Chapter 16

Um, um… um what?

The little one who had been clinging to Eve had now stuck to my leg again, rubbing their cheek against it repeatedly.

Since my pants have a velvety texture, it must feel good, so they keep rubbing their cheek against it.

“Mom smells nice~!”

They said.

Let me say it again, I was not originally a woman. I was originally a man. I became a woman after becoming the Mother-Body, so why is this kid calling me mom…?

“Ki, kid. Your sister is not a man. Dad, okay? Hey, Mo, Mother-Body! What’s going on here?!”

As if I’d know. Of course, Eve must be flustered too. Her face turned pale… oh, it was already pale. Then it turned red, then blue, like a traffic light, her face color kept changing.

“Hey, Keru! Explain this!”

The child kept rubbing their cheek against my pants, saying mom, mom, mom, mom, I love you so much~, exuding affection, and given my personality of liking kids, I couldn’t just push them away.

Reluctantly, I picked up the child and urgently shouted at Keru.

“Even if you explain… isn’t it a life form you created, Mother-Body?”

“Hey, saying I created a life form makes it sound weird!”

It’s not exactly wrong, but it’s like I gave birth to the kid myself! I wanted to say, but with the child rubbing their cheek against mine, calling me mom, mom, I couldn’t say that in front of them.

“What on earth is going on?”

“That’s what I’m wondering…”

Keru also had a genuinely troubled expression.

“Has this ever happened before?”

“No. Not even once. Until now, most of the minions created were of similar forms. Either adult human forms or monster types. Rather, this seems like a case that should be reported to the Bureau of Administration…”

“Mother-Body.”

While I was flustered and talking with Keru, Eve poked my side.

“What?”

“I want to hold them.”

Once the initial shock passed, the child seemed cute to her. The child I was holding tightly started to struggle when Eve reached out.

“No, I want to stay with mom.”

So I’m not mom… but Eve didn’t seem to care about that. When the child struggled and buried their face in my chest, Eve seemed shocked.

“Goodness, goodness… they rejected me…”

“Mom is better…”

The light in Eve’s eyes faded. Her outstretched arm slowly lowered. Her bright smile gradually disappeared, and her expression turned lifeless.

“Uh, kid, why don’t you go to dad…?”

“I’m not a kid! Kabe has a name!”

“W, what’s the name…?”

I think she said Kabe.

“Kabe is Kabe! Kaberia!”

The child, still in my arms, made a proud face. That typical smug face kids make. But to adults, it’s just cute.

Is it Kaberia because of Kabe? Or is the name Kaberia?

Does she have a last name or something…?

That face, so much like mine, those eyes, were directed at Eve.

“Okay. This time, Kabe will give in.”

The child squirming in my arms reached out to Eve. That tiny hand was waving towards Eve.

“Come here.”

Eve quickly embraced the child. Her previously dejected appearance came alive as if it had been a lie.

“Dad.”

“I’m not dad, but…”

“Kaberia.”

It was Keru. Keru seemed to be thinking something for a moment, then walked step by step towards Kabe, who was in Eve’s arms. It’s a bit strange for an animal to walk step by step, but that’s how it felt.

“Kabe.”

Keru called Kabe in a solemn voice. I didn’t notice it much when talking to me, but seeing it now, Keru does seem quite dignified…

“Mommyyyyyyyyyy!!!!”

However, Kabe’s wailing shattered Keru’s dignity into pieces.

“Mo, Mother-Body!”

When Kabe started crying hysterically as if having a fit, a flustered Eve quickly handed Kabe to me. As soon as Kabe was in my arms, they buried their face in my neck and started crying even louder.

“Kabe, shh, mommy’s here, mommy, don’t cry~ good girl? There, there.”

Even though the words “I’m not mom” were on the tip of my tongue, what could I do when the kid is crying like this? I had to comfort them like this. As I held and patted their back, soothing them, Kabe slowly stopped crying.

“Kaberia.”

“Waaaaahhhhh!!!!”

“Hey, stay still!!”

After convincing Kabe that Keru is not a bad animal, but mom’s pet, and a big meow-meow, Kabe finally calmed down.

“Kabe was sleeping at home. But I heard mom calling me, so I came.”

“Home? Where’s home?”

Dusik hurriedly ran to the supermarket and bought yogurt, which Kabe was sipping while sitting on my lap. Still, Kabe seemed scared of Keru, keeping their distance and glaring to prevent Keru from approaching.

