*****

Mia simply intended to dispose of the garbage from behind the building, ensuring that her restaurant remained immaculate and aromatic. Yet, when she stepped into that alleyway, she was confronted with a scene that she never could have anticipated that day.

To witness a child look at you with fear written all over her face is heart-wrenching. Mia's heart was broken as she watched the young girl greedily eat the bread, holding onto it as if it might be taken away at any moment.

Mia couldn't bear it any longer - the pain in her heart was too much to bear, so she tried to comfort the child by hugging her tightly, hoping to provide some warmth and solace.

As Mia held the girl, she noticed that her trembling gradually subsided, and she began to cry on Mia's chest. Mia was relieved, and she continued to hold the girl tightly as she clung to her clothes, not wanting to let go. Mia hugged her even tighter to reassure her that she is not going anywhere while she whispered onto her ears that everything is okay now, and the girl began to wail uncontrollably, letting out all of the emotion that had been pent up inside of her.

Mia and the girl sat in silence until Mia noticed that the girl's breathing had slowed down, indicating that she had fallen asleep. Mia smiled and gently stood up, still holding the girl in her arms. At that moment, Syr, one of Mia's employees, appeared, looking worried. It seemed that she had been searching for Mia, who had taken longer than expected to return to the building.

Syr was surprised by the scene in front of her, but her worry and surprise quickly gave way to a gentle expression. She smiled as she watched Mia with the child on her arms walk past her and followed them into the building.

Inside the restaurant, May could be seen preparing for the busy night ahead by lining up seasonings while Anya, who was slacking off, chatted with her.

Mia and Syr entered the restaurant, both with gentle expressions on their faces. Mia was holding a girl of the same race as May and Anya, and the two of them stopped what they were doing to see what was going on. They were curious about the child and wanted to know more about what happened.

Before May and Anya could ask any questions, Syr put a finger to her lips, indicating that they should stay quiet. Mia then carried the girl upstairs and put her to sleep in one of the rooms.

After making sure that the girl was comfortable and wouldn't wake up, Mia went back downstairs and instructed everyone to begin preparing for the busy night ahead. She also told them that they would deal with the girl when she woke up.

The girl woke up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, as if she had slept in a luxurious bed. She had not slept this well even under the comfort of the air conditioning she was used to. Was it the futon, the pillow, or the sheets that made such a difference? Whatever it was, the girl hugged her pillow tightly, as if she didn't want to let go of that comfortable feeling.

Unfortunately, Mia happened to check on the girl and saw her wriggling around in bed. Mia told the girl to get up, but the girl didn't understand what she was saying and ignored her, hugging the pillow even tighter.

Mia, who dislikes laziness, walked to the side of the bed and lifted the girl, startling her awake. She didn't stop there, as she put the girl on her feet on top of the bed and shook her even more awake.

When the girl opened her eyes, Mia was surprised to see that she had two different colored eyes - one red and one green. She hadn't noticed it before because of the darkness and the girl's efforts to protect herself as well as her hair getting on the way, but now that she saw it, she couldn't help but be struck by them.

The young woman, on the contrary, had a frightened look on her face once she fully woke up. As Mia noticed this, she let out a sigh and thought to herself, "This is going to be difficult."

Mia enveloped the child in another embrace and carried her into the bathroom, where a cozy bath filled with warm water awaited them. Upon seeing the tub, the girl's eyes grew wide with excitement, but she quickly buried her face in Mia's chest again before the older woman could catch a glimpse of her expression.

Mia gently placed the child on the ground and reached for the buttons on her soiled polo shirt, intending to remove it and replace it with a clean one. However, the girl grabbed onto the collar, hindering Mia's efforts to take it off.

Mia chuckled and gently moved the girl's hands away from the collar, finally succeeding in unbuttoning the last button. As she pulled the shirt down, the girl bashfully covered her crotch with a red face.

The girl looked quite endearing to Mia as she squirmed and struggled to meet her gaze. However, Mia didn't want to make the child any more uncomfortable, so she picked up a wooden dipper, dipped it into the bathwater, and slowly poured it over the girl.

After thoroughly scrubbing the girl's body, Mia left her alone in the bathroom to soak in the tub.

Alone with her thoughts, the girl had the opportunity to reflect on the series of events that had brought her to her present situation. She wasn't sure how to feel about it all, but she knew that she didn't want it to end just yet. If this was a dream, then she wouldn't mind never waking up.

Even now, she could still feel the warmth that Mia provided her. The shoulders that she never had the chance to cry on. The tight embrace that made her feel safe. She could still feel them all and didn't want to let go.

She stared at her hands, wondering if they were capable of doing anything that would allow her to stay. She knew that if she didn't take action, she might have to leave soon, so she wanted to find a way to repay Mia and earn the right to stay.

