CHAPTER 150: CHAPTER 150 – “THE SPARK OF INVENTION”

The morning in the countryside home began peacefully—birds chirping, sunlight glinting through the windowpanes, and the soft hum of a mechanical whir coming from the backyard workshop.

Inside the glass-walled workshop Ren had built years ago—now equipped with safety panels, fireproof flooring, and child-level controls—Hina Mizuno, now six years old, was standing on a step stool with goggles way too big for her small face.

She was humming to herself as she adjusted wires on her homemade mini-hoverboard prototype.

"Test 17-B! This one won’t bounce into the chicken coop!" she declared to her plush fox assistant seated nearby.

She pressed the ignition switch.

There was a soft whir.

Then a boom.

Feathers flew everywhere as one unfortunate chicken squawked from behind the bushes.

Meanwhile at Mizukami University

Hikari was in her dorm lounge watching the news with a group of friends. Her phone buzzed. A message from home.

📸 Photo Attachment: Hina covered in soot, holding half of the hoverboard with a sheepish grin.

Aoi (Mom):We’re going to need stronger walls in the workshop.

Ren (Dad):She called it a "controlled surprise propulsion event."

Hikari burst out laughing, drawing curious stares from across the lounge.

"Your sister again?" a friend asked.

"Yeah," Hikari smiled. "She tried to make a hoverboard. Again."

Home That Evening

After Ren had double-checked the wiring and Aoi had checked Hina for bruises, the family gathered for dinner outside under the patio lights.

Hina sat between her parents, a tiny band-aid on her cheek and her pride only slightly wounded.

"I just wanted it to float like in the anime!" she pouted.

Ren smiled gently. "Failure is how every great invention begins."

"And every good story," Aoi added, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

Hikari had come home for the weekend and was helping set the table.

"I made a drone fail in front of the entire robotics team once," Hikari admitted. "It dropped my prototype lunchbox off the roof."

"That makes me feel better," Hina said quietly, then looked up at her big sister."Do you think I’ll make something great one day?"

Hikari knelt beside her and held her hands.

"You already have. You’re trying. That’s more than most people ever do."

A Moment of Admiration

Later that night, after everyone else had gone to bed, Hikari and Hina sat on the stairs outside under the stars. The fields rustled in the breeze, and the distant garage where Ren once built his reactor sat peacefully behind them.

"Do you think Mama and Papa ever fought?" Hina asked curiously.

"Sometimes. But they never stopped loving each other," Hikari said. "They never stopped choosing each other. Even when things got scary."

Hina leaned on her sister’s shoulder.

"I want to build something that makes people happy. Like Papa’s reactor. Or Mama’s smile."

Hikari smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"You already do."

The stars above blinked quietly, and the warm glow of the house spilled across the porch—home to the family that changed the world, and the children who would inherit the flame.