Chapter 4 That Lunch Was Made by Mom but Not My Mom.
In the bedroom of the inn, on a bed.
Wise was begging for it.
“Masato… More… Rub it harder…”
“L-like this?” Rub, rub.
“More! Even harder! Really get in there and knead it!”
“O-okay, I won’t hold back, then… How’s this?” Squeeze!
“Unhhh! Yes, that’s it! That’s the spot! It hurts so good!”
Wise let out a soft moan, her body writhing in pleasure and pain. Her hands clutched Masato’s, clinging to consciousness.
Tears ran down her flushed cheeks.
Maybe the pain was a bit too much… Masato eased up a little, but Wise shook her head, demanding he keep it up, keep it hard, even harder.
But he couldn’t focus on Wise alone.
Medhi was equally demanding.
“Masato, please… Do me, too.”
“R-really?”
“Yes… Like you’re trying to break me. Shove it all the way in.”
“Okay, then. Here goes… Mmph!” Shove.
“Mwa… Y-yes! There! Harder… Just shove it in there… Ahhhhh!”
Medhi was lying facedown, and Masato was straddling her, leaning over her body.
Thrusting into her, pressing over and over, her body bucking.
Her hands gripped the sheets, and she let out a pained moan, then went limp, collapsing. She turned toward Masato with a look of ecstasy, her grin a challenge. As if asking if that was all he had, as if daring him to do more.
Masato’s pride as a man and his sadistic side both took the bait. If she wanted it…
“Masato! Do me, too! I want more!” Wise wrapped herself around his arms and legs like she couldn’t bear waiting any longer.
He was about to switch back to her, but Medhi wrapped herself around his other arm.
“Masato, I’m not satisfied yet. Finish me first.”
“Hey! Medhi! I called dibs! Do me first!”
“No, my dibs were still in effect. I want you, Masato.”
“Masato! It’s my turn!”
Two flushed girls’ bodies demanded Masato’s attention.
If they wanted him that bad, Masato was—
“Uh, sorry. I need to take a break. My arms are killing me.”
Masato threw his lactic-acid-filled arms in the air. His muscles were screaming.
But Wise’s and Medhi’s demands were not so easily swayed.
“I’m way more beat than you! Just when we thought we were finally free of those kids, they all showed up at the inn and chased us everywhere! My legs are all tired and swollen!”
“I’m suffering, too. I had to pick them up so many times, and now my back is just… Masato. Keep the massage going.”
“Yeah! Massage away! Extra attention to the calves!”
So, well, that was the long and short of it.
It was a nice, healthy morning.
Sunshine and children’s laugher came streaming in through the windows. Mothers were hanging out the laundry and chattering away.
The three of them were in the room, along with Porta, who was still asleep. “……Mmph-mm…” “Oops, got a little too loud there. Sorry.” It was still quite early. Masato patted her cover a bit, hoping to let her sleep longer.
Then he sat down hard on the other bed, specifically to annoy the two girls on it.
“Geez. You’re working me to the bone! I’m plenty worn out myself, y’know. I got my own stuff to think about, too.”
“Stuff to think about? Like what?”
“New hiding places for his filth, I assume.”
“Ohhh, gotcha… So they found ’em all, huh?”
“No! Not that! It’s about Hahako.”
“Hahako? …Oh yeah, yeah. The lady who looks just like Mamako.”
“There’s certainly a startling resemblance. Very different vibes, though… What about her?”
“It isn’t just her appearance. She has the exact same skills. Like she’s a copy of my mom. So—”
“You want a second mommy to spoil you. I get it.”
“A mom on either arm, constantly all over each other… How immoral.”
“Nooooo! Absolutely not! I’m serious here. I wanna know exactly who or what she is!”
“Calm down; we know. We were kidding, okay? Just messing with you.”
But after they’d calmed him, both girls suddenly looked grim.
“Seriously, though. You really shouldn’t talk about other mothers,” warned Wise.
“Huh? Why not?”
“If Mamako heard you, she’d get all jealous, and heaven only knows what would happen then…,” said Medhi.
“Oh, I think that’ll be fine. Mom’s…”
But before Masato could finish…
…the door swung open, and Mamako came running in. Each hand held one of Masato’s shirts.
“Ma-kun! Can you look at these? I washed your shirts for you! Which is better, the shirt Sorente washed or the shirt Mommy washed with love? Tell me!”
She held up the two in turn and continued to press him for an answer, but she was clearly emphasizing the shirt in her right hand. That was probably the one she’d washed.
Anyway.
“Mom’s been like this since yesterday evening. Nothing else seems to get through to her. No point worrying about other things till I deal with this, is there?”
““Makes sense.””
Wise and Medhi gave him looks of great sympathy.
The third day of the World Matriarchal Arts Tournament arrived.
The hall was packed to the brim again. Throngs awaiting further dynamic duels.
The kid’s area around the stage was bustling. Kaide and Kunoichiko had joined the group from the day before, sparking even more conversation.
There was no need to worry about the children. After all, there was a new babysitter on duty.
“Masato!” “Masatoooo!” “Play with us!” “Pwaaay!” “I wanna hug!”
“How?! How did this happen?!”
He’d been so lost in thought, he’d tuned out his surroundings and carelessly wandered into the kid’s area.
The girls were watching with evident delight as Masato was mobbed by children. “Hang in there!” “Best of luck.” “Um… Masato! I’m rooting for you!” They were all safely in the broadcast booth. “You could help, y’know!” Their positions had been flipped. And really, this served him right.
