Meikai was out again, leaving Tatsumiya and Old alone in the house with Wadanohara. The egg had yet to show any signs of hatching, and so it remained on its marble podium in the living room, resting on a cushion.

As the days had passed, Tatsumiya found herself growing more and more fond of the egg, and often found herself laying her hands on its surface, talking and rambling about whatever was going on in the world. "The Sea King is falling ill, so Princess Uomi and Princess Mikotsu are becoming worried..."

Old liked to make fun of her because of this, pointing out that she looked like a made woman, talking to an egg.

"I've done research," she told him. "The baby can hear your voice from the inside. It can probably recognize your voice by now, too." For a while afterwards, he didn't speak around the egg too often, as if paranoid that he was being eavesdropped on.

Meikai seemed to this that her attention toward the egg was a good trait. "You'll make a great mother one day, you know." If she were ever to say that the compliment hadn't caused her to blush and stumble over her next few sentences, it would be blatant lie.

Now, with Meikai out attending business at the palace, Tatsumiya was rummaging through the fridge while Old sat at the kitchen table. "Aren't many options for breakfast," she muttered. "What do you think?"

Old held his chin in his hands. "Hm, I don't know. I'm kinda feeling scrambled egg, today."

"Very funny." He seemed to be 'craving' eggs a lot lately. "It's just an egg, Old, and Lord Meikai's child. I don't see why you need to be so bitter."

Old huffed, resting his hand on his fist. "Only thing I'm bitter about is the fact that you're not pissed about it."

"What?" Confused, Tatsumiya turned her head to look at him. "Why would I be upset by an egg?"

"Oh, I don't know," Old rolled his eyes. "Maybe the fact that your boyfriend slept with another chick and expects you to take care of the kid."

She bristled, her face slightly pink. "Lord Meikai is my master, not my boyfriend."

"Yeah, but you want him to be your boyfriend, though."

Slowly, Tatsumiya looked away, burying her head back into the fridge. "I respect Lord Meikai's decisions," she said quietly. "All of them. Even if it means he chooses someone else."

Old shrugged. "Think you could do better than that airhead, though."

There was no better person than Meikai, though. At least, that's what Tatsumiya had thought. Still, she remained silent and continued on her search for food.

Old was growing impatient, though. "We still got that pudding from the other day?"

"Yes, but pudding isn't a breakfast food."

He was getting up anyway. "Just look at how many shits I give." He leaned over her, uncomfortably close to her back, and plucked the pudding from the shelf at Tatsumiya's eye level.

Annoyed, Tatsumiya turned around and glared at the shark. He was smirking now, taking exaggeratedly large bites out of the treat.

"I'm going to the store," she announced.

"Grab me something juicy while you're out."

"Well," she said, raising her head up high. "Maybe I would have, if you had said 'please.'"

"Fuck that, Tatsu." Old looked at her disdainfully. "Manners are for pricks."

"Manners," she corrected him, "are for decent, civilized people."

"Whatever," he waved as she exited the kitchen. "See you later, I guess."

She nodded to him. "Make sure to take care of the egg."

"I'll be sure to make a nice omelette out of it for you."

Tatsumiya made sure to stop by and check on the egg before she left. "Be safe, little one."

She uttered a few words to place a protective barrier around its surface and left.