— — — — — —
Kira didn't believe a single word that came out of Kaguya's mouth. Not even a letter, not even a comma.
He sighed, one hand holding the baby, the other rubbing at his brow. "Can people just—be honest for once? Please? Let's just talk like normal people, yeah?"
Kaguya blinked her large, doll-like eyes and replied in that oddly graceful voice, despite still being wrapped in an infant's form. "Alright, Father. But promise me this: when I tell you the truth, you won't abandon me."
"Ok, I promise," Kira said instantly, without thinking twice.
Only then did Kaguya's lips curve into a small, satisfied smile. "When Eirin was choosing the one who would serve as my father on Earth," she began softly, "she went through many candidates… until she discovered something unique about you, Father."
"'Unique'?" Kira's brow arched. "You mean she found out about my traits?"
That shouldn't have been possible—Then again, if it was Yagokoro Eirin, nothing was impossible.
That woman's brainpower alone was terrifying. Even if you dropped Gensokyo's yokai sage into the same room, Eirin would probably break her mind. And that's not even touching her power level.
"Father," Kaguya said, tilting her tiny head. "You're very, very special."
That caught his attention. "Oh? And what exactly makes me so special?"
"Eirin observed your body from the Lunar Capital," Kaguya said gently. "Your talent and potential are both extremely low—lower than that of an average human, even."
Kira's mouth twitched. "...Thanks for the compliment."
"But," Kaguya continued, unfazed, "in your daily training, every bit of effort you put in actually makes you stronger. According to Eirin's calculations, that shouldn't be possible. You were never supposed to awaken spirit power—let alone both spirit power and yokai energy."
She tilted her tiny face up at him, expression serious."For a human to possess both is… beyond absurd."
Kira narrowed his eyes slightly. Yep. So they had noticed.
No wonder. His "trait" was ridiculous enough to draw attention from them.
A normal person getting stronger just by trying harder? That was the kind of fantasy nonsense you see in cheesy webnovels.
People love to say, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent hard work." But every adult knows the truth—without that one percent of actual talent, the other ninety-nine percent is just sweating for nothing.
So yeah. He was an anomaly.
"Are you satisfied with that answer, Father?" Kaguya asked, eyes gleaming like tiny black gemstones, her tone both teasing and proud.
"Sure," Kira said with a helpless chuckle, standing up while still holding her. "You've already called me Father—what else can I say? Come on, let's go. You should meet my aunt."
"Of course, Father. I'll treat your aunt with the same devotion I would my own great-aunt from the Moon."
"...Please don't," Kira muttered under his breath, mouth twitching.
The Moon's "family values" weren't exactly known for stability. He just hoped she wouldn't bring that chaos into his house.
Still, he gathered up the golden treasure before leaving the grove. No point refusing a "gift."
Besides, it was too late to back out now. He was already neck-deep in Lunar Capital politics whether he liked it or not.
At least having someone like Eirin backing him meant he'd have a powerful umbrella overhead. In a world this dangerous, even his aunt's yokai strength was only good for appearances. When things got serious, it wouldn't be enough.
After packing everything, Kira carried Kaguya out of the bamboo forest.
The instant they stepped past the edge, the moonlight vanished. Daylight returned—same angle, same brightness—as if no time had passed at all.
"Huh?"
Kira frowned slightly, stretching his senses. No time flow disruption, no temporal gap.
Then he glanced down at the baby in his arms.
Right. Manipulation of eternity and the moment. Her ability warped time itself. Of course nothing had moved.
He just shook his head and started walking again.
In no time, he was back at the city lord's manor.
"Kira, you're back?"
A gentle voice called from the corridor. Matsuyoi stepped out, her long legs carrying her forward in graceful strides. A warm smile curved her lips—until her gaze landed on the little doll in Kira's arms.
She blinked. "Kira… and this is?"
Before Kira could even answer, she had already reached out and expertly taken the baby from his arms.
As a Ubume—a yokai mommy spirit who died during childbirth—Matsuyoi had a natural instinct for handling children. The way she held Kaguya was textbook-perfect, smooth and practiced, as if she'd done it a thousand times.
Kira scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh… Auntie, this child's name is Kaguya Houraisan. She's, uh… well… my daughter."
Even as he said it, the words felt unreal.
He hadn't even held a woman's hand properly—and now he somehow had a daughter?
Matsuyoi's expression flickered briefly before softening again into a calm smile. She didn't press the matter. If Kira had made a choice, she'd respect it. That was enough.
"Great-aunt," Kaguya said sweetly, her little voice as soft as moonlight.
Matsuyoi chuckled, utterly unfazed. "What a polite child."
Of course, she wasn't blind. This "baby" was no normal child—no mortal infant looked that perfect, like living doll.
In a world as broken as this one, weirdness was the norm.
"Kira," Matsuyoi said warmly, "lunch is ready. Go eat first. I'll take care of Kaguya-chan for now."
"She's still too young for regular food," she added, heading toward the nursery with effortless grace. "I'll prepare something more suitable for her."
Kira watched her go, rubbing the back of his head again and sighing deeply.
Family +1.
And just like that, his already complicated life had taken a hard left turn into absurdity.
.
.
.