Chapter 6
Even when a huge pile of fried chicken was brought out, I sat there with my mouth hanging open, staring only at the words.
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ has proposed that you appear on the childcare variety show <My Precious Baby, Who Wouldn’t Hurt Even If I Put Them in My Eyes>.]
[Appearance Reward: The blessings of the Spirit Kings who enter.]
[Will you accept? Yes / No]
Strangely, only the ‘Yes’ option had flowers, sparkles, and even a ribbon attached to it.
I didn’t really understand what it meant, but I liked pretty things.
So I poked the ‘Yes’ option with my fork.
“Crab, you shouldn’t play with things at the table.”
A stern voice immediately came from beside me.
“I’m not playin’…!”
I opened my mouth like a little chick, trying to explain this strange thing, but then I realized I was actually chirping.
“Peep? Peep?!”
I was definitely trying to explain it properly, so why was this happening?
“Ahem.”
Daddy-but-also-Uncle quietly warned me.
Grandpa was watching with great amusement.
I couldn’t help looking miserable.
Nooo, it’s really because of this! This thing!
Then—
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ has proposed introducing a culture from another world.]
[The conversation screen has been made a little cuter for child participants.]
[Emoticons unlocked! (❁´▽`❁)]
A strange little picture appeared beside the words…?
It looked like a smiling face.
Was it?
I tilted my head in confusion when another sparkling message appeared.
[It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Euphyros, the administrator of Eden and the butler who serves all the Spirit Kings.]
[I will be sending you various notifications from now on. I look forward to working with you! `+◟( ˘ ³˘)◞ ♡]
I knew what a butler was.
There were friends at Ppukkam-Ppukkam Daycare whose dream was to become butlers when they grew up.
Then… does that mean the Spirit Kings are important people?
Before I could even adapt to what was happening,
another sparkling message appeared.
[The Spirit King of Emotion ‘■■■’ has entered!]
[The Spirit King of Emotion ‘■■■’ smiles brightly at you.]
[Whose child is this? Can I raise her?]
“……”
I had absolutely no idea what was going on, so I stuck my fork into the fried chicken that was slowly getting cold.
I should eat first.
A glutton never forgets food, no matter what happens!
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ proudly says, “Look at my baby eating so neatly!”]
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ proposes co-parenting to all the Spirit Kings who have entered.]
[There are currently six Spirit Kings who have entered <My Precious Baby, Who Wouldn’t Hurt Even If I Put Them in My Eyes>.]
[When all the Spirit Kings enter, you will receive the title ‘The Darling of the Kings’!]
Hmm.
But even though I tried not to pay attention to it, I couldn’t help being curious.
There are only four of them.
Water, Fire, Earth, and Emotion.
Who were the other two?
I tilted my head, but for now, I cleaned my plate completely.
The next dishes arrived: thoroughly roasted peas and mashed potatoes.
I don’t like peas.
At daycare, I ate them like a good girl.
Because there were only a few.
But there were sooo many peas on my little crab plate now.
“You need to eat things that are good for you, too. Don’t leave any behind.”
When I kept poking the peas with my fork, Daddy-but-also-Uncle, who had been quietly watching me again, spoke.
Grandpa was trembling his shoulders and beard.
I reluctantly scooped up a pea with some mashed potatoes and put it in my mouth, but I couldn’t open my mouth wide.
I only peeped like a carp and ate a tiny bit.
Daddy-but-also-Uncle raised an eyebrow.
“More.”
“……”
You know, if something is good for your health, shouldn’t adults eat more of it?
But Syu is healthy!
While I was seriously thinking about it, more words appeared in front of me.
[The Spirit King of Emotion ‘■■■’ has bestowed the blessing ‘Amazing Adaptability!’ upon you.]
[Your ability to adapt to situations has slightly increased.]
[Your bravery has slightly increased. You might become a little reckless?! ✧☆٩(`･ω･´)و]
[This blessing will last for 5 minutes.]
Red, blue, yellow, green, white.
A butterfly sparkling in many different colors landed on the tip of my nose.
It seemed like only I could see it.
Oh!
But the moment I reached out to catch it, the butterfly disappeared with a little pop, like a bubble of water.
Hmm.
Did I become a little braver?
Honestly, I couldn’t tell if anything had changed.
[The Spirit King of Emotion ‘■■■’ has proposed a joint mission reward.]
