble and bad decisions.

“You’re late,” the man said.

Reo blinked. “Uh. For what?”

“The interview.”

“…Right. Yeah. Hi. I’m Reo Miizushima. I’m here for the totally normal and not-at-all-sketchy part-time job.”

The man tilted his head just slightly. His eyes lingered on Reo like he was sizing up prey. “I’m Saeki Renjirou.”

Reo gave him a lopsided smile. “Cool name. Sounds like a villain from a drama.”

Renjirou didn’t laugh. Instead, he stepped aside.

“You’ll clean. Cook. Do laundry. Handle errands. Patch up wounds if necessary. Occasionally dispose of evidence.”

“…Wait. What?”

“Follow me.”

Reo hesitated. “Sorry, did you just say dispose of eviden—”

A gunshot echoed in the distance—casual, like a door slam.

Reo froze. Renjirou didn’t even flinch.

“You’ll get used to it,” he said, walking ahead.

Reo swallowed hard.

“…The pay better be insane.”

---

Scene 2: Welcome to the Underworld

Reo tried not to flinch when the second gunshot echoed—closer this time.

Renjirou didn’t even blink as he led Reo through a hallway lined with expensive vases, calligraphy scrolls, and a katana mounted on the wall. The place looked like a museum curated by someone with excellent taste and at least ten enemies.

“…So, uh, about the evidence disposal thing—” Reo began.

“You ask a lot of questions for someone who needs money,” Renjirou said coolly.

Reo scowled. “You said light domestic work. I assumed dusting shelves, not dumping bodies.”

Renjirou stopped walking.

He turned, leaned in close enough that Reo caught the faint scent of cologne and cigarette smoke.

“You still want the job?”

Reo swallowed. “That depends. Does it come with dental?”

For a split second, Renjirou’s lips twitched. Was that—almost a smile?

“Follow me, Miizushima.”

They entered a spacious, modern kitchen. Spotless. Empty. Too quiet. Renjirou gestured toward a notepad on the counter.

“Grocery list,” he said.

Reo picked it up. He blinked.

Rice

Natto

Eggs

Bleach

Bandages

Trash bags

Ice cream (vanilla)

“…Are we cleaning the house or hiding a murder?”

Renjirou’s tone was dry. “Both. Depending on how the week goes.”

Reo looked up from the list, his voice rising a notch. “Okay, I need hazard pay. And possibly therapy.”

Renjirou pulled a thick envelope from a drawer and slid it across the counter. “One week’s pay. In advance.”

Reo stared at the envelope. Then back at Renjirou. “You're not trying to bribe me into silence, right?”

“I’m hiring you.”

Reo slowly picked it up, opened it—and froze.

Cash. Neatly stacked. Way more than a week’s worth of part-time anything.

“…Screw it. Where’s the nearest market?”

Renjirou nodded slightly, almost satisfied.

“One more thing,” he said as Reo headed for the door.

Reo turned. “Yeah?”

“Don’t die before dinner.”

HAHA yesss I love that twist—Saeki Renjirou, 27-year-old dangerously hot Yakuza boss who can take down a room full of hitmen but has absolutely no idea how to be a responsible adult, let alone a dad.

So now we’ve got:

Renjirou – elegant, deadly, emotionally constipated, lives off black coffee and silent brooding, absolutely not dad material.

Reo – 21, sarcastic little gremlin, cleaning up gun shells while making snide remarks, trying to figure out why this man is weirdly soft only around him.

Bonus drama: Renjirou has a son (wait—how? When? With who? WHY?), and he’s terrible at parenting, so guess who gets roped into being the accidental co-parent?

---

Possible Next Scene: Accidental Domestic Chaos

Scene 3: So... there's a Kid?!

The mansion door swung open mid-grocery-run panic, and Reo froze—his hoodie damp from the rain, a bag of eggs in one hand and bleeding slightly from a scraped elbow.

Renjirou glanced up from cleaning his gun on the table. "You’re late."

Reo dropped the eggs on the counter. "I got chased by a guy in a tracksuit with a katana. Why do you have enemies who dress like they're in a workout commercial?"

Renjirou didn't answer. Instead, he stood, moved to the front hallway—and Reo heard something unexpected.

A child's voice.

Small. Sleepy. “...Oji-san?”

Reo peeked around the corner.

There. A boy, maybe four or five, clutching a tiny toy gun and rubbing his eyes. Messy dark hair. Familiar sharp eyes.

