What Happens Twice Will Happen Thrice (2)
I wondered if it was really that big a deal, but Yustitia clearly didn't like my reaction. She groaned like she was in pain and said,
"You don't get how amazing this is, do you? This is huge! Let me explain, so listen up."
With a casual shloop, she plunged her hand into thin air and pulled out the slime onahole.
"Whoa, why'd you bring that out?"
"Huh? To explain it properly, it's better to show it, right?"
I'd tensed up, half-expecting her to do something weird with it again, but apparently not.
"You know this already, but... I made this by mimicking slime traits."
I already knew that, so I tilted my head and said,
"Yeah, and...?"
"Why? Because even though I made it, it's pretty damn good. It doesn't have a brain or anything—it just moves according to its design—but it's on par with a primitive slime. Still... it's just a mimicry in the end."
A cheap knockoff you couldn't even compare to the real thing.
She tilted her head at me like, get it now?
I just blinked back at her.
Um... so what?
It's a copy, so of course it's a knockoff. What was the point?
Apparently, I was the only one who didn't get it.
Lilith and Hoaran looked dead serious at Yustitia's words.
What? Tell me too.
Yustitia noticed I wasn't following and paused, thinking, before speaking up.
"Okay, simpler terms... Since I mimicked slime traits, it has slime-like properties."
"...And?"
I still looked lost, and she seemed a bit flustered.
She stared at me with a you still don't get it? face, groaned in frustration, and said,
"Alright... think about your hand. You use it to grab stuff or pick things up, right? But that's only because we have hands."
Duh.
But what did that have to do with anything?
She sighed deeply and explained,
"...Meaning, without hands, you couldn't grab or lift things that way. At least not with hands. Like how a harpy with wings instead of arms uses their talons."
Oh...
That kinda clicked, but it was still fuzzy.
As I pondered, Yustitia continued,
"Werewolves have several to dozens of times human strength because their muscle and bone density is that much higher. Their bones and muscles aren't even comparable to humans'—lighter, tougher, more flexible. At the same thickness, they're on par with or better than an ogre's. That's why werewolf racial traits are known for superhuman strength."
Werewolves were way stronger than I'd thought.
I knew ogres were fucking monstrously strong, and if they matched that...
Size-wise, werewolves would lose to a house-sized ogre, sure, but still.
I nodded, and Yustitia went on, eyeing me.
"Same with satyros. Their body scent is basically pheromones from a scent gland inside them. Just super potent ones that affect other species too. Your Wearhoneybee stinger? It's poison produced in their tail's venom gland. A biological railgun made from bodily fluids mixed with mana, I guess?"
She pointed right at me.
"But you're just a plain human, right?"
"...Yeah?"
Unless my unknown real parents were non-humans, I was baseline human.
The world I'd grown up in had only humans, fighting among ourselves, so pureblood human it was.
I nodded, and she said,
"Yep, ordinary human. I've checked multiple times—it's definite. No werewolf-tough muscles or bones, no satyros scent glands, no Wearhoneybee venom glands. So how can you use those abilities?"
Now that she mentioned it...
Plus, the Wearhoneybee stinger came from their honeybee-ass tails, but mine popped out of my hand.
Though I could probably fire it from anywhere if I focused, which was still weird.
"You're using abilities unique to those species—without having the biology for it. And not knockoffs—the real deal, indistinguishable."
She squeezed the slime onahole as she continued,
"Mimicry is possible. Weak muscles or bones? Boost with mana, magic, or spells. Satyros pheromones? Charm magic or illusion shamanism. Werehoneybee stingers? Magic bullets instead."
But it's all mimicry, she emphasized.
You could imitate and get similar results, but it was fake.
"Species' innate abilities? Impossible to replicate exactly. But you do it. A plain human body using evolved racial powers like it's nothing. Naturally, after a lifetime as human. If that's not amazing, what is?"
Put like that... yeah, maybe?
I'd used the powers casually when I got them.
It just worked, but firing a stinger from my body out of nowhere? Shouldn't be possible.
Like slapping wings on a tiger—it wouldn't fly.
Having something I'd never had and using it effortlessly? Yeah, weird.
"Ahh... I'm so curious. How does it work? Does your body restructure completely when activating? But how? Even dragon polymorph can't do that... I wanna know..."
She fondled my hand obsessively, and Lilith scowled.
"You pull any weird shit, and you're done."
"This lady agrees. Harm Hanjo, and I'll return it tenfold."
