𝐈 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐄 | 𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐉𝐈 𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐎

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑

In the span of twenty minutes, Rin calms Baby Kaiju down with a variety of shadow hand puppets, teaches Sato how to reduce the possibility of her vomiting, requests Mina for a makeshift mobile and a pillow, and puts Baby Kaiju to sleep with a lullaby. Sato watches in awe as Baby Kaiju's eyes slowly flutter shut and she falls asleep while reaching for the toys hanging from the mobile.

"How did you do that?" He gasps at Rin as if she's performed a lifesaving miracle.

Rin sits cross-legged by the containment cell, drumming her fingers in a rhythm. "My mother was the midwife in our village so I have a lot of experience and knowledge about babies," she tells him. "Have you thought of moving your bed down here? It'll help when the baby wakes up at random hours."

"What!? No way!" Sato exclaims and is immediately (and aggressively) shushed by Rin and Mina. He begins to whisper, "My sleeping space is sacred. I can't give it up because of a giant infant. I have a right to my privacy. It's not like I asked to become a babysitter. The egg just hatched—and I couldn't leave her out there! Without her mom. It's just.... there's no guidebook. She's so helpless if I'm not around but I can't be around all the time. I have a life. A career. Do you know how awful the match today was?"

Rin listens against her best wishes. Her eyes roam the bruises on his face and says, "I have a faint idea, yes." She gets up and walks quietly over to the sofa by the elevator. The cushions are softer than the expensive pashmina shawl a friend of hers bought on a spending spree. "If you cannot adjust your sleeping space then you will suffer for as long as she's in the infant stage. Proximity means a quicker reaction to her waking up. Plus you both get more sleep because waking up alone in this big lonely space might scare the child."

Sato follows her to the sofa and sits next to her. "That's not—"

A beeping noise from Mina makes them both turn to her. "There are a number of studies done on this subject," she chimes, "Sergeant Ryuzaki is correct."

He still doesn't yield. "We'll see about that," he huffs and crosses his arms over his wide chest.

Rin pats down her pocket for her phone and raises it to Mina. "I made a map that you can refer to of all the safe places for switching to Ultraman. You're a little sloppy as compared to your predecessor, I've noted." Sato scoffs. Mina returns her cellphone with a grateful ping. "Also, you need to manipulate the CCTV better. Delete the footage quicker. From now on, there will be surveillance teams looking for you."

Sato startles and exchanges a 'look' with Mina. "From now on?" He repeats, "Why?"

"Doctor Onda was waiting on a special package and he lost it because of you." Rin turns her eyes to Baby Kaiju sleeping soundly. "You said something about an egg hatching?"

His eyebrows slowly rise up his forehead when he begins to remember. "You don't think...he wanted her?"

"I don't have enough information. But..." Rin trails off, weighing the pros and cons of talking about her work. She doesn't like the organisation she's a part of and doesn't agree with several drastic measures they have taken ever since she got posted here. "My team has been assigned to be a part of this project called Project Surrogate. Designing machine parts for a mechatron. The dimensions look a lot like Gigantron's."

With a brief pause, Sato asks, "Are you sure you're supposed to be telling me this?"

"No," she answers, "Divulging government secrets to an unauthorised figure can force me into a dishonourable discharge, a lifelong prison sentence, and dishonour on my family."