Reo stared. Then blinked. Then stared harder.

“...You have a kid?!”

Renjirou sighed, pin

Scene 5: The Accidental Kidnap (a.k.a. Reo Just Wanted to Buy Milk)

It started with Reo deciding that if he had to babysit the spawn of a Yakuza boss, they were at least getting real food.

So off they went. Hoodie, sunglasses, little kid in mismatched shoes, and a plastic samurai sword. Totally normal. Totally inconspicuous.

Until Reo realized they forgot one minor detail:

He did not tell Saeki.

---

Cut to the mansion – 20 minutes later.

Saeki stepped out of a meeting with blood on his gloves and murder in his eyes, only to be greeted by dead silence.

“Where’s the boy?” he asked the guard.

“Sir… Reo took him. Said something about milk?”

The coffee cup shattered in his hand.

Saeki’s voice dropped two octaves. “No one followed them?”

“We thought they were… going to the corner store.”

“He just took my son out in broad daylight—with that face—into my enemy-infested city?!”

The walls might’ve trembled. A few grown men might’ve reconsidered their entire life path.

---

Meanwhile…

Reo stood in the middle of a convenience store, holding a loaf of bread while Renji knocked down chip bags one by one.

“I regret everything,” Reo muttered. “I should’ve stayed home and married a lamp.”

“Can we get chocolate milk?” Renji asked, halfway climbing the shelf.

“No. You’re already insane enough.”

Suddenly, Reo’s phone vibrated violently.

12 MISSED CALLS

14 THREATENING TEXTS FROM ‘Boss-Daddy’

1 VOICEMAIL:

“If I don’t hear your voice in the next ten seconds, I’m going to burn this city to the ground.”

Reo blinked. “...Huh.”

He picked up the phone.

“Renjirou.”

“Where. Are. You.”

“...You didn’t leave instructions. So I took the gremlin grocery shopping.”

There was a pause so cold, Reo swore winter was invented in that moment.

Then:

“You have five minutes to get back or I start a war.”

“Okay okay! Calm down, you melodramatic overgrown bat!”

Renji looked up, holding a chocolate bar. “Is Daddy mad?”

Reo sighed. “No, kiddo. Daddy’s just having a mobster meltdown.”

---

Cut to: Saeki standing in the driveway like a mafia god, eyes blazing, waiting.

Reo pulls up in a grocery cart with the kid sitting in it like royalty.

Renji waves. “We got noodles!”

Saeki walks over in slow, terrifying silence.

Reo gulps. “Okay, before you kill me, the kid now knows what a bell pepper is. That’s character development.”

Saeki grabs the boy, inspects him head to toe, makes sure he’s breathing. Then he glares at Reo.

“You’re an idiot.”

Reo shrugs. “But I’m your idiot now, huh?”

Saeki turns away, muttering under his breath.

“Next time, I’m putting a GPS in your shoe.”

---

Scene 6: Balcony Beers & Unspoken Thank Yous

The mansion was unusually quiet. Renji had finally passed out after demanding Reo read him a bedtime story... in five different voices.

Now Reo stood on the wide balcony, barefoot, hoodie half-zipped, sipping canned soda like a war veteran. The moonlight caught the bandage on his finger—courtesy of Renji’s fanged toothbrush attack earlier.

He sighed. “So this is my life now. Bitten by a child. Hunted by rival mobs. Emotionally bullied by a sexy crime boss…”

Clink.

A cold beer slid across the stone railing, stopping beside him.

Reo turned. Saeki was there—unbuttoned shirt, dark slacks, no tie. The sleeves rolled up. Still terrifying. Still hot. But… less of a dragon, more of a tired wolf tonight.

Reo raised an eyebrow. “You drink beer?”

“Only when I want to throw it at someone.”

“Touching.”

They stood there in silence for a moment. Saeki leaned on the rail beside him, gaze fixed on the moon, hands in pockets.

“…You didn’t have to take him out,” he finally said, voice low. “It was reckless.”

“Kid needed air. And a snack that wasn’t imported seaweed flakes.”

Saeki looked at him sideways. “And what would you have done if someone recognized him?”

“Smile, kick them in the nuts, and run.”

“…You’re an idiot.”

“Thanks. But the kid had fun.”

Another pause.

Saeki’s voice dropped softer, almost like he didn’t want to admit the words coming out.

“He… laughed tonight. Like really laughed.”

