From the counter, Izumi noticed Kou calling the guard and rushed for help. It may be an urgent emergency, and Izumi wanted to know more about the situation. However, it took minutes until the clerk finished scanning her grocery barcodes. When she set off from the store, she stared at Kou's grocery bag that stood in solitude. She wanted to look further on what happened, but… She passed on her mother who was walking on the sidewalk.
"Izumi?"
"Mom… I just finished my groceries. I want to go home with you."
Her mother nodded, her glare soon shifted towards the lying shopping bag. "Whose bag is that?"
"Uhm… It's a passing stranger's bag."
"I see. Why does that bag have so many unhealthy things? Did you pass on an Otaku?"
"N–No, Mom."
"No matter what happens, stay away from those creeps. They're far more dangerous than you thought."
Her mom led the way home. Izumi pressed her lips before she replied, "I know, Mom. You always remind me of that."
***
"Is that a guard?"
"That's a guard! Let's get out of here!"
"But… Our pictures were…"
"Never mind that! As long as we hide… Heck, he's running!"
Just as the thugs talked about their escape, the guard already ran towards them. They let go of their grip on Sera and screamed away on their escape. Sera kneeled on the ground, losing all of her energy, her mind grasped another inevitable trauma. Kou rushed towards Sera who covered the tear on her clothes, and helped her stand.
"Are you alright? I shouldn't have left you wandering."
"Where… am I?" Sera's chest contracted repeatedly, synchronizing her hastened heartbeats. Her emerald-green eyes that appear red fixed a darting gaze on the ground, her vision blurred by her tears. She muttered, "No one knew where my home was… I don't know where to look… I… just wanted to go home…"
Her wail echoed across the whole alleyway. She buried her eyes onto Kou's shoulder, he embraced her, rubbing her back. With a soothing tone, he replied, "The sad part is… it's rare to find a kind person nowadays. Wandering alone was already a threat to oneself. Shizu-sama once lost her home, but she found a purpose the moment her journey went on. You may be lost, but… you'll soon find your path."
"I… I don't know what to do… There's no place where I belong here…"
Rubbing her head, Kou shook his head and replied, "That wasn't always the case, Sera. You're welcome to us, to me and Mom."
"I don't deserve it…"
"You wouldn't know unless we try."
Sera wasn't a stray cat, creatures that Maki wouldn't like. Knowing what happened to hear, he is assured that his mother would take care of her temporarily.
The moment the guard came back, Kou handed a copy of the image to him. Though they failed to catch the thugs, they still have the alliance of the police to search for them. Kou mentioned that he wanted Sera's identity to be anonymous. She already had too much trauma from those blue guys.
Kou went home together with Sera. The fragments of Akiba's incident might still be lingering within him, but he had no other option to make her feel safe. Food, clothing, shelter, and longing, fate took everything that she possessed. Maki felt joy when she saw Sera again, but her mouth downturned, witnessing what happened to her appearance, especially her clothes.
"What happened!?"
"Some thugs tried to do nasty things to this girl. Sera doesn't have home and money to survive. She might've been stalked… But that doesn't mean I like her. I only have interest in 2D girls."
"Sera… was her name, huh? Sera-chan, are you alright?"
With her hand still on her chest, Sera stared blankly and failed to respond to Maki. It was too much for her to grasp what previously happened to her. Knowing how difficult it was for her to adapt, Maki rushed to and embraced her, gently rubbing her head and her back.
"You're lost, aren't you? It's okay to feel sad and confused. Everyone will go through that same experience as you, and I understand that. You know, I'm also lost when I set foot in this place. It may take time to ease the pain that you're feeling now. If, in any case, I can protect you, I wouldn't hesitate."