“Masato! Play with me! Play with this giant mommy!”
“Gaaahhh!! Get this giant airhead mom off meeee!”
Kaide had scooped up Masato and given him a tight squeeze. “Ack, I’m being buried alive!!” At over fifteen feet tall, the valley between her breasts was deep enough to completely obscure the upper half of Masato’s body.
“Ah… What is this? I’ve never felt like this before… Warm, soft, all around me… This could be dangerous… But seriously, stop! Emergency ejection! Hah!”
He curled himself all the way up and then shoved his way free of Kaide’s boobs. Safe!
…Nope. Kunoichiko blocked his way.
“Halt! I saw what you just did. You used the secret ninja art of the Boob Escape!”
“Er, that’s one way to put it, but… Can we not?”
“I had no idea you were a ninja, Masato. In which case, you should become my son and train with me! Let’s aim to be master ninjas together!”
“Very tempting, but no, thanks! Excuse me!”
Masato tried to make a run for it, but… “Not so fast! Clone Technique!” Kunoichiko made clones of herself, a huge crowd of them surrounding Masato. There was no escape. “Oh, that looks like fun!” “Let me join in.” “A power struggle, eh?” “W-wait a sec!!” More mothers were after him! Masato was in trouble!
But never mind his predicament.
“Good morning, everyone. If you could just check your scripts…”
“Sure, sure… Huh? Shiraaase, today’s matches—”
“In the scripts. It’s time, so please start reading.”
“Um, all right… Thank you all for waiting! We’ve got another exciting day for you!”
“We’re about to begin the third round of the tournament! The semifinals!”
“Here come our contestants! A warm round of applause, please!”
The crowd erupted in response. “No one’s gonna help?!” The cheers drowned out Masato’s plaintive cry.
And from the entrance tunnel…
First up was Mamako. Looking way too good in that apron, she was smiling like always, but today she looked unusually serious. She was carrying a simple lunch box.
Following her was the android mother, Mechatte. Her flying drones were on standby around her. Like Mamako, she stepped onstage carrying a lunch box.
But that wasn’t all! Next was the suspicious mother, Sorente. Convinced their silver-masked robe was hiding their real identity, the Heavenly Kings were carrying a lunch box, too.
And finally, the mysterious mother, Hahako. Since she looked far too much like Mamako, ‘mysterious’ seemed like an understatement. And of course, she was carrying a lunch box, too.
All four mothers—the top contenders—were onstage, each one carrying a lunch box.
Having all hands on deck like this surprised the crowd and the girls in the booth. “Please! Somebody…!” “Shut up, Masato!” “Will you be quiet?” Masato’s desperate attempts to escape the mothers were still being ignored.
“Uh… So, Shiraaase, what’s going on here?”
“The third round will follow a battle royale–style format. All four competitors will take part at once, and the two who score the highest will advance to the finals.”
“This certainly came out of nowhere… Oh, but I suppose this does eliminate the luck of the draw that tournament formats always involve, without resorting to shuffling the opponents around.”
“Clever, Medhi. Exactly our intention.”
“Then why do all the mamas have lunch boxes? I don’t get that! Please infooorm me!”
“For the third round, they’ll be battling over making lunches. They’ve each been given a lunch box and will be filling it with a mother’s special cooking, competing for the best arrangement. They have thirty minutes to complete the lunch! If they fail to finish within the allotted time, they’ll be immediately disqualified.”
“So cooking speed is critical,” said Wise.
“But just cooking fast won’t be nearly enough, I’m afraid… The kitchen is a mother’s battleground. You never know what might happen there to make a mother’s head spin. What will happen? …Well, that’s up to our contestants.”
“In other words, interfering with their opponents is totally on the books? Lovely!” The blackhearted Cleric approved. Everyone pretended not to see the sinister smile on her lovely face.
A giant magic circle appeared onstage. Four kitchen areas were summoned. Each kitchen had a full complement of utensils and seasonings. Additionally, a counter appeared, heaping with meat, fish, and vegetables.
The contestants sprang into action.
Mamako took Kitchen A. Sorente took Kitchen B, across from her.
Hahako was in Kitchen C, next to Mamako. Mechatte was in Kitchen D.
Once each was ready…
“And with that, let the match—”
“No, wait! The kids are all chasing me now, too! Somebody, please! Help!”
“You in the kid’s area—Masato! Silence! That type of disruption is not allowed. You’re interfering with the match.”
“Have you no heart?!”
“Let the match begin! Ready… Mom it!”
As the match started, they hit the switch on the thirty-minute timer in the broadcast booth.
The first thing that happened was that Mamako, seething with rivalry, thrust her lunch box in Sorente’s direction.
“Sorente! It’s on!”
“Huhhhhh?! Wh-wh-why has she locked onto uuuuus?!”
“N-no way! Does she know who we are?!”
The girls inside Sorente seemed very rattled by this, but Mamako’s focus soon shifted to cooking. “First, check the seasonings!”
“I—I think we’re goooood… Wheeeeew.”
“Yeah. So better take care of her quick.”
“Riiiight. Though whether it will wooork… I just don’t knoooow. At the very least, I’m going to use my skiiiill.”
“Yo, suspicious lady! I heard you being suspicious! I’m not letting that happen!”
“Interference is allooooowed. Go back to the kid’s area, Masatooooo! If you want to watch close-up, go aheeeead. Just don’t say a woooord. Pleeeease.”
