Morning, Back to School, Adoption?

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After the study session with Miharu and Eve, we had dinner together with Papa, and Miharu's mom joined us. 

Later, Miharu left the house with her mom, who had visited our house for a while. I sat in the living room with Papa, Mama, and Eve.

I stayed quite late this night because I spent the night with my family since they thought I was always there. In reality I was in a different world for over 5 years. Those 5 years made me appreciate this feeling of longing that I've never experienced before. 

We talk while watching a movie until we realize that Eve was already asleep on my arms wetting my shirt with her drool. I smiled helplessly as I carried her into my room and I tucked her into her blanket as I lay beside her.

"Good night, Eva." I whispered dotingly to her after kissing her on the forehead which caused her to smile in her sleep. Closing my eyes, I fell asleep within seconds.

---

Yawn…

I yawned as I walked downstairs in my uniform, thinking too lazy to go to school. I watched Mama who was already preparing pane e marmellata for breakfast with sloppy pajamas which made her look like an unkept mother, though she still looks beautiful. Pane e marmellata is basically bread with jam, a simple and common breakfast option.

Yawn… "Adam, sit down and have breakfast." She said while sitting down with half of her eyelid closed. Her face literally tells the outsiders 'I'm sleepy!'

"Mama, can you fix your image before going out of your bedroom?" I rolled my eyes at her as I started to fix her pajamas and combed her hair like I always do in the morning with the comb I just conjured in a daze.

"Hehe, thank you, Adam. It's okay, we're still in the house, there's no one else here, and I'm used to being taken care of by you" She said, hugging me after I finished combing her hair.

'But there's me!' I held myself back from questioning her about my existence.

"Huh? When did you have this comb? Is it new? And it's like it's made of jade." She exclaimed after snatching the comb in my hand. "Did you buy this with your own money?"

"Yes, I bought this comb because I always take care of you and Eve's hair, and I thought, 'Why not invest in a high-quality one?' something along those lines." I lied with a straight face but a gentle smile. Her expression turned slightly guilty as she turned her head to the side, knowing that despite being her son, I often took care of her. Yet, I knew that tomorrow she would remain as sloppy as always.

"Hehehe… now, now, you should go to school before Eva-chan realizes her brother is gone and starts pestering you not to go. Oh, don't forget your lunch." She said, changing the subject. She pushed me towards the door as she handed me my bento.

Bang!

I watched blankly at the door which was closed by Mama before sighing at her antics. 

Walking along the road leisurely, I stopped at a house. I rang the bell, and as I did, the door opened automatically after a while. Peering inside, I saw three girls sitting in the dining room. After taking off my shoes in the foyer, I walked into the house.

"Excuse me. Good morning, Anna-nee, Charlotte-nee, Cosette" I greeted them with a gentle smile.

"Good morning, Adam, come in. you can sit there while waiting for Cosette to finish her breakfast." Charlotte said. 

Charlotte Schneider is Cosette's eldest sister who unfortunately is disabled. Although she is disabled, she didn't become depressed, but she used her talent in scientific research to make her life more convenient, such as the automatic door which she herself designed. I'm not going to be surprised if she invented an exoskeleton to support her disabled legs with her own talent in technology. 

If I were to start my own company in the future, I would be planning to hire her in my future company.

"Did you have your breakfast, Adam?" Anna asked me. Anna Schneider, Cosette second sister. Like her eldest sister, both of them have orange hair which is quite unique if they were placed in the previous earth where I lived. Though in this world, it's not unique as there are many people with different colored hair. 

Anna Schneider is only 10 years old, which is 2 years younger than her elder sister who is 12 years old. While Charlotte is a genius, Anna has not yet discovered her talent. Despite not yet finding her passion, she still lives an ordinary life while helping her elder sister move around. She has a role as a caretaker for both sisters as she is the most sensible in the family.

"Wait for a moment, Adam!." Meanwhile Cosette began to munch her breakfast faster after seeing me sit down.

"Slow down, Cosette. It's still too early if we leave now. If you eat too fast, you can choke on your own food." I said to Cosette as she nodded.

…

After finishing her breakfast while I talk with both Charlotte and Anna, I and Cosette leave her house towards the school. 

"Hey Adam, why do you always sing unfamiliar songs?" she asked me suddenly, curious as I often hum an unfamiliar song.

"Oh, that. It's just a moment of musical imagination that comes to my mind. What? Is it that good?" I said nonchalantly, making me more like a genius. Which I am.

"It's heavenly! Do you want to become a singer in the future?" she said, looking at me with a sparkling eye.

"Maybe not, my dream is to become a tycoon. And my song is exclusive, not for everyone to listen to." I said with a smug look which made her giggle.

"Then, can you let me listen to your song forever?" She asks me innocently with puppy eyes, afraid she cannot hear me singing over again.

'Girl, what you said is like a confession. Thankfully you're just an innocent kid, if not I might misunderstand.' I thought about what I should reply.

"Adam?" she called out to me seeing me in daze.

"Oh, you can, you just have to ask me." I smiled at her gently.

"Yay! I'm going to tell Yori." she yelled, skipping to show her excitement, but then abruptly halted in her tracks. 

"Hey, Adam. Do you think I should learn to play an instrument? You can play so many instruments, and Yori, thanks to your teaching, can play the guitar. But me? I can't play anything." she said with a sad tone which made people want to comfort her, including me.

