CH 151

When I woke up, I knew that everyone around me was terribly surprised, but I was so tired that I immediately fell asleep.

And then–

I understood why everyone was surprised when I woke up.

A humanoid body.

Within the reddish-brown hair that was just like Rodo’s, were visible black animal ears.

And a black tail.

Though he was born in a shrunken form, his humanoid state was just like Rodo’s.

Though the facial features resembled mine completely.

Perhaps the lack of visible muscles was due to the resemblance with me…

Or maybe it’s because he’s still a baby?

“Jeremiah. Jay. Nice to meet you.”

“Abu.”

The cry sounded human.

Despite having cat-like ears and a tail, Jay seems more human-like than an Akinist like Rodo.

Are the children cautious because of their different appearances?

They huddled together in a slightly distant spot.

Rodo was patting my head, showing no signs of wariness towards Jay.

“Hehe… It looks like the clothes Rodo bought for me won’t go to waste.”

Though Jay can’t wear them yet, they will fit once he grew a little.

I wonder if Jay will have a growth rate similar to that of humans.

If so, he might require more attention compared to the other children.

After all, if he developed like humans, it would take about a year for him to start walking.

El and the others were able to walk right after birth, and by the time they were two years old, they were already helping me.

But if Jay was more human-like, it might be more challenging for him.

“Jay, your big brother, and sister are very kind. Please get along with your siblings, okay?”

“Uh?”

As I patted his head, he gave me a puzzled look.

I wonder if Jay understood what I just said.

“El, Cal, Dee, this is Jay. He’s your little brother.”

Upon hearing my words, the three of them cautiously approached.

Is it because they look different that there’s a sense of unease?

If I show them my shrunken form, would they no longer be wary of Jay?

“Jay seems to resemble me. But the hair and eyes are the same color as Rodo’s.”

Amber-colored eyes and curly reddish-brown hair.

Yet, his face looked just like mine.

…Will he become muscular like Rodo in the future?

I can’t quite imagine it.

Perhaps it’s because I’m not naturally inclined to become muscular myself that I find it hard to envision.

“…Jay is different from us.”

“Jay seems to resemble Mom. Mom also looked like this when I was younger. My ears were different from everyone else’s, and I didn’t have a tail, though… Would you like to see how Mom looked when I met Dad?”

If they learn that my shrunken form resembled their humanized forms, will they accept Jay?

“Is Jay like Mom?”

“That’s right. Mom also had a small form when I met Dad.”

“Mom was tiny!?”

“Yeah. If Dad hadn’t taken care of me, I wouldn’t have been able to meet all of you like this.”

The children expressed their surprise, their faces filled with astonishment.

But it’s the truth.

I heard that the location where Rodo and I met, by that spring, was a place where no one approached because the water there wasn’t drinkable.

The grass in that area was only favored by Doniclons, and nobody would go there except Rodo, who rides Sig.

It was fortunate that Rodo happened to come that day, as there would have been no food around and I would have ended up drinking from that undrinkable spring.

And I would have perished.

In other words, because Rodo found me before I woke up, I can live like this.

Surrounded by my beloved family, living happily.

Rodo mentioned that he just happened to stop by on his way back from work.

If he had returned home instead, it wouldn’t have been strange.

In that case, being in a place where no one would come, the chances of me surviving would have been low.

“Dad, that’s amazing!”

“How did you meet Mom!?”

The children, with their sparkling eyes, asked Rodo with excitement.

They’re too adorable.

Rodo mentioned that he came to see what was happening because he felt a tremendous amount of magic when he came to feed Sig the grass.

“…Well, he is my mate, so it’s only natural.”

Perhaps I’m one of the reasons he went to a place he wouldn’t normally go to, but I wonder if he just didn’t want to say, “I happened to be there for some reason.”

“I want a mate like Mom too.”

“…Huh?”

I’m taken aback by El’s words.

Because who would want someone like “me” as their mate?

It’s burdensome.

I don’t care about anyone outside of my family, and yet I’m being mistaken for someone compassionate.

I feel like I’m deceiving those around me somehow.

…Even though it’s their own misunderstanding.

But I’ve heard that encounters with mates were extremely rare.

It’s very uncommon for someone to acquire a mate.

I don’t think they have to marry for the sake of some country, but if it’s someone that El likes, I would support them.

“There are few people who can encounter their mates, but if El and the others are happy, then that’s enough for Mom.”

Akinists are said to be a race that doesn’t pay much attention to others, but El and the others are kind children who care about me.

If that’s the case, they should be able to be kind to others as well.

…Though so far, I haven’t seen them being kind to others.

As I tried to get up, Rodo stopped me.

“It’s still too early for you to move on your own.”

I couldn’t even sit up due to his overprotective statement.

Every time after giving birth, I wouldn’t be allowed to leave the bed for nearly a week.

It seems like it will be a while before I can reveal my shrunken form.

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“Waaah…!”

“Mama, you’re so tiny!”

In my shrunken form, both Cal and Dee appear much larger.

Even with El, I can’t reach his back.

“When Mom first met Dad, I was in this form and couldn’t communicate with words. But I worked really hard to learn because I wanted to talk to Dad.”

I reminisced.

During that time, I wanted to say that this form wasn’t real, but I was afraid of being discovered and being abandoned.

“Yeah, Jay just takes after Mama.”

It’s natural for anyone to be cautious of unfamiliar things.

I returned to my original form and put on my clothes… but Rodo quickly dressed me.

Even though it’s just the children who are here.

Even my father-in-law is in the neighboring house.

I unintentionally looked up in astonishment.

After all, I sometimes bathe together with the children.

As Rodo watched me with satisfaction after putting on my clothes, he suddenly lifted me up.

And then he placed me on his lap as he sat down.

(…What is it?)

Maybe it’s just because I’ve been resting so much and he wants to be close?

But we slept together every night.

And even though Rodo was usually overprotective, he didn’t lift me down until we reached the bed.

The basket I received from His Majesty is now Jay’s bed.

Although we have regular beds in the children’s room, Jay seems to prefer sleeping curled up in the basket.

The other children rarely used it, if ever.

El had never even tried to get in.

Cal and Dee still find little me adorable and often comment on it.

El brings the string of the basket, holding it in his mouth, and brings it to me.

“Thank you, El.”

El is truly considerate of his younger siblings.

After patting El’s head, I took Jay, who is still inside the basket.

Even though Jay had the same hair and eye color as Rodo, his face looked exactly like mine when I was a baby.

Will future me, with a sun-kissed complexion and cat ears and tail, look like that?

…Is it because of my Japanese background that I find it unsettling?

I find Rodo’s cat ears cute, and even my father-in-law’s cat ears, or the animal ears and wings of other people, have become familiar to me and I don’t think much of them anymore.

…Except when it comes to myself.

In reality, Jay is not like me.

Jay, like any human baby, is currently limited to crying, eating, and sleeping.

Walking is out of the question.

That means I have to carry him or transport him in the basket wherever we go.

El takes the lead in doing that for me.

El is overprotective of me and seems to be even more inclined to protect the baby who looks just like me.

I’ve been helped by El in many ways.

El is currently 7 years old.

He doesn’t regress into baby behavior every time and was a great older sibling who takes care of Jay.

They’re not like me, always spoiling Sou and being a useless older brother.

He’s just too good for my own good, even as my own child.