Chapter 2: When She Held a Baby
The next morning as expected, a knocking sound came from the front door of the Oyama residence. Opening the door, Mihari smiled when she noticed the familiar pink-haired girl standing on the other side.
"Good morning, Mihari-chan." Kaede said with a smile.
"Good morning, Kaede." Mihari replied. "Just let me grab my things and we can get going."
Mihari walked over to the kitchen counter. She grabbed a notepad with an attached pencil and placed it into her purse before heading back to the front door. Once the door was locked, she and Kaede started walking down the street.
"So where do you want to go?" Kaede asked. "It's a beautiful day, so we can head just about anywhere."
"Well, I feel like I need to go to a few places where I can observe people from afar." Mihari answered.
"What do you mean?" Kaede asked.
"It has to do with the project that I've been working on lately." Mihari answered. "I can't go into specifics for obvious reasons, but let's just say that it involves something that could have a great impact on young women of all ages."
"Ooh. Anything that might impact me in any way?" Kaede asked.
Mihari remained silent for a few seconds before chuckling slightly.
"You know, it just might." she said.
"Sounds like something pretty amazing." Kaede said. "So what is it that you need to observe exactly?"
"What I need to do is go to places that are full of young ladies of all ages, though preferably separated by age groups." Mihari answered. "For me to gather the necessary data, I need to see how these specifically aged girls function between themselves and other people. Once I see what I need to see, I can draw a conclusion as to how my project will potentially impact said group once it's eventually rolled out."
"Well normally I'd ask for more details, but if it's as big as you're implying I can understand why you need to keep the smaller details under wraps." Kaede said. "Fortunately for you, what you just gave me is enough for me to get an idea about a place we can go to observe such things."
"And just where might this place be?" Mihari asked.
"Sorry, no spoilers. Just follow me and get ready to be surprised." Kaede chuckled.
"Okay then. Lead the way, observation sensei." Mihari replied.
Both girls laughed at this for a few seconds. As it died down, Mihari looked at Kaede and smiled.
"She really is the best." Mihari thought. "Even when she isn't completely sure what the problem is, she's always more than willing to help out however she can."
Mihari decided to take out her notepad and looked at the bulleted list that she had written on it:
Baby/Infant (0-1 years)
Toddler (2-4 years)
Elementary Schooler (5-12 years)
Middle Schooler (13-15 years)
High Schooler (16-18 years)
The last item on the list caught her eye. It caused her to look at Kaede for a few seconds, then back at the list, and then at Kaede again.
"This is one of those rare times that makes me regret skipping over high school for the sake of the project." Mihari thought. "If I had experienced even a single year as a high school student, I'd probably be able to knock that category right off the list. Sadly, it's the one aspect of a normal in which I have absolutely no experience. However, it just so happens that I have a bonafide high school prodigy standing right in front of me."
Mihari looked at Kaede for a few more seconds contemplating what to do.
"I'm sure that no harm can come from asking a few simple questions." Mihari thought.
"Kaede, can you answer something for me?" she asked.
"Sure thing." Kaede answered.
"What's the current social environment like for you at high school?" Mihari asked.
"Huh?" Kaede asked.
"What I mean is…how well do you get by being the kind of person that you are." Mihari answered.
Kaede blinked in confusion for a few seconds.
"Why would you ask me something like…oh I get it now. This has something to do with one of those female age groups you wanted to observe, doesn't it?" Kaede asked.
"Yeah." Mihari answered. "As much as I'd like to know, I really don't have any firsthand experience about high school social life. Plus, I honestly think that it would be difficult to properly gauge an observation while outside of an actual high school school environment. I've heard that high school life while school is in session is very different compared to when it lets out for the day."
"You got that right. It's a completely different beast." Kaede said. "To be honest, aside from the need to keep my grades up, life in high school hasn't been all that bad for me. I was a bit disappointed when you suddenly skipped ahead to college, but I was able to find some other friends to hang out with in the meantime. Being someone who loves to look pretty gets you very far in there. Combine that with a kind and caring attitude, and everyone wants to be your friend. That's how it's been for me anyway."
