Leave a comment

The first day at the daycare was, to put it bluntly, awful.

When I say “awful,” it’s relative to my current circumstances. Compared to my life as Glass, it was practically heaven. Nevertheless, spending a day among kids who had no concept of personal space while guarding the much smaller Alfe was quite challenging.

Alfe’s Pure Eye attracted the attention of the older girls, likening it to a doll’s, but she would cry and refuse anyone but me, making it tough. Eventually, a daycare staff member who seemed to be Judy’s cousin put Alfe and me inside a barricaded area, and that brought us some peace. But up until that point, it had been so hard that I ended up taking an unusual daytime nap unintentionally.

“Alfe, even at the daycare, you were sticking to Leafa, huh?”
“I’m glad we put them together. Let’s come tomorrow too, okay, Alfe?”

When I woke up, Alfe was securely hugging me, and the mothers who came to pick us up couldn’t stop talking about it.

Alfe, who was left alone with me, seemed more excited to play and displayed more affection towards me than usual. She must have been bewildered by the change in her environment.

“But there were so many big kids. It was surprising.”
“Yes, there are plans to take care of smaller babies in the future, so having Alfe and Leafa here allowed the staff to identify areas for improvement.”

I see. I was wondering how this situation developed so smoothly, but it appeared that Alfe and I were like test subjects.

“For a while, they’ll keep just the two of them in a separate room and make some adjustments for their age group.”

At this rate I wouldn’t hold out, so I hoped they would do that.

“Isn’t it great, Leafa?”
“Aaa…”

I attempted to respond with a smile to my mother, but my voice came out strange.

“Leafa?”
“Leafa, what’s wrong?”

It seemed that something was off about my condition, as both mothers leaned in to check on me. Their faces seemed blurred, perhaps due to tears.

“Awry…”

It’s alright; I’m just a little tired. I wanted to say that, but my tongue got tangled, and the words didn’t come out smoothly. I felt cold, with the extremities of my body inexplicably chilled, as if I were coming down with a fever, or perhaps already had it. Strangely, I felt extremely drowsy, which frightened me.

◇◇◇

I fell into a deep sleep, as if descending into a profound darkness. What woke me up were the voices of my parents.

“It’s about time you rested, Natal. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard.”
“No, I’ve pushed Leafa too much. I need to take responsibility and care for her.”

It seemed that it had become nighttime without me realizing it. I was still running a fever, and despite being wrapped in a blanket, I couldn’t stop shivering.

Ah, I hate this feeling…

I could endure most discomforts, but the sensation of having a fever brought an instinctual sense of crisis and unease. This feeling of having a fever reminded me of the early symptoms of the Black Stone Disease, which reminded me of its ties to my life as Glass.

I didn’t want to even imagine my life as Leafa ending here…

“It’s also my responsibility for leaving the housework to you. Anyway, rest.”
“You’ve had important work outside, Rudra. Don’t say it like that.”

I heard my father’s voice for the first in a while. Perhaps he had rushed over upon hearing about my discomfort, but if that were the case, I would feel quite sorry.

“…I can’t beat you in an argument. Alright, let’s do this. I’ll rest first as you asked. But, when I wake up, we’ll switch places. Is that okay?”
“…Okay.”

My mother reluctantly agreed to my father’s proposal. I could tell she was genuinely worried about me.

“…My subordinates mentioned it, but babies getting fevers is a common occurrence. Leafa’s gone without a fever until now, for which we should be grateful, but you don’t need to blame yourself.”
“…But, I started to think that I would be able to focus on my alchemy work if I stepped back from childcare.”

Indeed, if I were placed in daycare, my mother would have more time for herself. There was nothing wrong with that, and it was a perfectly normal thing. I wanted to convey this, but I thought it would be awkward to suddenly start speaking.

“That’s for your sake and for our family’s sake. There’s nothing to worry about.”

It was a coincidence that my thoughts and my father’s aligned. Having my father around provided reassurance for my mother, and the tone of her affirmative response was tinged with relief.

“…In the first place, without your alchemy, I wouldn’t be here now. You’re also the one who saved my life, Natal.”
“We’re also protected by you every day, so it’s even.”

Bits and pieces of my parents’ history were scattered throughout their conversation. The encounter between a military father and an alchemist mother piqued my interest, and I adjusted my position, leaning in to listen more closely.

“I hope so. In the future…”

Perhaps he noticed the slight sound of me shifting in bed, my father abruptly cut off his words and walked over to my bed.

“Leafa, are you awake?”

It was the first time I had seen my father’s face in a while. His eyes looked as if they were about to well up with tears.

I can’t let them worry any further.

With that thought in mind, I forced a smile and reached out my hand to my father.

“…Welcome home.”
“Hahaha, Leafa! You can already say ‘welcome home’ to Daddy!? That’s amazing!”

However, it seemed to have the opposite effect.

“Really, Leafa… You’re such a kind child…”

Both my father and mother held my hand, not bothering to hide their tears. Maybe it would have been better to convey that I was okay. While wrestling with the fever, I questioned my judgment. As I did so, my mother placed her hand on my forehead.

“It’s still a little high. Let’s cool you down.”

Saying so, my mother wiped her tears with her apron, then efficiently prepared a fresh ice pack, placing it on my head and the back of my neck, and applied a cold cloth soaked in icy water to my forehead after wringing it out.

“Try to sleep as much as you can and get some rest.”

The cooling sensation on my head made me feel much better. The intense chills I had experienced before had subsided, and I had a sensation that the fever was circulating through my body. But that heat also seemed likely to subside soon, giving me hope.

“I hope the fever goes down quickly.”

She chanted as if it were a charm and replaced the cloth on my forehead with a cold one before it could warm up.

I closed my eyes, comforted by the cool cloth and ice pack, and drifted into a fragmented sleep. During my short awakenings, I was relieved by the presence of my parents and drifted back to sleep.

During my waking moments, the cloth on my head was replaced, and it remained consistently cool.

At times my mother cared for me, at other times, it was my father. They apparently took turns looking after me. When I woke up in the morning, I found both of them sleeping close to me.

The fever had completely subsided.

Being cared for so carefully was something even my foster father hadn’t done before, even before revealing his true nature.

Foster father…

I thought I had completely forgotten, but it seemed like my memories from my past life were preserved intact.

A dry piece of bread and some water were placed in front of the room as food, and I crawled to pick it up. There were no words spoken, and I was left alone in the room for days—That was the extent of nursing I had received as Glass.

My parents’ care was completely different.

These two are showering me with a lot of affection.

I found that to be profoundly grateful, and it strengthened my trust in them. But at the same time, I wondered how I could respond to this kindness. How could I repay this debt? These anxieties began to take root in my mind.

I hoped to grow quickly and discover a way to do just that.