Faced with Homura's questioning gaze—one that held doubt yet voiced none of it—Su Mo, sitting on the opposite sofa, replied casually, "Any name is fine. You probably can't bring yourself to call me 'Father' right now, can you?"
"..."
Homura fell silent for a moment.
His tone was completely casual, yet it struck a chord deep within her. It was, after all, their first meeting. Even with the gratitude she felt, it was a bit much to ask her to immediately see him as family, especially since she had just been betrayed by her own.
With her current timid and self-deprecating mindset, she wouldn't disobey if Su Mo insisted, but if he didn't...
"Then... like Madoka used to, can I call you Big Brother Su Mo?" Homura asked, a hint of apprehension in her voice.
"Lord" was too distant, "Father" too intimate. "Big Brother" was a happy medium. She just didn't know if he would be offended.
Under Homura's overly sensitive gaze, a product of her past experiences, Su Mo gave a casual nod. "Sure, that works."
Homura instantly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she noticed Su Mo looking her up and down.
"The bath is ready with hot water, and there are fresh clothes. If you don't want to keep wearing the hospital gown, you can go wash up." With that, Su Mo glanced at Madoka. "Your toiletries are all prepared. If you don't know how to use something, you can have Madoka help you."
Hearing this, Madoka immediately piped up enthusiastically, "Mhm! If Homura-chan doesn't mind, I can wash your hair for you! It must be so hard to take care of such long hair. Leave it to me!"
"Th-That's not okay!"
Faced with Madoka's enthusiasm, Homura flinched, a look of shame on her face. At the hospital, she had always washed her hair with just water, rarely using shampoo or other products.
Even parents don't always pay attention to their child's use of daily consumables, and she could never bring herself to ask others for something as trivial as shampoo.
After all, the medical staff had already gone above and beyond by covering her medical expenses; no one was obligated to pay for her daily necessities.
Because of this, although her hair quality was good, she always felt it was messy. Despite being quite pretty and cute, she hid her face behind plain braids and thick glasses to mask her low self-esteem.
So, when faced with Madoka's invitation, she was at a complete loss. A clean, cute girl like Madoka wanted to help a dirty person like her bathe? How could that be okay?
"I-I'll just do it myself!" she said, frantically waving her hands and taking a step back in refusal.
"Eh? You really don't want me to?" Madoka looked disappointed but didn't press the issue. She just thought the other girl was shy, not connecting it to low self-esteem.
"..."
Seeing Madoka back down, Homura sighed in relief, yet felt a faint pang of regret. Deep down, she did want to build a good relationship with someone her own age; she just didn't feel she was worthy.
"Sorry, I..."
However, just as she was about to refuse again, Su Mo spoke up. "Madoka, you should go help. It's getting late, and it will definitely take her a while to figure things out on her own."
"Oh."
An order from her guardian. Homura instantly gave up resisting.
"Great! Don't worry, Big Brother Su Mo!" Madoka said, cheerfully pulling Homura into the bathroom.
Amidst her careful instructions, steam filled the room.
A dozen or so minutes later, a squeaky-clean Homura emerged, dressed in a silk nightgown styled like a gothic lolita dress.
The ornate black dress made her already milk-white skin look as soft and pale as a cloud. Her damp black hair was plastered to her forehead, leaving faint traces of water.
Before her bath, she was a plain-looking girl, her hidden beauty only visible upon close inspection. But now, fresh from the bath, she would turn heads anywhere.
Even Madoka looked on with envy. Her own skin was fair and rosy, which was cute, but it lacked the striking pure white of Homura's.
"B-Big Brother Su Mo, is it really okay for you to give me clothes like this?"
While Madoka was marveling at the girl's cuteness, Homura was anxiously clutching the well-fitting fabric.
She had never even dreamed of such a gorgeous and complex design before. Yet now, a garment of this quality was her nightgown, not even a formal outfit.
She had known Su Mo's wealth and background were extraordinary, but this was too much. Did a person like her really deserve such a gift?
"Hmm? It doesn't fit?" Su Mo looked over, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"No! It fits perfectly! Actually, why does it fit so perfectly... N-No, what I mean is, I'm not worthy of such an expensive gift." Homura was initially puzzled as to how Su Mo had prepared clothes that fit her body so perfectly, but that wasn't the point. Her focus quickly returned to the value of the clothes.
Su Mo had already shown her more than enough kindness. Receiving such lavish treatment on top of it all made her feel out of place.
"You're already wearing it, so you can't exactly take it off even if you don't want to... wait, don't actually take it off. What I mean is, this is just part of the basic set of things provided. Don't worry about it."
Seeing Homura's subconscious movement, even Su Mo was a little surprised.
He put a hand to his forehead, stopping the girl's extreme action, and said, "Legally speaking, you are now my daughter and the legal heir to my property in this world. So don't worry about these things. This is your home. These things were prepared for you."
