By the time I came to, I was standing in the middle of a gentle snowfall. It was a strange sensation; the flakes passed through me like holograms, leaving me completely dry.
Before me stood a massive Christmas tree, shimmering with brilliant lights. I had to wonder—what exactly was the situation here?
"Merry Christmas! My Beloved Child, your mother is here!"
"Ah... I see. Right..."
Watching Machina-san appear in such high spirits while wearing Santa cosplay, I realized I was currently inside one of those dreams where we occasionally met. That explained why I was in a place I didn't recognize.
"Machina-san, I assume this is the usual dream world, and your objective is pretty clear given the setting and the outfit... but do you mind if I ask anyway?"
"Of course! This is a gift for My Beloved Child, who works so hard every day. I'm giving you a Christmas party for just the two of us! Hehe, you're happy, aren't you? I can feel My Child's joy, and that makes me happy too!"
She didn't seem to have a single doubt that celebrating Christmas alone with her qualified as a gift. That level of confidence was impressive, to say the least.
I felt a twinge of concern. Her energy was clearly higher than usual, which usually suggested a high risk of her going berserk. After all, she was excited enough to go all-out with the Santa suit.
"Wait, My Beloved Child, there's no need to worry. Today, your mother is a special version! And I don't just mean the clothes—though they are special, too. Haven't you noticed? Despite being alone with you in such a festive setting, I haven't let my love for My Child trigger a 'Big Bang.' I'm maintaining the calm, composed aura of a mother overflowing with motherliness..."
"I have plenty of retorts for that, but putting those aside, you're right. Strangely enough, I don't see any signs of you going out of control."
It wasn't quite my definition of a calm and composed atmosphere, but she had a point. I didn't sense that thick, suffocating pressure of her affection today. Her spirits were high, but she wasn't spiraling.
"It's an application of what I did during the shipboard party. Whenever my love exceeds a certain threshold, I transfer the excess emotions into a separate unit elsewhere, and that one acts as the berserk unit. In other words, today I am the Perfect Mother—free from that little flaw of losing control!"
I was actually surprised she recognized the "going berserk" part as a flaw. So, just as she had during the shipboard party, she was maintaining a stable state right now.
"That's a relief for me... but if you can do that, then shouldn't you be able to avoid going berserk all the time?"
"No, it's not actually that simple. First of all, even if it's just the overflow, the vessel I transfer my emotions into needs to be powerful enough to withstand them. Paradise (Eden) can't handle it, which is why Deus Ex Machina Second had to play the part of the berserk unit during the shipboard party, remember? Also, while the side transferring the emotions is fine, the side receiving them loses control, so I need someone to act as a stopper. During the shipboard party, it only worked because Alice was there—she understands me well and knows how to suppress the energy."
"I see... And how are you managing it right now?"
"Well, since we're in a dream, everything is made of thought. When we meet like this, I'm temporarily calling My Beloved Child's spirit into my own world, making things much easier to handle than they are in Shallow Vernal's world. So, this only works when Alice agrees to be the stopper, or when we're inside a dream."
The conditions were apparently quite strict. Still, knowing she wouldn't lose control while we were together in this dream was a huge relief. As long as she wasn't in "berserk" mode, Machina-san was a cheerful, fun, and slightly airheaded, lovely person. Without the madness, she was almost perfect.
"Well, in that case, I can feel at ease having a Christmas party together."
"Exactly! Let's make lots of fun memories! Oh, and since it's a party, I've naturally prepared a feast. That's right—when you think of Christmas, you think of chicken!"
Just as I relaxed, Machina-san produced a large table in front of me. At the moment, it was empty, but she was clearly about to serve the food. Chicken, huh? She was a God, so was she about to serve some legendary turkey?
"Ta-da! It's a ten-piece barrel!"
With total confidence, Machina-san pulled out a barrel emblazoned with the logo of a famous fried chicken chain. Right, I forgot—this person loved things like hamburgers. Personally, I preferred fried chicken over some overly sophisticated dish anyway.
"I have bottled cola, too! At a time like this, it has to be a glass bottle."
"I agree. A glass bottle fits the atmosphere much better than a can or plastic."
"Exactly! I've prepared plenty of other things, too, so eat until you're full. No matter how much you eat here, it won't affect My Child's body in the real world, so don't worry."
As she spoke with a beaming smile, Machina-san—who had lived for billions of years—actually felt somewhat youthful. Combined with the Santa cosplay, she was genuinely cute.
"That's it, My Beloved Child. Since it's just the two of us today, you can pamper your mother as much as you like! Should I give you a squeeze? Your mother's warmth will make you so happy!"
"F-For now, since you went to all the trouble of getting the food, why don't we eat first?"
"Oh, you're right. Let's eat together!"
Watching her smile with her arms spread wide for a hug, I felt a wave of embarrassment and quickly changed the subject.
Usually, I was too busy being on guard against her losing control, but Machina-san in a stable state was... well, she was cute enough to make my heart skip a beat. It was an awkward, ticklish sensation. As she said herself, a version of her that didn't go berserk might actually be flawless.
She was kind to me, she was cheerful, her commoner-like tastes made her easy to talk to, and she had a certain innocent charm... If she kept acting like this, I was going to get embarrassed. I was already starting to become far too conscious of her.
With those thoughts in mind, I picked up my bottled cola and shared a toast with Machina-san.
Serious-senpai: "Wait... If she can just manage her berserk state... wouldn't she actually work as a top-tier heroine?"