Maybe she could do the dishes, considering that this was a restaurant? Or maybe she could help bring in customers or tidy up tables for the next patrons to use? If there was anything she could do to stay, she would do her best to fulfill it.

After pondering for a few more minutes, she started to feel drowsy from the comfort of the warm water and stood up to dry herself off with the towel Mia had left for her. There was also a blouse and skirt dress that reached above her ankles, which she reluctantly put on. While she was hesitant to wear women's clothing, she had learned through her freezing cold days on the streets that any clothing was better than none.

It was at this moment that Syr walked in front of the stairs and saw the girl's scared expression. They stared at each other for a few moments before Syr softly smiled and slowly ascended the stairs, extending her hand towards the girl.

Upon seeing that Syr was still being kind to her, the girl felt a sense of relief, but she still didn't know what to do. Should she take the offered hand or step back?

Syr made the decision for her, pulling her into an embrace and carrying her downstairs. The girl felt like crying. Everything was so unfamiliar and overwhelming for her. In a figurative and literal sense, everything was foreign to her.

When she arrived downstairs, she was met with the curious gazes of the customers who were dining in for breakfast. Afraid of the attention, she buried her head in Syr's shoulders.

Syr brought her to the kitchen, where a chair in the middle had been prepared for her to sit on. This made her tense up, as if she was about to be interrogated. Syr left her there to take an order from a newcomer, at which point Mia entered the kitchen with a smile on her face and a tray of plates. The girl could smell the delicious aroma as soon as the door opened, causing her stomach to growl.

Feeling embarrassed, the girl looked away as if to deny that the growl came from her, averting her gaze from the tray.

Mia chuckled as she placed the tray on the girl's lap and brought another chair for herself to sit on. As she sat down in front of the girl, her large build slightly intimidated the girl.

Upon realizing that Mia wanted to speak to her as she presented the meal, the girl was confused.

Was Mia telling her to eat? Assuming so, the girl grabbed the wooden utensils and took a spoonful of the soup. Upon tasting how delicious it was, she took another spoonful. She noticed the small slices of steak on the side of the soup and brought a slice to her mouth with the fork. It was heavenly – she had never eaten food this tasty and felt tears slowly forming in her eyes.

Now, she truly didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay here and was willing to do anything necessary to make that happen.

Noting the girl's contentment, Mia began speaking and asked her some questions. Although she expected the girl not to be able to answer all of them, she didn't expect her to simply stare at her with a confused expression whenever she asked something. The girl would just cutely tilt her head to the side and look at her quizzically.

One last time, Mia tried asking for the girl's name, only for the girl to look at her with confusion again. Mia let out an exasperated sigh.

The girl understood that Mia wanted to ask her some questions by her tone and the way she spoke, but she couldn't understand anything. So, she spoke up and told Mia, "I can't understand what you're saying," hoping that Mia knew English.

Upon hearing the girl's words, Mia finally understood the problem. It was the language! Upon realizing this, she couldn't help but sigh in frustration again as she whispered to herself, "Things just got even tougher."

Hearing the frustration in Mia's voice, the girl felt down about her own inability to communicate and her mood slumped. Her hands stopped moving as she ate and looked down at them.

Upon realizing her mistake, Mia immediately spoke and pointed at herself, repeatedly saying "Mia" or "Mama Mia."

The girl inferred that Mia was introducing herself, and when Mia gestured towards the girl, she deduced that Mia wanted to learn her name as well.

"My name…" she whispered. The name "Jake" no longer suited her changed appearance and it even brought back painful memories.

So, in this new world where people could even have animal traits, it's an opportunity for a fresh start. Therefore, with a new life comes the need for a new name.

Even though it's only on the surface for now, she's no longer that person. She just needs to work on herself and change, and she's confident that Mia and these people will assist her in becoming a better person.

Having made up her mind, she shook her head and placed the tray on the chair before standing up. She walked over to Mia and took her hand.

Mia was bewildered by the girl's actions, but she remained quiet and allowed her to do as she pleased.

The girl placed Mia's large hands on her chest and smiled expectantly at Mia. They gazed at each other until Mia finally understood what the girl wanted.

"I see… thank you for letting me have this opportunity… Abhi Grand…" With a loving embrace, she hoisted the little one, now called Abhi Grand, into her arms and held her close.

No one interrupted them as they embraced each other, everyone who saw the two of them simply stayed quiet and left them to themselves. Things are about to get even busier now, here at the Hostess of Fertility.

*****

SORAhasGONE

Congratulations to Abhi! She got adopted when she only wanted a name! Applause!

The name Abhi was derived from the name Abhinavi. 

Abhinavi is an Indian name for baby girls. The word translates to always new and shows parents that their little girl will bring changes to their lives.

Learn more about the name »here«

I don't know when May was employed in the Hostess but I'll just assume that she's already in it a year or two before Ryuu joined them.