[#CreativeAwards2025 #FantasyCategory] Maaaaaam! Episode 11
"Bon! I have a poem dedicated to you... Bam!"
Bon's right straight attacked Agu as he returned in high spirits. Agu dodged it at the last second and laughed, "Heh," but...
"Oof!"
A heavy left hook landed squarely on Agu's right flank. Agu collapsed at the entrance without a word.
"You seem to be in quite a good mood."
Bon stood tall, looking down at Agu with a newborn elephant strapped to her back.
"Th-that's harsh, Bon."
"You're the one being harsh!"
It was already past the children's bedtime, but Yuki, who had rushed to the entrance in delight upon hearing his father's voice, stared at the scene with wide eyes and mouth agape. Bon noticed Yuki and glared at him. Yuki scurried back into the room. He sensed that Bon's thunder was about to strike.
Don't look anymore. Don't listen anymore.
Yuki hurriedly closed his eyes. The most important person in this house is Dado. But the one you must never defy is Mam. This was a rule of the house firmly imprinted in Yuki's heart. After confirming that Yuki was in bed, Bon lowered her voice as much as possible and spoke sternly to Agu.
"What... time is it now?"
"It is... 1:30 AM."
I've been doing housework from morning till night without a break! The elephant was just born, and Yuki is at an age where I can't take my eyes off him. Normally, when work is done, you should fly home and help out! And what is this! I don't know about any poetry club or whatever it is!
Agu stood up, saying "Sorry, sorry" to the furious young wife, Bon. He seemed to be holding his right flank, which still hurt. Even while enduring the pain, he didn't look angry. He understood that she had lashed out because she was worried about him coming home late at night without even calling.
"I'm really sorry."
Perhaps softened by Agu's apology without anger, Bon gradually calmed down.
"No, I was at fault too."
"But, don't you think I've made a little progress?"
"Huh?"
"I used to get taken out by a right straight, but now I can withstand a left hook."
"Idiot..." Bon blushed.
"I wrote a poem praising you at the poetry club. Will you listen to it?"
"I'll listen, but please, no more coming home after midnight!"
Bon laughed as she said that.
📚📚📚
"I thought you hated studying, Mom."
Yuki said this while walking beside Bon.
"That's not true. Studying is important."
"But what about Dad..."
"I was just angry at Dad for being late without letting me know."
Bon continued the conversation, saying that they had properly made up afterward.
"If people studied properly, stupid wars like that wouldn't happen. Everyone would be as thoughtful as Dad."
"That's true, Dad was kind, wasn't he?"
Yuki remembered the expression on Agu's face as he left for work the next morning. Even now, Yuki could still picture the face of Dad looking at her kindly.
"Is it not hurting anymore?"
When Yuki rubbed her right side, Agu had said this while apologizing for waking her up in the middle of the night.
"Yuki, grow up to be a child who reads books diligently."
Yuki would never forget these words spoken while he patted her head. But Mom was always scolding Dad when he came home reading a book. Yuki had never seen Mom, who was busy moving around every day, reading a book.
She woke up earlier than anyone else in the morning to prepare breakfast.
While doing that, she fed baby food to Zou.
She immediately washed the clothes Yuki had dirtied.
She cleaned and prepared lunch while hanging out the laundry.
After bringing in the laundry, she went shopping for dinner.
Even while chatting happily with shopkeepers and neighbors, Mom's daily life, where she did everything simultaneously, was extremely busy.
When does Mom sleep?
Yuki couldn't help but wonder about that.
I have to help Mom more.
Yuki, who tended to be sensitive to the feelings of others, naturally began to feel guilty about reading books. However, she wanted to keep the promise she made with Dad when she was four years old. That was why she always read books quietly at night after everyone had fallen asleep.
"I've caused quite a misunderstanding, haven't I?"
Mom looked at Yuki kindly.
"From now on, you can read books with pride."
Saying that, he picked up Yuki and placed her on the cart, which was loaded with a large amount of dried Oyachai he had traded for.
"I'll push from behind the cart too!"
"I'll count on you once the cart is full of dried Oyachai."
Bon laughed, saying that a cart carrying only four children and one puppy was light as a feather. When he said that, Bon's back felt broader than usual. Yuki began to read her book, feeling at ease. Zou, Sato, and Yuta played with the puppy, Peth. Savoring this brief moment of happiness, Bon pulled the cart while quietly glancing at the book Yuki was reading.
It's getting pretty worn out, isn't it?
Agu had owned many books, but most of them had burned while they were fleeing through the fires of war. Only that book of poems had been saved because Yuki had taken it with her. Seeing Yuki reading it over and over as if it were precious, he felt sorry for her, thinking she must have memorized the entire contents by now. However, this was the only book they had left.
Before they reached the next village, he would hunt down plenty of wild Oyachai and trade them for books for Yuki and the other children. After all, wild Oyachai that had escaped from the fields were everywhere, and Ochakana swam around periodically, following the air currents. If he could just read the air currents properly, he would soon... Just as he thought that, a voice called out to stop Bon and the others.
"Hold it."
For Bon, who had been thinking about future hunts with the mindset of a mother, it was nothing more than an unpleasant, grating voice.
Click here if you want to read "Maaaaaam!" from the beginning♪