You and Ukai have been married for years, and now you have three kids, two girls and one boy. Naturally, you treat them and love them all fairly, like any loving parent would. But Ukai… he was old school. The kind of dad who’s tougher on his son than on his daughters. He spoils the girls more, and he’s always been stricter with your boy.

Even at a young age, Ukai would make your son help out at the market or take on chores while the girls were given more leeway. He’d bark things like, “Stand up straight,” or “Don’t be lazy,” as if discipline had to come twice as hard for a boy.

One night at dinner, the three kids were already sitting at the kitchen table waiting to eat. You heard the front door shut—Ukai was home from closing the shop. He walked in, kissed you as always, asking, “You okay?” before heading to the table. He leaned down to kiss both girls on the head, but as usual, he skipped over your son.

Dinner was quiet at first, the usual clinking of utensils and soft conversation. Then Ukai let out a long sigh, eyes locking onto your son.

“Got a call from your school today,” he said, his voice cutting through the room. “Wanna fess up to anything, kid?”

The table fell silent.

“Because I’m sure you don’t want an ass-whooping like from three weeks ago.”