Aphrodite was completely petrified, as if turned to stone! In her mind, the girl’s voice calling “Mom” echoed endlessly, looping over and over.
She never imagined that in a single day, she would be forced to experience being a “mom” twice.
The first time she could barely understand—after all, it was just some mutterings in a dream. But this second time…
What on earth was the logic behind this inexplicable aftereffect?! How could it make someone mistake a stranger for their own mother?!
Aphrodite was at a loss for words, not even knowing what to complain about anymore.
She looked down at the girl clinging to her like a koala, rubbing against her, still calling out “Mom,” and a tremendous sense of helplessness and absurdity washed over her like a tidal wave.
What kind of mess is this?!
No, this can’t go on! I have to correct this ridiculous misunderstanding!
Aphrodite forced herself to pull it together. Her body was recovering faster than she expected. Although she still felt weak and drained, she at least had the strength to move now.
If she had known she’d recover so quickly, she wouldn’t have struggled so much earlier.
Maybe things wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Aphrodite let out a silent sigh, then, with effort, raised her hand and gently held the girl’s arm, trying to push her away a little, creating enough space for a conversation.
“Well, um…” She tried to make her tone as solemn as possible. “Listen to me, you’ve got the wrong person. I’m not your mother.”
Aphrodite continued to explain patiently, hoping to rouse the girl’s sense of reason: “Just now… you weren’t feeling well, and something happened. I helped you with some treatment, but now, because of the aftereffect, you might be a bit confused and mistook me for someone else. Do you understand?”
Aphrodite did her best to use simple and easy-to-understand words.
To reinforce her point, she even managed to raise a hand and pointed at her own face, asking very seriously, “Look closely, do I really look like your mother?”
She looked at the girl expectantly, hoping she’d examine her carefully and snap out of it.
However, things didn’t go as planned.
Hearing Aphrodite’s denial and seeing her point to her face, the girl’s lips started to tremble, and tears suddenly broke through, rolling down in big, fat drops.
“Waaaah—!” She suddenly burst into loud sobs.
“Did Lya do something wrong? Is that why… why Mom doesn’t want Lya anymore? Was Lya naughty? Please don’t leave Lya, Mom! Uuuu…”
She cried as she tried once again to throw herself into Aphrodite’s arms, as if terrified that this “Mom” would vanish at any moment.
Aphrodite was thrown into a panic!
This kind of childlike, completely unreasonable wailing—there’s no way to reason with it!
But… luckily, she’d taken care of Bella before.
Back when Bella was young, she used to cry like this for all sorts of reasons.
Aphrodite had a well-practiced method for handling this kind of situation!
The most urgent thing now was to stop the tears and stabilize her emotions!
Aphrodite could no longer stick to her “I’m not your mom” stance. She immediately switched into “soothing child mode.”
She let the girl hug her again, then, with what little strength she’d regained, gently patted Lya’s back, just like she used to comfort little Bella.
Her voice was soft and gentle: “No, no, Lya didn’t do anything wrong. Lya is a good girl, such a good girl… Don’t cry, don’t cry, Mommy… Mommy is right here.”
That last “Mommy” was forced out with great effort, but she endured it for the sake of the effect!
Feeling the gentle pats on her back and hearing the soft, comforting voice in her ear, Lya’s sobs gradually quieted, turning from loud wails into soft sniffles, and her tight grip on Aphrodite’s arm relaxed a bit.
She raised her tear-streaked face, her voice nasal and uncertain as she asked, “R-really? Mommy… will really stay with Lya this time? You won’t suddenly disappear again?”
Looking at Lya’s wet, anxious eyes, Aphrodite sighed inwardly.
Oh well, what’s the point in arguing with someone whose mind’s in a mess because of the aftereffect?
If I have to be a mom, so be it—let’s just stabilize things for now.
Aphrodite forced herself to smile as warmly as she could and spoke in a gentle, child-soothing tone, “Of course! Mommy will stay with Lya this time. I won’t suddenly disappear.”
Upon hearing this promise, a brilliant, relieved smile bloomed on Lya’s face. She buried her head in Aphrodite’s shoulder again, nuzzling in satisfaction and mumbling softly, “That’s wonderful… Mommy is the best…”
Aphrodite kept patting Lya’s back mechanically, her emotions a complicated swirl.
What a situation… Suddenly I’ve become a Temporary Mother for no reason at all.
But then again, this experience was almost exactly like when she took care of Bella back in the day… and it wasn’t so bad, actually…
At least, it was a lot better than the tense, memory-erasing scenario from before.
As for whether Lya would remember this embarrassing scene and come after her for it once she recovered…
Aphrodite shook her head, deciding not to worry about such distant, headache-inducing problems for now.
Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it!
Right now, the most important thing was only one—to play the role of this “Temporary Mother” well, to soothe this “grown-up baby” clinging to her because of the aftereffect, and help her get through this difficult period smoothly.
After quite some time, Lya’s sniffling finally faded away completely, leaving only the occasional inhale.
Yet her arms were still tightly wrapped around Aphrodite’s neck, as if letting go would make “Mom” disappear.
Aphrodite felt her neck and shoulders growing stiff, but seeing the “grown-up baby” in her arms finally calm down, she patiently asked in the same tone she used to comfort Bella, “…Lya?”
“Mm?” The girl’s muffled voice came from the crook of her neck, thick with dependence.
“Can you… loosen your grip just a little?” Aphrodite did her best to sound gentle. “I… Mommy… is having a bit of trouble breathing.”
As she got to the word “Mommy,” Aphrodite couldn’t help but pause. If possible, she still didn’t want to call herself that.
But there was no helping it. If she was going to play the “mom,” she had to go all in.
Besides, if she slipped up in her act and made Lya cry again, what would she do?
She really didn’t want to have to soothe her a second time.
Lya stiffened slightly at Aphrodite’s words, perhaps worried about upsetting “Mom,” and quickly loosened her arms a little, though she still didn’t let go completely.
Then she tilted her small face up, looking timidly at Aphrodite, and quietly confirmed, “Is… is this okay? Mommy won’t leave, right?”