Family Play
During family play, a blush rose on Sofia's cheeks. It was the look of a beautiful girl who didn't know what to do. I never expected Sofia, who always pursued elegance, to have a side like that. Feeling pleased, I unconsciously muttered the word "mom" again.
"Mom... but why mom?"
"Ahem." Sofia blushed and stepped backward. I got the feeling she was running away from me. Had I done something wrong? Unable to approach easily, I simply stared at her.
Cough, cough. After clearing her throat several times, Sofia turned her gaze toward Levinas.
"Let's stop here, shall we?"
"Ing?! We're stopping already?!"
Sofia stroked Levinas's head as the child voiced her disappointment. The way she soothed her looked exactly like a heavenly mother.
"Taking away someone's free will is something that must never be done. Let's stop before we feel even more sorry toward Winter."
"Ung...!"
Levinas came over to me holding the coin. She shook it while saying "Come back." It was time to tell the truth. A prank only ends properly when the truth is revealed at the end. If I kept deceiving them, it would just be mean.
"Levinas, I actually wasn't hypnotized."
"Huk! Really?!"
"Yeah. I was just pretending as a joke."
"This can't be! Levinas got tricked again!"
Levinas giggled as if it had been a rather fun prank. Saebyeok, who was nearby, showed no particular reaction. It seemed she had already noticed I was joking.
At this point, it should have been a fun game for the kids. While I was feeling quietly satisfied, Sofia's reaction was strangely off.
"I-it was... a prank...?"
"Yes..."
Had I made some kind of mistake? As I fidgeted with my fingers, Sofia covered her face with both hands.
"Ha... I was foolish. I was tricked by you, Winter."
"S-sorry..."
"Sorry for what? It's the fault of an adult who shamelessly joined the children's play."
Sofia trudged over to the sofa. I quickly sat down beside her. I had to watch her mood, so I didn't dare speak carelessly.
"You rascal, worrying for nothing."
Sofia's hand rose above my head. I felt the same gentle kindness as the Virgin Mary. Asking to be called mom had felt the same way. Did Sofia perhaps have children of her own?
With that question in mind, I poked her shoulder.
"Sofia."
"Hm?"
"Do you happen to have any children?"
"...Yes. I have three daughters under my care."
I had wondered if maybe... but three daughters? I looked Sofia up and down with wide eyes. Her body was small, but beastkin physiques were sturdy. This world had potions, the ultimate healing medicine. If she tried, she might have been able to have children somehow.
"Where are your daughters?"
"Right beside me."
"Huh?"
Where were they? I glanced around. Only Levinas and Saebyeok, playing with dolls, came into view.
"Two cats and one rabbit. That makes three."
"Ah..."
She meant us. My mouth, which had been hanging open, slowly curved into a smile.
"I actually feel like Sofia is like a mom too."
"I-is that so...?"
"Yes. You're the most reliable adult around me."
"Ahem..."
Sofia scratched her cheek, a smile on her lips. I could tell she was pleased. I felt the same way. Family affection always felt warm, no matter when.
Fun Drawing Time!
Levinas, sitting at the table, picked up a crayon. Today's theme was family. With Sofia as mom, I drew Saebyeok as the eldest sister. Levinas was the second sister. Naturally, Winter was the youngest. She was the smallest and shortest, after all. Reliable Winter, but still young. In the picture, Levinas depicted Winter as a child who needed her sisters' help.
"Kick, kick."
Yeoreum feels like a mom too, but should I make two moms?!
Levinas assigned roles to the family however she pleased. In truth, she didn't care who played what role. Everyone was a mom, a friend, and a sister all at once. Han Yeoreum could be placed in the sister spot or the mom spot; it didn't matter. Of course, Winter was the exception. Winter was always Levinas's little sister. She was dependable, strong, and cool, but Levinas didn't want to give her any role other than that.
"Ung..."
As Levinas assigned roles one by one, she hesitated for a long time in front of the empty spot. There was no place for "dad," who was just as important as mom. Would it be okay to make Master the dad? While worrying, Levinas stopped drawing and took the elevator up to Master's office.
