Chapter 2:As She Wonders If The Bread Is Toasting Right, The Days of Peaceful Mundanity Continue

After going through her morning routine, Shiori headed downstairs to the kitchen. Determined to make breakfast by herself, Shiori began rummaging through the refrigerator and cupboards for something to eat.

"Hmm, I wonder what I should make," Shiori pondered as she erratically scavenged all throughout the kitchen, setting random ingredients on the countertop, subsequently creating a mess in the process.

"Hmmm… Ah." As she was fishing around in the cupboards, Shiori's wandering gaze suddenly came to a halt, and her eyes lit up with profound elation. "That's it! I'll make this."

Shiori declared as she stood on her tippy toes and grabbed the potato bread from the top left cupboard. An exuberant smile formed from the corners of her lips as she opened the seemingly fresh pack of sliced bread. 

However, not soon after she opened it, a musty odor quickly traversed through the air until it eventually reached Shiori's breathing peripheral, causing her to involuntarily cover her nose. 

When she examined the packaging, Shiori noticed that the bread had expired a few days prior, although that much could be discerned based on the fact that the bread was moldy around the top corners. 

Shiori, however, didn't seem to mind, shrugging nonchalantly as she simply peeled off the moldy parts of the bread before tossing two slices into the toaster. 

"Hm-hm~ See that Mama? Even I can cook if I really want to," Shiori asserted with a smug grin as she dusted off her hands, unable to hide her feeling of satisfaction. 

As she waited for the bread to finish toasting, Shiori sat on one of the counter stools, closed her eyes, and began humming a catchy melody as she spun around. 

"~Do do do do do do~🖤"

"No more moldy bread for me~♡"

"~Do do do do do do~🖤"

"No more moldy cheese for me~♡"

"~Do do do do do do~🖤"

"No more locking me away~♡"

"~Do do do do do do~🖤"

"The one you hide is here to stay~♡"

Shiori quickly stopped spinning, and as she opened her eyes, still confused, a burning smell began to linger in the air. 

The unpleasant aroma swiftly made its way to Shiori's nose, causing her to involuntarily let out a series of dry coughs. 

"Where…," Shiori muttered, covering her nose as she meticulously scanned the kitchen, trying to locate the source of the sulfuric smell. 

When she noticed the smell was coming from the toaster, Shiori hopped off of the stool and walked over to it. 

"What's wrong?" Shiori asked, tilting her head in a cutesy manner as she fixed an inquisitive gaze on the kitchen appliance before her.

Needless to say, there was no response from the inanimate object. Shiori, fully expecting as much, brought her hand to her chin and tilted her head to the opposite side as she began pondering the conundrum laid before her.

Hmmm… Is it toasting right? Shiori thought to herself. Perhaps I should wiggle it around a little bit so that it doesn't burn…?

To Shiori, who had repeatedly eaten and grown to love potato bread, it would've been less than ideal for it to come out burned, though she likely would've still eaten it regardless. 

For a brief moment, Shiori paused, lost in thought, until suddenly—

"Ah!"

—a brilliant idea struck her like a bolt of lightning.

Wordlessly, Shiori trotted over to the kitchen drawer, grabbed a metal fork, and swiftly walked back to the toaster.

"Ei!" Shiori sounded, and without the slightest hint of hesitation, she stuck the fork inside of the toaster in an attempt to move the bread around.

The moment the fork came into contact with the toaster, blue sparks of electricity instantaneously began to fly chaotically around the area. 

Shiori, completely unfazed by the situation, continued to nonchalantly move the bread around for a bit longer before taking a step back and tilting her head in confusion as she watched as the toaster utterly short-circuit. 

Everything had happened so fast, no longer than a few brief seconds, so Shiori hadn't yet processed what exactly had just occurred or why there was smoke coming from the toaster.

And in the very next instance, a ding sound reverberated through the air, followed by two golden-brown slices of potato bread popping out of the toaster that, unbeknownst to Shiori, no longer could…

Shiori's eyes lit up with anticipation as the pleasant aroma of the bread made its way to her nose. Shiori, unable to contain her excitement, rushed to the drawer and grabbed a pair of scissors. Shiori hurriedly picked up a slice of bread with the scissors and took a small bite.

"...Delicious," Shiori murmured, her expression inscrutable for a brief moment. 

However, not long after taking a bite, a small, exuberant smile began forming from the corner of Shiori's lips as she continued to munch on the bread with a look of bliss and even a bit of pride plastered across her face.

"Oh dear, whatever is that smell?"

