Chapter 36: Exhibition

[Edited by Arthur300000 and ArchmageNaoki]

There wasn't anything worth mentioning about the drive except the exotic and fantastic scenery, and I failed to heal my mom with Skyrim's magic. Well, no surprise there, her condition wasn't an injury or disease. It's a special condition like lycanthropy, cancer, high blood cholesterol, or diabetes which require special treatment methods. But it was worth a try.

"Here it is." My dad parks the car in the middle of nowhere again. It was four in the afternoon. Maybe not in the middle of nowhere, there is one big mansion here. It looked like four or five families could live inside comfortably. It looks old, but the strange thing is there aren't any fences to mark its perimeter. All I can see is a field of vegetables everywhere, and the other houses are very far away. I would need about half hour to walk to the nearest one. There are also forests and mountains in other sides. I wonder if that's the magical forest they talked about on the internet?

"Father! Mother! I'm back!" My mom yelled as I got out of the car.

It was quite a long drive, so it felt liberating to be able to move again. Even Mr. Bobos seems to be happy to be out of the car. He flew around us while squeaking happily. However, when Mr. Bobo came close to one of the vegetables on the field, I could spot one of the plant's tendrils wiggling a little. Let's not get close to them, my por- *ahem* my reference material taught me that getting close to that field might lead to ... a certain situation that I don't want to happen.

"OHH! Welcome back! Let me finish this first. Anna! The children have arrived!" The silhouette of a giant raised from one of vegetable shrubs a bit further away. He's almost three meters tall, with very broad shoulders. I imagine he could fight bare handed with that power armor inside Marcus's workshop.

"It’s quite dangerous for kids out here, we got rock worm problem. Get in the house first!" The old man yelled just as he pulled something white out of the ground and slammed it on a big rock. It seems he got the thing under control because the rock worm was splattered with a bang before he grabbed another one flying at him. Just to be safe, after my brother took out the ice chest from the trunk, I store my dad's car inside my hair clip and quickly walk to the house. My dad thanks me, he said his ring is too small to store a car inside. A few moments later an old woman approaches us. She has a lot of wrinkles and white hair on her head, but I could see that she was once very beautiful in her prime.

"Ara, welcome Cath-. Oh! is this the little Kuro that you've told me about? Come with grandma, I have some sweet dumplings for you!" Said the old woman. Her demeanor seems kind, but for some reason, she appears to be focusing on me more than others.

The drain from my mom immediately disappeared when we stepped over the house threshold. But when I let go of my mom's hand grandma acted like she forgot her daughter and her true grandchildren by carrying me around instead. She might think that as an adopted child, I might be lonely and need more attention. Women in my family are really nice to me.

The first room in the house is like a big hall, mostly made of wood, though the room nearby had the floor made with woven grass. Some chandeliers and orbs filled with white particles used as indoor lighting. Mr. Bobo sniffed around the house curiously. I hope he won't eat the grass mats.

While my family rests comfortably on the couch in the living room, my grandma carried me to the kitchen. She's also humming happily. Maybe it's because everyone came to visit her. My 36 Kilogram weight shouldn't be that light, but it doesn't seem to bother her at all. While carrying me, she took out a plate filled with yummy looking sweet dumplings from the kitchen cabinet and poured a liquid from the kettle nearby over it. *sniff* It smells like ginger.

*Fuu* *Fuu* "Little, Kuro. Ahh~" My grandma blew the spoon a few times before feeding me. It tastes invigorating. The sweetness from the black sesame filling and the spiciness of ginseng syrup mix really well. The sticky and soft texture of its exterior made chewing it very enjoyable. If this goes on like this, I might become a spoiled child. But it's fine because I'm already grown up, I think.

"Grandma, I want sweet dumpling too." My sister said.

"Go get it yourself. It's in the kitchen." My grandma replied.

"And here is my little Tyke! You have grown so much. Ha ha ha!" While I was chewing on another sweet dumpling on my grandma’s lap, my grandpa rushed through the door to hug my brother. He looked cleaner than when he was on the field, and from the looks of it, grandpa is doting on my brother.