"Master! Uncle Master!"
Levinas ran down the top-floor hallway. She even high-fived the guards she knew as she passed. The guard, lips curling at Levinas's unique innocence, opened the office door for her.
"Master!"
"Yeah."
What is it? Master asked with his eyes.
"Master, be dad!"
"Dad?"
"Yeah! Dad!"
Levinas held out the paper. Master showed interest in the picture drawn with some care.
'Sofia is mom, huh.'
Sofia was old enough to call Kang Jin-ho a child. She was an elder, yet her appearance was that of a young girl. In many ways, the gap was huge. Even if it was just a child's game, becoming a couple was dangerous. Dad was a bit much, but she could be a guardian or godfather. She had already decided on that long ago.
"Because of my age, dad is difficult, but I can be a big uncle."
"Big uncle...! Got it!"
Big uncle. It sounded like an even greater dad than dad. She was happy, but he wasn't the real dad. She needed to find a new one. Levinas waved at Master and took the elevator down to the underground training ground. At this hour, Choi Jinhyuk was there.
"Giant!"
Levinas ran toward Choi Jinhyuk. She was amazed to see him lifting a dumbbell as big as his torso. Levinas tried lifting a nearby dumbbell. It didn't budge.
"It's dangerous, so don't touch the equipment."
"Yeah!"
It was dangerous. Levinas, who listened well, moved away from the equipment and asked,
"Giant! Do you want to be Levinas's dad?"
"Dad?"
"Yeah!"
Levinas held out the paper again. Choi Jinhyuk quickly realized she was playing family.
"I'm not old enough to be a dad yet. How about uncle?"
"Uncle...! Good...!"
Giant as uncle. Master as big uncle. The family was growing. But there was still no important dad! Now there were no more adult men I knew. Where could I find a dad?! Levinas headed to the park to find one.
"Ha... When am I ever going to meet a woman and get married..."
Two men sitting on a park bench were talking. Though they were a little far away, Levinas's ears caught everything.
'Marriage!'
If a man married a woman, he became a dad. Levinas, who needed a dad, ran toward them.
"What about your ex-girlfriend?"
"She said let's break up because I don't have much money saved."
"Ooh..."
A sad conversation passed between them. Breaking up because there was no money. Sofia took good care of us even without money! Levinas decided to offer the dad role to the pitiful man. After all, it was just play, not the real dad. It didn't matter who played the dad in the game.
"Do you want to be dad?!"
"H-huh?"
"Levinas will make you dad!"
The two men flinched at Levinas's sudden appearance. The first to react was the man who had been discussing marriage.
"Will you introduce me to a woman too?"
At his playful question, Levinas nodded quite seriously. Levinas always took play seriously.
"Yeah! She's really pretty!"
"Really pretty...?"
Basically, all beastkin were pretty. For one of them to say "really pretty" was something else. It was a child's suggestion, but he couldn't help feeling a little tempted.
"Is she an adult? A grown-up?"
"Yeah! She's an adult! Taller than Levinas, too!"
It was true. Sofia was a few centimeters taller than Levinas. Even so, she didn't exceed 140 cm.
"Oh..."
A really pretty adult, according to a beastkin. Could it be Encia?! Was spring finally coming for him too?! Moved, he stood up from the bench. Even though it was a child's introduction, one never knew about meetings between men and women.
"Introduce her! Introduce her to me!"
"Yeah!"
Levinas led him toward the guild building. As he entered the building, rumored to have many beauties, his heart began to pound. He felt like Levinas was Cupid.
"This is..."
Levinas, who had entered the guild trading post, looked around for Sofia. For some reason, Sofia and Winter were sitting together on a chair.
"Shark!"
Levinas grabbed his sleeve and ran. With a bright face, she announced to everyone,
"Levinas brought dad!"
"Father?"
"Yeah! Shark is mom! You two be dad and mom!"
The people in the trading post knew Levinas was playing family. So no one gave strange looks. There were only glances like "She's playing with the kids." However, the parties involved felt differently. A beastkin child who looked at most like an upper elementary school student as mom? And dad was supposed to be him? This trashy... His face turned pale.