Little did I know, I had just signed up for a personal training regime straight out of hell.
---
After quarrelling with Yuuji, Irana stormed off to the living room, still fuming. She found her father lounging on the couch, watching television like he didn’t have a care in the world.
"Welcome back… Where’s Aria?" he asked casually, not even glancing away from the screen.
"Mom called her to her room," Irana replied, arms crossed.
"I see… and Yuuji?" His eyes flicked toward her, and she could already hear the amusement in his voice. "I heard you two fighting earlier."
"Same as always, you know the drill, Pops," she muttered. Then, her frustration boiled over. "Though that stupid little brother of mine nearly revealed our esper powers in front of Onee-chan!"
And just like that, she launched into a full-blown rant about Yuuji’s recklessness. The whole time, her father just nodded, barely reacting, like he was used to this routine.
When she finally stopped, taking a deep breath to calm herself, he simply asked, "So, he went back to his room?"
Irana twitched. Her fingers curled into fists, and for a moment, she had the overwhelming urge to punch him.
"You really love pissing me off, don’t you? I guess Yuuji takes after you," she grumbled. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she added, "By the way, I still haven’t forgiven you for that first mission you gave me."
Her father just laughed it off, completely unfazed. Then, with a shift in tone, he said,
"I heard something big happened at school."
Irana raised an eyebrow. "Oh, that? The report should be in your hands already. Why are you asking me?"
"Because I want to hear the details from my sweet daughter, of course." His voice took on a playful tone.
Without hesitation, Irana smacked him on the head.
"Why should I? You already know every detail of it!" she huffed. But then, her expression turned serious. "Though… there is something I want to ask."
Her father grinned. "Anything, sweety. Ask away, and I shall answer."
She had the urge to hit him again but held herself back.
"The heck happened to Yuya?"
That got her father’s attention. His relaxed expression faded slightly. "Yuya? Ah… you mean the Fiolera boy?" He hummed in thought. "I don’t know."
Irana narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, you don’t know? He’s been acting really weird ever since the Esper Association interrogated him."
Her father exhaled through his nose. "Well… we erased his memory after that."
She froze.
"What?"
"You know the rule, Irana. Ordinary people aren’t supposed to know about Espers."
"But Yuya is an Esper!" Irana snapped, completely bewildered.
Her father’s gaze darkened. "Not anymore."
A chill ran down her spine. "What do you mean, ‘not anymore’?"
He sighed, rubbing his temples as if the weight of the situation was finally catching up to him. "His power… somehow disappeared."
Irana’s breath hitched. "This… is this related to Onee-chan’s power?"
"Yeah. No doubt."
Her mind raced. "What exactly is Onee-chan’s power? How can she just erase someone else’s ability like that? And she doesn’t even know she did it!"
Her father leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a moment before answering. "We’re still not completely sure… but we have a theory."
Irana folded her arms. "What is it? And don’t you dare pause for dramatic effect"
Her father smirked. Then, after a deliberate pause—just to annoy her—he said,
"Reality Manipulation."
Irana’s eyes twitched.
"…You paused anyway."