When Rena came back home after work, the first thing she noticed was the unusual quietness of the house. In fact, not a single noise could be heard when she passed the front door and placed her coat and shoes in the hallway. The CEO scanned the living room in curiosity, knowing the place should definitely be livelier at this time of the day. Indeed, her wife should already have picked up their four-year-old daughter from kindergarten an hour ago. Was it possible that they took advantage of the beautiful, sunny weather to go for a walk in the park nearby?

Rena took a few steps forward, soon addressing their domestic robot who was activated and standing next to the television. “Alfred, do you know where Jurina and Natsuki are?”

The robot gazed back at her and emitted a small sound in recognition but didn’t reply for all that. Rena blinked in confusion, wondering why he was remaining silent. If Jurina had left the house with Natsuki, then she evidently would have informed their faithful servant about it. There was no way Alfred was not aware of their whereabouts.

Just as she was about to insist, Alfred slowly lifted his left mechanical arm, pointing with his index in the direction of the sofa. Rena immediately relaxed, now understanding what he was discreetly trying to tell her. If her guess was right, her wife had not left the house with their daughter but could be much closer than she initially believed.

“Ah, it seems there’s no one home.” Rena decided to play along and sighed, while approaching without a sound the sofa from behind.

Her action certainly didn’t go unnoticed from the robot who watched her every move attentively, producing a small sound in delight when he understood what she was trying to achieve. The CEO turned to him briefly and pressed a finger against her lips, the robot immediately getting the message conveyed. Now, he didn’t dare to make another sound or move anymore, his blue eyes nevertheless not missing out the amusing scene unfolding in front of him.

Rena leaned over the back of the sofa and looked down, tugging into an amused smile at her discovery. On top of Jurina’s stomach, was laying a four-year-old Natsuki who was trying to stay very quiet, and who immediately gave her an impish side glance at her sight.

“Look what I found here…” Rena grinned, the little Natsuki immediately averting her gaze playfully to nuzzle her nose in the crook of Jurina’s neck. “Someone is playing hide and seek with mommy?”

“Ah no, Natsuki, our hideout is found…” Jurina faked disappointment, her eyes meeting those of her wife in a knowing smile. “Mommy is really, really too clever!”

A small giggle was muffled against her shoulder, and Natsuki’s good spirit prompted Rena to have a little fun with her. Extending her arm, she reached over her, not wasting time to tickle her stomach. Immediately, the little girl started wriggling on top of Jurina, in the desperate attempt to avoid the clever fingers. They played for a little while, tears forming in Natsuki’s eyes gradually, until it was too much for the very ticklish girl that she was and she had no choice but to concede defeat. “Mommy, stop! Stop!”

Rena decided to have a little mercy on her and complied, watching in amusement her daughter who was still laughing a little. Being CEO of such an important corporation was definitely time consuming, and she didn’t always have as much free time as Jurina to be with their daughter. That’s why she always relished every single minute they could spend the three of them as a family, nothing pleasing her more than witnessing her daughter’s cheerful expression.

As she ran her fingers affectionately through Natsuki’s long, black hair, she took advantage of the moment to observe her beautiful daughter more carefully. After four years, she could now clearly see traits of both Jurina and her in their daughter. Often, Jurina would state their daughter was definitely more like Rena, physically and personality wise. To support her declaration, she would bring forward her ‘princess-like’ appearance very similar to the CEO’s, and her introvert and solitary side.

It is true to say that, on the latter aspect, Natsuki didn’t have many friends in kindergarten. In fact, apart from Shizuru – Airi and Akane’s daughter – she had never brought any other friend home. However, if there were two traits she had definitely inherited from her other mother, it was her incredible stubbornness and athletic side. Once Natsuki had decided she wanted to play on the rocking horse in the children playground, you better had to hold her hand tight if you didn’t want to see her running towards it at increasing speed.

Jurina straightened up on the sofa once Natsuki was completely calmed down, giving her back an encouraging, light tap. “Come on, go and give a kiss to mommy.”

The little girl still avoided the CEO’s eyes playfully for a few more seconds – still visibly undecided if the game was completely over or not – before climbing down and making her way around the sofa. Rena kneeled down, welcoming Natsuki when she threw herself into her arms.

“Mommy is home.” Natsuki kissed Rena’s cheek, her smile broadening when she received a hug and a kiss in return.

Natsuki wrapped her arms around her neck and Rena lifted her up as she raised to her feet, not missing the joy still present in her little girl’s eyes. “What did Natsuki do today?”

“Drawing!” Natsuki replied, using her left finger to point at the coffee table with excitement.

Rena walked towards the designated place and took a seat on the sofa beside Jurina – placing a quick yet soft kiss against her wife’s lips in the process – before focusing on Natsuki who was turning around on her lap to face the drawing properly. “The mistress wanted us to draw our family!”

Rena glanced at the piece of paper in curiosity, startled when she noticed the important height difference between both parents, when they were in reality only a few inches apart. “Mama is taller than me?”

“Of course!” Natsuki affirmed, continuing with her description as if she had never interrupted her. “This is Natsuki.” She pointed next at a little girl situated between both parents, then a smaller character who was holding Natsuki’s hand. “And this is Alfred. I did his big blue eyes.”

“I can see that.” Rena rubbed Natsuki’s stomach affectionately, before planting a kiss on the top of her head. “It’s a beautiful drawing, darling. You can show it to Shizuru later.”

Natsuki’s smile vanished instantly and – even though she had her back turned – Rena could tell she had said something wrong by the way the little girl had fallen silent. It couldn’t be because of the compliment, so it somewhat had to do with the mention of Natsuki’s older friend. Intrigued, Rena glanced at Jurina in search of answers, but was met with a similar confused look. “What is it, honey?”

