CH 132

ACDWL 132: Overprotective

“Ko, are you okay?”

“Yeah…”

I grabbed the hand attached to my cheek.

Even though it’s the third one, I’m still tired after giving birth.

“Mii~”

“Motha! Twired!”

Two children sat on the edge of the bed looking at me.

Stroking their heads in turn, I turned my gaze to the newly born life.

“Myi~”

A black cat was at the bedside.

It’s only about seven months younger than Cal, but it’s the third child.

“Thank you for being born safely. Nice to meet you. ….Diadora.”

Diadora was a rare Akinist girl.

Even in other countries, half-Akinists were mostly male.

In other words, female Akinists like mother-in-law were quite rare.

Was it like a male calico cat in Japan?

Akinist women seemed to be more peculiar than Akinist men.

When I asked if mother-in-law was stronger than Rodo in the past, it seemed like Rodo, who strongly inherited the temperament of Akinists, was stronger.

For me who couldn’t feel the pressure they emit, I was not sure.

“Myu. Myan~”

“Fufu…Dee talks a lot. Talk with mom a lot, okay?”

“Myi~”

“Mya!”

“Motha! El too! El, also, want, talk!”

The children raised their voices.

…why are they all so cute?

“Yeah. Let’s talk together, okay?”

“Yay!”

“Myu~”

“Mya~”

The children, who expressed their happiness with their whole bodies, were too cute that I wanted to see them forever.

“Rodo, thank you for making me happy.”

“That should be my line.”

Reaching for Rodo’s face with a gentle smile, he grabbed my hand which deepened my smile.

I gained another important person in this world.

So I’d protect them no matter what.

“Ko, are you tired? Rest already.”

“Yeah. Please give me the children.”

It’d be hard to look after three children, one three and a half years old, one seven months old, and one newborn… Dee seemed to understand my words somehow, so I wonder if she’d be fine.

Rodo was also their father, so I think I could be at ease.

Leaving everything to Rodo, I slept with peace of mind.

────

──

“Mii~”

“-tha~”

“Don’t quarrel, you guys, Diadora, it’s Calvert’s toy. Diadora’s is here.”

“Cal, Dee, fight, no!”

I smiled and laughed at the conversation I heard when I woke up.

“Mii…”

“Mu~”

Badump…the two made cute sounds.

The parent and child conversations always made me smile.

“Dee, you can’t steal Cal’s toys, okay? Or do you want the same thing?”

El was bigger than the two, so I made him a big toy.

Cal and Dee were not so different in body size, so their toys were made about the same size.

I made a lot of Dee’s toys before I gave birth.

When Cal was born, there were also Cal’s toys, but he also touched El’s toys, so El handed them over.

El was the eldest brother who took good care of his younger siblings, while Cal was the older brother who had the temperament of a youngest.

What kind of personality would Dee have?

I was looking forward to it.

“Ko, did you wake up?”

Rodo went to my side in an instant.

The children followed from behind.

“Yeah. Thank you for watching the children.”

“No. They’re also my children.”

It’s a big difference from when El was born when he’d just look at him.

Now he played and scolded them properly.

He’s now a “parent”.

…though he still has poor expressions.

────

──

About ten days after Diadora was born, my family went to Seidask to greet His Majesty.

Cal and Dee were in my arms.

On the way, I had a reliable chest behind me for support.

El, who’s now as big as a large dog, could not be put on the horse.

However, I was worried about riding while a three-and-a-half-year-old child was running.

It’s said that at three and a half years old, an Akinist could boast an endurance and speed that’s comparable to Sekisvas and Doniclons…but in my opinion, El was still a kid.

When I looked at him many times, father-in-law finally picked up El and rode with him, probably because I had a very pitiful face.

“Thank you, father-in-law.”

Thank you for your kindness, really thank you.

“I’m looking after Eldred, so Ko should look forward. You might fall over.”

So, my father-in-law was more worried about me than a three-year-old…

Was I that vulnerable?

“No matter what happens, I won’t drop Ko.”

Rodo said that as if he were crazy.

Sure, I was being hugged with one arm and was very stable.

I had never been dropped, and had never been anxious about “falling”.

I left it to Rodo every time.

It’s been like that since the start when my body was still small and I couldn’t understand the language.

Even when I returned to my original figure at the beginning until now.

Nowadays, I didn’t want to be in that form at all.

He said my current appearance was more functional and Rodo didn’t think it was heavier.

I thought I only looked small when being hugged by Rodo, who has a lot of muscles, but maybe?

…Rodo lifted me up and moved lightly even with the three children.

We had been like that since we left home.

(Once we introduced Diadora to His Majesty, Rodo would resume work.)

Since I was about to give birth, Rodo took a break from his job and stayed with me all the time.

And that’s until now.

I was sure he’d be at work starting tomorrow.

…it’s the same for me.

I did household chores, spent time with my children, went to the market with my parents-in-law, and when work was done, I’d follow Rodo.

It was going to be a hectic day, but I was happy enough to shriek in joy.

Because it’s a gift. I didn’t know when I’d have a child next time. I wanted to teach El letters, and I was looking forward to when Cal started to talk.

Dee was a little tomboy but cute.

My parents-in-law were still awkward, but they also started playing with their grandchildren.

It seemed like they didn’t know how to treat young children since children basically didn’t approach Akinists.

Even Rodo, their real child, got out of the house from an early age and didn’t care for his parents.

Even when he was served an adult dish that a child would normally not eat, Rodo still ate it without care.

…the more I listened, the wilder it was.

I wanted to say that it’s a miracle he lived.

But I was over with the “because he’s an Akinist” logic.

…compared to other races, I thought that was quite irresponsible.

Somehow, I understood that everyone around me was overprotective.

But, it’s a little much for even the children to be overprotective of me…

Perhaps because he’s getting older, El would let me sit on his back. As for Cal, who wasn’t even a year old yet, he’d push me with his head and recommend a chair.

I’m not overprotective, but the people around me were overprotective.

Moreover, it’s abnormal.

I never had a big illness.

I look weak, but I couldn’t remember showing something like that to the children.

It’s still a mystery.

What’s the reason?

…did Rodo say something to the children?

After that incident, I told El that he didn’t have to protect me… but he acted like a cute bodyguard as usual.

And a second bodyguard was about to be born.

…sometimes, they even had a brother’s quarrel about who would escort me.

(Is it better to buy a carriage since the number of children increased?)

It’d be difficult to pull with only Sig, so I had to buy another Doniclon.

Sekisvas and Doniclons had different athletic abilities, so it’s better if they didn’t pull the carriage together.

…but the carriage shook a lot, and after experiencing it once, I never thought of riding it again.

And it’s too big riding on Rodo in his Akinist form.

…anyway, that’s only if he walked slowly. I’d definitely fall if he ran.

The muscles on his back undulating every time he walked was amazing, but I didn’t have Rodo’s arms to support me.

And it’s not something that I could ride without a saddle.

Even on Sig that didn’t shake that much, I couldn’t ride alone.

…as expected, was I spoiled by Rodo?

Because I always left it to Rodo.

…no matter how much time passed by, I’d always be spoiled by Rodo.

As expected, the most overprotective was Rodo.

Translator’s Notes:

Forgive me if the sentences are sometimes repetitive. I have limited knowledge of the Japanese language to be able to make sense of the subtle nuances involved. Even though each sentence uses different wording, my limited machine translation skills would provide me with the same wording.

Here’s my effort to be a verbose scholar. But honestly, the things I do for you guys to make each sentence not sound the same as the sentence from the paragraph before…I really wish I was this diligent when taking my exams…