Episode 17
“Heehee! Luna, Luna!”
Just then, Estelle came trotting up beside me, sneaking a glance at Solen before whispering into my ear.
“Now that I have a daddy, we can go ahead and adopt Estelle, right?”
Her voice was louder than I expected. It might’ve reached Solen’s ears. I glanced over at him, but he was busy examining the fountain pen.
I leaned in and whispered back into Estelle’s ear, careful not to draw his attention.
“Not yet.”
“Why not?!”
“To register a marriage, we need proper identification…”
How could we possibly register anything with a man who couldn’t even confidently say his own name, let alone produce an ID?
“First, we need to get Solen some kind of legal identity—even if it’s temporary. Then comes the marriage registration. Then the adoption.”
But who knew how long that would take?
Even for a temporary one, creating a legal ID for a full-grown adult was no easy task.
“…Ah. Aaaah!!”
Realizing the reality of the situation, Estelle clutched her face with both hands and wailed dramatically.
“Oh no, I picked the wrong dad!”
“E-Estelle…”
Seriously? After insisting so stubbornly that he was her real dad? And now she yells that?
I felt awkward on Solen’s behalf, but fortunately—or unfortunately—he didn’t seem too affected.
Instead—
“Aww, my daughter… So you’re disappointed because your daddy’s too dumb to read.”
He grinned with amusement, eyes crinkling.
“Too bad, kiddo. You don’t get to choose your parents.”
“Yes, I do! Kids can choose their parents! I will choose! I’ll pick a new one!”
“Oh yeah? After signing that contract, how exactly are you going to do that?”
“I’ll rip it up!”
Estelle suddenly sprang to her feet and lunged for my pocket.
But before she could even reach me, Solen caught her midair with both hands like a flying squirrel.
“Let me goooo!”
“Nope. Not gonna happen.”
Solen hoisted her onto his shoulders and held her legs as he spun around in circles through the house.
Though Estelle cried out in protest, she clung tightly to his head—probably scared of falling.
“This doesn’t count! It’s invalid! I’m finding a new dad!”
“You can’t get a new one until you tear up the contract.”
“Lunaaa! Rip it up!”
“Can’t do that. Luna’s on my side. Right, honey?”
Solen gave me a cheeky wink.
I turned my head away and picked up my cup. The juice was sweet.
“Waaaah! This isn’t fair!”
“That’s why you don’t go signing just anything. Even your amnesiac daddy knows that much, so you better remember it too. Got it?”
“Waaaah!”
…Is this family really okay?
A sigh escaped me before I could stop it.
Turning away from the two of them, I instinctively reached up and fiddled with the pendant around my neck.
Chapter 2
“Remember this, Luna. Never take off this necklace. Keep it safe so you don’t lose it and the stone doesn’t break.”
“Okay, Mommy!”
“But if the pendant does break… then you’ll start to have some unusual dreams.”
“What kind of dreams? I like dreams about strawberry cake!”
“If only they were like that… But most of your dreams will be very sad, and very difficult.”
“Whaaat… Then what do I do?”
“Don’t suffer through it alone. Talk to the family around you, okay?”
“The family around me? You and Daddy?”
“Yes… though I hope we’re the ones by your side when it happens…”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“You see, sweetie. If you’ve ever chosen to be family with someone, for whatever reason, in whatever way… that’s a really special connection.”
“Hmm… I don’t get it.”
“You might not now, but one day, you’ll understand what Mommy meant. Luna… shall we make a promise?”
“If we promise, will you make me strawberry cake?”
“Yes. But only if you promise to keep this promise with me.”
“I will!”
“Someday, when you have a family of your own…”
I had such a nostalgic dream.
“…Ah.”
It had been so vivid in the dream. But as soon as I opened my eyes, the face blurred like fog, vanishing in an instant.
I lay there on the bed with my eyes closed, hoping the image would return.
“Come to think of it… I started having these dreams after the pendant cracked.”
The crack on the gemstone had appeared out of nowhere, and I had thought it odd.
“Could the pendant have been stopping the dreams all this time?”
It was a stretch, sure, but the timing was oddly precise.
I fiddled with the pendant through my clothes and stepped out of the bedroom.
“You’re up, darling?”
Solen, sitting on the living room sofa downstairs, greeted me as I came down the stairs.
Despite the early hour, there wasn’t a trace of sleep on his face.
He was freshly washed and neat. Well, aside from the fact that his shirt looked about ready to explode from his too-broad shoulders.
“Why are you up so early?”
“I figured if I slept in and didn’t earn money, you’d kick me out.”
There it was again—that pitiful tone.
I shot him a glare for good measure.
“I’m not so heartless that I’d throw out someone who was sick with a cold just yesterday.”
“Hmph… But you’re not saying it’s okay for me to stay without earning money either…”
Well, I mean. It’s a bit much to feed and house a full-grown adult for free.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and handed him a tunic I’d tucked under my arm.
“Here, get changed.”
“Oh? You bought this? When?”
“I didn’t buy it. I made it. I told you—I work at a tailor shop.”
“Wow… You whipped this up overnight?”
Solen’s eyes sparkled like I was some kind of magician.
It wasn’t a big deal. I blushed and cleared my throat again.
“I eyeballed your size, so… Just try it on.”
“Okay.”
He nodded—then immediately began undressing right in front of me.
Startled, I turned my back.
“W-why are you changing right here?!”
“Well, you’ve already seen everything…”
“We’re not married! I told you we’re basically strangers!”
“Didn’t we first meet with me shirtless…?”
…True. And I was the one who cut his shirt off.
“But that was for treatment!”
Trying to push the memory of his abs out of my head, I slapped my cheeks.
“All done, honey.”
“Let me see.”
I turned around to look at Solen in the new tunic.
I estimated one size larger than I thought he needed…
And yet the shoulders fit perfectly. His arms were longer than I thought, his chest was broad, and his waist was narrower than I expected.
It was the most ideal inverted triangle body I’d ever seen.
“Any discomfort? Try raising your arms and rotate your shoulders.”
“It’s fine. The waist area’s a bit loose though.”
He flapped his arms like wings, and the extra fabric fluttered like sails.
I giggled and reached for the side of the tunic to measure his waist more closely.
“With a body like this… ready-made clothes probably won’t fit well. You’ll either need custom tailoring or handmade pieces.”
“I see… But tell me, is this how you take measurements at your shop?”
“Huh? What do you—gasp!”
Because the tunic was loose at the waist, it was hard to gauge the fit visually.
So I’d instinctively placed both hands on his waist.
Which made it look like I was hugging him.
“I-I’m sorry!”
“So much for starting slow—you skipped right to touching me… Actually, this reminds me. Isn’t giving clothes as gifts just a ploy to undress someone?”
“How can you remember that when you don’t even remember your name?!”
“Because it’s not pointless trivia! Besides, I like the way you call me ‘honey’ and ‘darling.’ We used to talk like that, huh?”
That soft, melting smile made my head spin.