"...Even I'd never go that far, okay? You're being too harsh..."
Yustitia pouted like she was hurt, muttering she'd love to dissect me if she could.
No wonder Lilith and Hoaran eyed her warily.
Psycho vibes.
Anyway, the psycho—no, Yustitia—looked up at me, staring intently for a long while.
I wondered what now, and finally she spoke.
"What if you gained dragon racial abilities? No dragon heart, but handling mana like breathing? Giants? Their pure violent power? Or all species' abilities? Where's the limit to your power? Aren't you curious?"
"Uh... no?"
To get that, I'd have to fuck dragons, giants—everything.
Yustitia was a dragon right here, and she'd probably beg me to, but a building-sized giant? Physically impossible.
I wasn't that into getting stronger anyway, so I said so. She beamed at me.
"Fine by me. I'm curious."
This bitch?
"So, let's make a deal."
"...What now?"
I was annoyed at the obvious setup, but she said,
"Like Lilith or Hoaran, I'll raise you. I get to see how strong your ability gets; you get way stronger. Win-win, right?"
"......?"
I'm already grown—what're you raising?
No, more like—another mom copycat?
I said I didn't care about power.
"Hold up, what're you even scheming?"
"Nothing."
I wasn't scheming—just stunned by the nonsense.
Lilith glared, assuming I was, then whipped around to Yustitia.
"And what bullshit is this? Didn't you hear? Lilith and Hoaran already—"
"So what? Two's no big deal—three changes nothing, right?"
Fucking logical. Hard to argue.
Lilith was speechless, lips flapping.
Yustitia pressed,
"Look, I'm not that shameless... I'll follow the order. My turn after you two? Fine by me—better even. I wanna see if Hanjo can absorb succubus queen, yokai—celestial fox shaman—powers."
Already shameless as hell.
Order mattered? More like, why assume I'm fucking Lilith and Hoaran?
Lilith promised after she took over, but Hoaran and I weren't like that.
But.
"...Even if that happens, you'd be third. Obvious."
Lilith acted like order was sacred.
What was I supposed to do?
I eyed her, and she flinched.
"I-It's just hypothetical! Did I say anything wrong?!"
I hadn't said shit.
"...Don't look at me like that?!"
She snapped, so I turned to Hoaran, who mumbled awkwardly,
"...Sorry, Hanjo. Technically, this lady inserted herself too, so hard to argue against Yustitia."
Hoaran wasn't pushy like Yustitia, but she'd jumped in suddenly too.
She felt guilty toward Lilith usually, so she held back unless pushed.
Tricky.
Hard to refuse using them as excuses.
But Hoaran added,
"Bonds aren't forced by one side—it's Hanjo's choice. What do you think, Hanjo?"
Don't dump it on me!
But all three stared, waiting.
Decision was mine, apparently.
It was my moms, so fair enough...
"......"
Why'd they fight before, then? I eyed Lilith and Hoaran; they looked away.
Fuck it.
They were leaving it to me.
"Hm..."
Two moms was weird enough—three more?
This felt wrong.
Plus, Yustitia was a bit...
Then she said,
"Ah, not exactly 'instead,' but... if you accept, I'll give you this."
She pulled out a glowing blue stone shard.
"...What's that?"
I'd refuse, but curiosity won—it looked priceless.
"A dragon heart."
Dragon what?
"...Dragon heart? This?"
"Yep."
"For real? Whose is it?"
Why was a dragon heart—supposed to be inside a dragon—out here?
Who'd she rip it from?
"Don't worry, not stolen. It's a piece of my dragon heart. Experiment as a kid—tried sticking it back, didn't work, so kept it as a souvenir."
"Uh... you okay?"
"If I wasn't, would I be here?"
For a second, I wondered if that was why she was nuts.
Or maybe she was nuts, so she did it.
Like cutting out part of your heart.
Chicken or egg, whatever.
Accept her as mom, get this?
Dragon scales alone were worth billions—one on their huge body.
A whole dragon heart? Unimaginable, even a piece.
"Whaddya say?"
She offered it, tilting her head.
I said,
"Guess I'll call you Mom from now on."
Three moms? Not so bad.
Most folks had one (odd)—I had two (even). Abnormal.
Three made it odd again—more normal?
(Ignore unknown bio-mom.)
"Great, looking forward to it, son."
She grinned, handing over the dragon heart.
I grinned back, taking it.
"Yes, Mom Yustitia."