The Most Beautiful Girl in School Has Become a Mother

In the end, it seems I had dozed off in the living room for a few hours. I woke up to the sound of cooking coming from the kitchen.

When I opened my eyes, Miori was once again tying her hair and standing in the kitchen. Next to her was Shuri, looking up at her with sparkling eyes.

“Ah, good morning. Or rather, good evening, I guess?”

After seeing me wake up, Miori gave a slightly mischievous smile. Was she trying to get back at me for this morning’s exchange?

“That’s right. Good evening, then.”

I shrugged my shoulders without particularly arguing back.

Upon looking outside, it was already getting dark. The time was just past 5:30 PM, and there was no room for argument. I must have been sleeping quite soundly.

“Wait… could it be that you’re also making dinner for us?”

“Yeah. I had some leftover ingredients for Napolitan, so I just used that and whatever was in the fridge, but it’s all thrown together.”

On the cutting board, several vegetables are chopped, and in the bowl, there are beaten eggs.

“Omurice!”

Before I could ask what she was making, Shuri told me.

Napolitan and omelette rice, huh? It’s not an exaggeration to say these dishes rank in the top five of children’s favorite foods.

“Since you can make it with almost the same ingredients as Napolitan, I recommend it.”

“It’s easy, you know,” Miori added as she lit the stove.

“Will you have dinner with us too?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m eating at home again tonight, so I’ll just be cooking.”

Hearing that made me feel disappointed.

Yeah… I wanted her to stay here longer.

“I see… I feel kind of bad about everything.”

I put on a faint smile while hiding that feeling of disappointment.

It is not good to ask her for more. Surely, she is already pushing herself more than enough.

And, it is not for me. It is for Shuri. It was obvious that my desires should not be mixed in there.

“No, it’s fine. I want Shuri-chan to eat something delicious. Right, Shuri-chan?”

“Yeah! I want to eat more of Mom’s cooking!”

For a brief moment of about half an hour, the parent and child exchanged smiles.

After that, while being taught how to make “mom’s” special omurice, I watched her cook. I barely registered her explanations halfway through; I was just burning her figure into my memory.

She was standing in the kitchen, and Shuri looked so happy… If I were a working adult, truly a “dad,” I would do anything to protect this scene. It made me feel that way.

Perhaps, fathers out there work hard every day, sweating and toiling, to protect such scenes. My dad, however, lost even the scenes he was supposed to protect, which is why he never came back.

──Just live in this house already, Miori.

Such a desire suddenly crosses my mind, but there’s no way I can say it.

Miori and I are neither “dad” nor “mom,” just classmates. For these past two days, we’ve merely been fulfilling Shuri’s wishes, nothing more than an exaggerated pretend meal game.

Thinking about that made me a little lonely. This strange familiarity I feel with her only exists because Shuri is here, and the moment Shuri is gone, we will just return to being classmates.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a picture book of “Cinderella.” It was one of the picture books that Miori had brought for me.

Perhaps it’s because it’s a picture book meant for children. It’s drawn in a much cuter style than the Cinderella I had imagined.

Cinderella attends the castle’s dance party after obtaining a carriage and a dress through the witch’s magic. However, that magic is temporary and will break as soon as the clock strikes twelve. What kind of feelings did she have when she had to leave the prince’s side before the magic wore off?

This current state is almost the same as when Cinderella was under the spell.

This situation is an illusion spell cast on us by a magician named Shuri. And that spell will break when Shuri no longer feels the need for this “meal play.” Just like the carriage turning back into a pumpkin, the magic that allows us to be “dad” and “mom” will also break. At that moment, what kind of feelings will I have?

It felt just like Cinderella at the moment the magic wore off.

“Alright, everyone pays attention. Here, we’re going to add the honey that Isaki-kun has been mocking so much!”

“Wait, are you serious?! You put honey in omelets too?!”

“Wow, honey~!”

Imiya Miori’s cooking class continued after that.

This was the first time our kitchen had been this bright since Shuri was born.

But this is also a gift of that magic. And I never know when the magic will wear off.

──If only we had truly been a couple and parent and child.

Thinking about such childish things, it seems I am still quite far from being an adult.

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