“For someone so suspicious, you’re weirdly polite!”
“Anywaaaaay… Hyaaaah!”
The girl under the robe activated her debuff skill.
But Mamako’s movements didn’t slow at all. She was swiftly going through the seasonings.
“Arghhhh! Why didn’t it do anythiiiing?!”
“There, there. Mom can null all status effects, so it’s completely useless! …But the other two moms are… Huh?”
Masato stopped dead in his tracks. The crowd of children chasing after him caught up and grabbed him, but he caught sight of something:
Hahako was moving smoothly around Kitchen C, completely unaffected. She, too, seemed to be immune to the debuff skill.
Yo, seriously? …Even that part’s just like Mom?
In fact, Hahako’s actions were exactly the same as Mamako’s.
When Mamako picked up the soy sauce, so did the mysterious mother. If she picked up vegetable oil, Hahako did the same. It was like she was copying her every move…
Then:
“Warning. Warning. Self-destruct program activated. This body will soon explode. Those in the vicinity should exercise caution.”
Mechatte’s voice sounded far more mechanical than usual.
“Mode: Acro-cleanliness!”
The drones clustered on her back, turning into a cleaning device for cleaning high areas, wings shining with the light of science fluttering rapidly.
She ascended quickly above Kitchen D and exploded, sending scientific fireworks in all directions.
And then she fell toward Masato, smoke pouring out of her. “Seriously?! Augh!” Masato instinctively caught her. He was sure the impact would shatter his arms, but they were still intact.
“M-Mechatte?! Are you okay?! I mean, you don’t look okay, but…why’d you suddenly self-destruct?!”
“I’m designed to self-destruct when my functionality is abruptly reduced. It’s a holdover from my days as a combat weapon… A fail-safe to prevent me from falling into enemy hands.”
“Ugh! The debuff skill did this? …Why didn’t they deactivate a function that dangerous?!”
“It was possible to deactivate it, but…”
What remained of Mechatte’s head turned, looking around.
She was surrounded by children, their eyes gleaming. “That was amazing!” “So pretty!” “Do it again!” Apparently, the fireworks had delighted them.
“If it makes children smile, self-destructing isn’t so bad. So it was left intact.”
“Risking life and limb for a smile is for circus performers, not mothers!”
But Mechatte just smiled, satisfied, and closed her eyes.
One contestant already (self-)eliminated.
It was now the subject of much discussion inside the broadcast booth.
“That got super-over-the-top real quick… Shiraaase, was that self-destruction the kind of trouble you were expecting?”
“Self-destructing while cooking… I understand it’s surprisingly common with android mothers.”
“I—I don’t think it is, actually…,” Medhi disagreed.
“But the android audience members are all nodding!”
Porta was right. Every one of the mechanical women in the audience was nodding vigorously. “The children love it!” “I do it all the time.” Apparently, it was just an android thing.
Mechatte was carried off on a stretcher, and the match continued.
In Kitchen C, Hahako continued perfectly copying Mamako’s actions, working in silence.
In Kitchens A and B, Mamako and Sorente were crackling with mutual hostility.
“I won’t lose to you! I’m Ma-kun’s mommy!”
“Arghhh… Well, fiiiine! Then we’ve got no choooice!”
“Exactly! We can’t be picky now! We’ll do anything to win! Including…”
Sorente jumped down into the kid’s area. “Humph!” “Huh?” As Masato gaped, he was hurled up onto the stage.
He rolled all the way to Mamako’s feet.
“Oh, Ma-kun! You wanted to be with Mommy that bad?”
“No! This was involuntary! …Yo, Sorente, or whatever you call yourself! What the heck was that for?”
“What was it foooor? …What was it fooor?”
“Simple! The debuff skill won’t hurt Mamako Oosuki… So let the people around her do it! Not bad, huh?”
“I seeee… You want Masatooo…to cause an interfeeeerence.”
“What? Like hell I’d do that! Shut up!”
“The mooore the meeeerrier, then! Sooo… Wiiiise, Poooorta…and not that I’m a faaan, but…Medhiiii! Over heeere!”
The booth’s response to Sorente’s call?
“There they go, being idiots again… That’s gonna be a no from us, right, Shiraaase?”
“No. I’ll allow it.”
“Huh?” Medhi balked. “You will?”
“Children offering to help always makes us happy, even if they slow us down. Happens all the time. This is one type of kitchen trouble. Mothers should be able to handle it.”
And that was that.
Shiraaase covered the mic with her hand and whispered, “If they’re facing Mamako directly, they may use force. Think of this as an excuse to stage a counterattack. If anything happens, play it by ear.”
“Ohhh. That makes more sense.”
“They may force us to fight, you mean.”
“Th-then I’ll support you the best I can! Leave items to me!”
“Cool! Then let’s go!”
The girls poured out of the booth.
The audience appeared on board with the kids joining the match. “Good luck helping!” “Interfere with her!” “Uh, never heard a chant like that before!”
Mamako’s party converged on her.
Vs Suspicious Mother Sorente—FIGHT!
“Well, if Ma-kun and you girls want to help, I’ll take all the hands I can get! Let’s do this together!”
“Just to be clear, I’m not here to slow you down.”
“Masato might just get in the way, but I’ll help you!”
“Masato and Wise will probably get in the way, but I will definitely help!”
““Don’t you touch a thing, Medhi!””
“Er, um… I’ll do my best! I want to help!”