Reo turned, surprised.

“He doesn’t do that often,” Saeki added.

And there it was. That cracked open moment. No threats. No sarcasm. Just a man trying to say “thank you” without actually using the words.

So Reo smiled, just a little. “You’re welcome, Oji-san.”

Saeki side-eyed him. “Call me that again and I’ll break your kneecaps.”

There it is. Emotional progress, delivered with death threats.

They clinked cans in mutual awkwardness. The silence between them wasn’t tense anymore. It was… warm. Like two very different disasters orbiting the same tiny, chaotic sun.

And inside, Renji snored loudly, drooling on a plush dragon.

---

Scene 6: Balcony Beers & Unspoken Thank Yous (Revised)

Starring Saeki Renjirou, Reo Miizushima, and Renji (the tiny chaos prince)

---

The house had finally gone still.

Reo Miizushima stepped out onto the wide stone balcony, hoodie on, hair tousled, barefoot and bruised fro

Scene 6: Balcony Beers & Unspoken Thank Yous (Revised)

Starring Saeki Renjirou, Reo Miizushima, and Renji (the tiny chaos prince)

The house had finally gone still.

Reo Miizushima stepped out onto the wide stone balcony, hoodie on, hair tousled, barefoot and bruised from stepping on a toy dinosaur. In his hand was a can of lemon soda. In his heart—existential dread.

“Babysitting a Yakuza kid,” he muttered, taking a sip. “This wasn’t in my part-time job wishlist.”

The moonlight painted everything silver. Quiet. Peaceful. Until—

Clink.

A cold beer appeared beside him on the railing. Reo turned his head slowly, already bracing.

There he was. Saeki Renjirou. 27 years old. Head of the Saeki-gumi. Cold eyes. Rolled-up sleeves. Looking like a mafia boss who accidentally walked into a rom-com and couldn’t figure out how to leave.

“…You drink beer?” Reo asked.

Saeki leaned on the railing next to him, gaze steady on the city skyline. “Only when I regret hiring someone.”

Reo smirked. “Wow. This moment is already intimate.”

“I don’t recall asking you to play house with my son.”

“You didn’t. But Renji wanted chocolate milk. And, believe it or not, he listens to me more than he listens to your guards with zero parenting skills.”

A beat passed.

“…He laughed,” Saeki said quietly, almost like it hurt to admit. “Tonight. A real one.”

Reo glanced sideways at him. “Cute laugh, by the way. Kinda squeaky. He did a little ninja pose with chip bags.”

Saeki huffed under his breath—somewhere between a scoff and a laugh.

“He doesn’t do that often,” Saeki murmured. “He’s… been quiet ever since—”

He stopped. Gaze tightened. He didn’t finish the sentence.

Reo didn’t press. Instead, he nudged the beer toward him. “Guess we both needed some air.”

Saeki finally took the beer, cracked it open, and took a slow sip.

“I don’t trust easily,” he said flatly. “And I especially don’t trust men with sarcasm disorders and bedhead.”

Reo held up his soda. “Cheers to bad instincts, then.”

“…But.”

That word lingered.

“But Renji seems to like you. A lot.”

Reo blinked. That was… almost a compliment.

Saeki added, “If anything ever happens to him while he’s with you, I will make sure your corpse is not recognizable.”

Ah. There it was.

Reo chuckled, leaning back on the railing. “Saeki Renjirou, you really don’t know how to say thank you, do you?”

Saeki took another swig, eyes narrowing. “I hired you to help around. Not to lecture me.”

“And yet, here we are. Bonding under the moonlight like a low-budget drama.”

“Call this bonding again, and I’ll throw you off this balcony.”

Reo grinned. “Yeah, yeah. You're welcome, boss.”

Inside the house, little Renji Saeki snored dramatically, one arm over a plush shark.

Outside, two men shared a silence neither of them knew how to name.

---

Scene 7: 3AM Storms & Misplaced Comfort

Renji Saeki, Saeki Renjirou, Reo Miizushima

---

3:14 AM.

The thunder cracked like the sky was being ripped apart.

Reo Miizushima blinked awake, groggy, still curled up on the guest room couch. He was about to roll over when—

thump-thump-thump

Footsteps. Small. Panicked.

Then—

“Reo-nii!!”

The door burst open. Tiny Renji Saeki, eyes wide with terror, pajamas rumpled, face wet with tears.

Reo sat up instantly. “Whoa—hey, hey, what’s wrong?”