Sera's once-dimmed pupils appeared lively. Losing all the tears she cried earlier, she felt very exhausted. However, it was the first time she experienced the loving and caring of a mother. With a warm smile, she whispered, "I'm… glad…"
What mother's love felt like? She never had an answer. The king of Percyne Kingdom raised her solely while being busy managing their town. Though he lacked the time to spend with Sera, he put all of his love in those limited moments. Though she lacked a mother, she felt content… not until now. So this is how having a mother should feel.
Witnessing Sera's clothes, Maki felt that she needed a change, but judging her smell, there should be a priority first. Sera went with Maki towards the bathroom, a flowerless place with a lingering floral aroma. While she watched Maki adjust the knobs of the bathtub, she asked, "What is that?"
"Don't you want to take a bath? This is a bathtub…" Maki only took a minute to explain what it is to Sera. Continuing… "You're a pretty girl. How did you survive a day without cleansing?"
Sera left no response. When Maki finished balancing the temperature of the bathtub, she pulled up Sera's clothes, but Sera stopped her, squealing with a reddened face. "W–What are you doing!?"
"We don't bathe with clothes on, right? Also, these need to be changed. I may still have some clothes that will fit you."
Considering Maki was also a female, Sera lifted her walls called trust and went along with Maki's instructions. Maki noticed the broken brooch when Sera detached it from her hair. With narrowed eyes, she asked, "Who gave that to you?"
Holding the brooch, Sera pivoted at her. "It was given by my father. He said that it was blessed by the spirits which our ancestors believed. They also said that it will protect me from danger."
"… You know, even if the main gem was pierced in half, it will still be a treasure for the thieves. You're lucky this wasn't stolen from you. I would suggest that you hide that from the public sight."
"I want to… but where?"
"Oh, would you mind if I'll hide it for you? I have no ill intentions. You can always retrieve it from me once you find your way home."
"I'm not thinking of that. You… you've done so much for me. If not for you, I wouldn't feel the comfort I needed. I would like to request to hide this in your hands, Mom," Sera said, handing the brooch to her.
Mom? She called me Mom! This cute adorable otherworldly creature… YIIEEE! I can't think straight! Though the brooch was already in her palm, Maki silently stared at it for a minute, her face puffed and reddened. She clenched her other fist to suppress the adoration and nervousness she felt. However, Sera noticed the awkward silence.
"Is something wrong?"
Maki shook her head rapidly. "N–No! I'm just wondering why you called me Mom, even though I'm not your mother?"
"Does that name mean a mother? I'm sorry, I don't know. I only followed how Kou called you." Modern naming conventions like this don't exist in another world. Hence, Sera only knew that Mother and Father were the only ways to call her parents.
"My legal name is Maki. But I'm not offended when you call me Mom. Instead, it was pleasing," Maki replied, her eyes closed and her lips smiled with warmth.
"Is that alright?"
"Yep! Oops! The water is getting cold. Why don't you step in? I'll teach you how we take a bath so you can do it independently in the future."
After removing her underwear, Sera stepped into the bathtub. The moment her foot touched the water, she felt like the balanced warmth was pulling her in, unlike the chilly river waters that pushed her body out. Due to the secrecy of the kingdom's location for protection, elves only depended on the nearby river to take a bath.
"It's perfectly warm…"
For ten minutes, Sera dipped her body in the bath as Maki taught her how to use toiletries like soap, shampoos, conditioners, and so on. For convenience, Maki told her how to use the toilet to empty one's bladder and to answer nature's call. When she was confident that Sera learned all that she needed to know, she left the bathroom to collect spare pajamas for her.
Maki prepared the aromatic roasted beef and warm broth soup on the dining table. When Sera, in her pajamas, entered the dining room, Kou's eyes widened, thinking, Oh my holy baby! Shizu-sama in Mom's pajamas!
""Thank you for the food!"" Kou and Maki clasped their hands and uttered before they gripped their utensils before eating. Later realizing that this was a cultural appreciation for being blessed by the divine, Sera imitated the same action and muttered, "Thank you for the food."
