— — — — — —
After speaking, Matsuyoi took Kira by the hand and led him back into the main house.
She made sure her dear Kira was settled, then brought out the food.
Once that was done, she somehow managed to dig up an old baby crib from who-knows-where, set it beside Kira, and even added two toys inside before heading off again. She then went back into the kitchen to prepare baby food for little Kaguya.
Kira ate quietly, glancing now and then at the crib beside him. The toys and the cradle… they looked oddly familiar.
Were those the ones he used as a kid?
"Father," Kaguya piped up from inside the crib, playing with the toys like an ordinary baby. "Your aunt is so kind. She didn't even ask a single question when you brought me home."
Kira smiled faintly. "That's just how Auntie is."
He leaned back with a sigh. "Honestly, I still don't understand it myself. Our bond doesn't need explaining, but… I've never understood why she, a great yokai, chose to take care of me in the first place."
It was one of the biggest mysteries in his life. But since Matsuyoi never wanted to talk about it, he'd stopped asking long ago.
And no, it definitely had nothing to do with his background parents—Matsuyoi didn't even know who they were.
"Father, don't you want to find out?" Kaguya asked suddenly, her tone laced with temptation.
Kira put down his bowl and arched a brow. "Just how long were you watching us? What, you people from the Lunar Capital also like to sit around and watch humans like monkeys in a zoo?"
"Huh? Zoo?"
Apparently, Kaguya had no clue what he meant.
He waved it off. "Forget it. If Auntie ever wants to tell me, she'll tell me. Hearing it from someone else wouldn't feel right."
"Father, are you saying I'm an outsider?" Kaguya puffed her tiny cheeks in mock indignation.
"Tsk…" Kira clicked his tongue. "I just turned eighteen, and somehow I already have a daughter—a moon princess, no less. So where's the mother, huh?"
That one hit Kaguya like a spark to a powder keg. She immediately sat up, tossing her toys aside and waving her tiny arms in excitement. "Father, you have to work hard! I'm so looking forward to the day you find yourself a wife! When you do, you must tell me—I'll even give you a push!"
"…"
Kira went silent, expression flat.
A wife, huh? Hehe~ And who else could that "wife" be but her dear "father" back in the Lunar Capital—that elusive god who'd avoided mythic extinction by… creative methods. One of the Three Noble Gods of Takamagahara himself, Tsukuyomi.
And from what he remembered, Tsukuyomi was the image of adult Kaguya.
"...Kaguya, you're truly a filial daughter," Kira muttered under his breath.
Kaguya lifted her chin proudly. "Of course I am! I think so too, Father. I'm very filial. I can't wait for the day you find yourself a wife—when that happens…"
She trailed off, her smile growing mischievous. Yes, she was absolutely going to enjoy watching that day.
"Kira, Kaguya."
Matsuyoi's gentle voice drifted from the kitchen, cutting off their ridiculous conversation.
She came over quickly, scooping Kaguya up with practiced ease and holding a bottle in her hand. "Come now, little one. Let's get you fed."
Where the milk came from, Kira had no idea. All he knew was that his house always had some—and it tasted surprisingly good.
(No, not what you're thinking. You just watch way too much hentai.)
Somewhere out there, a certain sheep yokai sighed in silence. What could she do? When a powerful great yokai hits you over the head with an umbrella, you learn to comply.
Refuse, and next time it won't be an umbrella—it'll be a sword.
And so, the sheep yokai had become their permanent supplier.
...
"Kaguya, slow down," Matsuyoi said softly, watching her devour the milk with motherly warmth. Her smile was serene, tender—overflowing with that natural maternal aura all ubume possessed.
Even knowing this "baby" wasn't normal, she couldn't help but adore her.
After all, this was her Kira's daughter. And if Kira accepted her, then to Matsuyoi, that made Kaguya family.
"Hiccup~"
Kaguya finished the bottle in record time and let out a very un-princess-like burp.
Matsuyoi chuckled, gently patting her back.
Kira raised a brow. "You were living that rough up there?"
He didn't deny that the milk tasted great, but the way she wolfed it down—it was embarrassing. She was a princess of the Moon, for crying out loud.
"Father," Kaguya grumbled, wiping her mouth with the back of her tiny hand. "You have no idea what kind of miserable life it was up there. We never had anything like this. It was unbearable."
Kira looked at her for a moment and realized she wasn't lying.
The Lunar Capital, obsessed with purity and rejection of all things "impure"—yeah, they probably subsisted on dew and moonlight.
"Kira."
Matsuyoi sat down gracefully on the long couch, her legs folding neatly together as she gently rocked Kaguya in her arms.
The "couch" was a hybrid design, her attempt to imitate the kind of furniture Kira had described.
He'd never liked tatami—too stiff, too flat, too uncomfortable. So she'd made something new for him, soft and cushioned.
"Yes, Auntie?" Kira set down his chopsticks and looked over.
Matsuyoi smiled, her voice calm and warm. "Kira, now that you've turned eighteen… have you thought about what comes next?"
.
.
.