Chapter 178
Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Paternal Love
Isaac looked clearly flustered as his name came up out of nowhere, but the others didn't care in the slightest and just nodded.
They all trust me anyway. Having come this far, we're all comrades staking our lives together now.
"Uh, Joo-ho? I appreciate it, but you don't have to force yourself. You must've been really worried after what happened last time... I'm fine, really. Let's focus on the moon first."
"No need. Rejected. I'll handle this myself."
I cut off Isaac's timid voice as he glanced at me nervously and tried to refuse. We immediately got to work on our assigned tasks.
Jenny and Aria headed into the sea,
Nephyr dug out a burrow for herself to live in,
Arachne wove her net and set off,
and Amy pulled out one of the securely stored Ember fragments and pondered how to convert it into a [functional prosthetic limb].
"How about it? Think you can manage?"
"Of course."
I stayed by Amy's side to assist her. Being a human serving as an assistant to a machine was unheard of, but in my home, such social prejudices didn't exist.
Here, there were only men and women trying to survive together. We shared the same goal and unified values.
"Dr., you need to be more careful when handling Ember. Even the slightest tremor is dangerous, so leave the Ember to me and fetch the metal items that will form the base first."
I believe that value is love.
Maybe this is the ultimate pursuit that transcends humanity or kindness.
It's a word I mention so often without fully understanding it, and the more I talk about it, the more confused I get about what love really is...
But in this moment, as we smile at each other every time our hands brush by mistake while making the prosthetic, love is definitely here. Absolutely.
Two hours after we started working on the prosthetic.
"Hey, Joo-ho."
"It's fine, just sit. I don't need any help."
"No... that's not it. Isn't that one over there going to die like that?"
"Pardon?"
The being I'd forgotten about, too focused on hammering the steel.
"Ugh... ueuup..."
Come to think of it, I'd forgotten about Third Sister.
I'd tied her up extra tight in case she tried to escape and even gagged her mouth, so she'd been starving shakily since morning, looking gaunt and emaciated as she sobbed quietly to herself.
While we'd caught fish, eaten our fill, and started our tasks, she'd apparently been unable to sleep, weeping alone in hopes someone would notice her.
Her presence was nonexistent—too nonexistent.
She was the type that naturally evoked pity.
"Dr., I can handle this alone."
Amy took the tool from my hand and nudged my back.
"Looking after Isaac is important too, but you need to achieve the goal you're aiming for. I'll make the prosthetic perfectly, so go do what you must."
Firm consideration.
I left the workspace without a word, preparing to tend to Third Sister. I planned to feed her some leftover soup.
But instead, the slime in my pocket peeked out its face and stared longingly at the large soup pot.
The slime must be hungry too. Lately, with all the run-ins with Nicole and the survivors, it had been too scared to come out of my pocket.
It seemed to finally judge the surroundings as safe. The slime hopped right out of my pocket, climbed up the pot, and dove inside.
"Eat slowly so you don't choke."
Despite its small size, it slurped away enthusiastically. Anyone watching might think it was possessed.
Of course, even after all that, the slime only ate about five spoonfuls worth. It took nearly a minute to munch on a single small chunk of vegetable.
Maybe I don't even need to wash the dishes. I left the slime in the pot. Watching it was surprisingly cute and healing.
Lately, I especially wanted to take care of anything small and cute. When I first found it, I'd saved it on purpose because it reminded me of old Jenny, but now it felt like keeping a pet.
This was exactly how I'd always wanted to raise a hamster.
As a kid, family finances were too tight, so I gave up,
and as an adult, I had no time, so I quit.
In a way, it felt like a dream come true.
I'd even gotten pretty wives...
Built a house by a peaceful seaside and lived there...
"Uwup! Eep!"
Except for the part where I had a hostage tied up and starving. Otherwise, it was the perfect resort life.
"Hic, hiiik... huuk... Why is everyone eating without meee... I'm hungry toooo..."
"Sorry, sorry. I forgot. Here, eat this at least."
The moment I removed the gag from her mouth, Third Sister burst into tears and wails. But even as she did, she buried her face in the bowl I'd given her and gulped it down.
A-gulp—gulp—nom...
I'd planned to loosen her bonds briefly since it seemed uncomfortable, but she ate so desperately and deliciously that I missed the timing.
"De-delicious... sob, huuk..."
Even as she ate, her stomach growled. This amount probably wasn't enough.
"Slurp—eup—"
She glanced at me nervously and licked the bowl clean. Even without use of her hands, her enthusiasm was impressive—I couldn't stop staring, mouth agape.
"Th-thank you for the meal..."
It took less than a minute. She must've been starving; she devoured a full portion in seconds.
"...Want more?"
"M-more, more, is there more?!"
"Hold on. It's different food... but I still have some preserved rations from back in the day."
This was a problem too.
No matter what, Third Sister was from the enemy faction, yet I strangely wanted to take care of her.
Well, I'd built good relationships with several like this before. Aria and Arachne had been practically enemies at first.
And the succubus I'd parted with in the desert—we'd met as foes but ended up on good terms. I might see her again someday.
She'd said she was going to the moon to treat her sister, right?
The place closest to the moon,
the moon's territory...
"Here."
"C-can I eat this? It doesn't seem edible... uh..."
"Wait. There's a way to eat it. Here, start with this. It's called a chocolate bar—pretty tasty."
As I peeled open ration kit items one by one and fed them to Third Sister, I mentally organized the questions I wanted to ask her.
"Wow! So delicious... hiiik..."
Seeing her freak out with joy at every bite, she'd probably spill anything easily. Her honest reactions were pretty cute.
"Yeah, there's plenty, so eat it all. I won't steal any, so no whining—eat slowly. Wait, are you even chewing? You seem to just swallow everything I feed you...?"
"Qu-quick, more pleaseee..."
So I just kept feeding her.
Questions could wait. I didn't want to interrupt her meal.
Watching her eat so happily was oddly satisfying. Human ration kits were truly great!
"That one, the yellow... yes! That!"
"This one's good too. It's macaroni with tomato sauce... you'd probably not know it. Just try it."
But as I fed Third Sister and the slime like this, I suddenly realized how much I'd changed.
I had some leeway now, I guess.
I didn't mind strangers as much anymore.
"Hmm, this is something."
I wasn't the type to fuss over others before, yet here I was, worrying and trying to feed her something.
Maybe I was preparing to be a dad.
Was my body already producing the neurotransmitters and hormones needed for biological parenting?
"Whatever. Can't be helped..."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. Just eat. Talking to myself."
An indescribable, subtle emotion washed over me. I smiled, but I wasn't excited.
At the same time, it pissed me off. The moon, who used these women calling him father as pawns for massacres and inhumane experiments, was utterly revolting.
"..."
Even so,
would Third Sister cry if I killed the moon?
What about the succubus?
No—would almost all the creatures following the moon do the same?
"Poor thing."
I couldn't help but stroke her head out of pity. Her once-moist, seaweed-like hair had dried out and become brittle.
"Uh, um..."
Third Sister blushed.
I hadn't meant to seduce her...
She must've felt strange from a male's touch.
"Dr."
But before I could properly convey that brief warmth, something happened.
"Multiple simultaneous fires detected 800 meters to the south."
Amy stopped working on the prosthetic and reported to me. If her radar had picked up fires, they were already beyond [trivial] levels.
"Suddenly?"
I was momentarily flustered by the abrupt report,
but Amy's update didn't end there.
"Crew members' vital signs detected at the fire sites."
Amy's eyes flashed red.
That was a warning light.
"I'll go handle it."