When Keru asked where Kabe came from, Kabe said they were sleeping at home and heard mom’s voice, meaning my voice, so they came. The problem is, where is that home?

“I don’t know. Home is just home.”

“So, where is that home?”

“Home is at home.”

Kids will be kids. There’s no other way to explain it.

“Then, where did you come out from when you heard mom’s voice?”

Kabe, who was drinking yogurt, looked up at me. When I slightly lowered my head, our eyes met. Kabe giggled, and they really looked just like me.

Those red eyes, sharp face, and the expression that looks angry when they’re expressionless…

“Mom called, so I just came. Because mom is mom.”

They said, while continuously rubbing the back of their head against my chest. It was ticklish, but it felt good.

Mom, mom, huh? It would’ve been better if it was dad. But since my body is now a woman, that’s impossible.

“Uh, wait, Kabe.”

“Yes.”

“Then, why is this person dad?”

I pointed at Eve. Since I look like a woman, it’s understandable to call me mom, but Eve is also a woman, so why did they call her dad?

Eve also had a puzzled expression. Well, being called dad by such a pretty sister would be quite a shock…

“The prettier one is mom.”

I thought.

The child’s words, pure yet devastatingly powerful.

Eve stiffened and just stared blankly at Kaberia.

“Uh, then I’ll get going. It’s getting late.”

“Okay, be careful.”

“Dad, bye!”

“Yeah… Kabe, listen to mom, okay?”

“Yes, dad!”

Eve seemed resigned. Being called dad by Kabe didn’t seem to bother her much, but being called mom by Kabe made my whole body tingle, giving me goosebumps.

“Then, I’ll go. I’ll contact you.”

As Eve got into the car, the large passenger car silently slid away. Kabe, still in my arms, waved at the car, saying, “Dad, bye!”

Ah, I didn’t get the repair fee for the front door!

“Did you get it?”

“Sister, is this enough?”

“Let me see.”

Children’s toothpaste, toothbrush. And hypoallergenic soap. Cotton towel.

“Yes, this should do. We can use this for a day or two.”

Kabe was staring at me intently as I took the plastic bag. Their mouth still had yogurt in it. They must really like the taste, having eaten one earlier, and now eating another after Eve left.

Well, we should brush our teeth. Can’t have cavities.

“Kabe, come here.”

After slurping up the remaining yogurt noisily, Kabe took my hand. The warm, snug feeling of their small hand in mine was, well, something that tugged at my heart.

Having lived without human warmth for so long, the softness and slightly higher body temperature of a child’s hand felt incredibly warm.

“Mom, where are we going?”

Even though I didn’t give birth to this child who suddenly appeared and calls me mom, since they were born through my hands, it’s my responsibility to take care of them.

“Let’s go brush brush.”

“What’s brush brush?”

“Since Kabe ate something sweet, the germs in your mouth are going, ‘Yay~ we want something sweet too~’ and attacking Kabe’s teeth.”

“Eww.”

Kabe made a face and stuck out their tongue. It was so cute that I unconsciously reached out and patted Kabe’s head.

“To make those germs go away, we use toothpaste and~ a toothbrush to brush brush. Have you never done it before?”

“No.”

“Okay, then shall we brush brush with mom?”

Seeing how naturally the words “brush brush with mom” came out, I realized I’m quite something.

“Now, open wide~”

“Ewwewewew…”

A child who’s never brushed their teeth before can’t do it alone. The toothbrush kept poking around their small mouth, making it hurt, so Kabe whined about not wanting to do it. I had no choice but to hold the small toothbrush in one hand, hold Kabe’s back with the other, and brush their teeth myself.

Squatting down with my sleep pants rolled up, brushing Kabe’s teeth…

“Sister, you really look like a mom.”

“Dusik, you too?”

“But you are mom.”

“Kabe…”

Even though I’ve taken on a responsibility I never asked for, it’s not a bad feeling.

Kabe is that cute, and seeing Kabe snuggle up to me, calling me mom, feels really good.

However, I didn’t yet know that problems always arise in times of peace.

The tragedy that arrived with an enormous explosion was, for me who had just become the boss of the Mogmog Group a few days ago, an overwhelmingly huge and miserable event. From afar, it seemed like a comedy, but up close, it was a tragedy. Even for me, the person involved, it felt too much.