An Egg Is an Egg

On the plate, an omelet that somehow looked unnatural was visible, no matter how they tried to present it. It was a charmingly small omelet, as if claiming it had been made small due to a lack of eggs.

There were signs of effort to fill the surroundings with other dishes to prevent awkwardness, but… it was far too conspicuous for that.

My hand gripping the cutlery tightened.

“Claudia….”

When I softly called that name, she replied with a faint smile.

“What’s wrong, Shaa?”

Claudia was poking the omelet with her fork, *tok, tok*. The omelet, touched by the fork, softly yielded to it as if boasting its fluffiness.

Looking beside me, Cecil was already on the verge of putting it into her mouth. The inner part of the omelet, split by the fork, was impressive.

“Ce-Cecil, wait a moment.”

Cecil, who had stopped her fork in front of her mouth, tilted her head and spoke in a voice full of questions.

“Shaa-nim? What’s wrong?”

As if asserting she wanted to eat it quickly, a transparent liquid was slightly smeared around her small mouth. When I reached out and wiped it for her, a smile bloomed on her questioning face.

I awkwardly smiled back at her, and then turned my gaze back to Claudia.

“Claudia… this omelet, by any chance… it’s not, is it?”

“Is there something wrong? Should I call a waiter?”

“…D-don’t change the subject.”

While I hesitated, unable to bring myself to ask if it was an egg I had laid, Claudia’s fork split the omelet. The yellow omelet, split in half, disappeared into Claudia’s mouth in an instant.

“….”

I stared blankly at the sight, then turned my head away.

Cecil, who also thought there was no problem after seeing Claudia eat it, was chewing with her fork still in her mouth. The omelet, cut in half, had lost its other half and was left on the plate in a pathetic state, as if weeping.

Blood rushed to my face, making it hot.

“Ah, no, what if you eat that!? W-what if it has a bad effect on your body…!”

“It’ll be fine. It came out because of the potion Shaa made, so would there be a problem?”

Hearing her say that made me puff out my chest a little, but… I shook my head.

“Th-that… trusting me is very kind, but I need to research it first, so it’s troublesome to just gobble it all up like this.”

“Don’t worry about that. I left the biggest one.”

Claudia took out an egg from her bag and showed it to me. It was the first egg that had given me immense pain. The sensation from that time came back to me, and my lower abdomen recoiled.

Cecil’s innocent voice was heard.

“Was this dish made from something Shaa-nim laid?”

“…Probably. If… by any chance, you feel strange, or your stomach feels unwell, tell me right away─”

Cecil vigorously shook her head from side to side.

“That’s not the case. It’s very delicious!”

“…I-is that so?”

Claudia, who had been quietly watching, added.

“It’s just as my assistant says. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a delicious egg… dish.”

Should I be happy…? My feelings were complicated. Soon, I sighed and gave up. After all, I couldn’t tell them to spit out what was already in their mouths.

Meanwhile, Cecil, who had completely emptied her plate, tilted her head and asked me.

“Shaa-nim, aren’t you going to eat?”

“….”

Unable to answer, I looked down at the plate.

At this moment, when it became certain that I had laid it. Somehow… my heart felt heavy. Recalling the time when it continuously pushed its way out of my flesh, my body trembled slightly.

…Do Harpies feel this way too?

“Shaa-nim! If you’re not going to eat it, may Cecil eat it?”

“I-I’ll eat it…”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah…”

I ended up replying reflexively.

Cecil, who had asked that, was humming a tune, saying she was looking forward to the next dish, and Claudia was looking at me. As if she wanted to hear my review. With that kind of face.

…What’s so special about this?

It’s just… an egg laid by a human. Of course, humans don’t lay eggs, but… yes, my skill must be great enough to make even that possible.

Thinking that way, I felt at ease.

I split the omelet with my fork. I picked up a yellow piece with my fork that had been smoothly cut without resistance. It looked like a normal egg dish. The smell… was fine.

When I actually tried to put it in my mouth, I felt a little nervous. After swallowing once, I opened my mouth… and put the fork in.

I bit the omelet with my teeth and pulled out the fork. Saliva, which had accumulated, was smeared on it, forming a long silver thread.

The omelet that touched my tongue was….

Delicious.