A joint mission?
Spirit King Alliance Quest!
You’ll grow big and strong if you eat well!
All the Spirit Kings who had entered the room have given you homework.
| ✔ | Feed peas to Naval Admiral Diegon Pasayen! |
|---|---|
| Success Reward | 60g of Magical Sugar-Sugar that makes an orca’s energy spring forth |
| Failure Penalty | Only being able to say “peep-peep” for one day (24 hours) |
I calmly glared at the words.
I had learned two things about these strange words that kept appearing.
One.
Even if I tried to talk about them, no words would come out.
Two.
For some reason…
I think they want to tease me!
But orca sugar…
It might be good to give that to the teacher.
Thinking of the educational institute teacher with the dark circles under her eyes, I nodded.
I’ll try.
[The Fire Spirit King ‘■■■■■’ is pleased that you are a baby with a spirit of challenge.]
[The Earth Spirit King ‘■’ reveals his ulterior motive and says he hopes you fail and have to peep all day.]
No!
I was already four years old!
I didn’t want to go around peeping like a baby.
I puffed out my cheeks and stared at Daddy-but-also-Uncle.
He stopped eating and looked at me, too.
After having a quiet staring contest, I climbed down from my chair with a grunt and grabbed my plate.
“What are you doing?”
“Delishus things should be eaten togetha.”
“Hmm.”
“I’ll feed you.”
I toddled over and stood in front of him.
Straining and standing on tiptoe, I pushed my little crab plate beside Uncle’s huge bowl.
“You’re trying to feed Diegon because you don’t want to eat them yourself, aren’t you?”
“Nooo. Uncle likes peas.”
“Uncle? Hahaha! You brat, have I still never heard you call me ‘Dad’ even once?”
Grandpa burst into hearty laughter.
His huge marshmallow body seemed to wobble back and forth, making me grin along with him.
The only one who wasn’t laughing was Uncle.
“…You can call me Dad.”
“D-Dad…?”
“Today, we’ll officially process the adoption papers. Then you will officially become the Pasayen Duke’s daughter.”
“Is that because Syu was chosen by the Ancestral Whale?”
At my question, Uncle—
No.
Dad.
No. Dad is a little…
I don’t want to call him that yet.
As I was thinking about it, the words quietly offered a suggestion.
[The Earth Spirit King ‘■’ recommends calling him ‘Admiral’.]
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ makes a heartbroken expression.]
Okay, I like that.
Admiral.
The Admiral picked me up and sat me awkwardly on his thigh.
“Pasayen has accepted people who are not of our bloodline as family for a long time. The Ancestral Whale’s choices are always made for the good of the family, and because they are absolutely correct, no one finds it strange.”
“Mhm.”
“Ricardo, the one you gave a good lesson to, is also adopted. He is from a lower noble family, though.”
But this position looked perfect for feeding him peas!
I listened carefully to the Admiral while tightly gripping my child-sized fork.
“Only someone of Pasayen blood can become the Family Head, but adopted children can become Spirit Resonants or Admirals. And you are a Spirit Resonant…!”
Poke.
“Ow.”
I had been watching carefully.
When the Admiral opened his mouth to say “Ah,” I didn’t miss my chance.
My fork shot forward like lightning and slipped right into his mouth.
The Admiral stared down at me with an expression of utter disbelief, as if he were wondering what kind of creature I was.
An awkward silence followed.
“Pahahahahaha!”
The one who revived the frozen atmosphere was Grandpa.
“Wahahaha! Hahaha! Look at that audacious little brat!”
Bang! Bang!
Every time Grandpa slammed his palm against the dining table, the entire room shook.
I quietly avoided the Admiral’s gaze and quickly put a pea into my own mouth.
Munch.
“Peas, good for body.”
“Huh.”
“Admiral, eat togetha.”
Four peas went into the Admiral’s mouth.
One pea went into mine.
It’s a secret.
[The Spirit King of Emotion ‘■■■’ rolls around laughing, asking if everyone saw that expression just now.]
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ mutters, “Is… is this really okay…?”]
[The Fire Spirit King ‘■■■■■’ defends you.]
[I don’t want to see a child who obediently listens and tries to be loved. It’s much cuter when she acts like that.]
Several messages streamed upward before disappearing.
And… after blinking a few times, I covered my mouth.
What did I just do?!
