That's Dad, Right?

The base may have been a wreck, but they still had to eat.

"Have you guys always eaten like this…?"

Today they'd used Eve's card to buy meat. It had been a perfect chance to splurge on beef, but the Mains had other ideas. They wanted spicy pork stir-fry, and so spicy pork stir-fry it was.

I'd wondered if a beef version of the same dish wouldn't be just as good, but Dusick had talked me out of it, so pork it was. I came back with a generous cut and tossed it over, and the kitchen crew got to work.

At the Mains' whispered chatter about how long it had been since they'd last had a meat side dish, the words Didn't I just treat you all to a company dinner? rose all the way to the back of my throat before I managed to swallow them.

Right…

Meat's good whenever you eat it, I guess.

"Mother, let's head out after lunch."

"Where do you even live?"

"Pyeongchang-dong."

"Holy shit. What the hell is this wealth gap?"

Here I was, stuck in a back corner of Gwangmyeong — and a basement, at that — while someone else had the Association building smack in the middle of Samseong-dong, and the Association President's own house sitting in Pyeongchang-dong. Wasn't that a bit much?

"Karin's got a real knack for making money. He even poured some of it into electric-car stocks, and the returns have been solid."

"Ahem!"

I'd never seen him myself, but I knew Karin was a guardian the same way Keru was. Keru was the guardian of the Underworld; Karin, of the Light Realm.

"You're both guardians, but you're nothing alike."

"Well. That happens."

"No, it doesn't. The only money we ever ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠see is whatever sponsorship I drag in. That's it. Nothing else."

I fixed Keru with a long, pointed stare. His conscience must have pricked him, because he shuffled backward and tried to vanish into the corner of the sofa. Not that a bulk like his could actually disappear back there. He wasn't some birdbrain who thought covering his head meant the rest of him was hidden.

"Whatever. Just eat. There's plenty, so dig in."

"Don't people usually say there's not much, but eat up anyway?"

"There is plenty."

"God, the mouth on you."

My body may have become a woman's, but I hadn't lost the gift of gab that had made me the ace of the sales department. Against someone like Eve, whose fists always moved faster than her words, I was never going to lose a talking fight.

"It's good, though. Your kitchen crew can actually cook, huh?"

"Of course they can. When you're stuck trying to wring flavor out of whatever scraps you've got, your skills go up whether you like it or not."

That was from personal experience, and it wasn't wrong. Limited ingredients force you to experiment. There's no other way.

"Oh, Dusick. Thanks."

"I'll enjoy it."

After the meal, Dusick pushed open the office door with two cups of instant coffee in her hands. She passed one to me and one to Eve, then settled onto the sofa herself.

"So Unni's sleeping over at Eve-unni's place tonight? With Kabe?"

"That's the plan. And tomorrow I want to stop by the Magical Girl Association and have a look around inside."

I'd already talked it over with Eve. I knew the Association building from the outside, but I'd never set foot in it. I had no idea what the interior even looked like.

In about a month we'd be living there ourselves. I needed at least a rough sense of the layout, how much space there was — and what was around the neighborhood, while I was at it.

"Ohh, this coffee's good. You got the water just right, Dusick."

"Hehe. I was careful."

"Where's Kabe?"

Kabe had been right beside me at lunch, chewing away at rice and little pieces of pork. The second the meal was over, Dusick had scooped her up and carried her out.

"She's down for a nap."

"She already went to sleep? We just ate."

"You did say she woke up early today."

We'd slept at a motel going by the name of a hotel, and she hadn't gotten up until nearly eight. Was that early? From Kabe's point of view, maybe it was.

"That so? Yeah, I guess it could be. Who's with her?"

"Keru's keeping watch."

"Good."

"Mother."

"Hm?"

Eve had been watching my back-and-forth with Dusick the whole time. She called my name out of nowhere. I took a sip of coffee, the paper cup still at my lips, and flicked a glance her way. She was fighting a twitch of a smile.

"Are you sure Kabe isn't actually your biological daughter? Because from where I'm sitting, that is a child you personally pushed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out."

I narrowed my eyes.

"What kind of nonsense are you winding up to now?"