"There you are my little pumpkin!" Grandpa was moving on to my mother. He even held her up high by her hip. Under his mustache and face full of wrinkles, his face was hard to read, but his eyes clearly show that he's happy.

"OH! So this is little Kuro, huh? Thanks for bringing Cathy here." After he had greeted my sister and my dad in his intimate fashion, he shook my hand. His hand is larger than anyone else's that I've seen. His thumb is even as thick as my arm! Despite that, his grip is firm and gentle.

Gathering like this, it makes me feel like my family just got bigger. They sit down and talk in the living room until the sky outside went dark. During that time I just sat there on my grandma’s lap and listened. It turned out that my mom had one more sister. And when we were talking about her someone came through the door. It doesn't have a lock, but because the big front door is made of wood, I could hear it creak open.

"Hello! Ah, Cathy, you're already here! And OH... MY... GOD!" *WHAM* An energetic woman suddenly leaped at me and hugged me. It reminded me of my sisters wake up method. Mr. Bobo was also startled by her sudden movement and flew over to find refuge on the top of a big drawer. I was afraid that my grandma would be harmed from her impact, so I had to put my leg on the seat to soften the blow.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"Is this the other daughter you mentioned? I am sooooo jealous!" The energetic women pulled me from my grandma’s lap and started to rub her cheek against mine. Then my face was buried between her mounds, and she smells like... waffles. No, there's no sexual meaning in it. I mean waffle, literally. The sweet food kind. Why didn't I refuse the hug? Well, you know, she looked quite gorgeous, and soft...

"Charlotte, stop it!" My grandma quickly hit the newcomer with an empty sweet dumpling bowl. This woman looked a bit younger than my mom, but they have same hair color. She must be my aunt. After she had released me, I saw something interesting. There is another man in the room, and he has pointy ears. That must be an elf.

"Kuro, this is Auntie Charlotte, and this is Uncle Zeno, he's an elf." While my new auntie was nursing her head, my mom introduced them to me. I also spotted a cute-looking girl who was peeking from behind Uncle Zeno. She has pointy ears like Uncle Zeno but not as prominent as him, maybe because she's a half-elf. She has cute round features with puffy pink cheeks. Her big brown eyes are bright, and her eyelashes are impossibly long. This is like a dream come true, a real half-elf loli!

"Come here. This is Laurell, our son, and this is Kuro, Aunt Cathy’s daughter." Uncle Zeno introduced us. And as expected, she is their... son? A trap loli!? I recheck his features again. Well, I can't blame myself for mistaking him for a girl. Anyone would think he was a girl with his looks. He looked younger than me so it's normal to be flat-chested. The only hint he gave me is that he’s wearing pants, but a girl can also wear pants, right? Even though I don't have one yet, but I'm still determined to buy one.

"Nice to meet you." I hold down my surprise and offer the boy a hand. However, he just gets behind his dad like he was afraid of me.

"Haha sorry, he tends to be shy. Please try to get along, alright?" I nodded. It's entirely understandable, with looks like that he might get bullied a lot at his school. Don't worry, with my 30 years of experience of being bullied I will teach you the ins and outs of it.

"How old is she?" My aunt came back to her energetic self again and inquired my age from my mom.

"Kuro is 15 years old." My mom answered. Hearing my official age made me feel strange every time. Why does no one believe that I'm 30 years old? ... Well, I already know the answer, but I can’t help but complain about it in my mind.

"Oh, so you're only two years older than Laurell." Auntie Catherine energetically held my hand. I don't know what she's thinking, but she looked at me with eyes that seem to be glittering. It’s quite uncomfortable to be the center of attention, so I hid behind my sister and grandma.

"Everyone must be tired so let's have a bath first." My grandpa suggested.

"I will prepare dinner." My grandma said and slowly got up.

"Uhm... Can you cook this?" I offered the rest of my prized catfish. It tastes fantastic, so it’s better to cook it while it's still fresh. At noon we only ate a tiny portion so we could have a feast with the rest of it. Though at the sight of it Auntie Charlotte interjected. She looked serious.

