But, still that didn’t an they were going to openly admit that they were the reason he didn’t sleep well last night.
"W-We weren’t—" Olivia stamred, covering her face.
"You shaless devil!" Nina burst out laughing in a fluster, pointing at him. "You can’t just say stuff like that so casually!"
Kafka just smirked. "I’m only speaking the truth. Besides, to satisfy all of you, I have to work very hard, especially you Nina since I rember how you kept on showing your butt to over and over again like a cat in heat."
That shut Nina up fast, her mouth opened, then closed again—before she looked away with a faint blush creeping up her neck.
Olivia, anwhile, was too mortified to even speak, her hands covering her cheeks as she whispered.
"You really have no sha, Kafi, speaking of such matters so early in the morning..."
"I most definitely don’t, Mom." Kafka chuckled, stepping forward. "I still have integrity and value all the things my family does for very much." He continued. "So, don’t worry, I’ll eat every bit of your breakfast right now. Cold or not, if it’s made by you, it’ll be perfect."
"R-Really? Even though it may not be as good as it was before."
"Of course. Whether it flabby pancakes or cold eggs, I’ll eat them all!"
Those words, spoken so casually yet warmly, made Olivia’s blush soften into a smile, feeling so lucky she had Kafka as a son.
But Kafka wasn’t done. He glanced up at Nina then, eyes gleaming with playful challenge.
"As for you, my dear knight of justice, there’s really nothing I need to say in my defense...Because we both know that if I call for Olivia, she’ll co right to . No hesitation."
Nina arched a brow, smirking.
"Oh, confident, are we? Don’t underestimate , Kafka." She tightened her hold around Olivia’s shoulders and said proudly. "Because as long as I tell her to stay, she will stay. She knows I’ll treat her better than you ever could. Isn’t that right, Ollie?"
Olivia’s mouth opened, but no words ca out. Her head turning between the two of them as if she’d just realized she’d been thrust into a bizarre tug-of-war.
"We’ll see about that." Kafka leaned forward, his grin widening.
He then extended a hand toward Olivia, voice lowering into that coaxing, velvet tone he knew she could never resist.
"Co on, Mom." He said gently. "Be a good girl. Co to ."
"Stay right here!" Nina countered, pulling her back against her chest protectively. "Don’t listen to him! You deserve soone who’ll actually appreciate you!"
"...Stay with , Ollie, I’ll make you breakfast and dinner, and I’ll never let a monster like him mistreat you!"
anwhile, Olivia stood frozen between them, wide-eyed, looking like a squirrel caught in the middle of an oncoming storm.
She loved them both deeply, their teasing, their affection, their warmth, and the idea of "choosing" between them felt like a trap she couldn’t escape.
"N-Nina, Kafi, please don’t fight over like this." She stamred, her voice barely above a whisper.
But both of them just waited, eyes locked on her with ridiculous expectation, Kafka’s confident, teasing smile on one side, and Nina’s dramatic, pleading pout on the other.
Finally, Olivia drew in a breath, cheeks still glowing pink. She hesitated only a heartbeat, then, with a sudden burst of motion—she ducked out from under Nina’s arm.
"Hey—!" Nina gasped, reaching for her, but Olivia was already moving.
She darted across the few steps of distance and went straight to Kafka, clutching his hand tightly like she was holding onto safety itself.
Her voice trembled, but her resolve was firm.
"I’m sorry, Nina." She said softly. "But no matter what happens, I’ll always stay by Kafka’s side. Even if he mistreats one day...even if he forgets for a while, I’ll still stay. Because he’s my precious son."
The sincerity in her voice silenced them both.
For a mont, Nina just stared, her expression blank, and then she sighed deeply, raising one hand to her forehead in tragedy.
"Ah, I see how it is. The hero loses again." Her tone dripped with lodrama, though her smile was soft beneath it. "No matter what I do, the story always ends the sa. I’m dood to play the loser in love." She turned, flipping her ponytail dramatically as she took a few slow, exaggerated steps away. "Farewell, my dear Olivia. I’ll rember you fondly, "
But before she could finish her theatrics, Kafka’s voice cut through the air, warm and amused.
"As if I’d let you go that easily."
Nina froze mid-step, blinking. "Huh?"
He was suddenly behind her, close, too close, and before she could even turn fully, his hand caught her wrist.