“S–Shizuru is coming tonight?” Natsuki stammered, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out she was not pleased by the prospect.  

“We told you auntie Airi and auntie Akane were coming for dinner tonight,” Rena reminded her, frowning slightly at her odd behavior. “Did you forget?”

A light hum was all she received in reply, and the CEO now wondered if both friends didn’t get into a fight. It would be surprising considering they got along well and Shizuru was a sweet and friendly little girl, but Natsuki’s sudden discomfort at the mention of Airi and Akane’s daughter was manifest. “Natsuki?”

“Did something happen with Shizuru?” Jurina asked in concern when the little girl didn’t reply, her question unfortunately receiving the same silent treatment.

“Little mistress is upset because Shizuru kissed her the other day,” a metallic voice sounded, all heads turning towards the robot now approaching. “Little mistress didn’t like it.”

 “A–Alfred!” Natsuki’s cheeks colored pink instantly. “It was a secret!”

The robot froze, now realizing his terrible mistake, and looked down to the floor in shame. “Forgive me, little mistress...”

Rena observed the robot who was not daring crossing Natsuki’s gaze, noting again how close he had grown to their daughter over the years. Long before Natsuki’s arrival into this world, Jurina had one day told her about a specific program implanted within the robot. Alfred was not just a domestic robot perfect to deal with everyday tasks in the house; he was also designed to take care of little children.

After Natsuki’s birth, it took Rena a few weeks to completely trust Alfred around their child. When Jurina had no difficulty letting the robot taking care of Natsuki unsupervised, Rena couldn’t help keeping an eye on him from time to time. Maybe she was being too protective. Or maybe it was the concept of a machine handling such a fragile human being that didn’t bode well with her.

In the end, she discovered her fears were unfounded. Alfred – their faithful humanoid robot who had now been under Jurina’s service for nine years – was perfect around Natsuki. Not only did he fully understand the little girl’s needs and was capable of taking care of them, he was also a devoted friend and a good listener. When Rena sometimes observed them both interacting in curiosity, it was more than obvious that he was very fond of his new little mistress, and the attachment was mutual.

“Where did Shizuru kiss you?” Rena asked gently, returning to the visibly tricky subject. “On the cheek?”

“N–No,” Natsuki babbled, still avoiding her parents’ gaze in unease. “Like mama kisses mommy.”

“That means she likes you,” Jurina chimed in, finding their daughter’s discomfort admittedly very cute. “Did you kiss her back?”

“Of course not!” Natsuki interjected, gazing back at her in shock as if she had made the most stupid suggestion ever. “It’s too embarrassing!”

Rena extended her hand towards Natsuki and circled her waist once she was standing in front of her. “No one is forcing you to kiss her back if you don’t want to,” Rena said, smiling a little when Natsuki’s face lit up in undeniable relief. “You can go and play in your room. We’ll call you when our guests have arrived.”

Natsuki nodded, her bare feet resonating on the floor as she turned around and moved in the direction of the staircase. Rena’s eyes followed her as she started climbing the stairs, the living room soon plunging into silence. Rena leaned her head against Jurina’s shoulder and sighed in content, relishing her wife’s presence.

They both still worked at the same company, but Jurina had ceased being her assistant four years ago. After both agreeing it was best to put the time machine project on hold – at least until Natsuki was old enough – Jurina had been promoted project manager. Now, she worked on floor 11, one of the floors occupied by the development and research department. “How was your day?”

“Fruitful,” Jurina stated, pressing her lips against her wife’s temple. “We filed a patent for a new pill. If everything goes well, we could start commercializing it in a few months.”

“The one that increases human speed?” Rena glanced back at her in surprise, getting a light hum in return. “Congratulations!”

Jurina laughed when her lips were quickly captured into a kiss, shaking her head a little when she noticed the CEO’s enthusiasm. “You have a wonderful team of scientists. Alone, I would never have managed this incredible breakthrough.”

“Always so modest.” Rena rolled her eyes. “Do you have any ideas how many companies envy me and would like to hire you?”

“Too bad I’m already taken,” Jurina teased. “Even if they offered me twice my current salary, I couldn’t possibly leave my beautiful employer.”

Rena’s eyes softened at the feeling of fingers caressing her cheek tenderly and was just about to claim Jurina’s lips once again, when she was interrupted by a very concerned voice sounding from the top of the stairs. “Mama! I can’t find Duran!”

At the mention of Natsuki’s favorite stuffed toy, Jurina gave Rena an apologetic look, knowing the little girl would never leave her in peace until she came to her rescue. “You don’t have to worry about dinner,” she declared, standing up from the sofa. “Alfred and I took care of everything.”

“Thank you...” Rena sent both Jurina and Alfred a smile of gratitude.

When her wife disappeared from her sight, Rena focused her attention on their domestic robot, noticing that he looked a little upset. Now, she wondered if his peculiar behavior wasn’t triggered by his previous short exchange with Natsuki, and he didn’t still feel ashamed for revealing her secret. She motioned the robot to come closer, a pair of curious big blue eyes falling on her when he obeyed and she took his hand. “Natsuki is not mad at you. Go and see her.”

Despite Rena’s appeasing tone, the robot still looked hesitant and didn’t bulge, and she knew it would take a little more convincing. “What if we both go and see her?”

This solution definitely appealed to the robot who emitted a cheerful sound, and she shot him an amused smile at his reaction. Standing from the sofa, she didn’t miss Alfred’s footsteps following her closely by as they both joined Jurina and Natsuki upstairs.