Chapter 71: Like

No matter how strange things got, and whether they could accept it or not, they still had to eat.

Yanase Kaoru and Yanase Takuma looked at each other, then back at me, neither knowing what should be said at a time like this.

Ephnel simply returned to her seat next to Yukina.

For a moment, the atmosphere among the family at the dining table was eerily quiet.

“Naoto, you… you can’t be serious, can you?”

Yanase Kaoru had long since lost her appetite for food.

She put down her bowl and carefully studied the son before her.

Oh, wait, it was a daughter now.

Dark, lustrous hair, a pert nose, and curly eyelashes that seemed to catch a sliver of light.

A soft, alluring curve swept down from her cheeks, dipping below her neck, outlining a line that sparked the imagination.

She had a hint of her own youthful charm.

If she had felt that Ephnel’s photos in the magazine looked a little familiar before, then the daughter before her now looked even more familiar.

It was just that Ephnel in the photos looked much younger than her daughter, but then again, an Agent’s appearance did change slightly before and after syncing, so that wasn’t an impossible explanation.

“It’s the absolute truth.”

“There’s no reason for me to lie to you.”

“You’ve seen it with your own eyes.”

“I am a girl now,”

Ephnel sighed.

Although her cheeks were still burning, surprisingly, saying all this out loud made her feel a sense of relief and joy inside.

It was as if the shackles that had bound her had been removed, and she could finally take a step forward.

Yanase Takuma and Yanase Kaoru glanced at each other, both seeing the strange look in the other’s eyes.

They simultaneously shifted their gaze to Yukina, who was beside Ephnel, hoping to find an answer from the younger sister.

“Yukina… um, is what your brother said true?”

Yukina was also a bit nervous.

Her gaze flickered to Ephnel’s face and then quickly away.

She replied, “What Onee-chan said… is true…”

Yanase Kaoru covered her eyes.

The way Yukina called her son “Onee-chan” was so practiced—not awkward, not forced, but completely natural and a matter of course.

Yanase Takuma pressed on, “Then… Yukina, you knew about this for a while?”

“Not that long,”

Yukina thought for a moment and answered honestly, “I only found out recently.”

“Um… Dad, Mom… let me explain…”

Ephnel served some food to her parents and Yukina, then swiped a few times on the phone she used to contact the organization, pulling up some electronic documents that could prove her identity, and handed the phone to her parents.

“Do you remember that disaster I encountered not long after I started college?”

“I was injured in that incident, but I also lied to you.”

“Actually, my injuries at that time were from a battle.”

“In fact, at that time, I had already become like this and joined the Order Organization…”

The Yanase couple huddled together, looking through some of the files, confidentiality agreements, and electronic passes and other such things on Ephnel’s phone.

These were all documents that could not possibly be circulated publicly.

“We were covered by the ‘Refraction’ at that time.”

“After that, I found that my body had changed.”

“I don’t know how to explain this to you, but… this is the truth…”

Looking at her dazed parents, Ephnel lowered her gaze.

“I wonder… are you willing to accept a daughter like this?”

A real, genuine daughter.

Ephnel awaited their answer, her gaze wavering.

But the Yanase couple clearly hadn’t recovered from the shock yet.

Ephnel nervously clutched the corner of her clothes.

Just then, a light little hand gently tugged on the hem of her clothes from under the table.

Ephnel looked up and met Yukina’s bright eyes, which were right in front of her.

Her eyes held a soft glimmer.

Yukina softened her voice and parted her pink lips in almost a whisper.

She said quietly:

“Yukina… likes this kind of Onee-chan.”

…

“Yukina… likes this kind of Onee-chan…”

“Eh?”

Yukina’s voice was soft, her smile radiant, and it lingered in Ephnel’s eyes for a long time.

“It’s true.”

“I like you, Onee-chan.”

Yukina emphasized it again in a small voice, and Ephnel nodded in a slight daze.

Of course, she knew the comforting meaning in Yukina’s words, and she knew that the “like” Yukina spoke of was just a younger sister’s affection for her older sister.

But for some reason, something in Ephnel’s heart seemed to have been suddenly stirred, sending ripples through it.

“Naoto, I believe what you said.”

Her mother, Yanase Kaoru, stood up.

“No matter what you become, you are my child.”

“Just becoming a daughter is no big deal.”

“But…”

Her mother, Yanase Kaoru, suddenly leaned in, staring intently at Ephnel.

“Have you told anyone else about this?”

“Who are the people who know about this?”

“Actually, until recently, I haven’t told anyone,” Ephnel shook her head, only then noticing the slightly grave expressions on her mother and father’s faces.

“So far, only you and Yukina know.”

“Mm… don’t mention these things to anyone else…” Yanase Kaoru seemed to be contemplating something, then added, “By the way, I remember that Ephnel is… an Agent-idol, right?”

“Then you…”

“Yes, the work I mentioned I’m doing now is ‘Agent,’ affiliated with the Seikyo City Order Organization.”

“I serve as an Agent, codename ‘Ephnel’.”

Yanase Kaoru was enlightened.

‘No wonder her son said she was working at an agency now.’

‘Of course, being an idol.’

‘No wonder she was so rich.’

‘Or rather, all Agents were very rich, and Ephnel, who received two salaries, was even more so.’

“Ephnel, huh…”

A thousand thoughts suddenly flooded her mind.

Yanase Kaoru sighed heavily, her gaze drifting.

The work that Yanase Kaoru and her husband, Yanase Takuma, were engaged in made it unavoidable for them to interact with Agents.

Over time, even if not as comrades or colleagues, they had naturally come to understand what kind of profession being an Agent was, and could clearly understand the dangers involved.

Yanase Kaoru stared blankly at Ephnel for a long time before finally letting out a soft laugh.

“Naoto, Mom… is proud of you.”

She stood up and came behind Ephnel, gently hugging her.

“Thank you…”

“Honey, you should say something too.”

Yanase Kaoru shifted her gaze to the silent Yanase Takuma.

“Uh…”

Yanase Takuma awkwardly rubbed his nose and pushed up his glasses.

He was thinking the same thing as Yanase Kaoru.

His gaze fell on the three people before him, a strange expression on his face.

Originally, the gender ratio in this family was perfectly balanced.

Now, it seemed he was stranded on the only island.

“Naoto, I believe you too,” he cleared his throat and said.

“You are my son, always will be.”

“Mom and Dad will always stand behind you, no matter when or where.”

“Besides, your mother and I are not conservative people.”

“Whether you are a son or a daughter, we love you, so don’t have any psychological burden.”

After a moment of consideration, he sighed again.

“But I guess I can’t ask you to drink with me anymore…”

After speaking, Yanase Takuma even muttered a sentence, sullenly took a sip of the drink on the table, and drew a round of laughter.

…