"...Home?" Hearing this, Homura, who had lifted her skirt halfway, froze on the spot, her expression dazed. She never thought she would hear that word again.
"Don't worry, Homura-chan! Big Brother Su Mo never goes back on his word. He wasn't just being polite. This is your home from now on!" Madoka, sensing the girl's insecurity, immediately soothed her while sneaking a giggle at Su Mo. "Speaking of which, there aren't many things that can surprise Big Brother Su Mo! Your action just now was one of them, Homura-chan!"
Even Madoka couldn't have imagined Homura would be that resolute. After all, besides the nightgown, she was wearing nothing underneath.
"S-Sorry! I didn't mean to."
"It's fine." Su Mo shook his head, unconcerned, then carefully studied the girl's face.
"What is it?" Homura subconsciously tensed up again.
"Why don't you keep your hair like this?" Su Mo suggested. "You look cuter this way." He had to admit, Homura looked better with long, straight black hair.
"Eh?" Homura was taken aback, not quite processing his words. "Cute? Me?" She pointed a finger at herself, her tone full of disbelief. Could such a word really be used to describe her?
Just then, Madoka chimed in, "You think so too, Lord Su Mo? I also think this hairstyle suits her better! It gives her the look of a true beauty."
"No, no, I'm not!" Homura frantically waved her hands.
"You are!" Madoka immediately pulled out a compact mirror, a middle schooler's essential, to show Homura her reflection. She then found a hairdryer and began to dry Homura's hair.
Feeling the warm air from the hairdryer on her back, feeling her hair become gradually dry and soft, Homura felt as if she were in a dream. If this wasn't a dream, what was this feeling of floating on clouds, this happiness like entering heaven?
Looking at Su Mo, feeling Madoka's gentle touch, Homura used all her strength to keep from bursting into tears in embarrassment.
Just then, footsteps sounded. Su Mo was walking over. Homura looked up in confusion and saw the black-haired, black-eyed young man holding something as he reached for her head. She stiffened, not knowing what he was doing to her.
A few seconds later, she saw him step back and nod in satisfaction. "This classic look is the complete form."
Homura blinked and looked in the mirror, noticing a black ribbon in her hair.
It was an exceptionally simple ribbon, unlike the gorgeous dress she was wearing. It was the simplest of ornaments, with just a small black bow tied on the side, not at all conspicuous.
And yet, this simple ribbon completely defined the layers of her hairstyle. Homura didn't know much about aesthetics or art, but she could tell at a glance that the ribbon suited her perfectly.
"So pretty!" Madoka said with a hint of envy. She hadn't received a gift from Lord Su Mo yet!
"Big Brother Su Mo..." she subconsciously looked up at him.
"Consider it a small welcoming gift for my legal daughter," Su Mo said. "It has a divine blessing in it, so don't lose it."
"..."
A mist once again gathered in Homura's eyes.
She didn't know why Su Mo didn't consider the clothes, the guardianship, or paying off her debts as gifts, yet was so solemn about a simple hair ribbon.
She didn't understand what a "divine blessing" was, thinking it was just something bought from a temple.
But from Su Mo's tone and actions, she knew one thing.
He was genuinely treating her as his daughter. She should have realized this earlier, but her past experiences had made her focus more on her own weakness than on his kindness.
Only now did she truly recognize the weight of the warmth she was feeling.
The warmth of Su Mo's hand on her head, the warmth of Madoka's touch as she brushed her hair... this happiness should have been a blessing she could never obtain, even in death.
And so—
"W-Waaaahhhhh!"
The dam of tears broke. Homura could no longer hold it in and threw herself at Su Mo, burying her face in his chest. At first, she tried to muffle her sobs, but soon lost control and began to wail.
The hardship of long-term dependency, the pain of her father's betrayal, the guilt towards the medical staff, the humiliation of being stared at by a crowd... all these emotions came pouring out now that she had confirmed she was in a safe place.
Even Madoka was surprised that such a slender, small body could produce such heart-wrenching cries. She stopped the hairdryer and began patting Homura's back to soothe her.
Feeling Madoka's gentleness, Homura cried even harder. She seemed to want to say thank you, but in the end, no words came out. After crying for half an hour, she cried herself to exhaustion.
In the end, as her consciousness faded, all she remembered was being lifted into a warm embrace by Su Mo. Feeling safe, she could no longer resist the bone-deep weariness and fell into a deep sleep.
And in the last moment before she drifted off, the small girl made a vow.
She would protect this home. She would protect this warmth. She would repay Big Brother Su Mo, even if it cost her her life. As long as Su Mo didn't kick her out, she would never leave this home.
At that moment, she believed this feeling would never change.
But she never expected that in just a few hours, in the early hours of the next day, the world's timeline would undergo a slight shift.
And her unwavering resolve would begin to waver ever so slightly.