what lovers do

chapter 24

 Three years later

It doesn't matter if it's a mother or a father.

Having a child is a life-changing decision and experience for both of her parents. In her toddler years, Sairi is just a normal kid; playing, asking questions, eating, sleeping, making her parents especially her mother run around the house because of an unidentified object she puts in her mouth. Utahime prays to whoever Kami up there that it isn't something poisonous which might be the case most of the time.

Sairi's mother is an amazing woman; responsible, gentle and knows what she's doing in raising her. While her father doubts himself if he's doing it right or he's just scared that his wife will break his neck had he fuck it up.

"Why does daddy wear socks on his eyes?"

Three-year-old Sairi asks one night in her pink jammies with strawberry print and Utahime reading a children's book for her. Parenting has no manual so Utahime's only source of tips and tricks to make her daughter sleep is the internet. The rest is through actual experience and the people around her which are, honestly, scarcely knowledgeable on the topic. Koharu has been a supportive sister in law, telling her what to do on so many things with regards to motherhood. But she also told her that the rest is up to her.

Unfortunately, the reading-bedtime-story-for-your-child-to-make-them-fall-asleep doesn't seem to work on Sairi.

"It's called blindfold." Utahime combs her soft, white hair with a brush. Sairi's bob cut hair makes her face round and cute with her dusty pink cheeks and amber eyes.

"But why is he wearing that?" she tilts her head on the side.

"Because he sees something that normal people aren't supposed to see." Utahime answers her truthfully. Both Satoru and her are sorcerers and from that, there's simply just no way they could hide it away from her even at her very young age. There will come a time that she would manifest her unique energy and that she would be able to see what they are seeing.

"Like...underwear?" the girl stares innocently.

Utahime chokes unceremoniously. Sairi has always been a curious child, then again, most children in their developing years have plenty of questions about the world they live in. Her questions range from harmless 'is the moon made from cheese?' while saying both cheese and the moon have craters or something shocking such as 'why can't daddy sleep on my bed so I can sleep on yours?' when she wants to sleep next to her mother. It resulted in her parents letting her sleep between them and Satoru waking up on the floor.

There was also a time where Sairi asked her mother some borderline unsettling, like when they brought her to a zoo and she pointed out that every animal has tails and thus questioned them 'mommy, where's my tail?'

"It's the spirits." Utahime tucks her in bed. It's already 9 pm, a bit late for her sleeping time.

"Spirits?"

"And energy," she places a hand on her white, silvery head. "One day you'll be able to see them and when you do, you should tell me right away or to your daddy."

"Can I be friends with them?"

Utahime wants to say 'no' but she's very much aware that in doing so, the child's string of questions won't end until daybreak of the next day.

"Sairi, it's time to sleep." the woman wraps her in the warm comforter and gently smiles. "Tomorrow, mom will be busy. Don't give Mio too much trouble, okay?" Mio is their daughter's retainer, a young responsible woman whom Koharu personally hired to look for Sairi when both of her parents are working. Satoru has been pretty much occupied every day by his duties as the clan head and other business-related things while Utahime decided to return to teaching temporarily in Tokyo Jujutsu High. She and Satoru had long been committed to being hands-on parents, spending more time with their daughter as much as possible to guide her properly no matter how busy they are.