In one smooth, decisive motion, he pulled her back toward him, his other hand sliding behind her back. Nina barely had ti to yelp before she found herself spun into his chest—and then his lips were on hers, firm and deep, cutting off her breath and her thoughts at once.
"Mmm!♡~ Mmm!♡~ Kiss!♡~ Mmm!♡~ Slurp!♡~"
"Mmm—K-Kafka—!" She tried to protest, but the words dissolved into a muffled sound against his mouth.
For a second she fought it, her hands pressing weakly at his chest, but the struggle lted as quickly as it began. Her body relaxed, her grip shifted, and then her arms slowly slid up around his neck, returning the kiss with equal intensity.
"Kiss!♡~ Kiss!♡~ Mwah!♡~ Kiss!♡~ Nibble!♡~"
Olivia stood a few feet away, her blush deepening, but she didn’t turn away.
She’d seen this before, many tis, and though it always left her heart fluttering, she had long since stopped being shocked by her son’s audacity.
When the kiss finally broke, Nina was breathless, her lips flushed, eyes dazed.
"Y-you...You sneak...That surprise attack isn’t fair." She whispered, her voice trembling between irritation and amusent.
But Kafka only grinned, his thumb brushing her chin as he said, "Don’t act like so tragic hero, Nina. You’re my woman too at the end of the day and there’s no changing that."
For a second, Nina just stood there, frozen. Then her long, pointed ears flushed, twitching slightly in embarrassnt. Her lips parted in a faint gasp before she forced herself to scowl at him, trying to hide how flustered she was.
"Tch..." She huffed, looking away. "You really don’t know when to shut up, do you?"
Her voice was gruff, but the faint tremor in it betrayed her. Her ears flicked again as she muttered.
"I swear, I was just about to kick your butt all over this garden for pulling a stunt like that, kissing in front of Ollie like so bold, arrogant idiot." She jabbed a finger into his chest, glaring at him. "But after that kiss..." Her voice softened slightly, and her gaze wavered. "...ugh, damn it, I can’t bring myself to do it."
She sighed heavily, folding her arms.
"So, fine. I’ll forgive you this ti."
Kafka chuckled quietly, clearly enjoying her flustered reaction. "That’s very generous of you, my dear warrior."
"But..." She said sharply, lifting a hand again and pressing it protectively onto Olivia’s shoulder. "Next ti, I won’t. And anything that happens to this adorable woman right here..." She gave Olivia a fond little squeeze "...you’ll answer to . Got it?"
Olivia blinked, surprised by the sudden display of protectiveness. Then she smiled, the warmth in her chest blooming.
"You really are sweet, Nina." She said softly, almost shyly. "I’m...glad I have you as a close friend and my previous family"
Nina’s ears twitched again, her face heating slightly, though she covered it up with a dismissive smirk.
"Heh. Yeah, yeah. Don’t get too sentintal on ! I don’t like all those soppy words!"
Kafka’s grin softened as he watched the two won together.
For all her rough edges and boldness, Nina had beco sothing precious to the family—a source of obnoxious energy, yes. But also a heart that genuinely cared.
And Olivia...well, she brought out the gentler side of everyone around her, even Nina.
He was then about to finally explain why he’d co there in the first place—but before he could open his mouth, Nina’s sharp eyes narrowed. A sly, knowing smile crept onto her lips.
"You don’t have to say a word about why you’re here, Kafka." She said suddenly, voice low and teasing.
Kafka paused. "...Oh?" He raised a brow. "You think you know why I’m here?"
"Oh, I know." Nina grinned wider, tilting her head.
Olivia looked between them curiously. "You do?"
"Of course I do." Nina said, mockingly patting Kafka’s shoulder as though she were consoling him. "It’s written all over him."
"And what exactly is that supposed to an?" Kafka blinked, utterly baffled.
Instead of answering, Nina simply lifted her finger and pointed down, directly at the very visible tent in his pants.
Her grin turned devilish. "That."
Olivia’s eyes went wide, and the blush that colored her cheeks could’ve rivaled a sunset. "N-Nina!" She yelped, covering her mouth as she turned away in embarrassnt. "Don’t just point at it!"
"What? It’s true!" Nina laughed unapologetically, tossing her hair back. "It’s practically screaming at us! Did you really think no one would notice that...mountain?"
"Goddamit." Kafka groaned, dragging a hand down his face, though there was a faint flush on his own cheeks. "You saw through before I even said a word."