A voice, gentle and soothing, inquired aloud. The soft, mellifluous voice caught the attention of everyone present in the kitchen, and shortly after it sounded, the two cats dashed off towards it. 

Likewise, Shiori turned to look in the direction of the voice where the silhouette of a woman began coming into view.

An older woman with long black hair, clad in an all-black gothic lolita dress, emitted a mysterious yet gentle aura as she walked into the kitchen, accompanied by the two cats who were nuzzling against her leg. 

"Good morning, Mama," Shiori greeted in a muffled voice as she swallowed the rest of the potato bread in her mouth, nonchalantly taking another bite afterwards.

"Oh my, is that you Shio-chan? Good morning. What are you doing up this…early...dear?"

The woman's sentence slowly trailed off as she took in the chaotic scene laid before her. 

Shiori, in her pink dress pajamas, was casually standing in the kitchen with a pair of scissors in hand and a piece of bread hanging halfway out of her mouth. All the while, the toaster next to her had without a doubt been wholly broken, as evident by the smoke coming from inside of it.

"A-are you alright, dear?!" The woman asked, clearly(visibly) concerned. 

Shiori tilted her head quizzically, seemingly confused by her question. 

Suddenly, Shiori wordlessly pointed to herself, turned to, and pointed at the toaster, turned back to the woman, and then finally, with a subtly mischievous grin, she said, "Are you asking the toaster or me?"

The woman slumped over in dramatic fashion, letting out a deep sigh. "Of course I'm talking about you, silly."

"Hehe~," Shiori giggled heartily as she ambled over to the woman and hugged her.

The woman smiled, returning her embrace as she looked down at Shiori, expression filled with clear warmth and tenderness.

"So…," The woman started, briefly glancing at the smoking toaster, "Just what happened in here, Shio-chan?"

Shiori's eyes widened with sudden realization. "Ah, that's right. Here, try this, Mama," Shiori insisted, visibly excited as she enthusiastically grabbed the remaining slice of potato bread in the toaster and offered it to her.

"Oh my, did you make this all by yourself, dear?"

"That's right!" Shiori smugly replied, brimming with confidence as she placed her hands on her hips and held her chin high, puffing out her chest with great pride.

"Ufufu~ I see, I see," The woman mused, gracefully covering her mouth as she chuckled with delight. 

Having lived with Shiori for so long, the woman had come to know many different sides of the girl. As a result of her familiarity with how Shiori typically behaved, she couldn't help but find it amusing when she got to see the usually modest and reserved Shiori acting in such a manner. It honestly made her happy. That being said, it's because she didn't typically act this way that the woman knew just how much effort and sincerity Shiori must've put into making the potato bread.

That was why, regardless of how it tasted, the woman would reciprocate Shiori's feelings by sincerely praising her efforts.

"Well then, I'll graciously accept the food." The woman said, accepting the slice of bread from Shiori and taking a modest bite.

Shiori leaned forward, eyes wide, itching with anticipation as she intently watched the woman thoroughly chew the bread.

"What do you think? Delicious right?"

As she finished chewing and swallowing the rest of the bread, the woman closed her eyes and brought her hand to her chin, contemplating as she carefully chose her next words.

"Hmm."

"Hey… Say something," Shiori muttered, cheeks puffed out, expression pouty, as she pulled at the woman's sleeve in a manner unbecoming of a girl her age.

The woman inconspicuously opened one of her eyes to see Shiori pouting with her head slightly downcast. Though it had only been about a minute since she ate the bread, to the anxious Shiori, those 60 seconds of waiting for a response felt like an eternity.

Seeing that, the woman decided to stop teasing Shiori, gently pinching her cheek to get her attention. "Yeah, just as I thought, it really is delicious. As expected of my Shio-chan," she said with a gentle smile while patting Shiori's head.

When she heard those words, Shiori beamed, radiant with joy as she clung onto the woman, giggling heartily.

"Oh, but Shio-chan?" 

"Yes Mama?"

"Make sure you check the expiration date before you cook anything, alright, dear?"

Though she was slightly confused, Shiori nodded anyway and the woman in turn patted her head once more, satisfied by her answer.

"By the way," the woman began to say, her tone, though still gentle, suddenly becoming more serious, "I know I've told you this before, but you don't have to call me 'Mama', you know. You can just call me Mumin if you want, dear."

"Ehhh… Why? Mama is Mama after all."

As the clouds outside drifted, the bright morning sunlight was suddenly covered by the altostratus, stripping the room of both its light and warmth. 

