10 years later, Beijing, China

"Damn pig! Get up already, Mom's been calling for ages. We also have to take her shopping," Raiden said while delivering a vicious kick to the ass.

"Huh! For f*ck's sake, Raiden. It's just 8 o' clock and you are already getting on my nerves. There's still time before we leave. Let me sleep a little more. Tell Mom I'm coming in 15, no 20 minutes"

"Alright, I won't bother you then.....Mommmmm!!!!!!! Lewin said that he has a hangover from drinking last night and he would sleep a little more. We should have our breakfast before him."

"Oiiiiiii!!!!!!!! Shut the fuck up, bastard." By this time, Lewin was already wide awake and trying to tell Mama Smith that it was all a misunderstanding and his twat of a brother was lying.

"Oh, stop it you two. Alright, come over and have breakfast. Lewin, wash your mouth and come quickly. I have made your favourite breakfast."

A woman in her late forties could be seen standing at the foot of the stairs, wearing an apron and standing with a gentle smile on her face. She wasn't as beautiful now as her younger days, but she had a gentle vibe, which made others comfortable around her at the first glance. Others may find her two sons to be troublesome, but from the way she saw it, it was just because the two were very close to each other.

'After their father passed away, Raiden worked hard as a 'software engineer' and looked after the Smith family. He has always been a good child. He just becomes mischievous around his younger brother and likes to tease him. But I know that deep inside, there's no one who loves the family more than that scoundrel. He may not have said anything explicitly, but as his mother, she knew that Raiden had gone through a lot of hardships in his initial days. After all, looking after a family of three all of a sudden can be quite taxing for a 17 year old,' she thought.

By the time she arranged the dishes on the table, both her sons had come downstairs. She watched them hungrily wolfing down the food and felt satisfied with herself. Life was good with the three of them. If Papa Smith could see them today, he would surely be happy. Her sons didn't even get to say a final goodbye to him properly. After eating, she asked, "Lewin, how is your training going on in the dojo? You pestered your brother so much for the money, but you also have to help him in supporting the family. You are just one year younger than him. Just start with any job you can find, no matter how small the wage. Remember that no job is insignificant and every person has his own role in a peaceful society. No matter what, you shall always have our support."

"Let him be, Mom. I have enough savings to last a decade, even if I resign now. Your son is quite hard working, you know. He should enjoy his youth."

Lewin was surprised. 'Was this the same brother who always found new reasons to irritate him? Did he hit his head somewhere or has the Sun risen from the West today?', he wondered. Just when he was feeling warmth in his heart, Raiden's next words struck him like a cold shower, waking him up from his delusions.

"After all, for a musclehead like him, it's already fortunate that he could complete his college. He seems to be happy, uttering weird chuuni chants in a room full of sweaty men and doing rigorous routine exercises. Sometimes, I wonder if we did the right thing in picking him up from the roadside….," Raiden replied with a 'sad' reminiscing look on his face.

Mama Smith also replied with a nod, "Yeah, sometimes I also wonder if we did the right thing in adopting him. After all, he may not feel at home with the two of us. We did raise him but as they say, Blood is thicker than water. Lewin dear, if you have any problems, you can just share it with us. We may not be your birth family but we have always regarded you as one. Mama loves you no matter what. Remember that, okay?"

"Huh??????"

"Huh??????"

With question marks on their faces, both the brothers looked at their mother. A crow seemed to fly over their heads while cawing.

"Hmm? What, why are you two looking at me like that? Wait! Could it be that you were just joking with your brother and none of you knew the truth?" Now it was Mama Smith's turn to 'panic'.

The brothers looked at each other with confusion written on their faces. What's up with this odd turn of events? Sitting beside, Mama Smith smiled secretly, seeming quite happy with the way things were going. While Lewin was feeling that the world has fallen down upon him, she thought, 'Lewin may be strong physically, but he has always been naive and simple-minded. Alright, let's not tease him anymore.'

She said with a smile, "Fufu…..that's enough. I didn't  think that Raiden would also be tricked by my words. I was kidding." Saying this, she collected the empty dishes and went into the kitchen, humming a tune and smiling happily.

'Et tu, Mama??', Lewin thought, almost crying under the pressure.

"No matter how many fancy names I get in the Underworld, I am nothing in front of Mom. She doesn't have that much formal education, but she's the only person who has repeatedly caught me unawares. Thank God, she isn't my enemy," Raiden lamented. Still sitting in a daze, Lewin nodded, showing his approval of his words.

"But isn't this what you have always wanted? A happy life devoid of worries, with just the three of us. Do you think Mama bought your excuse of being a software engineer?" Lewin asked.

"Hmmm…..she should have. After all, that's what I have been telling from the very beginning. If not for my knee injury during one of the missions, she would have no reason to doubt me either. Well, she may have realised from her crazy intuition that my job is, or rather, 'was' a little unusual, but that's all. On the surface, I really am part of a legitimate company and at the end of the day, it's all about finding bugs and clearing them, either from a software or from the society." Raiden replied with a smirk.