"Expressions like what…?" Rui raised an eyebrow with a wry smile.
"Expressions of the agony of love," she remarked with a knowing tone, before beckoning him to give her Ria.
Rui stiffened. "…we don't want to."
Amare's eyebrows knitted with dubious amusent. "She's my daughter too, you know? I carried her for months and delivered her in a traumatizing process. I deserve to hold her as well."
"You had her nine months, now it's our turn."
"Wha—" She laughed with surprise as if seeing Rui in a new light for the first ti. "Look, she just woke up. I need to feed her."
Rui's expression grew troubled. "Our arms… seem unwilling to let go. It seems that while our mind agrees with you, our soul does not wish to let go. It seems our body consciousness concurs."
"…"
A minute later, Amare was cooing and baby-talking to her breastfeeding daughter while Rui could simply watch with an agonized expression. He simply heaved an amused huff as he watched Amare glow with affection as she held their daughter in her hands, feeding her.
"Amitabha, our great-granddaughter was born." The affectionate elderly voice of Bodhisattva Maitreyi drew Amare's attention.
"Grandma…!" Her amber eyes lit up. "You're here."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner," Bodhisattva Maitreyi directed an affectionate gaze at the nursing newborn. "So this is Ria, our newborn great-grandchild."
Her expression softened. "She looks full of light, my dear child. You did well."
The two of them spoke lightly about Ria's future as Rui zoned out, keeping his gaze fixed on his daughter as several chosen guests were allowed to visit.
"Heh, I can tell with a single glance." Kane's voice drew his attention to the door. Both Rui and Amare lit up as they saw Kane, Fae, and young Runark. Kane grinned at Rui with knowing eyes that saw right through him, holding Runark in his arms.
"You get it, don't you?"
Rui's expression loosened as his gaze returned to Ria, who had finished nursing and had gone back to sleep. He closed his ethereal eyes.
"Yes."
"Hehehe… congratulations on becoming a dad, buddy," Kane smirked. "Congratulations on becoming a mom, Amare."
"Congratulations to both of you for becoming parents," Fae smiled at them with a sincere expression. "Thank you!" Amare bead. "I'm so glad you guys could visit us!"
Fae imdiately scooted to Amare, admiring the dozing Ria as the two won cooed about how cute and adorable the newborn girl was. Kane walked over to Rui with young Runark in his arms. "You look shaken," he remarked with a knowing tone, instantly diagnosing Rui's ntal state in the blink of an eye. "Let guess. You're shocked by the possibility that Project Water will no longer be as important to you. You're shocked at how aningless everything you accomplished before feels compared to a life that you helped create. You're shocked that the unshakeable drive that drove you all this ti is being dwarfed by the emotion your daughter evokes in you."
Rui turned towards him with a pointed glance. "I'm sorry, we didn't realize you mastered the SOUL System as well."
"Heh, don't need to. I've known you since we were twelve," Kane remarked with a knowing smile as he stared at the dozing Rui. "I can read like you a comic book. But also…"
His expression softened as he brought the curious Runark in front, holding him with both hands. "I went through the exact sa thing, isn't that right?"
"Papa?" the one-year-old boy asked with a tilted head. "Mmmm…" Kane pulled him in for a hug as he propped Runark to sit on his lap.
Rui smiled at his godson, patting his head. "He's grown so much since we last saw him."
"It feels like it happened in the blink of an eye, man." Kane huffed with a hint of regret. "Cherish these monts, cause they grow up instantly."
Kane directed a deep gaze at Ria with a smile. "She's adorable. I would even go as far as to say the second-most adorable baby to have ever existed."
Rui raised an eyebrow towards Kane with a stern expression.
"Second?"
"Yep, you'll have to settle with silver because Runark here was the cutest baby in the world. Ria is a close second, though. Respectable contender. But no match for my son, isn't that right, Runark?" He buried himself in his son's hair, blowing heavily, causing his hair to beco ssed up, earning a bout of laughter from Runark.
Rui was still not pleased by the judgnt of Ria being the second cutest. "We have seen many babies in the world, but Ria is definitely the most adorable baby in the world. No, the universe!"
"Keep dreaming buddy."
"She's objectively the cutest," Rui insisted. "Just look at her plump cheeks. Runark is cute, we'll admit, but he doesn't compare."
"You're just jealous that Runark is cuter, man. Tsk tsk, truly pitiful."
Amare and Fae rolled their eyes as Kane ragebaited Rui, who had yet to adaptively evolve to being obsessed with his daughter. "Once Ria grows a little older, we can set up play dates between our children." Amare turned towards Fae with a smile.
"My, I was thinking the exact sa thing. With a re one-year gap between them, they will surely grow up to be great friends." Fae cooed at Ria, reflexively gripping her finger even while she was asleep. "Who knows, with how close they are in age. Maybe they might get together in the future!"
The two Sage mothers giggled at the prospect of their children growing up and getting married to start a family. It was the ideal way to co together in a proper family.
"There they go," Kane muttered with a dubious expression. "A little bit too early to think about their marriage, don't you think?"
"Ria getting married…?" Rui's eyes widened with horrifying realization. "aning she'll go away from us...?"
Everybody in the room directed a dubious gaze at Rui, including young Runark.
"Ahem… we'll consider it." Rui coughed. "If she truly wants to get married, then…"
His ethereal eyes sharpened with grave severity.
"It will have to be with a man who can beat us in combat. Only then will we acknowledge him as our son-in-law."
"…"
"…You can just say no."
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