"I can't decide for you, Cosette, but do you want to play? If so, we can try some instruments by going to a music shop tomorrow. We can invite the others to play outside as well." I said, improving her mood and making her thoughtful.

"Sure, let's invite others too. Although I said that, I don't know if I liked to play or not, but I like it when you and Yori play a song, it's like 'so cool!' like that."

"I bet you'd look cute too if you learn to play," I encouraged her smile brightly. Truthfully, I want her to learn some kind of musical instrument, as learning music can offer her many benefits, such as improving memory when learning something new, finding stress relief through music, and more.

We talked as we reached school and parted ways because she and I are not in the same class as I'm in the class with Raku.

"Good morning, Raku." I said sitting down beside his seat.

…

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At lunch break, I gathered in the cafeteria with Raku, Cosette, Yori, and Shouko. Unlike the other students, who would play outside and make noise, we always appeared calmer. I suppose it's because of my influence, as I tend to appear calm and mature except for Cosette who looks cheerful as always. As they say, 'The company you keep defines who you are.'

"Hey everyone, I was thinking of going out with Cosette tomorrow. Would you guys like to join? we're planning to visit a music store." I said, inviting them. Though we cannot play too far away since we are still a little kid making 

"Yes, let's go everyone!" Cosette said cheerfully.

"Sure, but let me inform the house first." Raku said without hesitation. He must be excited, as he always wants to relax for a while. At home, he spends most of his time studying or learning how to cook as a hobby.

"I can join." Yori said after seeing Cosette's pleading eyes. I bet she is curious about music stores too, as she has never been in one. So, you may ask, where did Yori get her first guitar? Her father passed his guitar onto her after she decided to learn singing. He suggested that while she learns to sing, she can learn guitar simultaneously.

"I'm sorry, everyone, I can't join. Later my family and I are planning to stay at my grandmother's house as tomorrow is the weekend" Shouko said sadly, barely audible, but the others still heard her as they were used to it. Yup, you read it right, Shouko can talk. Though she can talk only with her close friends, it is still a progress.

"It's okay, Shouko. We can still play together in the future. How about next weekend we go out together again?" I said comforting Shouko who was still expressionless but tears were about to burst out of her eyes.

She nodded happily without the trace of tears that I saw earlier.

…

After lunch break, we go to class to continue our study while I prepare my plan to plead to Mama to adopt Milim.

Sigh… 'I hope it goes well.' I sigh mentally.

---

As I walked home with Milim in hand and Gaia following beside Milim in her husky form, who was wearing tattered clothes and had a pitifully dirty face, I couldn't help but admit that women are natural born actors. Even Milim who is usually childish could contort her face in a way that subconsciously evoked sympathy from other people.

Opening the door of my house I bring Milim in the house.

"I'm back, Mama, Eva-chan! We got a guest." I yelled.

"Ni-chan!" Eve ran towards me cheerfully as I arrived in the living room. I quickly scoop her up and carry her, who starts looking at Milim curiously.

"Welcome back, Adam. Ahh-" Mama said, before getting startled after seeing the guest who I brought home.

"Who is this?" Mama asked me with sympathy while wiping Milim's face after fetching a handkerchief in a hurry.

"Her name is Milim. I found her like this, asleep in the alley. She says she can't remember anything besides her name." I explained sadly, knowing it would stir more sympathy from Mama. While I disliked manipulating my parents' emotions, I had to do this for Milim's sake, hoping they would agree to adopt her. 

Deep down, I knew Mama's sympathy would be accompanied by her natural caution. Being a noble, she was always vigilant about strangers, especially those with unknown backgrounds.

'I will definitely say sorry to Mama after I confess about my power to her and Papa.' I told myself mentally.

"So what are you planning, Adam?" She said looking into my eyes. As I matured enough in her mind, she must realize maybe I got some plan about her 

"Hmm... can we adopt her? She looks so poor. We can have another sister, and maybe she can play with Eva-chan." I said after pretending to think for a while.

"Me?" Eve looked confused as her name suddenly mentioned. She looked at the pinked hair sister who looked dirty. She got off my hand and started walking towards Milim.

Meanwhile Milim, slightly astonished by Eve's behavior as Eve grabs her hand. Even I astonished myself by how fearless Eve is.

"New sister?" She said to Milim, tilting her head cutely.

"Ah, n-no! I'm dirty." Milim said hurriedly, taking her hand off gently from Eve's grasp as she genuinely afraid of making Eve dirty as she is not used to being called a sister which made her a little flustered.

"Uwaaaa… New big sister hates me!." Eva-chan starts crying after being rejected by Milim.

"What?! What should I do?!" Milim started to genuinely panic as she looked at me for help.

I scooped Eve again in my arm as she was still crying. "Calm down, Eva-chan. You see her hand is dirty, she doesn't want you to become dirty as well. She meant it for your good, you know."

"Umu…" Eve nodded while sniffling as the after-effect of crying. What an understanding girl, managed to stop her tears that fast.

Sigh… "Let me discuss it with your father. You should wash her first since she is very dirty." Mama said with a tired tone as she knows adopting is not a small matter.

"I know. Come here, Milim, let's take a bath. Eva-chan, do you want to follow us?" I said to Milim and asked Eve, while casting a silent glance at Mama with pitiful eyes, prompting her to wave her hand, urging me to hurry.

"Umu…" Eve said while hugging my neck and burying her head on my chest as she doesnt want her red eye not to be seen by her brother which made me giggle. 

Then Me, Eve and Milim go upstairs to take a bath together leaving Mama lost in thought.