Renji launched himself forward, crashing into Reo’s chest like a missile.

“There was a monster in the thunder!” Renji wailed, clutching Reo’s hoodie. “I saw it in my dream—he was gonna take you and Daddy away!”

Reo’s arms wrapped around the kid instinctively, pulling him close. “Shh. It’s okay, I’m here. Nobody’s taking anybody. Monsters don’t stand a chance in this house. Especially not against… the legendary Reo blanket burrito attack.”

Renji hiccuped a laugh, sniffling. “You’re not a blanket.”

“Not yet.”

He reached for the spare blanket, wrapping them both up like a warm cocoon. The thunder cracked again—but this time, Renji didn’t flinch as hard.

Then—

A knock. A second later, the door opened.

Saeki Renjirou, shirtless, hair mussed from sleep, his gun in one hand. His voice was gravel. “What happened?”

Reo looked up from the bundle of warmth in his lap. “Nightmare. He came straight here.”

Saeki’s eyes dropped to his son… and paused. Renji wasn’t just clinging to Reo—he was hiding from Saeki, face buried in Reo’s chest like instinct chose comfort and familiarity.

That hit something raw.

“…I see,” Saeki said softly.

Reo caught that flicker of emotion—just a second too late for Saeki to mask it.

“He’s okay now,” Reo said, tone gentler than usual. “I’ll stay with him tonight.”

Saeki gave a small nod, backing toward the door. “If he asks for me…”

“I’ll send him. But let him rest like this for now. He just needs… warmth. Safety.”

Saeki hesitated again. Then, in the lowest voice—

“...He used to run to her like that too.”

Reo didn’t say anything. Just nodded, fingers gently carding through Renji’s hair.

As Saeki left, the door closing behind him, Reo whispered to the boy:

“You got two people now, you know. A scary cool dad… and me. The emotionally available one.”

Renji murmured in half-sleep, “Don’t go away, Reo-nii…”

“I’m not going anywhere, kid.”

The storm outside continued—but inside the cocoon, it was warm, steady… safe.

---

Scene 8: Pancakes, Papas, and the Slip-Up Heard 'Round the House

---

Scene 9: Double Damage – One Word, Two Papas, and a Whole Lotta Feels

---

Reo tried to play it cool. He really did.

He turned back to the stove, flipped a pancake with slightly more force than needed. “Well. That didn’t go nuclear at all.”

Behind him, Renji blinked, syrup on his chin, still chewing.

Then—

Renji: “Uhm… Reo-nii?”

Reo (wary): “Yeah, kiddo?”

Renji: “Is it okay if I had two papas?”

Freeze frame.

Pancake in midair. Syrup threatening to slide off the counter. Reo’s soul leaving his body just a little.

“…what.”

Renji poked his fork at his plate, frowning. “Like… one who’s good at shooting and glaring, and one who makes pancakes and hugs?”

Reo blinked. “So I’m the hug unit and he’s the murder unit?”

Renji nodded proudly. “Yeah! I need both!”

Before Reo could even process how to respond to that, a low voice cut in from the kitchen doorway.

Saeki: “Two papas, huh?”

Reo turned so fast he almost tripped on his own feet. Saeki was leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed, unreadable expression.

Renji gasped. “Papa! I didn’t mean—!”

Saeki walked over slowly. The air felt like it dropped ten degrees.

Then…

He reached out and wiped the syrup from Renji’s chin.

Saeki (softly): “Don’t apologize, Renji.”

Renji blinked. “I’m not in trouble?”

Saeki looked up—straight at Reo.

Saeki: “You just reminded me he needs more than a sword and a name. He needs someone who knows how to be soft with him.”

Reo was silent.

Saeki: “I’m not good at that.”

Reo (quiet): “...I’m not trying to replace you.”

Saeki: “No. But you’re making it hard not to wish he had someone like you from the start.”

Renji suddenly beamed. “So I can have two papas?”

Saeki sighed like a man realizing fate is against him.

“…Finish your breakfast. We’ll talk about... co-parenting structures later.”

Reo cracked a grin. “Aw, hell. I’m officially in a Yakuza custody arrangement.”

Renji raised his fork like a sword. “Team double papa!!”

Reo gave Saeki a look. “You created a chaos gremlin. I'm just here keeping it fed.”

Saeki muttered, “I should’ve never let him near you.”

But his eyes… they weren’t angry.

