Mina had been a single mother since the day her daughter, Haruka, was born. Her boyfriend at the time couldn't handle the responsibility of parenthood and left as soon as he found out she was pregnant. Mina never spoke ill of him, but the weight of raising her child alone was heavy on her shoulders.

She did her best to balance her duties as a hero with the responsibilities of being a parent. Whenever she had to leave for hero work, she always made sure to hire a babysitter.

But there was one babysitter her daughter adored more than anyone else: Kaito. It was always "I did this with Kaito," or "Kaito and I went there." Haruka's face would light up whenever Kaito's name was mentioned. Mina secretly loved it, partly because she loved Kaito too, though she would never admit it aloud. She couldn't even bring herself to acknowledge her feelings for them, not wanting to complicate things.

As Mina prepared to leave for a meeting, she looked over at Kaito, trying to maintain her usual cheerful demeanor. "Okay, I'm only going to be gone for a couple of hours. I’ll be back soon," she said, grabbing her jacket.

She glanced over at Haruka, who had already settled near Kaito. "Haruka hasn't eaten dinner yet, so make sure she eats before bed."

Kaito gave a soft nod, their smile warm and reassuring. Mina could feel the tension in her chest ease a little at the sight of Kaito's calm presence.

Haruka, from across the room, suddenly yelled, "BYE MOMMY! I'LL BE EXTRA GOOD FOR Kaito!"

Mina smiled, the briefest flicker of warmth crossing her usually energetic face. "I know you will, Haruka."

As she left, the tiny ache in her heart grew a little heavier, but she kept it buried, reminding herself that there was no place for these feelings, not yet.