"I'm just saying. The way you look after her is so natural. You take care of her the way people take care of their own kids. It's kind of a lot."

I almost snapped You want to keep running your mouth? — and then I actually thought about it, and Eve wasn't exactly wrong.

Kabe wasn't my biological daughter. But if she slipped out of sight, I caught myself wondering where she'd gone, as naturally as breathing. I needed to know where she was. If she was going to be anywhere I couldn't see, I needed to know who was with her before I could relax.

"…Well. I created her, so she's as good as my daughter. What about it? Is that weird?"

"No. It just looks nice, that's all."

"If you want that to sound remotely sincere, you should probably do something about that grin first. Kabe's father."

"W-who's a dad?!"

"You. You are."

Every time she picked a fight with me, Eve was the one who ended up losing her temper — and she never seemed to notice. I had no idea how someone like her had become Association President.

"Auntie Dusick, I'll be back! You too, Keru! I'll be back!"

Had her baby teeth not finished falling out yet? The words were coming out awfully slurred. Did kids like her even have baby teeth and permanent teeth? I'd have to check inside Kabe's mouth once we got to Eve's place.

I scooped Kabe up as she waved both arms as hard as she could at Dusick and Keru, and I gave the two of them a little wave of my own.

"I'll be back. I'll probably be home tomorrow evening too. Use this for tonight's dinner and tomorrow's lunch and dinner."

"Huh? Unni, isn't this Eve-unni's card?"

"Eve, I'm using your card."

"Sure. Buy some beef."

Eve agreed without a flicker of hesitation. I shot Dusick a smug little grin, just to make sure she saw.

"Don't go overboard. We're broke, not shameless. Got it?"

"Got it, Unni. Have a good trip. You too, Kabe! Be good!"

"Mhm, Auntie, I'll be back!"

Kabe clung tight to my chest, waving and waving at Dusick with a bright little bye-bye!

"Kabe, we're coming back tomorrow. Don't worry. Let's go."

"Okay, Mom!"

Eve was already in the back seat. I sat Kabe between us, buckled her into the child belt, and slid in beside her.

"You're pretty good at that."

"What now?"

"The Kabe-handling. Very practiced."

"Yah, you want to keep talking—"

I was halfway through keep talking nonsense when I glanced down and found Kabe staring up at me, eyes round and wide and absolutely riveted.

"…She's my daughter. Yeah. Right, Kabe?"

"Yeah. I wuv Mom so much."

Aigoo. I gave her cheek a couple of light pats, sat back, and buckled myself in. A moment later the car pulled away, gliding off without a sound.

The more I thought about it, the more I was sure Keru had it backwards. It wasn't evil that was being crushed underfoot. If anything was being crushed, it was good.

The old idea that virtue went hand in hand with poverty, and wickedness with wealth, had taken such deep root in me that I couldn't shake it.

Eve said we'd arrived. I opened the door and stepped out — and what I saw was a palace. Even allowing for my limited vocabulary, the word still fit. It really was a palace.

The iron gate that served as the front entrance swung open the moment Eve stepped in front of it. And even after we passed through, we had to walk a long way before the actual front door came into view.

"Wooow…"

"Is this Dad's house?"

"Yeah. What's everyone making a fuss about? It's just this."

I was, honestly, stunned. This was tycoon territory. A garden landscaped with every kind of tree and ornamental plant, and rising out of it a Western-style house that looked at least three stories tall.

"Wow… just how much of the common people's lifeblood went into that place…"

"Could you not talk about me like I'm some corrupt official?"

Eve's face had crumpled into a scowl. I grinned at her. I had no idea what battles she'd fought in a past I hadn't been around for. But she would have been standing on humanity's side of those fights — a magical girl, through and through.

Maybe this kind of treatment was only what she was owed.

Us, though. We were the villains. From humanity's point of view, we were the bad guys. The ones who were supposed to go down.

If people like us lived in luxury, that would be strange in its own way.

"Welcome ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠home, miss."

"Yeah. I've got guests today. I'll take care of things myself, so tell everyone they can head home early."

"Yes, miss."

There were servants, too. Several of them.

"Wooow."