"Well consider this then." Mihari continued. "Let's say hypothetically that someone transferred in who was pretty, but not confident or smart. In fact, they might act scared around others and would have a great deal of trouble keeping up with schoolwork. They wouldn't be athletic, they wouldn't really fit in with any established crowds due to them still trying to discover their identity, and they would therefore need someone to reach out to them to make the first move when it comes to making friends. How do you think they'd fare if they came to your school?"
Kaede put her hand on her chin to think for a few seconds.
"I honestly don't think that they'd handle it very well." she answered. "As fun as high school is, there are a lot of aspects of it that bring out a 'dog-eat-dog' culture among the student body. To survive, you need to have people who can watch your back. Lots of people who enroll there have a safety net of people they knew in middle school to fall back on if they fail to connect with anyone right away. A transfer student who suddenly appears in the middle of the term and doesn't know anyone would have it especially rough."
"Oh, I see." Mihari said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"In addition to that, students tend to be separated by an unofficial hierarchy based on what kinds of things they do." Kaede continued. "Mihari-chan, you're super smart and super athletic. Therefore, you would've likely been drawn attention from crowds and groups that enjoyed people with those traits. Someone who doesn't get good grades, isn't good at sports, isn't super pretty, and is generally withdrawn wouldn't have any kind of support structure to help them along. They could try to reinvent themselves, but this idea would tank if their old self ever manages to show through. On top of that, those that rank so low socially tend to be an easy target for gangs to pick on."
"Gangs?" Mihari asked.
"I know that it sounds crazy, but they do exist even at my high school." Kaede answered. "When you rank low on the academic ladder, you're either part of a gang or getting picked on by them. There are several girls who have had bad experiences thanks to them, many of whom were just minding their own business. I've been fortunate enough to avoid their wrath, but someone in a lesser position wouldn't be so lucky. I wish I could tell you something better Mihari-chan, but I honestly don't think that someone like that would be able to thrive in such an environment."
"Okay." Mihari said. "Thanks for letting me know."
Mihari took off the pencil from the notepad and drew a line through the last item on the list so that it appeared as: "High Schooler (16-18 years)". Seeing it caused her to sigh.
"I kind of already knew that sending Onii-chan back to high school so quickly would be a mistake, especially since his first time there not so long ago led to him being the way he is today." she thought. "Oh well, at least now I know for sure. Thanks for confirming my suspicions, Kaede."
Mihari put the notepad back in her purse as she and Kaede continued on their way.
"Wow." Mihari exclaimed.
"What did I tell you? Is it not exactly what you're looking for?" Kaede asked.
"It's what I'm looking for, and so much more." Mihari answered.
Mihari was extremely grateful that Kaede had come through for her once again and brought the two of them to the perfect place for her observations. The place in question was a public park, located in one of Onimai's southern boroughs. Mihari had never heard of this place before, or even set foot in this part of town. Regardless, she saw it as an amazing location. Natural green trees and grass filled the landscape in all directions for several blocks. Being mid-afternoon on a bright and cheery Saturday, there were numerous people of every variety who littered the park grounds. There were parents here with their children, groups of adults who ranged from speaking at benches to working out on the freshly mowed greens, and groups of children playing to their heart's content. It was a majestic sight that summed up everything that Mihari loved about living in this town, as well as one that held a lot of promise to tackle the problem that lay ahead.
"I can never thank you enough for this Kaede." Mihari said. "This is beyond perfect."
"Glad you think so." Kaede replied.
"Let me ask you though…why here?" Mihari asked. "There are numerous other parks much closer to where we live, where we've gone to many times before. Getting here required a lot of walking. If I wasn't wearing sneakers I'd probably collapsed on the pavement. I can't possibly fathom how or why you decided to walk all the way here in two-inch heels."
"Well how else am I going to show off how hot they make my legs look." Kaede giggled. "Besides, you know how I never get bothered suffering for the sake of being beautiful. There's nothing I won't endure from it, because the end result makes it more than worth it."
"Yeah, I guess you have a point. I'm sorry." Mihari said.
"Don't sweat it." Kaede said. "As for why we came all the way out here, I thought it might give you more of a clean slate."
"Huh?" Mihari asked.