“You all want to heeeelp, but will youuuu? …Just to make sure you doooon’t, I’ll stack my skiiiill as high as I caaaan!”
And with that languid proclamation, Sorente slowly raised a hand.
A max debuff effect hit them. Mamako was unaffected, but… “Unh!” Masato’s stats fell. “Arghhh!” Wise’s stats cratered. “Now you’ve done it!” Medhi’s stats plummeted.
Porta’s abilities dropped, too.
“Eep?! My Item Creation and Appraise skills are way less effective now!”
“What?! Porta’s noncombatant—it shouldn’t even affect her!”
“Mwa-ha-haaaa! Taste the power of the ultimate debuuuuuuff!
“Now Mamako has four shackles on her… But…this is still Mamako Oosuki we’re dealing with…”
“We need a contingency on our contingencyyyy. Let’s use the ultimate anti-mom super-attack speeeeell! One, twoooooo…”
““…Spara la magia per mirare… Sigillo Madre!””
The two Heavenly Kings inside Sorente chanted together, their spell targeting Mamako.
“Anti-mom magic?! What in the—? No, whatever the effect, Mom’ll negate it somehow.”
But instead, Mamako was suddenly surrounded by smoke.
“Hmm?”
Masato reflexively turned toward her and saw…
…an extremely tiny mother, looking very serious.
Every bit of her was tiny. Not shrunk—infantilized. She looked to be about five years old. Mamako was now very short and very young. Even her clothes were child-sized.
“Hmm…… Hmm?”
Masato did a double take, exchanged horrified glances with the rest of the party, then did a third take. Still true:
His mother was now a child.
Mamako’s age was suddenly reduced! She became Child Mamako!
“Hmm…… Gaaaahhh?! What in the—?!”
Masato was so surprised that his nose was running. “Wh-what the hell?!” Wise’s jaw was on the floor like an idiot. “Um? Um? Um?!” Medhi couldn’t stop blinking. “Tiny Mama is so cute!” Porta seemed rather pleased.
Sorente were delighted.
“We did iiiiit! We actually did iiiiit!”
“If she’s no longer a mother, her motherly power dies, too! With that in mind and a lot of training, we finally managed the ultimate spell! Even Mamako Oosuki can’t beat that!”
The two Heavenly Kings’ spell had overcome Mamako’s defensive equipment.
“H-hey, wait! This is too much! It’s definitely cheating!”
“A reeeal mother can still cook no matter what problems might ariiiise. That’s the point of this maaaatch.”
“W-well…”
They looked toward the booth, but Shiraaase sat in silence, biting her lip. Sorente was right. She was forced to allow it.
“Then it’s seeeettled! As is the maaaatch! …I bet Mamako can’t cook at all noooow!”
“And it’s not just her body that changed! The mom seal spell made her a child on the inside, too! Not that I need to explain that! Heh-heh-heh!”
“Wh-what?!”
If Mamako was a child inside…
“Ma-kun! Stay focus on da match! Dun worry! Mommy’s here! Iss gonna be okay!”
“Uh… She seems like herself?”
““Huh? …How?!””
No matter what form her body took, a mother’s mind remained wholly unchanged. They could relax and continue the tournament.
The match was well underway. And there was a time limit—they only had twenty minutes left.
Time was of the essence, but so was prudence.
“…Mom, listen. About Sorente—”
“Oh, I know. Dat’s Amante ’n’ Sorella!”
“You noticed? …Well, sure. Anyone would.”
“Amante ’n’ Sorella is pretendin’ ta be a mommy so dey could join da mommy tournament. Dat means…”
“Exactly! They’re going to attack—!”
“Dey wanna learn more ’bout bein’ mommies! Dey were jus’ pretendin’ ta hate mommies, but they rilly ackshully wanna be mommies! Isso nice!”
“That…seems like an extreme misunderstanding… Is that why you didn’t do anything?”
Trust in the goodness of everyone and the power of motherhood. That was Mamako for you.
Or rather, Child Mamako. “It’s really hard to understand you…” She was only five years old now and didn’t exactly have the best diction.
Child Mamako might have a heart as vast as the boundless ocean, but she wasn’t always as implacable.
“But if dey wanna fights, den I’ll give ’em a fights!”
“Whoa! Mamako’s on fire!”
“Uh-huh! ’Cause, ’cause…dey washed Ma-kun’s shirt sooo good! And it hurt so bad!”
She was sulking now.
“Mama’s got her cheeks all puffed up! She’s so angry!”
“That jealous energy’s certainly putting her in overdrive…,” noted Medhi.
“I really wish she’d stop that!”
“Mommy’s never ever gonna lose where you’re concerned, Ma-kun! ’Cause I’m your mommy! …So Mommy’s gonna make a lunch that Ma-kun thinks is yummy and be your numba one mommy! Got dat, Ma-kun?”
“Yeah, yeah, sure. If you’re all fired up, that’s good! Let’s do this!”
Those in the hall had fallen silent with surprise, but now they started cheering again.
The match was heating up. Sorente headed for the ingredients counter first and retrieved what they needed.
But their other opponent, the mysterious mother, Hahako, seemed to have stopped in her tracks.
Mamako was surrounded by Masato and the girls. But there was no one around the mysterious mother. Faced with a situation she couldn’t copycat, she seemed at a loss…
No time to watch her now! We’ve got work to do!
It still bugged him, but first they had to win.
But then…
More trouble!
