"Mmm... huff..."
The already dim light, filtered through the curtains, left only a deep gray afterglow. Michael opened his eyes, a little dazed, to find the space beside him empty.
"Mo—"
The first syllable barely escaped his lips before he swallowed it back down. He reached out and felt the bedsheet next to him. The faint human-shaped indentation and the lingering warmth his palm felt were proof that last night had been real.
Michael clutched his head in frustration. "Damn it, why..."
What exactly was he angry about? He couldn't quite say. He just touched his chest, feeling the heartbeat that had been absent for so long, yet was now beating as powerfully as ever.
Alright, he wasn't angry at Mobius, but at himself. He just didn't understand why, after he had already resolved not to be human, he had gone and restored his lost heart.
But it didn't matter. It was just a heart he could discard at any time. His five fingers dug into his left chest, and a warm, red liquid trickled down his nails. He reveled in the pleasure of the pain, but ultimately abandoned the idea of tearing out his heart.
"Forget it. What if... what if Mobius comes again tonight... hmm..."
He easily convinced himself, got out of bed, threw on some clothes, and pushed open the door. Though the morning light of winter was nowhere near as harsh as in summer, the sudden brightness still made Michael's pupils instinctively contract, and a sour feeling spread through his eyes.
"Yawn—"
Michael covered his mouth with one hand and rubbed his eyes with the other, then stretched. He felt the bones in his body loosen.
Then he froze.
Not believing it, he widened his eyes and stared at an inconspicuous grain in the floorboards. As expected, after two or three seconds, the sour feeling returned to his eyes. He closed them and rubbed them with his fingers again.
Joy, sorrow, surprise, confusion... a multitude of emotions flashed through his mind, finally settling on a single thought: "An illusion. This must be an illusion."
"Hey? Uncle Michael, you're awake!"
From the next room, Kiana, hearing the noise, pushed her door open with a bang and poked her head out, a toothbrush dangling from her mouth.
"Mmm."
Michael gave a noncommittal nod, clearly not in the mood to chat. But Kiana, while brushing her teeth, kept talking. "Mei's been up for a while. I asked her why she was up so early, and she said she was making breakfast and our bento boxes for school today."
"Oh? Is that so..."
"Don't worry, Uncle Michael, Mei definitely won't forget your share!"
"I don't—"
Bang!
Michael gave a bitter laugh. He didn't need to eat; it would just be a waste. But Kiana didn't give him a chance to speak. The toothpaste foam was probably about to fall, so she hurriedly shut the door and ran back to the bathroom.
"Washing up... what a nostalgic feeling."
Standing there for a moment, Michael didn't immediately go to the clattering kitchen to add to the chaos. Instead, he returned to his room and properly washed up.
By the time he came out again, Kiana was already sitting at the dining table with an apron on, absentmindedly flipping through a manga, occasionally glancing up at the kitchen.
The corner of Michael's mouth twitched. He shook his head and slowly descended the stairs.
For some reason, he had a nagging feeling he had forgotten something important.
But the stairs were only so long. With each creak, he quickly reached the bottom. He hadn't even started to think about what he had forgotten before the answer presented itself—Crap! I forgot about her!
The bottom of the stairs faced the kitchen. Perhaps because it was cold, the kitchen door was closed, but a careless gap had been left. So, while he couldn't see the details inside, the sounds of conversation from the kitchen slipped through the crack and into Michael's ears.
"Big Sis Mobius, did you arrive last night?"
"No, I got here in the early morning. After all, that guy Michael has to protect you two, guard this mansion, and find time to investigate your father's case. He's spread a little thin."
"Oh, oh... Then, Big Sis Mobius, what's your relationship with Michael?"
"Me and him... hehe..."
"Ahem, ahem, ahem!"
Michael shoved the kitchen door open, the corners of his eyes and mouth twitching in unison.
"Mobius, what are you..."
"What am I doing?"
Mobius wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and pouted, turning to glare at him.
Michael's expression gradually stiffened, then turned to disbelief. He spun around, rubbed his eyes forcefully, then turned back, hoping that what he had just seen was all a dream...