"Isn't it blue whale eagle catfish? From the looks of it, it was recently caught. Kuro, are you sure about this? If you sell it to market, you will get at least about three gold coins." Huh? Three gold coins? Did I just fish up 30 panties-worth of fish in one go!?

"It's ok. It's a special occasion, so let’s have a feast." Money is the least of my worries right now. And to sell this delicacy, I couldn't do it. My grandma’s sweet dumpling is delicious, so I have high hopes for her.

"Alright! I'm fired up. Let me help grandma!" Auntie Charlotte pulled her sleeves up.

"Ara, having help from a famous chef would be a big help. But are you sure? Don't you want to have a bath first?" My Grandma winked at Auntie Charlotte.

"AH! UH, the fish, but, um, Little Kuro, do you want to help this Auntie cook?" She looks reluctant. Sorry auntie, for the sake of my fish don't let me near the kitchen.

"Sorry, but no." I gave her the fish and followed my sister and my mom.

The changing room has a lot of lockers inside. I think this place was designed as a hotel before because it has more lockers than a family would need. Anyways, I just put my clothes inside my storage device as usual, but before I got to the bath, my sister handed me a towel. She said I should wear it. I don't know why but I do as she said and followed her.

"Wow~!" The bath is just in the backyard of the mansion. It's an open-air hot spring! Last time I didn't get a chance to go to one because of my period. The scene is so beautiful. Who would have thought that my grandpa was a gardening artist.

"Beautiful isn't it? Grandpa invested a lot in this bath. At first, we thought to open a hotel here, but no one came because this place was too far out." My mom was reminiscing.

"Yeah, and it's a mixed bath, so most people are too reluctant to come." My brother just got out from another exit and jumped naked into the hot spring. Wot da hel m8! I just saw his banana!

"I still reject the idea of partitioning it. This bath is an art. To cut it apart is nothing less than blasphemy." My grandpa followed in with his ass full of wrinkles... Maybe I should come back later after helping Auntie Charlotte.

"Ahh, It feels sssoooooo relaxing~." My sister and my mom lowered themselves into the bath. However their bodies were covered by the towel. My dad also gets in after her, and he’s also wearing a towel on his ba- lower part.

*Gulp* As a man, I should be fine with this. However I've never bathed with any man before, my previous life included. Seeing Laurell following Uncle Zeno naked into the bath, I felt I would lose my pride here if I turn back now. Yup, I still have my towel on me. It should be fine I told myself.

While glowing white butterflies from the garden around the bath are flying around leisurely, everyone beckoned me. It felt like the glance from men play a trick on my mind a bit, but I shook those feeling off. I'm a man, I told myself. The first step forward felt like my feet were glued to the floor. Thankfully that feeling began to fade with the more I walked. The warmth steam from the hot spring felt so inviting.

I put my foot in.

Ahh, it’s really comfortable. I realized that my facial expression has melted because of my brother smirk. I never realized my body was this tense, but the feeling of my foot inside the water told me so. Can I turn back now? Impossible.

Before I realized, I surrendered my body to the warmth of hot spring. The water has a faint smell of sulfur, but I also feel traces of energy in it. It felt invigorating and relaxing at the same time. This is a lot better than a normal bath. I should have realized it sooner. Maybe I should own a place with hot spring for myself in the future.

While all fiber in my body become relaxed like my previous night afterglow, my sister poked me on the cheek.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Your face looked so cute." She apologized.

Well, right now, I don't mind anything. However, when I look at her to reply, I realized that the towels don't help at all. Her body line could be seen clearly. I looked at myself, and it's the same. Hah, what is the point in wearing this?

While considering my option, my line of sight accidently drifts in that direction. Yup, Laurell is a boy. And let's not talk about its size because I will just hurt my previous life’s pride, loli traps have it better than me huh.

Anyways, while that boy is enjoying the bath to the fullest, why can't I? My current set of armor has paper thin defense anyway.

In the end, I decided to screw it and remove the towel.