358 What'd you mean she's my daughter?
"So, what's the deal with you guys gathering in my room...?"
The last time I had this much women in my room was when I'd just gotten out of my depression.
Lilith then leaned forward, her eyes sharp and serious.
"Well, I'm sure that by now you've noticed the presence of the fourth person in the room... or haven't you...?"
Definitely...
The reason the aura of the fourth person I sensed was so odd was because I couldn't identify them. In other words, I'd never met them. In order to identify the aura that my [World Acuity] sensed, I'd have to have encountered them before.
So, by me not knowing who the aura belonged to, if made their presence more pronounced.
To be honest, they'd have been the first person I searched for, if these women didn't want to romantically make my life a living hell.
I nodded slowly, "Yeah, I did notice it." With my thumb pointed backwards, I told her, "It's coming from somewhere behind there, right?"
And for some reason, my curiosity to know who this fourth person was, grew... maybe it was because of the way Lilith made it so mysterious.
My eyes shifted to the corner to see what was behind me, all to no avail of course.
I brought my attention back to the room and voiced my question to the girls.
"So, is there anything special about this fourth person that I should know?"
I made sure to make my voice sufficiently loud enough that even the person behind me would hear it
— maybe if they heard me say that, they'd step out of from behind the wardrobe to introduce themselves.
"I guess they are special," Senesica nodded gently as she closed her eyes peacefully.
I narrowed my eyes at her, suspicious... very suspicious...
"Hmmm," I muttered subconsciously.
The fact that she didn't even specify the gender was weird.
"So, who are they?" I asked.
Stellaria smirked as she spoke tiredly. "Why don't you find out yourself."
I hesitated for a moment before cautiously making my way closer to the wardrobe and lifted my hand to pull it open. "Hello?" I called out, but I was only met with silence as the figure shifted further out of view.
I could just make out a shadow of black hair.
I took a step forward, and as I did, the figure retreated deeper into the darker corner of the wardrobe.
I paused, exhaling slowly as a feeling of apprehension crept over me.
"Should I really know who's hiding there?"
I questioned, turning slightly towards Senesica.
"You might want to move a little faster if you're curious," she teased a bit.
"Oh yeah," I casually said, and without a second thought, I used my [Flash Step].
In an instant, I relocated just before the hidden figure and found myself face to face with... a little girl.
Her chubby cheeks, adorned with a pair of tiny red horns, framed a face filled with innocence. She clutched at the corner of the wardrobe, her short black hair falling into her pretty blue eyes. Draped in a white undershirt and a black pinafore, she seemed to be quivering slightly, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees.
I had only one word... cute...
Was this the another of Lilith's sisters?
The fourth daughter maybe?
"Hello there," I greeted her softly, but she didn't respond, shying away further into the shadows.
My heart twinged at the sight.
"It's okay," I reassured her.
However, she didn't budge.
Senesica's brow furrowed as she regarded Silica, reclining in her usual shy manner.
"Silica, is that how I taught you to greet Daddy when you see him?" she asked, a note of disapproval evident in her voice.
Silica...?
Oh, so that's her name.
It was a little funny to see Senesica acting like a mother.
But from what they told me, Senesica was the youngest of the three being her, Dendrossa and Lilith.
If Silica was the youngest, that would technically make Senesica her immediate elder sister and well maybe she was also a mother figure to her.
"Silica?" Senesica called her name again, sounding a little strict.
"Y... Yes...?" the little girl mumbled.
"I said is that anyway to greet daddy?"
Seated with her head bowed, Silica muttered, "No."
Senesica insisted, "Get up and do it right, then."
Silica grumbled and reluctantly rose, her shy demeanor making her seem unwilling to speak. In an attempt to do it correctly, she clasped her hands together and faced me before bashfully bowing her head. "It's nice to meet you, Daddy!" she exclaimed, her face still hidden as she tightly shut her eyes, blushing furiously.
"Uh, it's nice to meet you too?"
That was the weirdest greeting I'd ever come across.
Observing Silica's adorable but shy behavior, I raised an eyebrow and pondered why she referred to me as "Daddy".
Then again, Senesica had done the same.
But was it really weird for Senesica to say that? She called herself mommy after all... although it sounded pretty hot when she said it.
I glanced at the Senesica, Lilith and Stellaria for guidance, but they offered little help; Stellaria shrugged, Lilith crossed and uncrossed her legs without acknowledging me, not even sparing me so much as a look... jeez, and Senesica playfully stuck out her tongue and winked.
Returning my attention to Silica, I looked at her.
She seemed no older than five. I wouldn't be surprised if she was 5,000 years old though.
"So, you're name's Silica, huh..."
No response.
"It's a cute name.."
No response.
"Um, you wanna know mine...?"
At this point I was begging for a response, any would do...
"Yes," she finally spoke. "You're daddy."
"Eh?"
There was an uncomfortable silence stretched between us.
Her blank stare was unsettling.
As the awkwardness in the room continued to grow, I stumbled over my words and attempted to start a sentence.
"So, uh, what's... you're, uh..."
But my attempt at conversation was cut off by the sound of Stellaria's snickering from the back.
I shot her a sharp glance, hoping she would put a stop to it, but she seemed unable to stifle her laughter.
What's so funny? I thought.
Of course, Stellaria has to be the only person to laugh when I'm in a bind... Or so I thought...
Before I could address Stellaria, Lilith also burst into laughter, followed by Senesica.
"You guys are terrible," I scolded, but my words were drowned out by their amusement.
Turning my attention back to Silica, I was about to speak when she walked closer to me and stood directly in front, looking up at me.
I could feel the strangeness of the situation overwhelming me.
And their laughs weren't making it any better.
"Uhhh," I stammered, at a loss for words.
Then, to my surprise, Silica made a remark.
"Woah," she said. "You're super short, just like mommy said..."
"Uh, thank you?" I responded, uncertain whether I should take it as a compliment.
"Mommy also said that you're also super beautiful because you super look like a girl..."
I chuckled and then told Silica, "Yeah, I'm super sure..." adding some sarcasm to my tone.
"Hmph!" I heard Senesica grunt a little.
I turned back to look at her.
She stared at me with a disapproving look and told me, "Don't make fun of her, she's still learning how to speak..."
"But I..."
Senesica interjected. "Honestly honey, it's not funny..."
Oh, so now it's not funny?
In an attempt to clarify things, I kneeled down, placing a hand on Silica's shoulder. "I'm not your daddy. You can call me by my first name, Lumiere," I told her gently.
However, Silica stubbornly shook her head. "That's not true, mommy says you're my daddy and I'm super sure that mommy never lies..."
I sighed, feeling utterly bemused, and assured her, "But I'm really not though..."
But then Senesica intervened, pointing a finger as she said, "But you really are her daddy, sweetie..."
"Wait, what?" I exclaimed, utterly bewildered.
Lilith nodded in agreement, adding, "Congratulations, Lumiere. You're a father."
"WHAT THE FUCK?!"
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