"Please." Nina said smugly, crossing her arms. "That look in your eyes gives you away every ti. And that tent? Yeah, kind of hard to miss. It’s obvious what you ca here for."
"I...didn’t notice until she pointed it out..." Olivia’s blush deepened as she peeked back at him shyly, muttering.
"Of course you didn’t, sweet Ollie. You’re too pure. That’s why he keeps trying his tricks on you!" Nina laughed even harder.
"Alright, fine. You’ve caught .So?" Kafka sighed, raising his hands in surrender. "What are you going to do about it?"
"Nothing." Nina replied simply, her grin widening. "Because we’re busy."
"Busy?" Kafka repeated, eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Yep." Nina flicked her ponytail over her shoulder proudly. "We’re about to take a bath together. We’re both sweaty after all that sparring, and we were planning on it already. So, sorry, not now. We really can’t assist you with whatever you’re...thinking about."
Kafka groaned dramatically. "Oh, co on, Nina. Can’t you make an exception? I could join you. I’ll be quiet. Promise."
"Not a chance. Our bath ti is sacred." Nina snorted.
Kafka raised an eyebrow. "Sacred?"
"Yes!" Nina said, gesturing proudly at Olivia. "It’s when we discuss martial arts techniques and strategy, and..." She puffed her chest "...it’s also when Ollie teaches smart things. You know, like proper philosophy or how to sound intelligent in front of Camila. It’s our woman-to-woman ti. No n allowed."
Kafka frowned dramatically, placing a hand over his heart. "So I’m banned now?"
"Exactly." She waved him off with a smirk. "Shoo-shoo. Go play with your...tent sowhere else."
Olivia, trying not to laugh, leaned toward Nina and whispered. "You didn’t have to say it like that..."
Nina winked. "I had to. It’s the truth!"
Kafka exhaled loudly, exasperated. Then he turned to Olivia, giving her his most charming, pleading smile.
"Mom, co on. You’ll join , right? You’re always so sweet, you wouldn’t abandon your beloved son, would you?"
Olivia hesitated for a mont, visibly torn. But then she leaned closer to Nina, her cheeks still pink, and whispered softly.
"Sorry, Kafka...but this ti, I’m on Nina’s side. It’s our ti together. We can’t let you intrude."
"Ha! You hear that?" Nina bead triumphantly, putting her hands on her hips. "Even your own mother agrees with ."
"You two are going to be the death of ." Kafka groaned, rubbing his forehead. "By the ti you’re done with your precious bath, the tent in my pants will have torn itself apart."
"That’s your problem, not mine!" Nina barked out a laugh, hands on her hips.
"Cold. So cold." Kafka muttered under his breath, pouting slightly as he watched them turn away.
"Co on, Ollie." Nina said cheerfully, wrapping an arm around her friend again. "Let’s go take that bath. We don’t need stinky boys hanging around."
Olivia hesitated, glancing back at Kafka. He stood there, his expression pitiful, eyes soft, lips curved in a mock-puppy pout that looked downright heartbreaking.
"He...really does look so pitiful right now, doesn’t he?" She murmured, her tone guilty.
Nina glanced over her shoulder, then snorted.
"Don’t fall for that, Olliie That’s his act. Trust , I used to fall for it all the ti when I first joined the family. He puts on those big puppy eyes, acts all sad, and before you know it—you’re right back in his arms doing exactly what he wanted."
"I’ll...try not to, even though it’s so hard when he looks cute." Olivia giggled, covering her mouth.
Kafka sighed again, half-amused, half-defeated, watching as the two won disappeared down the hallway. Nina’s teasing laughter echoed faintly behind them.
He then leaned back against the wall, shaking his head with a small, helpless smile.
’She’s gotten too smart.’ He thought ruefully. ’I used to be able to trick her so easily...’
Now Nina was immune. She saw right through every act, every trick, every charming glance.
And once again, he’d struck out, twice this morning already.
But even as he said it, his grin didn’t fade.
Because sowhere in the distance, he could already hear the faint, cheerful sound of conversation and clinking dishes coming from the kitchen—two distinct voices he never expected to hear together in the past.
His grin deepened.
"Well..." He said, pushing off from the wall. "If the warriors and the scholars have turned down...maybe the Assassin Queen and Fashion Diva will be a little more welcoming."
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