Vylt: The New Dawn

Chapter 10: Back Home

I dashed to my room the moment we entered the house. The one I had back at the investigation centre was all right, but it lacked my personal touch. After looking around briefly to see everything as I left it, I placed my uniform on my bed and stared at it.

I never went to the graduation ceremony.

Guess I missed the party as well.

While I wasn't what you would call 'the heart of the party', and rather avoided most of them, I was actually looking forward to this one. It marked the end of twelve long years of general education, after all.

Hearing steps coming closer, I turned to see Mom already standing by the door. "Why don't you take a shower, sweetie? I'll go get some PJ's for you to change into while you do. You must be tired of wearing that... thing."

"Okay, Mommy~."

The sound of a scratched record played in my mind just then. Outside, however, there was silence. It was disturbing that it came out so naturally after years of simply calling her 'Mom'.

"It's been a while since you called me Mommy."

I shrugged. "Yeah, I don't know what happened there."

Mom giggled and hugged me. "Actually, I wouldn't mind it if you kept on doing it."

She said that, but the suggestive tone she used made it clear to me.

'Please, keep doing it.'

Just roll with it.

Aside from the awkward situation, this brought me back to what I was already suspecting. My transformation was still active; however, instead of changing my body, it was affecting my mind. I could only hope that, by being aware of it, I would put a stop to it.

After Mom let me go, I headed for the bathroom. The original idea was to take a shower like she said, but the moment I reached my destination, the tub called to me. It had been a very long time since I had the time to truly relax, and a warm bubble bath was a great way to do it.

My size made it harder to prepare everything, and I even stopped to think if it was a good idea to do so after all. The thought didn't last long since I had already done most of the job and only needed to wait until the water reached high enough for me.

I undressed myself and looked at the mirror whilst the tub continued to fill up. All I could see was my face peeking over the sink. I had noticed it in the morning, but my eyes no longer intimidated me. I could stare at them normally, like I did when I was human. Not only my eyes; my entire body felt normal to me now. It was as if it had always been like that. A shiver ran down my spine. This only reinforced my previous theory.

As the water rose to an acceptable level, I felt the temperature with my hand to see if it needed any adjustments.

Perfect!

Satisfied, I climbed in and sank to the bottom of the tub until the bubbles reached my shoulders and covered most of my wings. Right after that, I heard the door open. Mom stared at me with wide eyes before shaking her head and placing a pink bundle of clothes on top of the cabinet.

She remained silent as she walked to me and only spoke once she was by my side. "You should've told me you were going to take a bath. I got worried when I didn't hear the shower."

"Sorry."

Mom smiled and rubbed my cheek softly. "It's fine, sweety. Just let me know next time, okay?"

I nodded, and she kneeled to kiss my forehead, but something interrupted her. She observed the bubbles and frowned before shoving a hand into the water. Her eyes widened once more. "Is the water fine for you?"