Warm morning light passed through the curtains and woke Orihime Inoue from her sleep.
Her long eyelashes trembled. Before her eyes had fully opened, her fair arms instinctively tightened, hugging Muten Natsu's arm to her chest.
"Hm?" Orihime Inoue made a puzzled sound, her sleepy eyes opening.
She remembered falling asleep while holding Nell last night, but now what she felt against her chest was Muten Natsu's arm...
Muten Natsu was still asleep, breathing long and evenly. His right arm was held in Orihime Inoue's arms, while his left arm rested over Nell's small body.
Nell was lying on Muten Natsu's chest. Her round little face was pressed slightly out of shape against him, and her glistening drool had soaked a large patch of his pajamas.
It took Orihime Inoue a while to come back to herself. Her dazed eyes gradually cleared, and strands of sunlight-like gentleness climbed from the corners of her eyes to her brows.
Gently letting go of Muten Natsu's arm, Orihime Inoue sat up in bed. After taking a moment, she put on her fluffy slippers and left the bedroom.
She used a pink headband to hold back the loose hair on her forehead, washed her face, brushed her teeth, changed out of her pajamas into loose home clothes, opened the fridge to pick out suitable ingredients, then went into the kitchen. After tying on an apron, she skillfully began making breakfast.
An enticing aroma drifted out of the kitchen. Orihime Inoue placed the finished dishes on the dining table, then knocked on the bedroom door. "Breakfast is ready. Time to get up~"
The two big sleepyheads on the bed were still in the same positions as before. Hearing Orihime Inoue's voice, Nell suddenly opened her eyes. "Food!"
Muten Natsu sat up after her, catching Nell as she bounced on his stomach and nearly lost her balance. He let out a big yawn. "Aah~"
Nell copied Muten Natsu and opened her mouth wide. "Aah!"
"Let's go~" Muten Natsu got out of bed with Nell in his arms. "Wash up, then breakfast!"
After breakfast, Nell entered the Gigai specially made for Arrancar, put on a hat to cover the mask on her head, and went to the mall with Muten Natsu and Orihime Inoue.
The bustling mall was packed with people coming and going.
It was Nell's first time seeing so many humans. At first, she was a little nervous and clung to Muten Natsu and Orihime Inoue's hands, refusing to let go.
But she was quickly drawn in by all the shops, and with Orihime Inoue patiently explaining things to her, she roughly understood what kind of place this was.
"What an adorable child. Are you two looking for..." Seeing a man and a woman with a child, the clerk greeted them smoothly, but the moment she saw how young they looked, her brain briefly short-circuited.
Muten Natsu was still fine. Although he looked young, his presence and build gave him a mature air.
But Orihime Inoue's youthful face made the clerk feel she should still be a student, maybe in middle school or high school... no.
Her gaze slid down only slightly before the clerk corrected her judgment.
College student.
Definitely a college student.
With help from the now-composed clerk, Orihime Inoue picked out a cute outfit for Nell. It was fluffy and perfect for the gradually cooling weather, and the hood even had embroidered antelope horns.
There was also a children's playground and an arcade in the mall. Wherever Nell showed interest, Muten Natsu took her to try it out.
Muten Natsu watched Nell face off against a claw machine, while Orihime Inoue watched his profile.
She had noticed it before, back in Hueco Mundo.
Whenever he was with Nell, Muten Natsu always had a faint, satisfied smile on his face.
Muten... really likes children.
"Muten~" Nell failed again and looked to Muten Natsu for help. "It won't come out."
"Let's try one more time." Muten Natsu crouched behind Nell, held her little hand as they controlled the joystick, adjusted the angle, and pressed the grab button.
The metal claw swayed as it dropped. Under Nell's nervous gaze, it grabbed the black-and-white cat plush, tightened, and rose with the plush in its grip.
Nell clenched her little hands. She had grabbed the plush several times before too, but every time the claw rose to its highest point, the plush had fallen.
This time, though, something seemed different. The metal claw held the plush steadily and released it above the prize chute.
"We did it!" Nell excitedly took out the plush, lifting it high as she cheered. "Muten is amazing!"
"We caught it together." Muten Natsu rubbed Nell's little head. "So we're amazing!"
Looking at the huge smile on Nell's face, Orihime Inoue felt that... Muten Natsu would be a wonderful father.
"Nell has to go back..." Holding the things she had gained that day, Nell reluctantly said goodbye.
"You won't stay a couple more days?" Orihime Inoue had not expected her to leave so soon. "There are still so many places we haven't gone."
"We can take two more days off," Muten Natsu added. "You can play as long as you want."
"Nell knows the World of the Living is really fun, but..." Nell raised her head. "Nell's home and family are all in Hueco Mundo. I can't stay here forever. Nell will work with Harribel-sama and make Las Noches as fun as the World of the Living too. When that happens, Nell will take Muten and Orihime around to play happily like we did today!"
"...Mm." Muten Natsu crouched in front of Nell and held out his little finger. "It's a promise."
Their fingers hooked lightly, and the promise was made.
With a happy smile, Nell disappeared along with the Garganta.
Muten Natsu withdrew his gaze and let out a long, wistful breath, then turned to Orihime Inoue. "Let's go home."
"Mm." Orihime Inoue walked beside Muten Natsu, her fair little finger lightly hooking around his. "Muten, you really hate to see Nell go, don't you?"
"It's more that I'm worried. Even though she can unleash great power when necessary, she's still a child right now, and Hueco Mundo is so chaotic..." Muten Natsu shook his head. "Nell survived there for so long before, and now Harribel is maintaining order, so there probably won't be any major problems."
"It feels like you really like children..." Orihime Inoue gently swung the finger she had hooked around Muten Natsu's. "Do you want to... have a child?"
"Of course..." Muten Natsu answered instinctively. But when his gaze fell on Orihime Inoue, he saw her other hand resting over her lower abdomen. "I..." Muten Natsu hesitated for a moment. "I'm not sure."
"Not sure?" Orihime Inoue looked at him in confusion.
Muten Natsu instinctively avoided her gaze. "I don't know whether I can become a proper... father."
"I know." Orihime Inoue's eyes curved with her smile as she gave him a definite answer. "Muten will definitely be a wonderful dad!"
It was just...
Orihime Inoue was a little worried. Would she be an excellent mom?
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