The hum of his underground workshop vibrated like a heartbeat beneath the earth. Down here — deep below the countryside house where no one could reach without authorization — Ren had begun his next phase.
The AI had warned him first.
Lucia, sharp and intuitive, had picked up micro-surveillance attempts around his data pipeline. Not just from Naruse… but others. Government eyes. Competing tech firms. Silent backdoors. The world was watching him now.
That meant he had to move faster. Smarter. Safer.
Ren stood before a circular platform, the walls lined with glowing blueprints, some half-projected into the air. On the largest screen was his newest project title, coded and quietly poetic:
"Project TES: Tactical Embedded Synapse."
But to him, it was simpler.
"Nanotech armor."
A thread-thin swarm of metallic particles shifted in a sealed chamber nearby, rotating in the air like silver dust dancing to music only Ren could hear.
"Lucia, run simulation 12C.""Affirmative." Lucia's voice was crisp.
The nanobots responded. They moved like silk and then formed into a compact gauntlet around the mannequin's arm. Ren stared at it, imagining Aoi walking home alone at night, remembering Naruse's cornering smile… Saki's unpredictable obsession… the slow crawl of danger toward the life he had worked so hard to build.
He couldn't just hope nothing would happen.
He had to make sure nothing could.
Lucia's voice broke his thoughts.
"Prototype 12C passed: 98.3% successful on reconfiguration. Estimated reaction time: 0.2 seconds.""Would you like to proceed with tactical defense module activation?"
He nodded.
"Add passive energy shield layer. And…" — he hesitated — "...start drafting a version for Aoi."
Lucia's tone softened, almost amused.
"Protective husband mode: confirmed."
He chuckled under his breath, but there was no real humor in it.
This world didn't just need innovation. It needed armor.
And he was going to build it.
Later that night...
Aoi lay asleep upstairs, curled on the couch, her hand resting on a book she hadn't finished reading. Her hair shimmered under the moonlight filtering in through the window. The TV was still on — paused on a wedding show she'd been watching.
Ren came up from the basement, wiping sweat from his brow. He paused, watching her sleep, a deep ache settling in his chest.
How long would this peace last?
He walked over, gently pulled a blanket over her shoulders, and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
"Sleep well, Aoi... I'll protect everything we've built."
Down below, the nanotech core pulsed once more — a heartbeat echoing the will of its creator.