The woman slowly shook her head, gently caressing Shiori's cheek as she smiled softly, a tinge of pain lingering deep within her eyes. "Of course, I don't mind it, and it makes me happy that you would call me that way, but… you only have one mom. You understand that, right, dear?"

"That's true but…"

Shiori lowered her head, slightly dejected as her words trailed off and she began ruminating.

Contrary to her aloof and lax nature, Shiori was very stubborn when it came to this particular subject. For as long as Shiori could remember, Mumin had always been a kind-hearted and empathetic person. When she had nowhere to turn to, no one to turn to, it was Mumin that took her in and raised her as if she were her own child. It was not her own parents, but Mumin that cared for her, nurtured her, taught her many things, showed her unconditional kindness, listened to her, encouraged her interest, and always, no matter what, made time for her. Not only did Mumin genuinely love Shiori, but she made sure that Shiori herself knew she was loved, something that, up until that point, she hadn't felt, much less been told, a single time in her entire life. She wasn't just like family, but a best friend and role model to Shiori—someone she aspired to be like. So while everything she's done for Shiori may have just been second nature to her, not even worth mentioning, to Shiori, who had been devoid of and yearned for those simplicities, not a single one of those small gestures of kindness and love went unappreciated. As far as Shiori was concerned, calling Mumin "Mama" wasn't something she did out of obligation, but something she wanted to do as a way to express just how important Mumin was to her. So much so that, in spite of the love she had for her own late mother, she would still address someone else as such. Only because it was her. Because, in Shiori's mind, Mumin was the one and only person she had in this world. And because she meant more to Shiori than anyone else possibly ever could. 

She definitely wouldn't back down on this no matter what.

Suddenly, the room began to grow ever so slightly warmer as numerous rays of sunlight slowly started to creep through the kitchen window, illuminating the girl at its center.

"Then… I'll call you Muminmama," Shiori declared, flashing a radiant smile, accentuated by the sunlight beaming down on her, and so captivatingly beautiful that it left no room for rebuttal. 

Mumin's eyes widened in surprise for a moment, and before she knew it, her vision had grown blurry in spite of herself as her face relaxed into a warm smile and she let out a sigh of capitulation. "I just can't win against you, can I, Shio-chan?"

"Hehe~ I love you, Muminmama."

As she heard those oh-so-familiar words, an image strikingly similar to one she'd seen many times before flashed through Mumin's mind. Slowly, Mumin shook her head, a distant tenderness in her eyes as she looked at Shiori and thought, This is fine. I'm sure she wouldn't mind me coddling her just a bit more. After all, it's my job to spoil her rotten.

"Not like that, dear. Call me as you always have."

Shiori tilted her head, perplexed for a brief moment before realization struck and she turned to Mumin, wide-eyed.

Wordlessly, Mumin nodded, gesturing for Shiori to try again with her eyes.

"I love you, Mama!" Shiori said as she wasted no time glomping onto Mumin, burying her face into her chest whilst giggling blissfully.

"I love you more, dear."

As the two embraced near the still smoking toaster, basking in the warmth and affection of one another, the moment was abruptly ruined by the sound of Shiori's rumbling stomach.

"Ah."

"Fufu~ I suppose that wouldn't be enough to fill you up, now would it?" Mumin thought aloud, lightly chuckling to herself. "Shall I make breakfast for the four of us then?"

The two cats purred in unison and Shiori nodded eagerly in response. Mumin, delighted by their responses, smiled as she began putting on an apron and started gathering ingredients.

"Just wait for a little bit; I'll be finished soon, dear."

"Mm." Shiori nodded once more as she grabbed the book she'd brought down with her and made her way to the living room, accompanied by Salt and Pepper.

The two cats cuddled next to Shiori as she plopped onto the couch, preparing to immerse herself in another story.

"Hm? That's weird. I could've sworn I just bought a new bottle a couple of days ago," Mumin muttered to herself from the kitchen, Shiori long since out of earshot. "Hey, Shio-chan, do you know where the sea salt is?"

"No clue," Shiori replied immediately, eyes still glued to her book.

"I see. Well, I suppose we'll just have to go buy some more later after I finish my work for the day." 

"Mm, sounds good to me," Shiori said nonchalantly as she finished up the final paragraph and prepared to flip to the next page of yet another story that had piqued her interest. 

For as long as they'd lived together, Shiori had always been a very honest girl. Because of that, Mumin almost always took Shiori's word as truth. And while that may have been the case 99% of the time, when it came to the whereabouts of the sea salt, Shiori lied as naturally as she breathed.

 Truly, what a mysterious girl she was.

 End of Part 1