"Daddy!"
Zaira exclaimed as she rushed towards me.
She looked just like I remember her.
Way too cute.
Her slightly long brown hair jumped around as she ran while her blue eyes fixed on me.
I kneeled down as she hugged me tightly.
"How have you been?" I asked, smiling as I patted her head.
"I was thinking about you!" she exclaimed, jumping back to look at my face.
"Really?" I asked, smiling as I stood up. "I was thinking about you as well."
"Why only me?" she asked, opening her arms wide, making me pick her up. "Why don't you think about Mama?"
I smiled gently as I adjusted her in my arms. "Of course I do."
"Really?" she asked expectantly. "You do?"
"I think about her as much as I do about you," I replied, kissing her head gently.
"But you only think about her," she mumbled, her shoulders slumped down. "You don't love her."
"How could I not love someone who gave me a daughter like you?" I replied, smiling as I pinched her cheek.
[You sure took your sweet time to accept reality.]
'Do me a favor and mute yourself.'
[Haha, no.]
"I knew it!" Zaira clapped her hands while she looked over my shoulder. "Daddy loves you, Mama!"
"..."
I froze in my place.
No way.
Did she just set me up?
I sighed as I slowly turned around.
A woman came into my view.
She had long curly ash-grey hair tied in a ponytail that cascaded behind her back.
Wearing a slightly long skirt and a white shirt over it, she wore a black overcoat.
Her body oozed a motherly aura while her grey eyes behind the glasses stared at me.
"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously as she walked closer.
"I, uh." I took a step back with a light smile while I tried to control my anxiety.
How am I supposed to talk with her?
I barely know anything about her apart from the game.
And she was a fucking maniac there.
Someone who killed hundreds without batting an eye.
I swear she isn't someone who should be taken lightly.
"Don't bully Daddy!" Zaira exclaimed, wrapping her hands around me.
"Who is getting bullied?" I scoffed, getting a hold of myself. "Your mother doesn't scare me."
"Really now?" Valeria asked with a sweet smile.
Shit.
"I wanted to spend some time with Zaira," I replied, staring into her eyes.
[Running away?]
'It's called a tactical retreat, useless system.'
"And?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Can I take her out?" I asked, squeezing the girl in my arms while I felt a little weird.
Isn't she my daughter as well?
Why am I taking permission now?
Valeria flicked her wrist as she looked at her watch. She slowly mumbled, "I will be free for a few hours."
"What?" Startled, I asked.
She turned back to look at me. "You don't expect to leave my daughter alone with you, right?"
"I mean, technically she is my... Right."
I quieted down as I averted my gaze.
"Where are we going?" Zaira asked, expectantly looking at me.
"Hmm, let's see." I thought as I closed my eyes.
The star energy leaked out of my body while a 3D image formed in my mind.
I connected to the farthest node as I wrapped the space around us.
"Woah!" Zaira exclaimed, startled as the world shifted around her. "Do it again!"
I connected to another node as we reached a different place.
And after three more warps, we finally arrived at the main market of the capital city.
The place buzzed with people, with stalls and shops built around either side.
A few of the people looked towards us in surprise.
But I chose to ignore them as I looked at Zaira. "Where do you want to go?"
"First, I want something to eat," she said, looking at me.
"What?"
"Ice cream."
"No." Both our heads turned towards Valeria, who arrived beside us. "You already had ice cream in the morning."
"B-but, Mama—"
"Don't make me repeat myself." Valeria flicked her forehead. "Let's go eat something else."
"Daddy." Zaira looked at me pleadingly.
"We should listen to your mother," I replied with a gentle smile as I patted her head.
She hid her face in my chest while Valeria took us towards a restaurant.
"....So, you were taking classes?" I asked, trying to melt the awkwardness between us.
"Yes," she replied, glancing back at me.
"And you take Zaira with you?" I asked, rubbing the girl's back.
"I don't like to keep her out of my sight," she replied, her voice soft. "...She is way too precious to me."
"...I see," I replied dryly, gazing while I matched her step. "Must be hard being a single mother."
She glanced at me without uttering a word.
Ahh.
Maybe I shouldn't have asked that.
I am talking like I am some outsider.
"Let's go inside," Valeria said, turning towards a restaurant.
We followed behind her.
"Hm?" I looked down at Zaira while she tugged at my shirt.
"Mama likes cheesecake," she whispered softly in my ear.
I tilted my head in confusion while Valeria took a seat.
"What would you like to order?" she asked, passing the menu to me.
"I want cheesecake," I replied without opening it. "So does Zaira."
"Hm, hm." Zaira nodded in response.
The waiter walked towards us while Valeria kept glancing at both of us.
"Three cheesecakes," she ordered while the waiter nodded.
Her gaze flicked back towards me while I averted my gaze away.
"Where have you been these days?" Zaira asked, while I made her sit on the table, placing her between me and Valeria.
"I was helping a friend of mine," I replied with a light smile. "So, she can meet with her mother."
"She?" Valeria's voice echoed behind her.
Zaira tilted her body, bringing us face-to-face.
"....Yeah."
"What a coincidence," Valeria replied with a sweet smile. "Some of my students were also absent the last few days."
"Coincidence indeed," I replied, averting my gaze.
Now that I think about it...
Isn't she the one who is teaching both Elysia and Nadya?
"..."
We quietly sat waiting for the cake.
Valeria kept staring at me while I played with Zaira.
"Hey," Valeria called, making me look towards her.
"Yeah?"
She hesitated for a while.
In the end, she parted her lips as she gently asked.
"What am I to you?"