CHAPTER 65: MY MOM’S EX IS A LEVEL 7 SECURITY THREAT

Dinner wound down with the usual ritual—Luka insisting on more helpings, Natalia politely declining, and me accepting seconds because hey, free food.

"Movie night?" Luka suggested, collecting his and Kimiko’s plates. "I think it’s Natalia’s turn to pick."

"Not another superhero movie," Natalia groaned.

"I’ll help with the dishes," I offered, standing up and gathering the remaining plates.

Kimiko looked surprised but pleased. "Thank you, Satori."

Luka and Natalia migrated to the living room, their voices fading into a comfortable bickering over the movie selection. I could hear Natalia laughing—a sound that would’ve been unthinkable directed at her father a month ago. Amazing what a little sexual awakening could do for family dynamics.

The kitchen was quiet except for the gentle sloshing of water as Kimiko washed and I dried. The VHC invitation sat on the counter, its holographic display now deactivated but still somehow commanding attention even in its dormant state.

I placed another clean plate in the cabinet, my mind racing. Something had been bothering me since the evaluation. Why had my name triggered a special protocol? What was in that sealed file they’d mentioned?

"Mom," I said, testing the word. It still felt foreign on my tongue. "My Father... What can you tell me about him?"

Kimiko’s hands froze in the soapy water. She didn’t turn immediately, but I could see her shoulders tense, her breathing halt for just a moment.

"That’s... a long story, Satori." she said, her voice steady despite the storm in her eyes.

"I know," I replied. "But I think it might be important."

She studied me, really studied me, like she was seeing something new in my face. She wiped her hands on a towel and untied her apron, hanging it neatly on its hook.

"The air is nice tonight," she said finally. "Walk with me."

It wasn’t a suggestion.

"Let me grab a jacket," I said.

"Tell Luka and Natalia we’ll be back soon," Kimiko instructed, already heading toward the entryway.

I poked my head into the living room where Luka and Natalia were still debating movie choices.

"Mom and I are going for a walk," I announced.

Natalia looked up sharply, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Why?"

I shrugged. "Just getting some air. Don’t wait up for us."

Natalia’s gaze flickered between me and the hallway where Kimiko was putting on her shoes. Her expression said she didn’t buy it, but she just nodded. "Okay."

"Don’t stay out too late," Luka called, completely oblivious to the undercurrents. "It’s getting chilly."

When I joined Kimiko at the door, she was already wearing a light cardigan. Without a word, she opened the door and stepped out into the cool evening air.

The Veridian Hills district was even more impressive at night. Manicured gardens, elegant streetlights, and the quiet hum of wealth surrounded us as we walked down the gently sloping street. Below us, the city of New Vein sprawled like a luminous carpet, a sea of lights stretching to the horizon.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, neither of us quite ready to breach the subject. Finally, we reached a small park—exclusive to Veridian Hills residents, of course—and Kimiko headed for a bench overlooking the city.

"You asked about Kenji," she said as we sat down. "Why now, after all these years?"

I chose my words carefully. "At the VHC today, when I gave them my name, something strange happened. They called it a ’Level 7 Protocol’ and mentioned my file. But I don’t have a file, at least not one I know about."

Kimiko’s lips pressed into a thin line. She looked out at the city, her profile sharp against the glittering backdrop.

"They mentioned my father might be significant," I added. "I thought it was time I asked."

"Kenji was your father," Kimiko confirmed.

"What happened to him?"

Her hand clenched slightly in her lap. "He disappeared three days after you were born."

"Disappeared?" I echoed. "Not died?"

"He left for work one morning and never came home," Kimiko said. She turned to face me fully. "Satori, there’s something you need to understand about your father. He wasn’t just anyone. He was a researcher. One of the best in his field."

"What field?"

"Gate theory," she replied. "He was part of the original team that developed the Aspect classification system. He worked with Dr. Aris Vance—yes, that Vance, Seraphina’s grandfather—on what later became known as the Vance-Ishiguro Model."

I whistled low. "So he was a big deal."

"He was," Kimiko nodded. "But around the time you were born, he became... obsessed with a new theory. Something about Gates not just being doorways to other places, but to other... possibilities."

"What kind of possibilities?"

"I don’t know the details," Kimiko admitted. "He stopped sharing his work with me by then. He became secretive, paranoid. He’d lock himself in his study for days." She paused, her eyes growing distant. "The night before he disappeared, we had a terrible fight. He said he’d discovered something that would change everything, but that powerful people wouldn’t want it known."

The back of my neck prickled. "And then he vanished."

"Yes," Kimiko said. "The official investigation concluded he’d abandoned us, run off with some research assistant and they died on the Bermuda Gate Incident." Her voice hardened. "I never believed it. Kenji loved you. He wouldn’t have left us voluntarily."

"You think something happened to him?"

"I know something happened to him," Kimiko said with quiet conviction. "Two days after the disaster, men came to our apartment. They said they were from the university, collecting his research materials. But they took everything—not just his papers, but his clothes, his photos, even his toothbrush. They were thorough."

I leaned forward, genuinely intrigued now. "You think it was the VHC?"

"I don’t know," Kimiko admitted. "But after that, it was like Kenji had never existed. His colleagues stopped returning my calls. His name disappeared from university records. Even his family..." She swallowed hard. "They pretended not to know me when I showed up at their door with you in my arms."

"Fuck," I muttered, then caught myself. "Sorry."

Kimiko smiled faintly. "It’s okay. I’ve said worse." She sighed. "That’s when I became the ’Red-hot Habanero.’ A single mother with an infant, fighting the world."

"Is that why we lived in Graystone Park?" I asked, pulling from the real Satori’s memories.

"Yes," she nodded. "We had nothing after Kenji disappeared. Whatever he’d been working on, it cost him everything. Cost us everything."

We sat in silence for a moment, the weight of her words settling between us. I stared out at the city, processing what she’d told me. If Kenji Nakano had been some kind of big-shot researcher working on Gate theory, and if he’d discovered something dangerous enough to get himself disappeared...

"Shit," I said softly. "No wonder they flagged my name."

"What exactly happened at the VHC today?" Kimiko asked, her voice taking on a sharper edge.