They looked almost grateful.

---

Wanna follow up with a mission scene where Saeki and Reo have to team up—and argue like divorced parents the whole time—while Renji is left in the hands of an unsuspecting babysitter?

The smell of sizzling batter and burnt toast filled the kitchen.

Reo Miizushima stood at the stove, wearing Renji’s kiddie apron (it said “Tiny Chef!” with a cartoon shrimp holding a spatula). His hair was a mess. His mood: surprisingly domestic.

“Okay, pancakes for the prince, black coffee for the mafia,” he muttered, flipping another pancake with flair. “Who knew my survival skills included breakfast?”

Behind him, little Renji Saeki sat at the counter, swinging his legs, cheeks puffed up with syrupy goodness.

“Reo-nii, your pancakes are better than the old chef’s,” he said with sticky enthusiasm.

“High praise coming from the Yakuza heir,” Reo teased, setting another on his plate. “Eat up before the boss wakes up and wonders where his dignity went.”

Too late.

Saeki Renjirou entered like a ghost—dressed crisp and black, but eyes still shadowed with last night’s ache. He paused in the doorway.

There they were:

His son, smiling.

His… hired help, flipping pancakes and humming like he belonged.

He walked over slowly, nodding at Reo. “You’re still here.”

Reo smirked without turning. “Someone’s gotta teach your kid that syrup isn’t a beverage.”

Saeki glanced down at Renji. “Did you sleep well?”

Renji beamed. “Yeah! Reo-nii hugged the monsters away. He made me into a burrito.”

Saeki didn’t smile. But his shoulders relaxed.

Then—the moment happened.

Renji turned to Reo, sticky hands raised.

“Papa, can I have more?”

Silence.

Reo froze, spatula mid-air.

Saeki’s eyes snapped up like gunfire.

“…What did you just call him?” Saeki asked, voice calm. Too calm.

Renji blinked innocently. “...Papa?”

Reo slowly turned around, expression a mix of whoops and don’t-kill-me-I’m-just-the-pancake-man.

“I didn’t teach him that,” Reo said quickly, hands up like he was under arrest.

Renji tilted his head. “I just… I dunno. It slipped out. He feels like one…”

The words hung there. Innocent. Honest. Loaded like a bullet.

Saeki’s jaw tightened. “He’s not your father.”

Reo gently wiped syrup off the boy’s mouth. “I know that. He knows that.”

Renji looked between the two grown-ups—confused by the tension, suddenly quiet.

“…Sorry,” he mumbled, clutching his fork.

Saeki exhaled slowly, turning away. “Eat your pancakes, Renji.”

Then he walked out of the kitchen, back rigid, fists clenched.

Reo didn’t follow. He just watched the doorway, heart hammering in a way that made no sense.

“…Damn,” he muttered, turning back to the stove. “Didn’t think pancakes would be the start of a custody crisis.”

Scene 9: Double Damage – One Word, Two Papas, and a Whole Lotta Feels

---

Reo tried to play it cool. He really did.

He turned back to the stove, flipped a pancake with slightly more force than needed. “Well. That didn’t go nuclear at all.”

Behind him, Renji blinked, syrup on his chin, still chewing.

Then—

Renji: “Uhm… Reo-nii?”

Reo (wary): “Yeah, kiddo?”

Renji: “Is it okay if I had two papas?”

Freeze frame.

Pancake in midair. Syrup threatening to slide off the counter. Reo’s soul leaving his body just a little.

“…what.”

Renji poked his fork at his plate, frowning. “Like… one who’s good at shooting and glaring, and one who makes pancakes and hugs?”

Reo blinked. “So I’m the hug unit and he’s the murder unit?”

Renji nodded proudly. “Yeah! I need both!”

Before Reo could even process how to respond to that, a low voice cut in from the kitchen doorway.

Saeki: “Two papas, huh?”

Reo turned so fast he almost tripped on his own feet. Saeki was leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed, unreadable expression.

Renji gasped. “Papa! I didn’t mean—!”

Saeki walked over slowly. The air felt like it dropped ten degrees.

Then…

He reached out and wiped the syrup from Renji’s chin.

Saeki (softly): “Don’t apologize, Renji.”

Renji blinked. “I’m not in trouble?”

Saeki looked up—straight at Reo.

Saeki: “You just reminded me he needs more than a sword and a name. He needs someone who knows how to be soft with him.”

Reo was silent.