"Think about it." Kaede answered. "If we went to one of our usual hangouts, we'd likely run into a bunch of people we'd know. While I'm usually all for unexpected meetups, I don't think that it would've helped you very much. After all, the point of today is for you to observe girls in their natural states. Having other people we know drawing attention to us could break that natural state, and then you wouldn't be able to get any data for your project."
Mihari didn't say anything for a few seconds out of shock.
"Wow." she said. "Is there any situation that you haven't been able to find a solution for?"
"Not that I know of." Kaede giggled.
"Did I mention before how grateful I am to know you?" Mihari asked.
"Only about a million times." Kaede answered.
"Well here's number one-million-and-one." Mihari said. "I'm very grateful to know you, Kaede."
"Aww, that never stops being sweet no matter how many times I hear it." Kaede said.
The two laughed at this for a few seconds.
"Now why don't we take a walk on the path." Kaede suggested. "I'm certain that we'll see some of the people you hope to observe there."
"Sounds like a plan." Mihari said.
Mihari and Kaede began to walk down the path. As they did, numerous individuals passed them coming from multiple directions. A male biker came in the same direction as them and passed them on the left. A group of what appeared to be martial artists passed by them on the opposite side of the path going in the direction of where Mihari and Kaede just were. At one point, two young children ran directly across the path in front of Mihari and Kaede. They appeared to be brother and sister, with the sister chasing playfully after the brother. The sight of this made Mihari smile, as it made her think of the many times that Mahiro had played with her in a similar way when they were that age. It also made her all the more eager for the upcoming day when she would finally be able to renew her close relationship with him.
After several minutes, Mihari caught sight of the exact thing she was looking for.
"Ooh, there it is. The first item on my list." Mihari exclaimed.
The two moved behind a nearby trash can so they could get a better glimpse at the subject that Mihari wanted to observe. Sitting at a nearby bench was a young woman in her early twenties. She had long black hair, blue eyes, and a colossal bust that was contained within a gray sweater. While this wasn't too much of an unusual sight, what set it apart was that the woman was holding a baby that was currently suckling from one of her exposed breasts. The woman had a look of absolute content on her face as she cradled the baby with her arms and allowed it to nurse. It was a pacifying sight, one that caused Mihari and Kaede to feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Bright goofy smiles soon developed across their faces.
"Oh my." Kaede said.
"How precious." Mihari added.
"Really makes you think about how we'll end up like that some day, huh?" Kaede asked.
"Yeah. It does." Mihari answered.
The two continued to stare for several seconds. Soon after, the woman looked up and saw that Mihari and Kaede were staring at her. Out of embarrassment, the two quickly looked in opposite directions, pretending that nothing had been going on. Despite their efforts, the woman was well aware of what they were doing and started to wave to them.
"Hey, you two." she called out.
Mihari and Kaede's faces turned red as they tried to pretend as if they hadn't heard the woman.
"I know that you two were looking at me. Come on out already, it's okay. I don't mind." the woman said.
Mihari and Kaede slowly walked back onto the path. Even though they did their best to look at the woman, the embarrassment they felt over having been caught in the act caused them to gaze in various directions.
"Sorry about that." Mihari said.
"We didn't mean to peep. We were just so enamored by what was going on." Kaede added.
"Well why don't you come and get a closer look." The woman said.
"Huh?" Mihari and Kaede exclaimed.
"Like I said before, it's no big deal." the woman said. "Come and sit down so you can see it up close. I promise that neither of us bite. I mean, she does, but not in any way that's dangerous to anyone other than me."
Mihari and Kaede burst out laughing at this, and the woman joined in for a few seconds. With full permission allowed, the two sat down next to the woman on the bench to get a full sight of the baby that the woman was nursing.
"Always a delight to meet a couple of young women who are so enamored by the sight of motherhood." the woman said. "I'm Mikuru Takatou, and this is my daughter Kona."
"I'm Kaede Hozuki." Kaede said
"And I'm Mihari Oyama. It's a pleasure to meet you." Mihari added.
"So what may I ask is the reason for your shared interest in seeing my baby?" Mikuru asked. "You're not up to anything perverted are you?"
Mihari's face turned bright red while Kaede's mouth dropped open.
