"Mercedes?" Regine, who had recently returned after going out for a short while, saw her eldest daughter. She was shaken down to her core, and her doubts began to clear themselves. She thought of the circumstances in the morning as hallucinations.
But it looks like she was wrong. Her eldest daughter was actually going out of her room. And that wasn't even the most shocking part of what she had discovered. The gremlin, or Mercedes, was actually cleaning the house.
'Is this a dream?' Regine couldn't help but doubt before shaking her head. This was reality, and Mercedes was actually standing in front of her, holding a duster.
On the outside, Regine didn't have that much of a reaction, though within, she was so delighted that it was hard for her to think clearly.
The two began a staring contest that lasted for a minute. It was awkward between the two. Mercedes didn't have the confidence to start a conversation with her mother. While Regine was analyzing every outcome of the things she could say.
However, not wanting to waste more time, Regine decided to take a risk.
"You're actually cleaning the house... Well, ehem, that wasn't what I meant." Regine coughed as her first words might be a dangerous way to start the conversation. She walked forward and went nearer to Mercedes, who was frozen in place.
"It's just that... It's good to see you, Mercedes. I really have been waiting for quite a long time, you know?" Regine gazes at Mercedes's sapphire-like irises. She stood before her eldest daughter with a smile on her face like a predator cornering its prey.
"So, what are you doing now? From the looks of it, you're cleaning the house." Regine glances around, noticing the cleanliness of the house.
Mercedes couldn't immediately reply to her mother's words. Her mind was currently blank of thoughts. She was like someone who got caught stealing something from the fridge.
Though, after a short while, Mercedes returned back to the world and replied.
"Eh... Hmm... Ah... I was checking whether or not the duster was broken. It seems that it wasn't broken at all." Mercedes smiled while ruffling her brunette hair. Her eyeglasses were barely hanging from her nose, making her look irresponsible.
"I see... So that's what you were doing. I was wondering why the house was clean." Regine had a sly smile on her face while staring at Mercedes. As if saying she already knew what was up, Regine was not planning to let it go.
"Anyway, why don't we have dinner, Mercedes?" Regine said while heading to the kitchen. Mercedes backed away and tried to deny the invitation. "M-Mom, I don't really need-"
But before she could continue, a familiar monotone voice sounded throughout her mind.
[𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐱𝐢𝐦𝐮𝐦 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲?]
'Ask? What the hell do you want me to do?' Mercedes thought as the voice in her head wasn't aware of how grave the situation was. And the fact that Spade even dared to say something about asking her mother was enough to shake her off.
'Maximum efficiency, my ass...' Mercedes couldn't help but click her tongue in annoyance.
"Hey, Mercedes, are you okay?"
"I have dinner ready. Why don't you take a seat?" During Mercedes's internal conversation with Spade, Regine had already heated up their meal in the microwave. She sat on the chair while waiting for Mercedes to sit in front of her.
Mercedes knew that there was nothing she could do about it. So she sat in front of her mother while staring at their dinner. Seeing Mercedes's reaction, Regine wryly smiled and explained. "Apologies for not cooking a warm meal. I already cooked some an hour ago."
Realizing what the words of her mother meant, Mercedes shook her head and denied whatever the implication was. "No, no, no... It's okay, Mom."
After uttering such words, Mercedes started eating her meal. She hadn't been eating properly since the emergence of AEGIS. The fact that she slept an entire day made her stomach grumble for food.
"This really feels like a dream. It's been a while since I saw you eating in front of me." Regine uttered while splendidly devouring her meal. Mercedes didn't react to it, as she was entirely focused on swallowing everything that was in front of her.
The wallowing hunger had been awakened within her. And it was a beast that must be fed. Otherwise, she might go through unexpected mood swings.
After five minutes, the two of them finished eating their dinner. Mercedes swiftly stood up and took the plates they used. She walked towards the kitchen and began washing them without delay and hesitation.
Regine couldn't even react as she was too shocked to even move a single muscle. This day has been surprising for her. Her eldest daughter had begun to change for some reason.