Saeki: “I’m not good at that.”

Reo (quiet): “...I’m not trying to replace you.”

Saeki: “No. But you’re making it hard not to wish he had someone like you from the start.”

Renji suddenly beamed. “So I can have two papas?”

Saeki sighed like a man realizing fate is against him.

“…Finish your breakfast. We’ll talk about... co-parenting structures later.”

Reo cracked a grin. “Aw, hell. I’m officially in a Yakuza custody arrangement.”

Renji raised his fork like a sword. “Team double papa!!”

Reo gave Saeki a look. “You created a chaos gremlin. I'm just here keeping it fed.”

Saeki muttered, “I should’ve never let him near you.”

But his eyes… they weren’t angry.

They looked almost grateful.

Scene 11: Midnight Comfort, Morning Trouble

---

Location: Saeki’s Penthouse – 11:47 PM

The house was finally quiet.

Renji had passed out mid-sentence, curled up in bed with one arm around Crocodile King and the other loosely gripping Reo’s sleeve.

Reo sat beside the bed, half-asleep himself, still in a tank top and sweatpants.

Reo (softly): “He always hold on like that?”

Saeki leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed, but his eyes were soft.

Saeki: “He doesn’t like the dark. Never did.”

Reo: “He okay with you leaving him at night?”

A pause.

Saeki: “He used to cry when I did.”

Reo glanced up at him. “You don’t leave anymore, huh.”

Saeki didn’t answer. Just walked over quietly and pulled the blanket up over Renji’s small form.

Saeki: “...He’s not the only one who can’t sleep when I’m gone now.”

Reo turned his face away, pretending to yawn. “Wow. Look at you. Almost sounded like feelings.”

Saeki: “You want me to say it?”

Reo (smirking): “Say what?”

Saeki (deadpan): “Thank you. For staying. For making him smile.”

Reo was stunned for a second.

Then—

Reo: “...You know, for a scary mob boss, you’re dangerously close to being cute.”

Saeki: “You say that again, and I’ll throw you out the window.”

Reo (grinning): “You’d miss me.”

Saeki (mutters): “Unfortunately.”

---

Scene 12: New Day, New Enemy

Location: Renji’s Private Academy – 8:13 AM

Reo dropped Renji off at the school gate, handing over his bento with a wink.

Reo: “Don’t trade that for candy again.”

Renji: “No promises!”

Reo turned to leave—

—but he felt it.

Someone watching.

Up on the rooftop of a building across the street, a figure stood—tall, lean, cigarette between two fingers, suit pristine.

A tattoo peeking from under his collar.

Scar across one eye.

???: “So... the demon king has a child.”

The figure exhaled smoke and tapped his earpiece.

???: “He has a lover too. Blond. Talks too much.”

A voice crackled on the other end.

Voice: “Orders?”

???: “Watch him. No killing. Yet.”

The man’s lips curled into a grin.

???: “We’ll break the king by touching what he tries to protect.”

---

End of Episode Tease:

Back in the car, Reo glanced into the mirror. He couldn’t shake the feeling.

Renji’s laugh still rang in his ears, but the pit in his stomach grew.

Reo (to himself): “Something’s coming.”

He reached for his gun under the seat.

Reo (softly): “You touch that kid, and I’ll bury you myself.”

---

Scene 10: Bullets, Babysitting, and Bickering Like It’s Date Night

---

Location: Saeki’s Armory Garage, 10:03 AM

Reo strapped on his custom shoulder holster, checking his knives like he was going grocery shopping—not planning an ambush on an illegal arms trade.

Saeki entered, all sleek black suit, gloves on, and jaw clenched.

Saeki: “You’re bringing that knife set? You’re not slicing onions.”

Reo: “Excuse me, Mr. I-Carry-Four-Guns-To-Brunch. These are emotional support blades.”

Saeki (sighs): “We’re in and out. You cover the back. Stay sharp.”

Reo: “I’m always sharp. You’re the one who almost got shot last time because you were brooding mid-battle.”

Saeki (flat): “I was reloading.”

Reo: “You were emotionally reloading.”

Before Saeki could kill him with a glare, Renji ran in wearing his superhero pajamas, dragging a huge plush crocodile.

Renji: “Reo-nii! Papa! Who’s staying with me today?”

Reo and Saeki exchanged glances.

Then the doorbell rang.

Saeki opened it slowly, revealing—

Takeshi, 19 years old, one of the Yakuza’s new recruits. Nervous. Dressed too formally. Sweating buckets.