“Uh? Ma-kun! Oh no! Dis kitchen is HUUUGE!”
“It’s not huge; you’re just small! Did you not notice?”
“This calls for…Masato! Time to be her step stool!”
“We know how much you wanted a little kid to step on you.”
“I have no idea what you mean, I’m not into that, you’ve got me all wrong, and however little she is, she’s still my mom, so how could I ever take pleasure in that?”
“Oh, I found a stool! Use this!”
Party coordination solved that crisis.
Now Child Mamako could cook.
“’Kay, den Mommy’s gonna do da cookin’, and you guys go bring me what you wanna eat.”
“It’s too much for you to do alone,” said Medhi. “Let me help—”
“As if! Porta, gimme a hand!” DEFENSE!
“R-right! I can help hold Medhi back!” DEFENSE!
“If Medhi cooks, the only thing we’ll get is a Mysterious Object X! I’ll leave her to you guys!”
Wise and Porta tackled the self-imposed trouble head-on, while Masato ran for the ingredients table.
Sorente was already there, gathering food. Masato took his place next to her.
“So just to get it out there… You’re two of the Four Heavenly Kings, right?”
“Whaaaaaat?! I—I—I don’t know what you could meeean!”
“You’re using really specific skills, and you think you can keep hiding it? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“H-h-hide whaaaat?! We aren’t hiding anythiiiing!”
“Even if our identities were revealed, and this just became a straight-up brawl… Not that I think I’d lose or anything, but…Mamako Oosuki’s absurd powers would definitely put us through the wringer. So it seems safer to just keep fighting like this, following the tournament rules… Not that I should have to explain that,” the lower of the two girls under the robe explained.
Everyone knew who they were, but if they wanted to keep the charade going, fine.
It is probably better to keep going like this. Better than starting a fight and messing up the tournament…
In which case:
“Fine. Then you’re Sorente, and we’ll beat you by the tournament rules. Which means I need ingredients! And you can’t have a lunch box without tamagoyaki!” Masato reached out for the pile of eggs. One ingredient down!
…Nope. He couldn’t lift the egg.
“Huh? This egg is insanely heavy… Ohhh! That debuff skill!”
Masato’s strength was super-low at the moment. “Then byeeeee!” As promised, Masato was just getting in the way. Sorente finished gathering ingredients and left.
“My equipment’s supposed to have a fifty percent chance of blocking status effects, but it sure never seems to work properly! …Argh! I’ve just gotta make do!”
Masato grabbed the stupidly heavy egg with both hands, straining every muscle to move it. “Hngggggg!” Veins bulged on his face and arms, his entire body shaking.
At last, he made it back to Mamako—
—who was in trouble again!
“Oh, Ma-kun! Dis is bad!”
“I’ve got enough trouble of my own! What? What else is there?”
“Lookit dis!”
Child Mamako was holding a pair of cooking chopsticks.
When she held them upright, they bent. She couldn’t grip anything this way! And she definitely wouldn’t be able to scramble any eggs, either.
“Yo, what the heck? How is that possible?”
He couldn’t even begin to imagine what could cause this.
So he yelled, “What’s going on here?!” a little too loud, glaring at Kitchen B.
Sorente was busy cooking.
“Heh-heh-heh. That debuff skill even works on objects now! Not that I—”
“You don’t need to explaaaain! Just get that onion peeeeeled!”
Amante always explained whatever they wanted her to. Such a useful enemy, really.
So that cleared that up.
“Damn! One after another… We’ve gotta do something!”
“But…what can we do?”
It wasn’t just the chopsticks. The knife’s edge was all round and couldn’t cut much of anything. The ladle had holes in it. The rest of the kitchen equipment was equally useless. All Masato and Child Mamako could do was stare at each other, at a total loss.
But then…
“Don’t worry! You have me!”
…Porta stopped forcing Medhi away from the counter and came dashing over.
“Porta… Oh, right! With Item Creation, we can make new tools! …But wait, the skill’s affecting you, too, so you might not manage…”
“Don’t worry! I can do it!”
“…You’re sure?”
“I am! When they made me a babysitter… I thought I could never do that, but when I tried anyway, I managed it somehow! This is the same thing! If I just try my best, I’m sure I can do it!”
Her eyes were shining with the purest light. Overflowing with belief in her potential—and the resolve to do whatever it took.
This made him want to trust her.
“Okay, then. Hook us up.”
“Right! Leave it to me!”
Porta opened her shoulder bag and took out some wood and iron.
She put the ingredients together and activated her skill!
“Will it be good? It’ll be good! A good item…done!”
A burst of light appeared in Porta’s arms, and when it died down…
…she’d made chopsticks, a knife, a frying pan, and a pot—everything they needed for making lunch. And they all were exactly the right size for Child Mamako to use. Perfect!
“Wow, great success! Well done!”
“Yes! I did it! …Here, Mama! Make a delicious lunch, please!”
“Dat’s such a big help! Tanks, Porta!”
Child Mamako took the tools and started cooking.
Meanwhile, in Kitchen B, Sorente was throwing a tantrum.
“Arghhhh! Mamako started cookiiiing! This suuuucks!”
“See? This is the power of friendship! This is our power!” Masato made Porta’s success sound like his own, but no matter.
Mamako had the eggs scrambled, the pan on the stove, and was about to start frying when…
More trouble arrived!
“Oh? What’s goin’ on? Da burner won’t light.” Click, click.
“Crap! The burner’s stats are debuffed, too!”
