Epilogue
The scream was so loud, it nearly shattered the windows in the Mom Shop.
“Have you lost your mind, Mom?! I mean, you’ve always been crazy, but this is going too far! Showing up in an idol costume? Are you trying to murder me?!”
“Oh, whatever, Genya. I looked good. I had my qualms at first, but you get used to it. You should try it on! I’m happy to loan it… Oh, no, wait, my boobs are so much larger, it would never fit you. Pfft.”
“Ah, I see, you want some of this then?! Put ’em up!”
“You’re on! This is how we talk things out in our family!”
Wise and Kazuno began grappling. Lots of boob grabs involved. At least take it outside! But no, they were rolling around the Mom Shop floor, causing a huge scene.
Meanwhile…
“M-Medhi, would you like some more tea? It’s very good.”
“…It is. I’d be delighted.” …Rumble…
“S-so, like I said, that was work! Our idol activities helped save the world! Dropping in on you was merely a side benefit. The whole thing was requested by the queen herself, so I could hardly turn her down, could I? Of course I couldn’t. So…”
“…Mother, don’t you think it’s time you left?” …Rumble…
“My stay here isn’t up yet! Medhi, please! Calm yourself! Don’t look at me with such darkness in your eyes!”
There was a powerful menacing aura on one side of the table. Medhi had become one with the darkness inside her, and Medhimama was desperately holding her ground—but clearly in grave peril.
Another table was an oasis of peace, heedless of the chaos around them.
“You hook the yarn with the needle and turn it…like this?”
“Yes! You twist it, and then go here, and twist again!”
“Twist…? Oh, it came off! This is so hard… It would be so much faster if you made it, Moko. Just use your Item Creation and—”
“No! I won’t accept it unless you make it yourself, Mommy!”
“O-okay, I hear you. I suppose this is a mother’s trial. I’ll do my best.”
“Yes! I’ll cheer you on!”
Saori was struggling with her knitting, but Porta was clinging to her side, and they were finally spending time together.
Literally clinging—Porta’s cheek never left Saori’s arm.
“That looks like it’d make it hard to knit…”
“Hee-hee-hee. It does, but that’s lovely, too.”
“Pointing it out would just ruin it.”
“Yes. We’ll have to restrain ourselves.”
Masato, Mamako, and Shiraaase were watching the other families from the counter. “Here you go!” Mone set teacups in front of each and told them to help themselves to anything else they needed.
“So Porta’s real name is Moko?”
“Isn’t that an adorable name? Perfect for her!”
“Names these days are so weird… Makes me feel old…”
“You’re far too young to talk like that, Masato. But I suppose I’d better summarize things,” Shiraaase said, straightening up. She gave Masato a long look…and then turned her head, bowing to Mamako. “Mamako, you’ve done it again! You’ve stopped the unnatural child development, restored both land and sea, and reformed Hotta, the leader of the Libere Rebellion! And left the children utterly astounded once again! A complete triumph!”
“The queen sent a letter thanking you, too! That’s amazing,” said Mone.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Once again, Mom—well, the mom idol group—totally overshadowed us.”
“I don’t think we did! Ma-kun, you accomplished so much. I’m very impressed by how much you’ve all grown.”
“This is true. When you were in dire straits with no way out, you had the courage to yell, ‘If only my beloved mother were here!’ In that instant, I knew you had truly matured. Magnificent.”
“Now you’re just putting words in my mouth! I didn’t yell all of that! I…”
Masato glanced over, saw how happy Porta and Saori were, and smiled.
“…I just took a cue from Porta and figured it wouldn’t be too bad to rely on her now and then. That’s all.”
“Hee-hee-hee. You can rely on Mommy anytime! Or…that’s what I’d like to say, but…”
“But what?”
“Mommy’s been thinking it might be better for you if I stopped holding on to you so tight.”
Mamako frowned, wrestling with this thought. She gave Masato a long, searching look. “But maybe not just yet.” “Hey!” She put her arm around his, pulling him against herself. Squeezing tight. Looking very happy.
“We must be extremely careful how we go about letting you be more independent, Masato. Imagine what would happen if Mamako became seriously depressed…”
“I doubt it would end with a few dents in the ground and ocean,” Mone growled.
“Holy crap?! Yeah, I don’t want our relationship to literally destroy the world!”
“We can’t rule out that possibility…but before the world ends, I have some paperwork!”
Shiraaase stopped fanning his fears and flashed a businesslike smile. She pulled out several documents, running her eyes over them.
“First, as for Hotta’s punishment, much like Wise and Medhi’s mothers, we’ve managed to tip the scale in her favor. Given the gravity of the incidents and the fact that Hotta was part of our organization, she’s going to have to attend a lot of hearings and write a mountain of apologies. But we plan to let her take her time with those, prioritizing time spent with her daughter.”
“I extend my gratitude to management’s generosity.”
“As for the Libere Rebellion that Hotta founded, we’ve discovered a number of system engineers involved in the data tampering, but they were all merely following Hotta’s instructions, so with their leader out of commission, their actions have followed suit.”
“That means all problems in the game world are over! That’s lovely.”
“Precisely…is what I’d like to say, but there is one problem remaining.”
“There is? What’s that?”
“The Rebellion’s core members, Amante, Sorella, and Fratello. All three remain at large. With the Rebellion itself destroyed, we have no idea what they’ll do next…”
“Uh, but they’re right over there?” Mone said, pointing.
“““What?!”””
Masato, Mamako, and Shiraaase turned to look.
Beyond the violent family squabble, beyond the menacing family tea party, and beyond the lovely family knitting time were…three girls staring through the window.
Amante pointed directly at Masato, and then jerked her finger back. A clear “Get out here.”
“……Uh…me?”
He’d been summoned.
His party was glued to the inside of the glass, watching him intently. Part of him wondered why they didn’t just come with him, but they were clearly staying inside no matter what he said.
Outside the Mom Shop, Masato faced the Heavenly Kings alone.
“’Sup. You’re all doing well, then?”
“Yeah, thanks. We stole your fight and all, but without our skills, we couldn’t do anything, and we only survived because Hahako showed up to rescue us, but I’m not explaining about that.”
“Wow, really?”
“Saaaad, but truuuue. Amante wound up clutched tight in Hahako’s aaaarms, sleeping like a baaaby. I couldn’t belieeeeve it.”
“Seeing her sleeping so peaceful-like, I nearly busted a gut.”
“Shut up, both of you! Just drop it already! That’s not what we’re here for!”
Amante grabbed a fistful of Masato’s shirt, glaring at him from so close, their noses almost touched.
“Listen here, Masato Oosuki—it’s your fault the Libere Rebellion was destroyed.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? You should be grateful.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! We don’t give a damn about the Master—after all, she was actually a mother the whole time! But now we’ve got nowhere to go! No money, nothing!”
“Perfect! Forget the whole Rebellion thing! Start new lives! …Look, there’s someone positively itching to look after you.”
Hahako was behind the three girls, watching them from the shadow of a building.
Amante seemed well aware of this but didn’t look. Instead, she fixed Masato with an even fiercer glare.
“Well, we accidentally owe her now. But that doesn’t mean we’re accepting all she offers! Our ideals remain unwavering. That’s why…”
“Why what?”
“As those who struggle against maternal tyranny, we challenge you to a final battle!”
Amante, Sorella, Fratello—three sets of eyes, gleaming with determination. All boring into Masato.
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