1/5 𝘪𝘦.𝘤𝑜
——
*Tick tock, tick tock*
The mechanical wall clock ticked crisply, and a happy family of three was gathered in their daughter’s room, which seemed to be made of gears.
“Mommy, ugh, this question is so hard. I can’t do it. Can you teach me, Mommy?”
In the room, the little girl sitting at the desk looked worried. She bit her pencil, staring at the exercise book on the table. Finally, as if giving up, she threw down the pencil, turned her head, and hugged the arm of the woman in a maid outfit next to her, asking as if she was being coquettish.
The maid being called “Mommy” couldn’t help it when faced with her cute daughter. She stroked her daughter’s head and then pulled the exercise book in front of her, preparing to explain it.
However, when the maid truly looked at the difficult question her daughter “couldn’t do,” she paused briefly and shook her head apologetically.
“Sorry Zera, Mom doesn’t know how to do this question either. But Mom thinks Dad definitely knows. Zera, why don’t you go ask Dad, okay?”
As she said this, the maid looked towards the third person in the room.
Unlike the maid and the little girl, who both had clear physical bodies, one wearing a maid uniform and the other wearing a pretty cartoon skirt, the young man acting as the child’s father wore a slightly worn-out gray cloak.
Seeing his “wife” looking at him, the young man nodded and stretched out a hand from the gray cloak. It was a completely mechanized hand, and he pulled the exercise book in front of him.
However, the young man just looked at it without saying anything.
” Mommy, why Daddy isn’t saying anything?” the little girl was a bit puzzled.
“Your father is thinking. Don’t worry; he will definitely know how to do this question. He is the most outstanding scientist, and there is no question he can’t solve.”
“Oh~, Daddy is the best!”
Afterward, the maid picked up Zera, gently stroking her daughter’s beautiful hair while they both looked at the young man “solving the question” with happy faces. It seemed as if how the question was “solved” no longer mattered. Just the sight of her father seriously thinking was enough to satisfy them and make them feel fulfilled.
Time passed, and the room became quiet. Only the ticking of the wall clock and the gears that made up the room spun rhythmically and regularly, making one wonder if this place could operate forever without any external interference.
*Gurgle gurgle*
Finally, an unusual sound broke the room’s tranquility, as if the wall clock had slowed down a beat, and the gears’ spinning had all become sluggish.
The sound came from the little girl’s stomach.
“Mommy, is Daddy still not done? Zera is hungry,” the little girl shyly covered her dry and thin belly and looked at the maid with pleading eyes.
“It’s Mom’s fault for getting too absorbed in watching Dad and forgetting that it’s mealtime. Mom will go make food now. Today, I’ll make your favorite potato soup for you.”
“Potato soup, yay!” Upon hearing the maid’s words, the little girl’s eyes lit up, and her mouth seemed to drool.
Seeing her daughter so happy, the maid was also delighted. She then took out an apron from the nearby wardrobe, put it on, and gently said to the young father still “solving the question”:
“Husband, you should also take a short break, maybe play with Zera?”
Hearing his “wife” speak, the young man under the cloak responded as before, nodding mechanically. He then put down the exercise book with his mechanical hands and turned to look at Zera.
The young man picked up the little girl and, imitating the maid’s earlier actions, began stroking her beautiful hair.
Seeing her loving husband, the maid’s expression became even happier and more excited. She eagerly went to the kitchen to cook, and in no time, a table full of delicious dishes was laid out before them.
“Hmph! Zera declares that Mommy is better than Daddy because Mommy can make super, super delicious food!”
The little girl sniffed her nose, and her index finger couldn’t wait to start eating.
However, at this moment, a look of struggle suddenly appeared on Zera’s face. The little girl became hesitant, and the knife and fork in her hand remained suspended in the air, not coming down.
Seeing this, the maid couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong, Zera? Is the food not to your liking?”