At this rate, they’d never get the tamagoyaki done. Or any other dishes. This was bad news.
Nah, just kidding. Masato had an idea.
“Heh… Certainly a surprising twist, but not a problem for us. After all…our party comes with our own personal fuel supply! Right, Wise?”
“I am not your fuel supply! At least call me a flamethrower or something! Geez!” Grumbling, Wise came running over.
She pulled out her magic tome and held out a hand toward the stove.
“I just need to light the fire with my magic, right? …Honestly, this is gonna be rough…”
“Rough? …Y-you don’t mean…? Even though nobody’s done anything to you, you’ve somehow managed to get your magic sealed again?! How useless can you get?!”
“I have not! That’s not it! Just…my stats are really low, so I might not be able to use magic properly, okay?!”
“Oh, well… That makes sense. But you’ll find a way to pull it off, right? You’re the ultimate Sage.”
He gave her a teasing poke in the shoulder.
Wise shot him a mischievous grin and kicked his shin in return.
“Ha-ha! Of course. Just you watch… Spara la magia per mirare… Fuoco Fiamma! And! Fuoco Fiamma!”
Wise chain cast. And flames danced in the burner, giving off a powerful heat…
…or rather, an extremely small flame appeared, like a single match.
“Wait, seriously?! That was my full power!!”
“Even discounting Wise being Wise, I guess there’s nothing we can do to escape the debuff…”
“Do you have to be such a dick about it? And hold up! I’m not done yet! The way I am now…I can use the power of moms to overcome my limits! I think!”
“The power of moms…?”
Wise closed her eyes, concentrating.
“All the moms in this world can do, like, the most insane stuff, y’know? And with all the babysitting I’ve done, it’s kinda like I’ve taken one step closer to motherhood… So I feel like I oughta be able to pull off something a little amazing myself!”
“You…really half-assed that, didn’t you…?”
“Half-assed or not, keep your eyes peeled and watch! Here goes! …Hnggggg! …Stat debuffs…are nothing compared to babysittiiing!!”
For a fifteen-year-old girl, that was definitely an unprecedented burden.
Yet, along the way, she definitely felt the joy sparked by a child’s touch, a joy that gave her the power to buck this sinister skill.
The tiny flames on the burner spread around the ring, becoming high heat!
“Whoa! You really did it! Wise, you’re amazing!”
“Ha-ha! Of course I did it! I mean, I’m the ultimate Sage!”
“Oh, da fire’s lit! Great! Wise, just keep it like dat, pwease!”
The pan went on the fire, oil in the pan, scrambled eggs poured in. The sound of the eggs sizzling already got their appetites going to an uncomfortable degree.
The audience members were watching Child Mamako cook, enraptured. You could almost hear their stomachs rumbling.
The only person complaining was the lower girl inside Sorente.
“Cooking over magic fire when the burner’s busted? …The nerve!”
“Yeah? Yeah? See that? This is our power! Bwa-ha-ha!” Masato couldn’t see her face under the robe, but he was sure it was oh so frustrated.
Feeling great about that, he started getting the next dish ready. What should it be?
“Next on the lunch menu… Right! Bacon-wrapped asparagus!”
A classic. A meat-and-veggie combo as tasty as it was healthy. Masato ran over to the ingredients counter, hunting for the asparagus…
…but found more trouble instead!
The asparagus provided was wilted. Maybe even withered!
“You’ve gotta be kidding! How…? Oh, is this Sorella’s skill again?!”
She’d lowered the stats on the ingredients—including the vital freshness stat.
They were all done for. Every vegetable was dried out completely, turning brown and starting to disintegrate. The meat and fish were giving off a rotten stench. Not only was this stuff inedible, he could barely stand to look at it.
There’s no way we can cook anything like this… Argh, what now?
He could go shopping and get more. That was the only idea he had, but then:
“It seems this is my chance to shine.”
Medhi came walking slowly forward.
“Good timing, Medhi! We need a transport spell to—”
“No, there’s no need for any shopping. We’ll use these ingredients. As a consummate Cleric, I shall restore them with a recovery spell.”
“A recovery spell? …You can do that? It works on ingredients?”
Recovery spells in this world were your standard RPG spells, used to recover damage taken in combat or cure status effects.
They were only used on characters and shouldn’t have any effect on physical objects…
But Medhi simply smiled her most beautiful smile and pointed her staff at the perishing ingredients.
“Porta and Wise aren’t the only ones who’ve grown. I, too, learned a few small things from babysitting.”
“Like…?”
“Perhaps I am still too inexperienced to put them into words… But I will say this. Mothers have a mystic—nay, miraculous power.”
“Miraculous, huh…?”
“I sensed it myself. So observe. I, too, will bring about one or two minor miracles… Spara la magia per mirare… Rianimato!”
The staff released the light of life and poured it down on the dying ingredients.
A spell that should have had no effect…had an effect. The wilted vegetables were completely revitalized. The rotting meat and fish were no longer rotting. In the blink of an eye, all the ingredients were in perfect condition again.
“Wow! Medhi, you did it!”
“Yes! A much clearer success than Wise’s extremely tiny boost to that flame!”
“You could’ve skipped the snide comment for once, but still… Well done! Magnificent! …Okay, I’ll just bring these to Mom.”
With his strength reduced, the asparagus and bacon were incredibly heavy, but he managed to haul them over to Child Mamako.
As he did, he cast a sidelong glance at Sorente.
