Could Not Decide on Number One

My eldest son was never good at picking a number one.

Ever since he grasped the concept of 'favorites,' he has been asked about them countless times. Each time, he avoided giving just one answer. Even when asked what his absolute favorite was, he would always name at least two.

What is your favorite animal?
From our perspective, it was a question that could only be answered with 'elephant,' but he would reply, 'elephants, giraffes, and hippos.' Perhaps this was his way of being kind.

Even he has started to rank things little by little. Is this a sign of growth? Has he learned the absurdity of a world where not everyone is equal? Now, when asked his favorite animal, he answers 'African elephant,' and for his second favorite, he says 'giraffe.'

One day, I asked him what his favorite thing was out of everything. He answered, 'elephants.' I asked for his second favorite. He answered, 'Pokémon.' I asked for his third. He answered, 'mammoths.'

Oh my, Ultraman hasn't appeared at all yet. Feeling a bit mischievous, I asked, 'Wait, what about Ultraman?'

My son fell silent for a moment. Was he disappointed in himself for forgetting the existence he loved and admired so much? Then, he replied like this:

'He's number zero.'

We were taken aback by an answer that sounded like something out of Ikkyu-san. It turned out he had been treated as a hall-of-famer. My eldest son had a slightly triumphant look on his face.

I couldn't come up with a beautiful answer like 'You are number zero to Mom and Dad' on the spot, and I was truly left speechless.