"So Mercedes, is there something wrong? Do you have any problem." And, like other mothers who noticed the erratic change in their children's behavior, Regine became worried. It was an understandable worry, especially if one was talking about Mercedes.
Mercedes rarely went out of her room. She also didn't bother helping the family, whether it be cleaning the house or aiding in the business. She was a fat loser who was stuck with her computer.
"Hmm? Nothing's wrong, Mom. It's just that, It's been a while. That's all." Mercedes honestly replied while continuing to wash the plates. Regine sat on the table and nodded in understanding. She couldn't get what was going through her eldest daughter's mind, but that wasn't the point.
"I see... I feel the same. Your sister is currently a third year in middle school." Regine had a calm smile on her face while Mercedes became motionless. She wondered if she heard wrong, but the words that came out of her mother's mouth were clear.
'She's a third year now, huh?' Now that Mercedes had thought about it. Ever since she locked herself in the room. She never saw her little sister that much. Her little sister must have thought of her eldest sister as some sort of loser.
"Well, it's not like she's wrong for thinking like that." Mercedes quietly muttered to herself and continued washing the plates. After concluding in washing all of them, Mercedes glanced back at her mother, who was staring at her from afar.
"Aren't you tired after working for an entire day, Mother?" Mercedes wanted her mother to fall asleep. If her mother slept, then she would be able to do the quest without a hitch.
"I already slept an entire day, so I don't need sleep. But the same couldn't be said with you." She continued while her mother kept smiling at her from afar.
"You might not have known this, but I always clean the house at night," Regine said with a smirk plastered on her face. Mercedes's nerves slowly formed as she noticed her mother's smirk.
"T-Then, I'd like your help." Mercedes reluctantly uttered while avoiding her mother's gaze. Regine didn't move a single muscle after hearing her eldest daughter's words and continued smiling at her.
"*Sigh...* I'd like your help, Mom. Please..." Mercedes sighed to herself as she spoke of words she never thought of speaking. It was a bit embarrassing, but saying such things should be normal, right? With this in mind, Mercedes got over it smoothly.
"Ain't that an easy thing to say." Regine stood up and started stretching her arms. She continued smiling while taking out a duster. She already realized after a short observation that only the furniture was left uncleanse.
It must have been the last thing that her eldest daughter needed to do before calling the house clean. Well, Regine would also have to clean the Cafe. But at the very least, Mercedes took some weight off Regine's shoulders.
Mercedes did the same thing, and the two of them began cleaning the furniture of the house. Regine went through the cleaning process as fast as possible. Every piece of furniture in her path was cleansed to its utmost purity.
'My mother is a professional.' Such was the only thought that passed through Mercedes's head while observing her mother from afar.
The two of them continued their cleansing of filth, resulting in time passing by without them noticing. Currently an hour has passed since they concluded their dinner. They have finally finished cleaning the furniture.
While Mercedes would like to stop here, she was far from her objective. There was still the Cafe left to be cleaned. Regine yawned and wanted to throw herself to the bed. But noticing Mercedes's unaffected expression, Regine pulled herself.
"Mom, take a break. I'll start cleaning the Cafe." Mercedes softly said while heading to the Cafe. Regine wanted to help but decided to take a short break. This night had been astounding.
Her eldest daughter finally went out after locking herself in the room while also seemingly having a hobby in cleaning. Regine didn't know where that came from. But it wasn't a bad thing to have. Heck, Regine was even a little bit proud of how her eldest daughter was so determined to clean.
"I'd like to remind you, Mercedes. I ain't paying you." Regine exclaimed while slightly chuckling. Mercedes waved her hand and continued walking to the Cafe. "Yeah, yeah, I don't need the pay."
Though, as Mercedes arrived at the Cafe, she noticed a familiar face that somehow had gotten old. It was a schoolgirl who had recently returned home. The girl sat on a wooden chair while placing her bag on the table.
She was a young girl with crimson irises and dark hair. The young girl was a little bit petite, though her beauty was astonishing, perhaps resembling a bit of Regine's gorgeousness.
Her name was Kiara Reed, the youngest of the two sisters.
Mercedes's Little Sister.