"Mama," Hotaru whispered quietly. Her three parents didn't seem to hear her, so she decided to try again.
"Mama," she said a little more loudly this time, and tugged at Setsuna-mama's shirt. The woman turned to look down at her daughter.
"Can you wait for a minute, Hotaru?" she asked and turned her attention elsewhere. Hotaru sighed and walked into the living room, where she had laid out her favorite tea-set. She wanted to play with someone, but all three of her parents were busy. And that had been the case ever since that thing came into the house.
Hotaru remembered how happy her parents had been at first. Papa had even cried a little. Hotaru had also been happy. But then she noticed that she wasn't getting as much attention as before. Her parents were always busy with that thing, and now Hotaru had to play alone.
The girl sat down on the sofa and looked sadly at the small cups on the table. The blue one was Haruka-papa's cup. The pink one was for Michiru-mama and the yellow for Setsuna-mama. Hotaru's cup was red. The purple cup was reserved for guests. But right now there was nobody to play with, and the imaginary tea was getting cold.
Hotaru looked up to see her parents standing in the doorway. Haruka-papa had her arm around Michiru-mama, who was holding a small bundle in her arms. They walked over to Hotaru, and Michiru-mama sat next to her.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Setsuna-mama asked quietly as she walked to stand behind the sofa, leaning against the back of it. Hotaru looked up at her and then at the small bundle in Michiru-mama's arms.
"I want to hold her," she said and reached out with her arms. Michiru-mama smiled gently, and Haruka-papa reached to help Hotaru.
"Support the head," Michiru-mama said. Hotaru moved her arm a little. She looked down at the small person she was holding. Her nose twitched, and the small hand moved a little. The child's mouth opened and closed before she finally opened her eyes. Hotaru stared down at her in awe. The baby just blinked and didn't even start crying.
"She likes you," Haruka-papa smiled. Hotaru could feel Setsuna-mama stroking her hair.
"You'll make a great sister," Michiru-mama said.
Sister. That was something Hotaru hadn't considered. This small baby was her sister. She had never had one before, but she knew that sisters were supposed to protect each other. Therefore, as a big sister, she was supposed to protect and take care of this baby.
"Can I pick a name for her?" Hotaru asked as she stared back down at her sister. Haruka-papa glanced at Michiru-mama.
"Actually, we've already picked a name," Setsuna-mama said.
"What is it, then?" Hotaru asked and watched as the baby yawned a little.
"Asami," Michiru-mama said, stroking the baby's cheek carefully. Hotaru nodded and thought for a moment.
"Can you take her back? She's heavy," she asked and Michiru-mama took little Asami back into her arms.
"I'll be right back. Meanwhile, you can play with Haruka-papa and Setsuna-mama," Michiru-mama said as she got up. She was so good at being a mother. She was able to move with a baby so easily, even though Hotaru thought that the baby was heavy and hard to hold.
Haruka-papa and Setsuna-mama sat down on the floor by the coffee table. Hotaru slid down from the sofa and started to pass out the cups. Blue for Haruka-papa. Yellow for Setsuna-mama.
"Do we have anything to eat with the tea?" Haruka-papa asked.
"Yes. Cookies," Hotaru said proudly and set a green plate filled with imaginary cookies in the middle of the table. Then she put her own red cup in front of her, before setting Michiru-mama's pink cup next to Haruka-papa. Finally, Hotaru picked up the purple cup. She studied it carefully, and set it next to herself. The purple cup would now be Asami's cup.