Sera stared only at the two who took their spoon and forks and ate. Since her hunger remained for a day, she shouldn't be able to resist the urge to eat. As Maki chewed her food, she noticed Sera immobilized by cultural differences.
"Haven't you used a spoon before?" Maki asked. Sera nodded and left a slumped posture.
Kou stopped midway his meal and raised his utensils. "This is how you hold those. It's helpful when you want to eat hot food without burning your hands. Did you use your hands to eat before?"
"I never thought this is how humans eat." In the other world, the common delicacies were roasted meat, fish, and fresh forest vegetables. These were usually served with sticks, and the human knowledge of eating with utensils was foreign to them.
"Humans? How did you eat in your ancient years? You're too much in character."
"Sera-chan, why don't you try holding the utensils? You just need to grip the handle."
As Maki instructed, Sera held the utensils with her hands, trembling due to weakness and lack of experience. Scooped the rice on her spoon and stabbed the pork with a fork. When she took a bite of the meat alongside the rice, her eyes appeared watery, her body immobilized. Her lips quivering, she muttered, "D–Delicious…," then gobbled her food to fill her stomach.
She was very flexible. Showing a soft smile, Maki didn't eat and watched Sera instead. Her chest lightened, she asked, "Hmm… Why don't you stay here for a moment?"
"Pfft!" Kou, whose mouth was currently full, unconsciously halted a swallow and coughed repeatedly from choking. "M–Mom! I understand her current difficulties, but why take her in!? We only have two rooms!"
While chomping the food, Sera said, "Mom… That is too much… I don't deserve this grace."
"Why are you calling her Mom too!?"
"It's alright, Kou-chan. Sera-chan doesn't mean any harm, and she felt like a daughter to me."
"Are you planning to adopt her? Where will she sleep!?"
"Adopt!? Is adoption common in this world?"
"World? You're so in-character again."
"You two can share rooms temporarily, Kou-chan. I know you're a good boy, hence you're not going to do something I wouldn't like."
Sera put down the utensils, drank a glass of water, and spoke, "But Mom, why are you trusting me this much? I'm just a nobody. Even my father tells me that humans are greedy creatures. Though I believed that some of them were good, including you, but still… I haven't done anything for you to deserve this."
"Hmm…" Maki pinched her chin and grunted until an idea came into her. "What if you helped me with the house chores? It's like you've taken a job; your shelter, food, and other needs are our payment. How's that sound?"
"But… I still need to go back to my home. My father needs me."
"We'll help you with that. It will be troublesome if you're unfamiliar with this place and you're searching alone. If you haven't found your home yet, or you don't have any clues to find it, you can stay with us at the moment. We'll always welcome you. Right, Kou?"
"As long as she doesn't tamper my materials in my room, I'm all set."
"Won't you feel uncomfortable that you're with a girl sharing a room?"
"I told you, Mom. I only liked 2D girls."
In doubt, Sera pressed her lips. She gazed at her hands that held the utensils while thinking which offer was the best for her. She can't stay cold sleeping inside a public slide in the park. She still doesn't consider Maki's place as home, but staying there will greatly help her in her search. However, a question of trust still lingered inside her heart.
"Don't you doubt me? Even though I'm far different from you, Kou, and the other people living in this land?"
Maki's warm upturned lips calmed the astray Sera's heart, giving her the assurance that everything will be fine. It was Maki's superpower as a mother, a feeling that Sera never experienced in her life. "Whether you're an elf, a real one or a cosplayer, all I can see was a lost child looking for her home. That and my motivation to help you won't change. If there's something that bugs you, feel free to open them up to me. You can always think of me as your mother."
Tears shredded down her eyes when she realized that a family with only her father was far from complete. It was like she just saw a major hole in her heart covered by a tape called illusion. The moment she made her decision, she uttered, "As long as I'll be able to return these offers to you… I would gladly help. Thank you very much for "
Kou pivoted his view away from Sera, pouted, and muttered, "I–I'm just relieved that you've thanked Mom ever since you suddenly left."