Saeki: “...You sure you want to do this, kid?”

Takeshi (voice cracking): “It’s just a child, sir.”

Reo burst out laughing.

Reo: “Famous last words.”

---

Meanwhile, at Home…

Takeshi stood awkwardly in the living room. Renji was silent. Staring. Calculating.

Then he smiled.

Renji: “Wanna see my firecrackers?”

Takeshi: “You mean—like, toy ones, right?”

Renji: “Depends. You got good reflexes?”

Cue a loud pop! from the hallway.

---

Back at the Ambush Site…

Gunfire. Smoke. Chaos. Saeki and Reo moved like a synchronized dance of death—until—

Reo: “Cover me, I’m flanking!”

Saeki: “You’re not flanking—you’re improvising again!”

Reo (yelling): “It’s called adapting, old man!”

Saeki: “I’m twenty-seven!”

Reo: “With the stress level of seventy!”

A grenade went off behind them.

Reo: “That one’s on you, Dad.”

Saeki: “Don’t.”

---

After the Battle...

Covered in soot, bruised but breathing, they returned home.

Inside, the house was chaos. Pillows everywhere. A blanket fort taller than Renji. Takeshi sat in a corner, dead-eyed.

Takeshi: “He asked me to swear loyalty to the Crocodile King. I signed a contract in crayon.”

Renji (cheerfully): “We had a blood pact. Grape juice counts, right?”

Reo dropped his gear and grinned.

Reo: “You know, I think the real war’s in this living room.”

Saeki (quietly): “...We need a real nanny.”

Renji (hugging Saeki’s leg): “Or you could just stay with me forever?”

Saeki looked down at the boy.

Then up at Reo—smirking, battle-worn, domestic chaos radiating off him like cologne.

Saeki: “We’ll see.”

Scene 11: Midnight Comfort, Morning Trouble

Location: Saeki’s Penthouse – 11:47 PM

The house was finally quiet.

Renji had passed out mid-sentence, curled up in bed with one arm around Crocodile King and the other loosely gripping Reo’s sleeve.

Reo sat beside the bed, half-asleep himself, still in a tank top and sweatpants.

Reo (softly): “He always hold on like that?”

Saeki leaned on the doorframe, arms crossed, but his eyes were soft.

Saeki: “He doesn’t like the dark. Never did.”

Reo: “He okay with you leaving him at night?”

A pause.

Saeki: “He used to cry when I did.”

Reo glanced up at him. “You don’t leave anymore, huh.”

Saeki didn’t answer. Just walked over quietly and pulled the blanket up over Renji’s small form.

Saeki: “...He’s not the only one who can’t sleep when I’m gone now.”

Reo turned his face away, pretending to yawn. “Wow. Look at you. Almost sounded like feelings.”

Saeki: “You want me to say it?”

Reo (smirking): “Say what?”

Saeki (deadpan): “Thank you. For staying. For making him smile.”

Reo was stunned for a second.

Then—

Reo: “...You know, for a scary mob boss, you’re dangerously close to being cute.”

Saeki: “You say that again, and I’ll throw you out the window.”

Reo (grinning): “You’d miss me.”

Saeki (mutters): “Unfortunately.”

---

Scene 12: New Day, New Enemy

Location: Renji’s Private Academy – 8:13 AM

Reo dropped Renji off at the school gate, handing over his bento with a wink.

Reo: “Don’t trade that for candy again.”

Renji: “No promises!”

Reo turned to leave—

—but he felt it.

Someone watching.

Up on the rooftop of a building across the street, a figure stood—tall, lean, cigarette between two fingers, suit pristine.

A tattoo peeking from under his collar.

Scar across one eye.

???: “So... the demon king has a child.”

The figure exhaled smoke and tapped his earpiece.

???: “He has a lover too. Blond. Talks too much.”

A voice crackled on the other end.

Voice: “Orders?”

???: “Watch him. No killing. Yet.”

The man’s lips curled into a grin.

???: “We’ll break the king by touching what he tries to protect.”

---

End of Episode Tease:

Back in the car, Reo glanced into the mirror. He couldn’t shake the feeling.

Renji’s laugh still rang in his ears, but the pit in his stomach grew.

Reo (to himself): “Something’s coming.”

He reached for his gun under the seat.

Reo (softly): “You touch that kid, and I’ll bury you myself.”