Unfortunately, reality was reality.
Michael stood dumbly at the door. Mobius shot him a warning glare before ignoring him completely.
She reached out a hand to test the temperature of the pan, turned the heat to its lowest setting, and somewhat clumsily poured a tad too much oil into it. Then, with a crack, she broke an egg into the pan.
Sssss... sizzle sizzle sizzle...
The oil exploded from the pan, splattering all over the kitchen. Mei, hearing the noise, turned her head, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. Mobius silently took two steps back, a vein already bulging on her forehead.
"Ahem, um... Mobius, let me do it."
The moment Michael's left foot crossed the threshold into the kitchen, Mobius glared at him.
"Out!"
"Uh..."
Mei, on the side, gave a bitter laugh. While Mobius wasn't looking, she picked up a plate, walked to the door, gently pushed Michael out, and then closed the kitchen door behind her.
"What's gotten into her now?" Michael asked, clutching his forehead.
"Why do you say 'now'... uh, no, I mean, this is all the result of Big Sis Mobius's 'hard work'."
Michael looked down. The plate was piled high with things that were barely recognizable as eggs. Some were still gooey and not fully solidified, some had been scrambled into egg flowers, and at the very bottom was a large, pure-black, burnt-smelling carbonized mass...
"She didn't get in your way, did she?"
"No, no... I'm not very good at cooking either, actually, but I've already finished today's bento boxes. It's just that Big Sis Mobius insisted on making breakfast, and so far, she hasn't managed a single egg..." Mei quickly shook her head. She looked like she wanted to laugh, but probably held it back out of consideration for Mobius being Michael's friend.
"Go ahead and laugh. Her too, what's her beef with the eggs... wait, what did you call her just now?"
"Eh?"
Mei didn't quite follow Michael's train of thought, but she answered truthfully. "Big Sis Mobius. She looks young, but she said she's older than me, so she told me to call her 'big sis.' Is there a problem?"
"...Actually, by age, you should be calling her Grandma Mobius."
"Huh?"
"Remember that. From now on, call her Grandma Mobius."
Watching Mei's expression change from surprise to despair, as if something important inside her had crumbled, Michael chuckled and reached out to gently ruffle her hair.
"Mmm—"
Although her freshly combed bangs were now a mess, Mei didn't feel angry. She quietly savored the warmth on her head, a warmth that should have been given by her father. Suddenly, she felt that, compared to yesterday, although Michael's hand was still just as warm and dry, something had definitely changed. She just didn't know if the change was for the better or for the worse.
"Alright, go keep Kiana company. I'll go check on Mobius."
Michael glanced at the time. Everyone had woken up early, but after so much dawdling, they were running late.
Mei nodded obediently. As they passed each other, she suddenly tugged on Michael's sleeve.
"What is it?" Michael raised an eyebrow and turned to ask.
"You... seem very happy today."
"?"
Michael touched his cheek, puzzled. He didn't feel any different from usual. He wanted to ask Mei how she could tell he was happy, but she had already run to the dining table without looking back.
"...Happy?"
Michael pushed open the kitchen door again. Mobius glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then returned her attention to the eggs.
Thank goodness, Mobius had finally given up on her insistence on fried eggs and switched to scrambled. It was debatable which was easier, but at least this time she hadn't burned them.
Michael silently walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and rested his chin gently on her shoulder. But since Mobius was so short and seemed to have no intention of returning to her normal size, Michael had to take a step back and bend his upper body to perform this move.
"How come you..." Michael had intended to ask why Mobius hadn't left, but the words came out as, "How come you're cooking?"
As he said it, he started to laugh.
"What are you laughing at?"
"I was just thinking about that time, for MEI's birthday. We all agreed to each make a dish as a birthday present, and you made a bowl of green eel soup."
"Shut up! I know you have a good memory!" Mobius gritted her teeth, but unexpectedly, she broke into a giggle just a few seconds later.
"Hehe, if you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have remembered." She scooped up a piece of egg to taste, smacked her lips, and then added a heaping spoonful of salt to the pan. Michael, surprisingly, was staring at the flames licking the bottom of the pan, lost in thought, and didn't notice Mobius's action.