“Oh? Is someone being a sore loser? Oh yes! Right over there!”
“Arghhh… Who uses magic to restore ingredieeeents? That doesn’t even make seeeense!”
“Causing miracles? Who do you think you are?!”
“Bwa-ha-ha! This is our true power! Yee-haw!”
Masato was getting carried away. Excessively so. He was in such a good mood, he actually started skipping… But then:
Trouble!
“Oh dear! Ma-kun, ovah here!”
“Right, this is it! It’s my turn now! Time for me to show how all the hard work I’ve put into this hero thing has paid off!”
Masato ran to her side, ready for anything.
Child Mamako was holding a piece of the tamagoyaki in her chopsticks and glaring down at the lunch box on the counter.
“Mom! What’s up? I’ll solve whatever this problem is, so just lemme know how!”
“Well, dere’s just one pwoblem.”
Child Mamako put the tamagoyaki in the corner of the lunch box.
But the tamagoyaki inexplicably jumped up, flying out of the box.
“When I put it in like dis, it just pops wight back out! I dunno what ta do.”
“Hmm, hmm… This is…probably Amante’s doing. I bet she put her reflection skill on the lunch box so that every time you try to put something inside, it gets thrown back out. That must be it.”
Pretty serious. At this rate, they’d never get the lunch assembled, and Child Mamako would lose.
But not to worry—Masato already had an idea how to handle things.
Masato picked up the lunch box lid and held it ready.
“Okay, Mom! Put that tamagoyaki back inside!”
“But…”
“Don’t worry! I’ve got this! Trust in your son’s power!”
“…Okie. Mommy twusts you, Ma-kun.”
Mother and child stared into each other’s eyes and nodded. “Here we go, Ma-kun!” Child Mamako placed the tamagoyaki inside the lunch box.
Immediately, Masato—
“Ohhhhh! How’s this?!”
—let loose a passionate bellow, then slammed the lid of the box closed! And held it down!
“Nice! …Ungh, this is pretty tough!”
The pressure of the egg against the lid was incredible. If he eased off even a little, it would literally knock him off his feet. This was bad. He was in real danger.
But he wasn’t giving in!
“You’re messing with the wrong guy! This is my powerrrrrrrrr! Rahhhhh!”
He put his full strength into it, fighting the tamagoyaki as it slammed against the inside of the lid, refusing to let it out.
Masato was in the fight of his life! His very life was on the line!
He was far too focused to notice anything around him! Even if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have looked! No one look at him! No one speak to him!
“Er, um… M-Ma-kun? Calm down a li’l, okie?”
“Mamako, I know you’re worried, but just leave him to it. He’s gonna be fine,” Wise reassured her. “Just ignore him and make the rest of the lunch.”
“He has no choice but to get all worked up. Getting drunk on the idea of a battle… That’s how he gets through his days,” said Medhi. “The sheer effort brings a tear to my eyes.”
“Masato can only get through his days if he’s drunk… He’s so grown up!” Porta gushed.
Pay no heed to the opponents, either!
“Uh, ummmm… I’m starting to feeeeel…sorry for hiiiim?”
“I feel like I’ve done something truly despicable. We should’ve come up with some other way! Something that allowed Masato to demonstrate his power the way his companions did. I’m sorry; I’m so sorry!”
He wasn’t listening! He didn’t hear a thing!
Back in the broadcast booth, Shiraaase grabbed the mic.
“Everyone, please. The hero may just be holding a lid on a lunch box, but let’s give him a warm round of applause anyway.”
“Stop! Stop being nice to me! Stop iiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!”
Bathed in the warmth of the applause, the hero’s tears flowed unceasing.
Everyone had left Masato sobbing in a heap.
Onstage, the results of the match were being judged.
The lunch box Child Mamako made was on the judge’s table. Next to it was the lunch box Sorente had made. Both were accompanied by a generous helping of white rice.
Child Mamako’s lunch was a mom lunch, filled with love: tamagoyaki, bacon-wrapped asparagus, spinach in sesame sauce, and cherry tomatoes.
Sorente’s was surprisingly solid, too. They also went with tamagoyaki, alongside a meat-and-veggie stir-fry, buttered corn, yakisoba, and tangerines for dessert.
Both looked delicious.
“Lessee which of us deserves ta be Ma-kun’s mommy!”
“You’re waaaay too into thiiiiis, Mamakoooo.”
“You get so pushy where your son’s concerned… It’s terrifying.”
Child Mamako’s aura was burning bright, her tiny finger pointed directly at Sorente. This girl was on FIRE!
She was so worked up, even her own party members were starting to shake their heads.
“H-hey, Mamako, take a breather. You can’t make this fight all about them! You’ve still got one more opponent!”
They looked toward Kitchen C, where the mysterious mother, Hahako, continued to cook. She seemed one step away from completion.
“She still has time, so perhaps we should wait?”
“What do you think, Ms. Shiraaase?” Porta called out.
“Let’s see…” Shiraaase thought about it. “We should probably start the judging when all the lunches are done, but Mamako and Sorente seem to have bad blood between them, so… What do you think? Shall we settle your feud first?”
“Yeah! Let’s do dis!”
“Urrrgghh… F-fiiiiine! Let’s goooo!”
“We’d never back down in a battle against a mother! That’s a fact!”
“Both parties agree. That settles that! …Since it seems they are competing to see if Mamako or Sorente would be a better mother for Masato…”
“Waaaaaait! Only Mamako is hung up on thaaaaat!”