"No, I swear that we're not." Mihari exclaimed.
"Don't worry, I was just teasing." Mikuru giggled. "Let's just say that I've had to deal with a few people in my life who have less than honorable intentions when it comes to little girls. I could tell right away though that neither of you fall into that particular category."
"Well don't say it so loud next time." Mihari exclaimed. "You're gonna cause people to start staring."
"I'll keep that in mind." Mikuru said as she began to focus back on Kona.
Mihari and Kaede leaned in close to Mikuru to get a better look. They once again felt that warm and fuzzy feeling flow through them as they watched Kona.
"So are you here alone, or did someone else accompany you?" Kaede asked.
"Someone else; my husband." Mikuru answered. "He'd be here with me right now, but he's off making sure that my big sister behaves herself today."
Mihari and Kaede suddenly looked at Mikuru with confused expressions.
"I'm sorry, did you just say that your husband was keeping an eye on your big sister to make sure that she behaves?" Mihari asked.
"You're already fully grown, why would she need someone to watch her when she's even older than you?" Kaede asked.
"Remember those unsavory people I mentioned that I have to deal with sometimes?" Mikuru asked. "Well, she's one of them. I won't go into details, but let's just say that she can be a handful in public places like this."
"Sounds pretty rough." Mihari said.
"Yeah, but I'm pretty used to it by now." Mikuru said. "Plus, now I have my husband to take some of the pressure off when things get rough. After all, my job right now is making sure that Kona is kept safe from harm. He may be the only one between us with a steady income right now, but I can always count on him to be there for the two of us. I plan on going back to work eventually, but for now I'm more than happy to spend all of my time taking care of this little bundle of joy that means the world to me."
"So you were a working girl before you gave birth?" Mihari asked.
"That's right." Mikuru answered. "My husband and I got together about a year before we graduated from the same high school. Afterwards, we attended the same university and graduated a few years ago. We may have studied different majors, but we both managed to graduate with honors and successfully start our lives as working adults. What about you two? Got any big plans for your future once high school lets out?"
"I'm still up in the air a bit on my specific plans, though I do hope to attend college at some point." Kaede answered.
"Well, it might not be the way that my husband and I planned ahead, but it's good to know that you're considering higher education." Mikuru said. "What about you, Mihari-chan? What do you plan to do once you graduate?"
Mihari took a few seconds to answer.
"Well to tell you the truth, I'm already a university student." she said.
Mikuru's mouth dropped open.
"Hold on. You're saying that you've already started college?" she asked.
Mihari nodded.
"Dual major; biology and chemistry." she answered. "In fact, the reason that we were watching you and Kona-chan was because I'm collecting data for a new research project that I'm working on."
"That just boggles the mind." Mikuru said. "I mean, you're still so young. My husband and I may have gotten high marks throughout high school, but we never attempted to jump ahead like that. You must really be some kind of freaky genius."
"She is." Kaede said. "Mihari-chan is the smartest person that I know, and one of the kindest. She was always top of our class back in middle school. She was also the school's star athlete on top of that. Despite that, she never let that status go to her head. If someone needed help, she was always more than willing to offer her services. And even though she's super busy with her new college life, she's always more than willing to make the time to tutor me when I end up struggling with my subjects."
"It's so wonderful to see that the next generation is so willing to take their studies seriously." Mikuru said. "When Kona is old enough, I'm going to personally make sure that she has only the best education. That way, she'll have no problem succeeding later in life. Of course, given that she has both my husband's and my own intelligent genes to help her out, I'm sure that she'll have no problem when it comes to achieving top grades."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Mihari shrugged. "I may be a genius, but my onii-chan is the exact opposite. He never did very well in school when it came to grades. The fact that he even managed to graduate was an achievement in itself."
Mikuru suddenly gasped and wrapped her free hand around Kona's head in order to cover up her ears.
"Don't say stuff like that in front of her." she said. "Do you want her to grow up thinking that she won't be able to succeed despite being the daughter of two smart people?"
Mihari began to blush furiously.
"Oh my, I'm really sorry. I was just…" she started.
Mikuru chucked for a few seconds before removing her hand from Kona's head.
