The girl who had delivered the devastating pinch didn't look remorseful. Instead, she crossed her small arms and glared at Comet with eyes like flint.

  ?"Hmph!" she huffed, her chin tilted high. "How dare you!"

  ?Comet’s brain scrambled to perform a tactical retreat. He wiped the fury from his face, replacing it with the most pathetic, guilty expression a five-year-old could muster. "Tenu! Wait! Will you listen to my explanation? Actually, I was just... I was in deep meditation and—"

  ?Tenu didn't stay for the lecture. With a final "Hmph," she spun on her heel and bolted out of the room. Comet’s heart sank as he heard her shout toward the kitchen.

  ?"Auntie! Look at Comet! He called me a bastard!"

  ?In the kitchen, a middle-aged woman—Comet’s mother—was mid-stride. She had been smiling at Tenu’s sudden arrival, but as the words sank in, her expression didn't just change; it turned into a mask of absolute, glacial stillness.

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  ?Comet hurried into the room, trying to play it cool. "Hello, Mom! Hey, Tenu, let’s go play? And please, no more pinching, it really hurts, okay?"

  ?His mother didn't say a word. She slowly turned her head, her eyes locking onto Comet with the intensity of a predator. She began to approach him, one slow, heavy step at a time.

  ?Tenu, seeing the storm clouds gathering, didn't stick around to be collateral damage. She slipped out of the side door, a smug thought crossing her mind: Served him right.

  ?Just as the "disciplinary session" was reaching its peak, a middle-aged man—Comet's father—burst into the house. He found Comet with a face that was suspiciously swollen, walking with a stiff, gingerly gait like an elderly turtle.

  ?The man blinked, completely failing to read the room. He assumed Comet was just being a weird kid again.

  ?"Comet, stop playing around and get over here!" he said impatiently. "Today is an incredibly important day. We have to get to the town center immediately for your testing!"

  ?Before Comet could even voice a protest—or beg his father to save him from his mother’s wrath—the man grabbed Comet’s hand and began sprinting toward the center of town.

  ?Poor Comet didn't even fight back. His eyes were lifeless, staring into the middle distance as he was dragged along, looking like a man who had already accepted his funeral arrangements