A little later, as Mobius began to plate the scrambled eggs, he said softly, "Mobius... you're gentler than before."
"Hmph!" Mobius snorted coldly and lifted her chin high. A moment later, her tone softened. "Just for today. Cherish it."
"Why? Don't tell me you see those two girls as..."
"Shut up!" Mobius turned her head away again, but then, feeling that wasn't right, she quickly explained, "It's your fault, isn't it? Becoming someone's guardian without a word? You're a father now, so don't I have to take on the other half of the responsibility?"
"You don't have to do this, Mobius." Michael's arms around her tightened gradually. "But, five thousand years ago, thank you for taking care of Eve, especially outside the Elysian Realm."
Clang—
The spatula fell at Michael's feet. Mobius forcefully broke free from his embrace, grabbed the bowl of scrambled eggs, and rushed out of the kitchen.
"...I'm such an idiot." Michael sighed softly, slapped his own mouth, bent down to pick up the spatula, and then put the pan, spatula, and used dishes into the sink to soak before leaving the kitchen.
A lone plate of scrambled eggs sat on the dining table. It looked fine in terms of color. Kiana was constantly swallowing, her fingers unconsciously reaching for the chopsticks in front of her. And just like someone cheating on an exam who can't help but glance at the proctor, Kiana couldn't help but look up at the girl who appeared much younger than her.
"Heehee." Mobius, sitting opposite her, squinted her eyes and smiled. The tip of her sharp tongue darted out from between her lips, sliding from one corner of her mouth to the other.
Kiana put down her chopsticks with a sheepish laugh.
Fortunately, Michael arrived just then. He pulled out a chair and sat down, glanced at the small plate of scrambled eggs, then secretly peeked at Mobius's expression, and coughed unnaturally.
"Um... isn't this a little small? Maybe we should buy some milk and bread on the way."
Slap!
Mobius slammed her hand on the table, making the other three jump.
"Eat first, talk later."
"Don't be so angry..." Michael said, feeling a little guilty, but he had already reached for his chopsticks. Kiana was faster, though. She had already stuffed the biggest piece of egg into her mouth, and then...
Then her face contorted. Her features scrunched up, her body leaned forward slightly, but when she met those emerald snake eyes, she quickly swallowed the barely chewed egg.
Her reaction scared Michael and Mei so much that they didn't dare to move. Mobius, however, beat Kiana to the punch, picked up a piece of egg, popped it into her mouth, and then, with a blank expression, picked up the barely touched plate of eggs, turned, and left, leaving only one sentence behind:
"Let's just buy breakfast on the way."
"Chief, the micro-robots followed them to Cocolia's base yesterday. The defenses don't seem very tight, and... there was an unexpected bonus." Komatsu handed a stack of photos and a hand-drawn map to Gregory.
This was a dim, lightless room. Even the single window had been specially treated to prevent too much sunlight from getting in. And if one were to look out that window, they could easily see the gate of Chiba Academy.
This used to be their branch office at Chiba Academy, specifically assigned to protect the young miss, though it hadn't seen much use in the past few years.
Gregory took out a flashlight from his pocket and used its light to look through the materials Komatsu had given him.
"Hmm, an orphanage? On the surface, the defenses do seem lax..."
"Chief, why don't we just..."
"Are you an idiot?" Gregory tapped his fingers on the stack of documents. "Do you think Cocolia is that stupid? Or do you think Cocolia doesn't have the resources to organize a defense? This is obviously a trap."
"Mmm..." Komatsu grunted and said no more.
Gregory quickly flipped through the photos of the orphanage taken by the micro-robots, until a photo with human figures in it appeared.
"This is your so-called bonus?"
"Yes. These five girls, judging by their uniforms, are students at Chiba Academy. They might be the ones being used to monitor the young miss."
"Is that so?" Gregory lit a cigarette, the faint ember glowing and fading in the darkness.
In truth, if he had bothered to glance out the window, he would have seen the girls from the photo walking right up to the school gate, passing by his own young miss.