***Ignoring the doctor’s suggestion to stay one more day for observation, Uichan returned to his apartment with a bag of medication and the ultrasound photos in hand. Park Rion followed behind him, still dazed. The shock must have been too much; Rion sank down in front of the sofa and sat there for a long time without saying a word.But Uichan was hungry. He needed to eat dinner and take his medicine. Moving about busily, he began to cook, but Rion, suddenly coming to his senses, jumped up, snatched the spatula from him, and cried out,“Sit down, Uichan. What kind of pregnant person cooks dinner after coming back from the hospital? You hurt your legs and your hands too!”Gripping the spatula, Rion flipped the eggs with militant precision, fried up slices of ham to a golden crisp, and served a full meal in front of Uichan. Then, as he watched Uichan eating, he quietly wiped tears from his eyes.Uichan only scratched his nose awkwardly, not understanding why this was something to cry about. After finishing his meal, eating yogurt and plums for dessert, he was pushed into bed by Rion, who insisted that resting early would help his wounds heal faster.Uichan lay in bed, and Rion spread a blanket beside it on the floor.“Hey, I told you to go home. If I start throwing up from morning sickness, you won’t be able to sleep.”“Is that something to brag about? That’s exactly why someone should stay with you! Where the hell are those so-called fathers? Not one of them’s shown his damn face. They should all just die—trip, fall, and break every finger and toe they have!”Rion threw off the blanket in frustration, then grabbed tissues again and blew his nose, crying.“I think I’m going through menopause, Uichan… I keep crying. I’m just so miserable, huuuhh…”“…You’ve got plenty of reasons to be miserable, but I’m the one who’s pregnant.”“I–I’ve been thinking… what if that doctor’s actually a quack? It sounded like he just made that treatment up on the spot. How could he tell you to do that—with those three… those three…!”Rion couldn’t bring himself to say it, burying his face in a pillow and clutching his hair like a madman.“That’s impossible… No sane doctor would say something like that to a pregnant person. What part of that is scientific? Uichan, maybe I should steal that paper he mentioned. I’ll translate it myself. That doctor probably can’t even read English properly—he’s just a fraud relying on his own ability.”“No… why are you thinking that far? What if he’s right?”“If he’s right, then you’ll have to… oh, Uichan…”Rion’s face twisted into one of sheer, tragic despair. Uichan couldn’t really blame him; after all, he himself had been just as stunned when he first heard the doctor’s words.But the doctor’s expression when he explained the treatment had been completely serious—too serious to ignore. He had said Uichan’s case was exceptionally rare, but not hopeless. They would just have to try several methods together.-“First, you need to speak with the fathers.”-“The pain you felt today might only be the beginning. It could continue until one of the fetuses detaches.”-“So you must inform the fathers quickly and find a way together. I’ll assist you, so don’t worry.”Easier said than done. For Uichan, this was the hardest thing imaginable. The fathers were three in number, and all of them were top-tier heroes. There had been no affection, no love—only a disastrous accident that left him pregnant.How could he possibly explain that? To do so, he’d have to reveal that he was Under Doom. And neither he nor his doctor even knew which of the three was the biological father of the twins.-“Coincidentally, all three are potential candidates. We currently have no way of identifying which one fathered which child. Unless we perform a DNA test after birth, no amount of clairvoyance will tell us. So, to find the third’s father, we’ll have to test them one by one.”In short, according to the doctor, Uichan would need to have physical contact with them again while monitoring the fetuses’ condition. Uichan had been so dumbfounded that he couldn’t even respond. The doctor had awkwardly cleared his throat and suggested, if telling all three at once was difficult, to start by testing one of them first.Uichan had only stared blankly, then nodded despite the absurdity of it all. It was ridiculous—but if it meant keeping the babies safe, he couldn’t refuse.“Uichan, we can’t tell anyone about this… right? Not even the boss.”He hadn’t told his In the Hell brothers yet; there was no way he could tell Song Ojun first.