“Hey, Lydia! What on earth happened to you?!”
“Eh... No, i-it’s nothing, really.”
Lydia was visibly flustered by the interrogation. She had just stepped through the front door only to run straight into Abby.
Both Ray and Lydia were drenched in sweat and grime, their clothes smeared with dirt. Ray was in particularly bad shape; Lydia had pushed him to make some truly reckless catches, leaving him filthy from head to toe.
Knowing that his emotional scars had yet to fully heal, Abby was incensed by such treatment.
“It’s clearly not nothing! Tell me the truth—did you do something to Ray?!”
“No... well, we were just playing together, you know?”
“Just playing?! Are you sure about that?!”
Abby pulled Ray into a tight, protective embrace and fixed Lydia with a piercing glare. She had known Lydia was taking him out for some air. Abby had been away on military business, but coming home to find both Lydia and Ray caked in mud was a shock she hadn't expected.
As the two of them argued, Carol sauntered in.
“Yaho-yaho~☆ Caro-caro’s in the house—huh? Is something wrong?”
Carol entered with her usual high-energy tone, but even she immediately sensed the tension. Lydia had been forced into a formal seiza on the floor, while Abby stood over her, looming with a look of pure fury.
Ray, for his part, simply watched the spectacle with his usual expressionless face.
“Carol, Lydia finally did it. It seems she put Ray through some kind of reckless ordeal.”
“I’m telling you! Ray was having fun too! Here, just ask the boy himself!”
Lydia shouted her defense with such desperate intensity that Abby decided to actually get Ray's side of the story. Given that he still struggled to form full sentences, it was more of a tentative inquiry than a formal interview.
Abby met Ray’s eyes and asked gently, “Ray. Did you play with Lydia?”
“...Mm.”
He gave a small, slow nod. Seeing this, Abby softened her expression, wondering if perhaps she had jumped to conclusions about Lydia's recklessness.
“You’re covered in mud. Did something happen? Are you alright?”
“...”
He murmured something under his breath, his voice so quiet Abby couldn't catch it. She leaned in.
“Ray? Could you say that again for me?”
“...Catch.”
“You played catch?”
“...Mm.”
Ray offered that single confirmation and then fell back into his habitual silence.
“It seems Lydia was telling the truth for once.”
“I told you I wasn't lying! Now let me up!”
“...Wait. Just what kind of 'catch' was this?”
Lydia stiffened. Abby knew her far too well after years of service together. She knew exactly what "playing catch" meant when Lydia was involved. By any normal standard, the girl’s idea of sport was something from another dimension. Looking at how battered and muddy they both were, it was obvious this hadn't been a simple game.
“I mean, it was just... normal?”
“You... you didn't throw with your actual strength, did you?”
“No, I held back! Mostly! Well... although I might have been throwing at about eighty percent by the end...”
“Eighty percent?! You made Ray catch your eighty-percent throws?!”
“B-But! Ray’s physical abilities are incredible! He was catching my pitches without any trouble! Obviously, I wanted to see what he could really do!”
“Wh—Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”
Playing catch with eighty percent of Lydia's power was a death wish for most people. Forcing an infant to endure that was unthinkable. Just as Abby was about to launch into a second, more severe lecture, she felt a small tug on her sleeve.
Ray was standing right beside her, looking up. He gave her sleeve another little pull and whispered.
“...Master. Not... bad... We played... a lot...”
The words were clumsy, and his expression remained flat. Yet, hearing him speak up for her sent a powerful pang through Abby’s heart.
“Ray-chan! Waaah! Oh my god, you’re just too precious!”
Seeing Ray like that was more than Carol could handle; she scooped him up and hugged him tight, burying his face against her voluminous chest. Ray didn't react to the embrace, but he kept his eyes fixed on Abby.
It was as if his gaze was pleading with her—please don't be mad at Lydia anymore.
“Sigh... Lydia.”
“Y-Yes?”
Lydia, who was powerless against a truly angry Abby, remained in seiza and watched her warily. She could feel the thick tension in the room finally beginning to dissipate.
“For Ray’s sake, I’ll let you off the hook today.”
“I-I see... That’s a relief.”
“However! I’m coming with you from now on!”
Abby pointed a firm finger and pressed it against Lydia’s chest to emphasize her point. Lydia breathed a sigh of internal relief; it seemed she had survived the lecture.
As for Ray, he remained a captive toy in Carol’s arms... but his eyes never left Lydia.
◇
“Ray-chan, any spots I missed? Does anything still itch?”
“...No.”
In the bathroom, Ray was being bathed by Carol. Since he possessed no sense of shame, he simply sat there and let her do as she pleased.
Carol scrubbed him clean with a beaming smile. Her maternal instincts were clearly in overdrive; she seemed to be enjoying the task of looking after him from the bottom of her heart.
“Alright! Time to soak in the tub.”
“...Mm.”
The two of them climbed into the bathtub. Ray sat on Carol’s lap as they soaked in the hot water, and she reached out to gently stroke his hair.
“Ray-chan. Did you have fun today?”
“...Mm.”
“You liked playing catch?”
“...Mm.”
“I see. I’m glad to hear that.”
Carol didn't push him for more. She simply continued to pet his head with a gentle touch. Ray seemed to find the quiet moment soothing, as he made no move to pull away.
Of course, in a few years, Ray would grow to find Carol’s smothering affection truly difficult to handle... but that was a story for another time.
“Alright. Ray, let’s do a little studying today.”
“...Mm.”
When he emerged from the bath, Abby was waiting for him. She had put on her glasses and tied her hair back into a neat ponytail.
She held a book in her hands, which she spread out on the table before gesturing for Ray to take a seat.
“Ray. Do you know how to read or write?”
“...”
He shook his head.
He had become much more expressive when it came to indicating his own thoughts.
“Very well. I’ll be the one teaching you from now on. Don't worry—unlike Lydia, I’m a very gentle teacher.”
“...Mm.”
And so, Ray began his literacy lessons with Abby. To her astonishment, the boy was an incredibly fast learner.
She had heard about his physical prowess from Lydia, but she hadn't expected him to be such an intellectually gifted child.
“Ray... that’s amazing. You got every single one right.”
“...This... easy.”
He tapped the page with his pencil. Ray had managed to memorize a significant amount of reading and writing almost instantly. Abby spoke to him in a soft, encouraging voice.
“Next, let’s try some arithmetic. You need to know how to calculate if you want to be an adult. If you can’t do math, people will try to trick you.”
“...I’ll... try.”
As he said that, Ray smiled—faintly. It was a minuscule change, but it was there. Seeing that tiny glimmer of emotion made Abby feel a sudden, profound surge of affection.
Ah. This must be what they call a parent's love.
With a warm heart, she continued to guide him through his studies with the utmost care.