“We’re not trying to be Masato Oosuki’s mother at all! We just want to win!”
“I believe Masato would be the best judge of such a contest. We’ll have Masato eat the lunches you made and decide which is his mother’s. Do you agree?”
Child Mamako nodded. Suspicious mother Sorente reluctantly did the same. The crowd cheered in approval. Settled!
Masato’s turn. “Sniffle… Huh? What?” “C’mon, Masato!” Wise dragged him to his feet. “Get ready!” Medhi placed a chair for him and sat him down on it. “I’ll help, too!” Porta said, blindfolding him.
Masato’s taste test.
“Er, um… Seriously? I’ve really gotta do this? No time to soothe my emotional traum—”
“Quit grumbling and open wide! First one’s up!”
“No, wait—mph!”
The food in his mouth was soft, fluffy—a tamagoyaki.
Oh. That is good. Perfectly cooked. Nicely done. But…
No, not yet. He had to try the other one before he could be sure.
“Okay, Masato. Time for the next one. Here!”
“Right… Ah…”
Something landed in his mouth, and he chewed it. A similar texture to the first one. This was also tamagoyaki…
But the moment it touched his tongue, he knew.
Oh yeah. This one.
This was a flavor created by a skill that children knew better than the mothers themselves.
Not a special capital-S skill, but one any mother had—A Mother’s Cooking.
It was really good.
“…Whew.”
Masato swallowed the egg and took off the blindfold.
He looked at Child Mamako, who had her hands clasped together like she was praying.
“I sensed A Mother’s Cooking from the second one. That’s the one Mom made. I knew it right away.”
He avoided her gaze and kept his tone curt.
“I knew you’d get it, Ma-kun! Mommy’s so happy! Supa-happy! I’ve neva been so happy! Oh… What’s happenin’ ta Mommy now?!”
“Er, uh… Mom?! Whoa?!”
Child Mamako had suddenly begun to glow—and way beyond the usual A Mother’s Light level. This luminosity exceeded well over the usual max threshold.
…And when the light subsided, she was no longer a child, but back in her usual body.
She immediately threw her arms around him. Mom’s large boobs were right in his face, one on each side, squeezing…
“Ma-kun! Thank you! Thank you so much!” Squeeze!
“H-hey! Mmphhh!!”
“Oh, Mamako’s back to normal!”
“That’s it! The evil spell’s gone!”
“Like something out of a fairy tale!”
“The prince saves the princess, but she turns out to be his own mom?! That’s literally the most tragic fairy tale ever! The prince is ready to cry!”
It might be a tragedy for Prince Masato, but this story had a happy ending.
Masato had accepted Mamako as his mother. The unshakable bond between them proven, a wave of emotion surged through the crowd. “What a lovely story!” “I’m so jealous!” The mothers in the kid’s area were all touched, clapping through tears.
Mamako had faced the suspicious mother, Sorente, and won. Her bonds with her son deepened, and she was guaranteed to reach the finals. And they lived happily ever…
At least, an ending like that would have been nice.
“Arghhh! This is ridiculouuuus! After we made her a chiiiild, she could still cook like a moooom! And she easily got her original form baaack! How is that poooossible?! …That leaves us with no choiiice! …Amanteee! Let’s goooo!”
“Right on! Let’s end this dumb charade and settle this directly!”
Sorente raised a hand in the air.
In it was a jewel of the darkest hue.
“Is that jewel… No?!”
“Mwa-ha-haaa! Exaaaactly! This is an item that lets us control NPCs at wiiiiill!”
“The other competitors, the audience, even the children! They’ll all be our slaves, and all will attack Mamako Oosuki… Heh-heh-heh… And what then?”
“Tch! We can’t let that happen!”
Masato ran forward, trying to grab the jewel, but he was too late.
It shone with a dark light that penetrated the minds of all who saw it…
And then.
“Are you children up to no good again? …Tut, tut!”
A stern voice. A hand on her hip. An index finger raised.
A brilliant, massive, black laser beam fired as she scolded.
It went from the stage toward the tunnel and the waiting room. “Huuuuh?!” “No way?!” It swallowed Sorente, the black light passing through them. And the dark jewel shattered.
And when the scold beam faded, Sorente was nowhere to be seen. Just the bare stage, with a half-pipe-shaped groove cut in it.
“Um… Wha—?”
Masato stared at the groove in the stage, forcing his mind to work.
That was a Tut, tut! right?
The color was different, but it was the same laser Mamako fired when she was really scolding someone.
But it wasn’t Mamako who’d fired it—she was still standing next to Masato, looking every bit as stunned as he was.
It came from Kitchen C. And in Kitchen C was…
“……”
…the mysterious mother, Hahako.
Her expression was still as gloomy and unreadable as ever. She walked over to Masato…and held out a lunch box.
The lunch box contained tamagoyaki, bacon-wrapped asparagus, spinach in sesame sauce, and cherry tomatoes. The menu, placement, and quality were exactly like Mamako’s lunch.
“Er… Uhhhh… You want me to eat this?”
Hahako nodded.
The scent of it was calling to him. Masato reached out his chopsticks, starting with a bite of the tamagoyaki.
Instantly, he sensed A Mother’s Cooking.
“You’re kidding… This is Mom’s home cooking… But how…?”
“Well, I’m your mommy. I am Masato’s mommy,” she whispered.
The woman who looked exactly like Mamako gave him a warm, motherly smile.
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