“You know I don’t like burdening the boss. I’ll tell him later, when the babies have grown a little.”“Mm… Then, Uichan,” Rion mumbled, fidgeting with his hands and glancing at him nervously. “Are you… going to have them?”Uichan stared up at the ceiling for a moment. He’d endured everything so far precisely because he planned to have them—did he look like someone who wouldn’t?“Of course. I’ll give birth and raise them well.”“Then you be their dad… and I’ll be their uncle. You’re my only friend, so your kids have to be my nieces and nephews too.”Rion continued to sniffle and blow his nose, until at some point he grew quiet. When Uichan turned his head, Rion was lying on his side like a curled-up caterpillar, frowning in his sleep. Uichan tucked the blanket around him carefully, then slipped out into the living room.He went straight to the balcony. Sitting on the railing, waiting for him as though it had been there all along, was a sparrow—Mother Ship’s messenger. As soon as Uichan opened the window, the sparrow fluttered over and perched on his hand.“Mother Ship, how’s Podo? Is it all right?”[Uichan… Don’t worry about Podo. It’s safe. But you—you got hurt. Oh, what should I do? How could I ever repay you for this?]“I’m fine. Really. What matters is that Podo’s okay. What about Hyde—do you know anything?”The sparrow let out a sigh, almost human-like. As Uichan gently stroked its drooping feathers, Mother Ship’s trembling voice continued.[How could he not know? There were so many witnesses. La Épée saw my puppet, too. So Hyde must know.]Hyde had decided to stay out of the incident, and the others had agreed. But Podo had acted alone, breaking their rules—and Mother Ship had every reason to be anxious.Hyde punished those who broke the rules. His punishments were brutal. Back when In the Hell was newly formed, Jekyll Jack had broken the code once. Hyde hung him upside down for a month, flaying his skin and pouring hot salt over the wounds.Even when Uichan had begged him to stop, Hyde hadn’t. Only when Jack was about to die did Uichan use his Regression ability to bring him back—only for Hyde to repeat the torture again and again.After fifteen days, the once-defiant Jack finally broke and surrendered.-“Fucking hell, what are these stupid rules worth! Fine! I’ll never break them again! It’s filthy and insane, but I’ll never do it again! Just let me down already!”Even hanging upside down, Jack had fought like a wild fish and somehow endured another two weeks. Since that day, no one in In the Hell had ever broken the rules again.That was how their fragile peace had been built. Uichan ran a hand through his hair.“…Mother, I’ll talk to Hyde. He won’t hurt me.”[No. If something terrible happens to you, how could Podo or I live with that? These are Hyde’s rules. Podo broke them—it’s my fault, and I’ll take the blame.]“I’m not entirely blameless. Podo stole for my sake. So I’m responsible too. Let me talk to him before Hyde calls everyone together.”The sparrow sighed again, long and heavy. Mother Ship couldn’t argue further. Regret and guilt filled the sparrow’s dark eyes. As it /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ began to cry, Uichan soothed it gently.“Don’t worry. Go back for now. If Hyde calls, don’t answer. I’ll reach him first.”[When did our youngest get so grown up… Uichan, I’m always on your side. None of us ever blamed you. So if anything happens, call for me. Punishment means nothing. I’d endure a hundred years, a thousand, if it means keeping you and Podo safe.]The sparrow brushed its head against Uichan’s cheek, then spread its wings and took off. It perched on the rooftop across the street, only its red eyes glimmering in the dark.After watching it for a while, Uichan went back inside.Hyde was the most elusive among In the Hell’s figures—no one could reach him unless he chose to appear.But he had left Uichan a private line.Taking his phone, Uichan stepped back onto the balcony and dialed an unregistered number. He let it ring three times, then hung up. He did it again.Six times in total.Then he deleted the entire call log and crouched down by the railing to wait.It didn’t take even five minutes. A pair of spotless black shoes landed soundlessly on the railing.When Uichan looked up, the man bent forward and stepped lightly into the balcony. Backlit by the city glow, his silhouette gleamed along its sharp lines. Draped in a long black robe like an overcoat—stood Hyde.

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