"I'm just teasing." she said. "I know perfectly well that it's never guaranteed that children will turn out the way you expect them to. It applies to parents and children, as well as siblings. My sister and I are both smart, but her intelligence and brilliance is on a completely different level. Add to that her perverted personality, and I think that basically sums it up for you right there."
Mikuru slowly popped Kona's mouth off of her breast and began to cover it back up.
"All you can do though is give them as much love as possible and hope for the best." Mikuru said. "In the end, that's all that any child really needs. Even if they don't turn out exactly as you imagined, you can at least take comfort in knowing that you gave it your all to make them the best versions of themselves they could be."
Mikuru lifted Kona onto her shoulder and began to pat her back. After a few seconds, Kona let out a small burp and Mikuru brought her back down. Mihari and Kaede smiled brightly at this.
"Aww, so she's just so cute." Mihari said.
"I haven't seen anything so cute since my own little sister was that young." Kaede said.
"Well, would either of you like to hold her for a minute?" Mikuru asked.
Mihari and Kaede's mouths dropped open at this.
"You'd really let us? Are you sure?" Mihari asked. "We only just met a few minutes ago."
"Like I said, I can tell that you two are good people." Mikuru answered. "It's clear that you really want to, and I don't see any harm."
Mikuru held Kona out in her arms in Mihari's direction.
"No, it's fine." Mihari said. "Besides, I'm not even sure of how you're supposed to hold a baby."
"It's easy." Mikuru said. "Just place one hand behind her head and neck your other hand under her bottom. Then, gently scoop her up toward your chest and hold her there."
Mihari looked at Mikuru, and then back at Kona.
"Well…if she says that it's okay." she thought.
Slowly, Mihari scooped up Kona from Mikuru's arms and followed her instructions to the tee. Before long, Mihari found herself holding Kona in her arms. It was a very surreal moment for her, as she could not have predicted ending up in this position when she woke up this morning. As Mihari looked down, Kona giggled, and this caused Mihari to smile.
"I can't believe it, I'm actually holding a baby." she thought.
"Wow you did it, Mihari-chan. Hold still while I take a picture."
"See, what did I tell you?" It wasn't that hard." Mikuru chuckled.
Mihari felt a warm and fuzzy feeling wash through her as she cradled Kona in her arms. Something about doing it felt so right, as if everything was suddenly right with the world.
"She's so small and adorable." Mihari thought. "The way that she giggles like that makes her even cuter. I only wish that I stay in this moment forever."
All of a sudden, a thought jolted through Mihari's brain.
"Wait a minute, maybe there's a way that I could." she thought.
Mihari suddenly had a thought of her holding a baby just like Kona, except it was Mahiro who was turned into a baby girl. She imagined cradling Mahiro in her arms, picking her up, watching her giggle at the slightest things, and being fed from a bottle as she slowly fell asleep. The fantasy then went a step further with Mihari unbuttoning her blouse and allowing Mahiro to nurse from her breasts which were suddenly overflowing with milk. The thought of all this was causing Mihari's heart to race with excitement, and she soon felt her face growing red as a large smile appeared across her face.
"Ooh, that would just be the most perfect thing ever." she thought. "I'd get to spend all my time with Onii-chan. He would be completely dependent on me to care for him. And on top of that, he would get the perfect chance to start life anew. It would take a few years until he grows up enough to go to preschool, but he'd eventually be able to make all sorts of new friends. After all, that's where they teach those exact skills. And I could spend the years in between preparing him for when that happens. In addition to that, I would get a chance to watch him grow up right in front of my eyes. It'll be just like how he saw me grow up in the same way. I'll shower him with so much love and affection that there's no way he'll ever end up as a shut-in for as long as he lives. It's almost too good to be true."
All of a sudden Kona began crying, and this caused Mihari to snap out of her fantasy.
"Huh? What's wrong Kona-chan?" Mihari asked.
Kona continued to cry, and Mihari began to rock her back and forth in her arms slightly in an attempt to calm her down. Unfortunately, this only caused Kona to cry out even louder.
"I don't get it. What am I doing wrong?" Mihari asked in a panic. "One moment she was perfectly fine, and the next she started crying for no reason. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
"Here, give her back to me." Mikuru answered. "I think I know what to do."
