Yuusaku was a computer security expert. His job entailed him hacking into his clients' computer systems (with their permission), finding the vulnerabilities and advising them on better security measures. He was good enough to freelance and often worked from home.

On the other hand, Aoi was the work-away-from-home parent. She was a cardiac surgeon, literally touching hearts and saving lives. Everyone was proud of how far she had come in life. Her brother in particular couldn't be any prouder of the fact she's a true hero in the eyes of many.

Yuusaku and Aoi started dating in high school. They were still going strong when they graduated and pursued post secondary education. He entered a local university on a scholarship to study computer engineering. She went abroad to study medicine, her degree fully paid for by her brother.

Despite the distance and stress, their relationship thrived. Yuusaku and Aoi even planned to marry once they both obtain their degrees. They eventually settled in Den City; both wanted to live closer to home where Kusanagi and Akira can help them, just in case.

When the time was right, the couple decided to try for a child. While Aoi had no preferences other than "healthy", Yuusaku had hoped for a son. He could relate to boys better; he used to be one himself. Yuusaku knew how they think, what they feel. It would be easier, for him at least, to raise a son. He considered raising a girl as beyond his capacities.

As fate would have it, Aoi became pregnant with a girl. Despite reassurances from Aoi, Yuusaku, try as he might to hide it, was full of insecurities. Him, a father. To a girl. At age 30. He was never very good with girls, yet he would be welcoming a girl into his family very soon.

"What if I did something and she cried? What if I hurt her feelings? Will she ever forgive me?" Yuusaku seemed to have an infinite amount of whatifs. What if he scarred her for life? What if he couldn't protect her? Yuusaku didn't want to know. It sounded like a cruel joke from the universe to entrust the life and future of a baby girl to him.

"You will be fine. Just like our daughter." Aoi would chuckle after listening to him going on and on with his whatifs, never really addressing them individually. "See? You are already so concerned for her wellbeing. She's going to have a fantastic father and you know it! What should we name her?"

"I'll agree with whatever name you choose. Since you are doing all the work, you get the honour." Just don't make him pick her name. Yuusaku didn't feel up to the first task of parenthood. What if he gave her a name she later hates?

"Alright then. From now on, we'll call her Yuui!"

"Wait, what? Why are you naming her after me!?"

"Why not? I want our daughter to be smart and honest and adorable like her papa~❤" Aoi kissed him on the cheek and smirked. Her husband - normally so calm and capable and confident - often got flustered from compliments and Aoi sometimes couldn't resist praising him to see those rosy cheeks. She got what she wanted.

"Ahem," Yuusaku cleared his throat as he tried to regain his composure. "One, naming her after me does not guarantee that she will be like me. Two, her name can then be abbreviated as F. Yuu. Three, why not name her after yourself or Akira?"

"Too late, dear. You already agreed, remember?" Aoi winked at him. "I have even picked the kanji: the kanji for friend 友 and the kanji for dependable 依. See? Totally not naming her after you." Yuusaku groaned. The ladies in his household will be the death of him.

Even on the day she was born, Yuusaku worried himself sick: what if he couldn't bond with Yuui? But when he first laid eyes on her, Yuusaku thought he would die of happiness.

Yuui was breathtaking! Her pink hair and green eyes probably came from him, but her sweet innocent smile can only be a gift from an angel. Yuusaku felt his fatherly instinct kick in with a burning desire to love and protect his daughter.

At the end of parental leave, Yuusaku surprised everyone, himself included, by leaving his prestigious job to care for Yuui. The couple discussed their options extensively and finally agreed that it was economically feasible for Yuusaku to freelance from home; he had a sizable network of contacts he built up over the course of his career.

"One, Aoi's salary is higher than mine. Two, if she stays at home, we completely lose her income. Three, if I don't work then Aoi will almost surely pressure herself to work even more to pick up the slack." Yuusaku shared his reasoning on the decision with his "older brothers" over drinks in Cafe Nagi.

"Has our Yuusaku-kun gotten soft?" Kusanagi might be joking, but there was a glimmer in his eyes. The little boy he'd known who was so hell-bent on revenge had matured immensely.

"Of course he has," Akira commented. "That's what parenthood does to people." The two men laughed as they clinked their mugs of coffee like they were exchanging high fives.

"Umm, guys?"

"In all seriousness, I think you are right about the third point." There was a tinge of regret in Akira's voice. Although it was clear he had to do what he did and Aoi held nothing against him, Akira still felt somewhat guilty about how he raised his sister. "Aoi thinks it's normal to work long hours for her family and I am to blame for that."

"I'll make sure Aoi doesn't work too hard."

"Good."

"Make sure you don't work too hard either, Yuusaku-kun." Kusanagi ruffled Yuusaku's hair. He remembered how Yuusaku often fell asleep in front of the computer, mumbling incoherently about algorithms, in his hand a pencil that was in the midst of crossing out something in his hacking plans. "Honestly, Yuusaku-kun, I'm more worried about you."

"Thanks, Kusanagi-san."