"First time in a house like this, Kabe?"

"Uuuh. Is this Dad's house?"

"That's right. This is Dad's house."

"Wooow. Dad. Dad."

"Yeah, Kabe? What is it?"

"Can't you give this house to Mom?"

THAT'S my Kabe!!!!!!!

I was applauding her on the inside. Whether Eve could tell or not, she just beamed and answered.

"Why doesn't Kabe just live in this house with Dad, then?"

"Nuh-uh. I wanna live with Mom."

The way her little face fell right after was, from where I was standing, pretty entertaining.

"Mom, Kabe needs to pee."

"Eve. Where's the bathroom?"

"I'll take you."

Just how big was this house, that you needed an escort to find the bathroom? I followed Eve as she strode ahead with Kabe in her arms.

It was a decent walk. How big was this place?

A hallway stretched on and on, rooms lined up on both sides. Forget remodeling the Association President's office — couldn't they just let us stay here? Was that too much of a thief's way of thinking?

We sent Kabe into the bathroom, and Eve and I waited for her outside the door.

Without Kabe as a shared topic, the conversation between the two of us simply died. In the awkward silence, Eve spoke up.

"Why does Kabe call me Dad?"

"The prettier one gets to be Mom. That's how it works."

"No, I'm asking you to actually think about it. They say kids' eyes are pure, right? What if she's seeing something?"

"Seeing, not seeing, whatever… I'm just prettier, and — not to put too fine a point on it — your chest and your back are about the same size, so maybe you just look like a long-haired dad to her, ow ow ow ow OW!"

Eve stomped on my foot. She was wearing heels, and she drove one of them straight down onto my instep. It hurt enough to bring tears to my eyes.

This body had decent recovery, though. The pain faded soon enough.

"You wanna keep talking about my chest? What's so great about being unnecessarily huge like you, anyway?"

"They're nice to look at? Nice to touch, too. What, wanna feel?"

"Get the hell away from me, you lunatic."

Kabe's voice cut through the bickering.

"Mooom— wipe meee—!"

She was still a little young to handle the aftermath by herself. I went in without a word and took ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠care of it.

"Okay. Let's wash our hands."

"Mmkay."

The sink was a bit high for Kabe to reach on her own, so I lifted her up. I was about to set her down again after she'd washed her hands when she clung to me, asking to be carried, so I walked out of the bathroom with her still in my arms.

"Hey, Eve."

"Yeah?"

"While we're on the subject. Just ask her yourself."

"Ask her what?"

"Why you're Dad."

"Hm… should I?"

Eve leaned in until her face was right in front of Kabe's. She was smiling all the way to her eyes.

"Kabe, the truth is, Dad is a girl too. So it's a little weird when you call me Dad. Can't you just call me Unni instead?"

"Nuh-uh. You're Dad."

"Why?"

"Because Dad is Dad?"

"Ehh… I mean, Dads are boys, right? Unni isn't a boy."

"Unni is a girl. Dad is a boy."

"Wait, what?"

Eve and I made the same dumb sound at the same time. Eve was a man? Was there something badly wrong with Kabe's eyes? Before either of us could get further than huh?, Kabe thrust out her hand.

"Lookit this."

A black orb took shape in Kabe's palm.

A voice I couldn't understand left Kabe's mouth, and the black orb that had bloomed in her palm shot straight at Eve.

A rushing hiss filled the air—!

Eve didn't even have time to dodge. The black orb swallowed her whole, then slowly, slowly peeled away.

A T-shirt with the neckline stretched out and sagging. Sweatpants with the elastic blown, roughly cinched with a string, the knees poking through. A mop of unkempt hair yanked back and tied off. A beanpole's height.

Standing in front of me and Kabe was a man who didn't share a single feature with Eve. If anything, he looked like he belonged on a completely different continent.

And more shocking still — I knew that face.

"You— you…"

"Mom, look. That's Dad, right?"

Me, stunned speechless.

Eve, thrown into chaos by the sudden unveiling of his true form.

And Kabe, beaming with perfect innocence, crowing that this was Dad — this was definitely Dad.

Chaos had just been born in that hallway.