“No, Mom, it’s just… it’s just that Mommy, the outside world has already been corrupted by Miasma and occupied by monsters, right? So, what about our food…”
“Zera, did you forget? Dad is a scientist, and he can do anything. These foods were all created using new technology by your father”
After listening to her mom’s explanation, Zera’s look of struggle disappeared, and she returned to being the obedient daughter in the setting. She nodded vigorously and began to eat rapidly while mumbling incoherently through her chewing:
“Zera takes back what she said earlier. Daddy is indeed better than Mommy!”
Looking at her mischievous and peculiar daughter, the maid, acting as her “Mom,” was filled with happiness.
While her daughter was busy wolfing down her food, the maid cast a loving gaze upon the young scientist sitting across the table. The young man seemed to have received some kind of signal and picked up his rice bowl, moving to sit beside the maid.
Upon seeing her “husband” come over, the maid was delighted. She took the initiative to pick up the young man’s rice bowl and served him food. Then, like a virtuous wife and loving mother, she spoon-fed him one mouthful at a time.
When the little girl saw this scene, she was immediately upset.
“It’s not fair! It’s not fair! Zera wants it too! Zera also wants Mommy to feed her!”
In response to her daughter’s whining, the maid smiled indulgently. She then used both hands, feeding her beloved husband on one side and her precious daughter on the other.
Although the maid hadn’t eaten a single bite herself while busy attending to them, the happiness on her face seemed to have reached its peak at this moment.
However…
” Mommy, it’s still not fair! Zera also wants to feed Daddy!”
The daughter wanted to feed the young man herself, seemingly wanting to compete for his affection. The maid felt a little helpless but didn’t mind, as it was a sign of her daughter’s love for her father. Seeing her harmonious family, the maid, acting as Mom, was very happy.
But in the next moment, as Zera took the spoon and approached the young man, she froze just as she was about to say, “Daddy, open your mou….”
She saw that her father, the young man under the cloak, had no face—or rather, his face was completely obscured by shadows, making him a blurry figure.
“Mommy, what’s wrong with Daddy’s face?”
Zera’s voice began to tremble, and her gaze at the young man revealed fear and terror, making him seem like a stranger.
“No, no, he’s not my dad. My dad doesn’t look like that.”
“Mommy, he’s not Daddy! He’s not Daddy!”
“Mommy?”
“You’re not my mom either! My mom is human, and you, you’re all machines! Who are you? Let me out! I want to leave!”
The little girl desperately shook her head, overturned the dining table, and ran to the door. She frantically tried to turn the doorknob to open the door.
Unfortunately, the door didn’t budge no matter how hard she tried. Eventually, the little girl resorted to pounding on the door and shouting for help.
The maid quietly stood up from the dining table and approached the little girl by the door. She picked her up, and initially, Zera struggled, but she soon grew weaker. The fear and confusion in her eyes seemed to have been reset, leaving only a confused expression behind.
“Huh? Mommy, how did I… The table, the food, it’s all on the floor.”
“Waaaah… I’m sorry, Mommy and Daddy. Was it… Was it me? I was wrong, I promise I won’t cause trouble again. It’s all my fault.”
The maid gently stroked the girl’s head and softly said, “It’s okay, sweetheart. Be good. You’re tired, and it’s time for bed.”
“It’s bedtime already? Okay, Zera understands.”
A harmonious family may have occasional unpleasant events, but they always return to happiness in the end.
The maid and the young man lay on a soft and comfortable bed, with their daughter, Zera, between them.
Before the light was turned off, the little girl promised her mother:
“I’ll definitely solve that problem tomorrow!”
“Yes, I believe in you.”
…..
*Tick tock, tick tock*
The mechanical wall clock ticked crisply, and the small house made of gears was filled with the joy of a happy family of three in their daughter’s room.
“Mommy, ugh, this question is so hard. I can’t do it. Can you teach me, Mommy?”
The unsolved problem, the cloaked father, and the gentle maid mother—it was as if they were in a loop, repeating forever.
However, amidst these countless repetitive days, an unexpected event occurred one day.
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