Mihari handed Kona back to Mikuru without any hesitation. This didn't stop Kona from crying though.
"Is something wrong with her?" Mihari asked. "I swear that I didn't do anything. I was only holding her."
"It's no big deal, Mihari-chan." Kaede answered. "Babies just cry out of the blue sometimes, it's practically their job. I remember how Momiji used to do that all the time after she was born."
"For real?" Mihari asked.
"Sure." Mikuru said. "Most of the time they do it because they need something, but there are times when they do it for no other reason than just because. What's important is that you understand the difference enough to know what the baby needs. And I think I know just what she needs."
"And what would that be?" Kaede asked.
Mikuru lifted Kona up slightly and nuzzled her cheek.
"I think that a certain little missy needs to be changed." Mikuru answered.
"Oh, so that's it." Mihari said.
"I'll just take care of that right now." Mikuru said.
Mikuru stood up with Kona and grabbed the large bag that was lying on the ground next to her. She stepped onto the grass and set Kona down on it. She then reached into the bag and took out a large pink changing mat. After quickly unfolding the changing mat, she laid it on the grass and placed Kona onto it. She then reached into the bag and pulled out several supplies including a fresh diaper, oil, wipes, powder, and rash cream.
"Now then, let's go ahead and get you changed." Mikuru cooed.
Mihari and Kaede watched in amazement as Mikuru went about changing her daughter. Kaede beamed in delight at the intimate sight that only a parent and a child could share. Mihari on the other hand didn't feel like smiling. She had been so caught up in her little fantasy that she hadn't considered the other side of the coin. Babies needed constant attention, and required caregivers that were capable of understanding the signals that they gave off. Mihari didn't even know how to hold a baby until now, much less how to properly take care of one. If this was how she reacted to a stranger's baby crying out of the blue, she didn't even want to imagine how she'd react if it was a baby Mahiro doing the crying.
Soon enough, Mikuru finished what she was doing and began to pack the stuff back into her bag.
"There we go. All nice and dry." she said.
"You're really…quite the pro at this." Mihari said. "I just ended up making things bad."
"I'm only good because I have a few months of experience doing it." Mikuru replied. "No one can be expected to figure it out right away. My husband and I were completely lost when Kona was born. It takes a little time and effort, but soon enough it becomes second nature."
Mihari lifted up her head and began to smile once again.
"So what happened before was perfectly normal." she thought. "Even if it takes some time, maybe this means that there's a chance that I could make it work after all."
"Unfortunately, the one thing that you can't get past is the extra cost that comes from having a baby." Mikuru said.
"Cost?" Mihari asked.
"Having an extra person to take care of is a killer on one's savings." Mikuru answered. "You need to buy diapers and other changing supplies, and lots of them since you'll be changing the baby several times a day. You need to buy clothes that the baby will outgrow in only a few months and require replacements. Plus, once you eventually wean them you'll need to spend money on tiny jars of baby food that disappear in the blink of an eye. It's a good thing that my husband and I saved up for a while before I gave birth, because there's no way that we'd be able to keep up with all the extra expenses on just his salary alone."
"Sounds pretty rough." Kaede said.
Mihari didn't say anything, as she was deep in thought over everything that had just been said.
"I must be the biggest fool in the world right now." she thought. "I was so caught up in my fantasy that I failed to take so many things into account. Not only does a baby require constant care, but also caring supplies which can be very costly. Even if I was able to care for onii-chan all the time, there's no way that I could afford the extra cost on Mama's stipend. I guess that I have to let this dream die, at least for the time being."
"Well thank you, Mikuru-san. I think I have everything I need." Mihari said.
"Glad I could be of help." Mikuru said. "May I ask what kind of data you were collecting?"
"Well, we came here in order to observe young girls of varying ages." Mihari answered. "The goal is to see how they interact with the world in order to see how a new drug that I'm helping to develop will impact them. I have a list of all the groups in question, and we just happened to run into the first item on it completely by chance."
"Sounds very interesting." Mikuru chuckled. "If you're looking for some help observing the other age groups on your list, I think I know a good place here that you can check out."
