Turns out she had a surprising knack for handling children.
Or... was it simply that this particular child was just too easy to handle? Maybe no one had ever bothered to coax her before — so the first time she experienced being fussed over, she savored every second of it.
"Just like a little kitten," Chiose murmured.
Ichinose Soyo — exactly like a stray cat that had spent years wandering before finally being scooped up and brought home.
Dinner was the grilled beef rice bowl Chiose had prepared. Unsurprisingly, Soyo turned out to like it just as much as Tomori had.
"All done eating — shall I help little Soyo with her bath?"
"No thank you, Chiose-nee. I can manage on my own."
[I am genuinely not a little kid anymore!]
Ichinose Soyo kept those words locked firmly behind her teeth, then fled into the bathroom clutching her towel, face burning red.
"So adorable," Chiose murmured, scrubbing the dishes — and right on cue, Miss Nagasaki's call came through.
"Hello? Chiose dear, is Soyo alright? You picked her up okay?"
"Mm-hmm, we just finished dinner. What time are you coming to get little Soyo tomorrow, Nagasaki-nee?"
"Ah... haha..."
A slightly strained laugh from the other end of the line. A few seconds of silence, and then a long exhale.
"Tomorrow... I'm going to finalize the divorce with Ichinose. So... I'll come pick up Soyo in the evening? But..."
"But what? It's just the two of us — you can say anything."
Chiose turned off the tap and dried her hands with a towel.
She drifted down the hallway and settled onto the sofa, facing the bathroom door behind which Soyo was bathing.
"But... could you maybe give Soyo a heads-up for me first... soften the blow a little? I know it really shouldn't be your job, Chiose, but I genuinely have no idea how to tell her myself."
Was Miss Nagasaki drinking?
Chiose caught the faint clink of a glass meeting a table, and something rustling in the background.
[Drowning your sorrows the night before a divorce? Mm... very adult of you.]
Miss Nagasaki was a first-time parent, just like anyone else. Chiose had no grounds to call it good or bad — and no right to, either.
After all, every choice had been weighed.
Miss Nagasaki had simply chosen the method that was gentlest on herself.
"Don't worry, Nagasaki-nee."
Chiose's eyes stayed perfectly calm as she wound a lock of hair around her finger.
That feeling — strands looping around and sliding back, over and over — helped her think.
"I'll take good care of little Soyo. You just... focus on getting yourself in the right headspace. You were planning to go independent soon, weren't you?"
"Yeah... haha... um, will Chiose come with me when I do?"
Whether it was her imagination or not, Chiose could clearly hear the nerves threaded through Nagasaki-nee's voice.
"If you need me, I'll follow you anywhere — don't worry. Now go enjoy your evening."
"Ahaha... you're a lifesaver."
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The call didn't end quickly.
Miss Nagasaki held the line in silence for a few seconds before finally hanging up. Chiose lowered her gaze to the women's suit she was wearing.
This life, she was a genuine working professional — and not a simple job at that.
Still, under Miss Nagasaki's guidance she'd slowly found her footing in the workplace. Honestly, it was absurd — she was a beautiful young woman who had lived for many long years without ever once attending high school.
Office politics were endlessly complicated. So much messier than tormenting little girls in the simulator.
But being a bad woman who still took her responsibilities seriously did wonders for her work performance.
It smoothed over so many headaches, and kept her in a good mood to boot. Wasn't that a win?
"Chiose-nee! My towel got soaked in the bath — could you bring me another one?"
"Sure thing — but you finished that fast, Soyo-Soyo?"
Chiose drew the curtains shut, shedding her worries along with her clothes.
She scooped up two towels, wrapped a third one around herself, and pushed open the bathroom door.
"Huh? Chiose-nee?! W-w-what are you—!"
"I was just about to take a bath too, little one. Mind if I share?"
In the misty, steam-filled bathroom, Yoshiiro Chiose flicked the towel aside.
The still-young Ichinose Soyo covered herself with both arms — but her eyes were completely unable to look away.
Those bouncy, lively... assets delivered an enormous shock to Soyo's tender young soul.
[Don't worry, Miss Nagasaki. I'll take good care of little Soyo.]
Chiose's tongue traced lightly over her lips as she slowly closed the distance.
Soyo's face was swallowed by shadow, and her pupils began to tremble violently.
"S-so... terrifying."
"S-so terrifying..."
Ichinose Soyo still hadn't recovered by the time they climbed into bed.
Faced with those two things — each nearly half the size of her head — Soyo experienced awe for the very first time.
"Is your hair dry? Would you like some fruit?"
"Neither, please! I've already been too much trouble for you, Chiose-nee."
"How is any of this trouble, my dear little daughter?"
"D-daughter?"
The moment that word landed in Ichinose Soyo's ears, she felt an inexplicable flutter of excitement.
[If Chiose-nee were my mom...]
Chiose-nee fit every last piece of the mother she had ever imagined. She loved her own mother dearly, of course, but Chiose-nee was... she really was like something out of a dream.
And Ichinose Soyo loved dreams like that.
"Yes... my little sister is in a different world from me now. I've always wanted someone to call family. I'm very fond of little Soyo — the same way I'm fond of the daughter I never had."
Soyo found herself gradually drawn into Chiose's embrace, the whole thing so smooth and natural that she didn't even notice it happening.
She kept her eyes locked on Chiose's, her heartbeat snagged by the tenderness spilling out from within them.
"If it's alright... would Soyo-Soyo call me mama?"
"Okay... Mama... Chiose-mama?"
"That's right. Call me that, my darling little Soyo."
She had her![GNT_PBREAK]Ichinose Soyo — caught!
Chiose reined in every other feeling, letting only her tenderness flow quietly to the surface.
Many thanks to MVP support player Miss Nagasaki! Your daughter is absolutely precious.
Which means she's my daughter now!
"Little Soyo — would you like a lullaby before you sleep?"
"I really am not a little kid! Chiose-mama!"
"Oh~? Is that so? Then I won't sing."
"Huh? Well... okay then."
See — the moment she actually stopped, you didn't like that either. Such a silly girl.
Chiose's expression hadn't shifted once. Every word and move Soyo had made tonight was exactly within her grasp.
[Stay lost in the illusion, little one!]
"Alright, no more teasing — I'll sing. You just close your eyes and sleep tight, sweetheart."
The soft nightlight cast the room in a warm amber glow. Cradled in the gentle melody of Yoshiiro Chiose's voice, Ichinose Soyo slowly let her eyes fall shut.
Chiose-mama... was exactly the mama she had always longed for...
Why did she fit her daydream so perfectly?
Ichinose Soyo turned the question over in her mind — but before any answer could come, she drifted off into a deep, sweet sleep.
And that was that.
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