As soon as the brat finished eating, Levi picked her up and carried her straight to the bathroom. Her clothes were a disaster—food stains everywhere. How the hell did she manage to get juice on her hair.

Right. He had a lot to buy.

Clothes.

Toys.

Blanket.

Mattress.

Hygiene stuff.

Maybe a leash.

His mind was already occupied with a mental checklist as he grabbed a washcloth and started scrubbing her face. A little too hard.

"AAAHHH!"

She screamed like he was trying to exorcise her soul.

Levi flinched. "Shut up, brat—"

Too late.

Footsteps.

Grandma Protective Mode: ACTIVATED.

"What did you do?!" Kuchel rushed in, eyes blazing with fury.

"Nothing," Levi deadpanned, still holding the washcloth.

Dramatic little menace sniffled, pointing at him. "Papa bad."

Kuchel gasped. "Levi."

"I didn't—"

"You scrubbed my grandbaby like she's a damn floor, didn't you?!"

Levi sighed. He was never going to win against these two.

Levi stood there, arms crossed, as Kuchel swooped in like some avenging guardian angel and plucked Yuna right out of his grasp.

"That's it," she huffed, carrying the brat toward the bathtub. "I'm handling this. You clearly don't know how to be gentle."

Levi rolled his eyes. "I was just cleaning her face."

"She screamed."

"Dramatic little thing."

"She's one and a half, Levi!"

Levi sighed, leaning against the bathroom doorframe as Kuchel settled Yuna in the tub. The brat, now completely over her tragic experience, was splashing water everywhere, giggling like she hadn't just thrown him under the bus a minute ago.

Kuchel smiled fondly as she lathered shampoo into Yuna's hair. "See? This is how you wash a child."

Levi raised a brow. "She's enjoying this too much."

"Because I'm not scrubbing her like I'm trying to erase a stain."

Levi just grunted, watching as the little menace happily played with the bubbles. She was content, warm, and clearly had Kuchel wrapped around her tiny, manipulative fingers.

With a sigh, he muttered under his breath, "She's gonna be spoiled rotten."

Kuchel, not looking up, simply said, "That's the plan."

Levi stared.

Kuchel stared.

The brat sat on the counter, wrapped up like a tiny burrito in a towel, looking between them with wide, curious eyes.

And then it hit them at the same time.

They had no clothes for her.

Kuchel groaned. "You didn't think to buy her anything before bringing her home?"

Levi scowled. "Tch. I wasn't exactly planning for this, Mom."

"Well, she can't stay in a towel!"

"No shit."

The brat, completely unbothered, kicked her tiny feet. "No shit."

Both adults froze.

Levi slowly turned to Kuchel.

Kuchel slowly turned to Levi.

Levi exhaled. "That wasn't me."

Kuchel gave him a deadpan look. "Oh, really?"

"No. That was Kiki's influence."

As if summoned, Kenny yelled from the living room, "I ain't takin' the fall for this one!"

Levi sighed, rubbing his temples. "Okay, fine. Someone's gotta go buy clothes."

Both of them immediately turned to each other.

"You go," Levi said.

"No, you go," Kuchel shot back.

"I already did my job—I got the damn kid."

"I bathed the damn kid!"

The brat just looked between them, blinking, before casually announcing, "Fight."

Levi groaned. "Not a fight."

"Fight," she repeated, grinning.

Levi clicked his tongue, rubbing a hand down his face. Okay. Clothes. They needed clothes.

Then—he paused.

Wait. Didn't Isabel work part-time in some kids' clothing store?

Finally, for once in her life, the ginger was going to be useful.

Levi pulled out his phone and dialed.

The second she picked up, he didn't even let her speak. "Oi. Drop whatever dumb shit you're doing and get me a set of kid's clothes. Fast."

A long pause. Then—

"...Huh??"

"I'll explain later. Just do it."

And with that, Levi hung up.

The brat, still wrapped in her towel, looked up at him expectantly. "Tuna?"

Levi sighed. "Yeah, kid. We'll get your clothes."

Isabel walked in, bags of clothes in hand, her usual confident stride faltering when she saw the sight in front of her. She paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "Who's this?"

Yuna, freshly cleaned and towel-wrapped, looked up at her with wide eyes and beamed. "Tuna apple man."

Levi, already used to the brat's "name," sighed heavily. "Yuna Ackerman, not Tuna apple man."

Isabel's eyes flickered between Yuna and Levi, clearly trying to process. She blinked a few times before speaking slowly. "Is this one of your relatives... or a cousin?"

Levi stared at her, deadpan. "No. My daughter."

The room went silent for a moment, and then the shit hit the fan.

Isabel's jaw dropped. "Your what?" she asked, pointing between Yuna and Levi like she couldn't believe her ears.

"Daughter," Levi repeated, now regretting everything.

Isabel's voice came out in a strangled laugh, incredulous. "Levi, are you—is this for real?"

Levi, always one to handle pressure with sass, crossed his arms. "What, you think I'm incapable of adopting a kid?"

"Considering you can't even take care of yourself," Isabel muttered under her breath.

Levi shot her a glare. "You're an idiot, Isabel."

Before she could retort, the brat's voice cut through the tension. "Idiot."

Both Levi and Isabel turned, staring at Yuna, who had just given Isabel the title "Idiot."

The moment of calm didn't last long.

Meanwhile, Kuchel, having transformed into the self-proclaimed "fashion queen" for the day, had already started her own show. Yuna, now dressed in a cute little outfit, strutted around the living room in her makeshift runway while Kuchel clapped excitedly from the sidelines.

"Look at her! She's perfect! My granddaughter, my little star!" Kuchel cheered, completely ignoring the chaos around her.

Levi shook his head, rubbing his temple. "I didn't sign up for a fashion show, mom."

"Tuna apple man," Yuna repeated, striking a pose with both hands on her hips, as if she were on an actual runway.

"That's Yuna!" Levi corrected her again, but Yuna only giggled and kept walking.

Isabel, who had gone into full-blown mode of trying to bond, turned to Yuna with a sweet smile. "Okay, little one, can you say 'big sister'?"

Yuna looked at Isabel like she was trying to decipher a puzzle before loudly announcing, "Big idiot."

Levi's face went red with second-hand embarrassment. "Great. Just great."

Kuchel chuckled, not missing a beat. "Well, at least she's honest."

Isabel groaned, covering her face with her palm. "Big idiot," she muttered, exasperated.

Levi, still flustered, turned to explain the situation. "And Furlan? Yeah, self-proclaimed godfather of my kid."

Isabel's head shot up, her expression now a mix of disbelief and humor. "Furlan?"

Levi nodded. "Yeah, Furlan. Godfather."

Isabel could hardly suppress a laugh, but Kuchel, ever the sweet grandma, decided to save Yuna from this chaos by teaching her some manners. "Yuna, say thank you to Isabel for bringing you clothes."

Yuna blinked up at Isabel, her big eyes still filled with curiosity, before leaning forward and planting a sloppy kiss right on Isabel's cheek.

Isabel froze for a second, her hand flying up to her cheek in shock. Then, she looked at Yuna, exclaiming "I..love her already. I'm getting her more things ."

 CHAPTER COMPLETED