Mikuru pointed in the direction of a nearby fork in the path.
"Just follow that path until you get behind those trees over there." Mikuru said. "I won't spoil anything specific for you, but trust me when I say that there's a place over there that will be very helpful to you in the long run. Who knows, maybe you'll be able to knock out the rest of the age groups on that list of yours."
"All in the same place." Mihari asked. "That would certainly cut down on time. Thanks a bunch, we'll be sure to check it out."
"Glad I could help." Mikuru said. "I think I'll just wait here for my husband to come back. Have a nice day, girls."
"You too." Kaede said.
Mihari and Kaede waved to Mikuru who waved back in turn.
"Bye bye." she said.
"Bye bye." Mihari and Kaede said back.
Mikuru began to cradle Kona with both arms as Mihari and Kaede started walking on the path once again.
"She was really nice." Kaede said.
"Yeah, she was." Mihari said. "Let's hope that this place she told us about lives up to its reputation."
"I'm sure it will." Kaede said. "And with any luck, you'll get the remaining data that you need for your project."
"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me." Mihari said.
Mihari took out the notepad from her purse and unhooked the pen from it. She looked at the list and let out a long sigh.
"Well, I guess that it just wasn't meant to be." she thought. "I'd like to try and force it to work, but going against solid data would be a betrayal of everything I hold dear as a scientist. I guess that for now, the dream will have to remain dead."
Mihari took the pen and drew a line through the first item on the list so that it read "Baby/Infant (0-1 years)".
"As much as it pains me to move away from such a delightful fantasy, it seems as if I need to shoot for a higher age group for the project to come to fruition." she thought.
Mihari placed the notepad back in her purse and she and Kaede continued on their way down the path.
End of Chapter 2
9/2/2024
Special thanks to my Patrons: Homura VanRoyen, sudowiki
Hi Everyone. I was happy to see such a positive response to the first chapter of the story. I have been having so much fun writing this, as it feels so freeing compared to The Oyama Project. The fact is that I've wanted to write the basic structure of this story for months now, but it was only after I began to write it that I was finally able to recognize the potential it had. As many of you may have noticed, this is indeed a crossover fic with a manga series that is similar to Onimai in many respects. That series in many ways what Onimai could've turned out as but didn't, and this fic is meant to thematically examine this by having some characters from both series meet up. They didn't appear in the last chapter, but they have started to appear starting with this chapter. Those who are familiar with Ichinensei ni Nacchattara will recognize the fic as a thematic sequel to that series, as well as a direct prequel to Onimai. I know that both series exist in separate worlds, but I think that I've found a fun way to link them up. In fact, the chapter titles are deliberately worded like the chapters of Ichinensei ni Nacchattara to empahsize this connection. More of that will be explored in the next few chapters.
A fun fact is that Mihari's little fantasy involving turning Mahiro into a baby is derived directly from an idea I had for a fic awhile back. The fic, titled "Baby Sister Formula" would've had Mihari develop a drug designed to help women lactacte, with a second half being a much more powerful version of the feminization drug. She would've used it to turn Mahiro into a baby girl (with her mind intact) after an argument, and start breastfeeding her. I even imagined a scene where Kaede would've come over, and Mihari would've given her the drug as well, allowing Mahiro to enjoy suckling from Kaede's oversized bust. I never wrote it as such material doesn't fit my style of writing, but maybe someone will write it instead now that I've put the idea out there.
Also, I know that I originally said there would be three chapters, but those plans have changed. As a lot of you may know, my style of writing involves copius amounts of description and dialogue, and this has a tendency to pad out my stories way more than expected. Because of this, there will be at least five or six chapters, though I still expect to finish it quickly based on my current rate of writing. I hope that you all will enjoy what's to come.
Please be sure to like and comment on this chapter as any feedback you give me is extremely helpful to me as an aspiring writer.
If you enjoy what you've seen so far and you're interested in seeing more, consider supporting me on my (instructions on how to reach it can be found on my profile). Your support will give me the resources to write more often, and anyone who contributes will be have their name appear in a 'special thanks' section of all future stories that I write.
I'd like to thank you all for your encouraging likes, follows, and comments, and stay tuned for Chapter 3, coming soon.