So much so that the fact I wouldn’t be able to eat it again felt a little regrettable.

“How does it taste? Well, I guess I can tell just by your expression.”

“….”

Unable to reply, I ate the remaining omelet.

…The egg I laid… was that delicious.

After that… I ate normal food and left the Dining room. When I heard the chef come over and ask Claudia where she got the egg… I was so embarrassed I wanted to die, but… when I heard him say he’d buy more at a high price if she could get them, I felt a little better.

Anyway.

Originally, Claudia had planned more for the schedule, but it seemed… it was a place for c-couples, so… we just decided to return to the Workshop.

From Claudia, who had seen us home with a regretful expression, I received the egg… and waved my hand.

Since we returned earlier than scheduled and had time left, I headed to the Workshop. Replying to Cecil, who was chattering about the food we had eaten.

In the chilly Workshop, I began to examine the egg. When I placed it in both hands and brought it close… its surface looked smooth. It was heavier than I expected. When I unconsciously brought it to my lower abdomen… I thought, ‘How on earth did this come out?’

…Thinking about it, human women give birth to babies larger than this, so it seemed natural. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, and continued to examine the egg.

I couldn’t find any particular peculiarities. Because it was, quite literally… an egg.

I considered breaking it open to examine the inside, but I postponed that until tomorrow.

…It wasn’t that I was thinking of eating it for lunch tomorrow.

I sent the sleepy-looking Cecil up first, and sat at my desk to write a letter. The recipient was… naturally, my dear Master-nim.

Master-nim. Your disciple has finally suffered the humiliation of even laying an egg. I’m not trying to rush you, but… since there’s been no news from you, I’m sending this letter out of worry.

As I wrote the letter, the events of the day kept coming back to me. Then, an organ that shouldn’t have been there would *jjireureu* and recoil. It felt unpleasant. Shuddering at how it didn’t feel like my own body, I continued the letter.

I removed the paper on which I had poured out various complaints, and sealed the letter. Because sending a letter filled with the unfairness I had unconsciously written down… felt a little bad.

I pretended to be fine, but… it seemed I wasn’t. I put the sealed letter in a drawer and moved to take a shower.

As I stood under the warm water pouring down from above, I felt a little better.

When I stroked my belly… an organ that hadn’t existed before made its presence known. The memory of Claudia gently pressing on me came back. I felt uneasy about memories that I shouldn’t have experienced constantly being etched into my body.

The thought, ‘What if I can’t go back like this?’ crossed my mind.

No, I’ll definitely be able to go back.

These weak thoughts must also be due to my changed body.

After finishing my shower, when I led my heated body back to the Bedroom, Cecil was asleep. Her sleeping posture, curled up like a shrimp, was cute.

Still, I felt a little comforted by the fact that I wasn’t alone.

…Strictly speaking, this happened while I was making Cecil, but… it wouldn’t be Cecil’s fault.

I carefully got onto the bed, and unconsciously held Cecil in my arms. Cecil, who mumbled a little, snuggled into my embrace. Her warm body temperature felt good.

I wasn’t originally someone who sought out other people’s body warmth like this….

Still, it wasn’t a bad feeling.

As I stroked Cecil’s fluffy hair… I remembered a potion I had stashed away somewhere in the Preservation Box.

Then… wouldn’t it become even fluffier?

With that thought, I fell asleep.

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“…You must have earned a lot of money, so why do you live in a place like this?”

The Red-haired woman grumbled as she walked. Soon, a house that looked a little out of place with the surrounding scenery came into view. Seeing it, the woman understood why someone would live in such a place.

Though different words came out of her mouth.

“…They really splurged on money here.”

Nevertheless, the reason she was walking remained unchanged.

Just as the Red-haired woman stood before the main gate, about to press the call button, a noisy sound was heard.

-Ah, Asha-nim! Please calm down!

The Red-haired woman knew she had come to the right place upon hearing the voice. Because the name, etched into her like a scar since her Academy days, was heard. It seemed a little noisy.

However, what bothered the woman more than that was the voice calling that name.

“…A woman?”

The woman, who had unconsciously mumbled that, pressed the button. Without knowing why her fist was clenching.

Soon after, a Silver-haired girl with an embarrassed expression appeared.

The Red-haired woman’s mind was filled with questions.