"Mr. Leo," the judge said. "You have created a weapon of mass affection. You are sentenced to one year of community service... undoing this."

But three weeks later, the nightmare began.

Leo watched, a mix of professional pride and existential dread pooling in his stomach. They weren't just being polite. They were merging. Within ninety seconds, Kai had his arm around Hiro, showing him a picture of his childhood dog, Pockets. Hiro was nodding with genuine, tearful interest.