By Zephyria 
It would be easier if he just manifested quickly.
Could there be anything more agonizing than feeling as though one’s innate nature and temperament are mismatched? Other children had revealed their traits from birth, or at least before the age of five, but for some reason, Chase remained the same as he approached ten. Was Koi right? Was Chase’s trait different from the others?
Occasionally, seeds of self-doubt reared their head, but he quickly brushed them aside. That couldn’t be it. He was simply unlucky, manifesting later than his siblings. Even so, since traits typically emerged in the mid-to-late teens, he couldn’t even be said to be late by average standards.
“Yes, Chase. What is it today?”
When Ashley asked, the boy stepped forward and held something out. Resting on his small, carefully cupped palms was a limp bird.
“My bird died, Papa.”
He thought the crying had finally stopped, but he was wrong. Thick streams of tears soon flowed again, wetting the boy’s flushed face. Unable to contain his sorrow, the child sobbed and lamented.
“Grayson… he put my bird in the trash… And he told me I’m weird. Stacey and Nathaniel too, everyone told me… that I’m wrong. Am I? Am I a weird kid?”
His son spoke with tears still clinging to his reddened eyes. Ashley gazed down silently at the child, who was still so very small. He needed to think of words to comfort the child. He recalled them mechanically.
“Birds are useless.”
The child stopped crying and looked up at him. With an expression that seemed somewhat confused, Chase spoke in a voice still thick with remnants of sobbing.
“But it’s pretty, and it sings.”
Ashley genuinely wondered what intention his son had in saying such a thing.
“And?”
The child fell silent again. Faced with a reaction that consisted only of Ashley staring at him, Ashley offered his own kind of solution.
“I’ll buy you a new one.”
Chase’s expression changed. Is he happy? Ashley wondered. It had been quite some time since he had become unable to distinguish human facial expressions. The only person whose emotions he could understand was Koi. Believing the matter was resolved, Ashley patted the child’s head and headed toward his room.
Koi returned after that. Having come back from meeting Ariel, he was shocked to hear the news from Ashley.
“Really? Chase’s bird died?”
His face immediately contorted with pity. It had been Koi who suggested buying animals for the children. His reasoning was that raising pets would help develop their sensibilities and that teaching them responsibility by caring for something would be good for their education.
When told to choose an animal they wanted to raise, Chase had picked a small, fragile canary. He had cherished and cared for it every day as his only friend.
And that bird was dead.
“Oh no, did he cry a lot?”
Koi felt as though he might burst into tears out of sympathy. When Koi asked urgently, Ashley replied indifferently.
“He had stopped by the time I arrived.”
“I see…”
At the sound of the voice trailing off listlessly, Ashley offered an alternative nonchalantly.
“Don’t worry, we can just buy him a new bird.”
Koi hesitated, momentarily lost for words. Ashley looked as though he had no idea what was wrong. However, Koi was the only one in the family with a different trait. Since the youngest had not yet manifested, it was impossible to know what he would become, but regardless, it meant that for now, it was nearly impossible for Koi to follow their way of thinking. The probability that Ashley was right was very high, but that didn’t mean he could just ignore it.
“I’ll go see him for a moment.”
Koi waited anxiously for Ashley’s answer. Since Ashley had decided to take full charge of the children, if Koi stepped in and told them something different, it would only confuse them.
“As you wish.”
Fortunately, Ashley gave his permission readily. As soon as he heard the answer, Koi hurried to the child’s room.
There was no sign of movement beyond the door; perhaps he had already fallen asleep. Koi pressed his ear to the door, then pulled away and took a deep breath. Knock, knock. He knocked with a trembling hand and opened the door to find Chase lying in bed, preparing for sleep.
“Chase, do you have a moment?”
When he asked cautiously, his son merely looked at him without a word. Gathering his courage, Koi approached and sat on the edge of the bed. The child looked up at him while lying down.
“Chase, I heard about your bird. You must be very upset.”
He offered words of comfort in his own way, but Chase showed no particular reaction. He simply lay there quietly, blinking. Perhaps it was because the words were too cliché. Losing confidence, Koi couldn’t bring himself to continue.
Is Ash right…?
Koi tried to gauge the child’s reaction further, but it was still difficult to discern his thoughts. Though his eyes were still red, he wasn’t clinging to Koi or complaining, making Koi cautious about what to say.
“Um, Chase…”
It was just as he was tentatively starting to speak. Chase, who had kept his mouth firmly shut until then, moved his lips.
“I’m okay, so don’t worry.”
He finally heard the child’s voice, but Koi felt a wall that was larger and more solid than when the boy had been silent. And that wasn’t the end.
“I’m going to sleep.”
As the boy turned his body away from him, Koi had no choice but to give up.
“Goodnight, Chase.”
Koi kissed the child’s head and added one last thing before leaving the room.
“If there’s ever anything you need from me, tell me anytime. I’ll be waiting. I love you, Chase.”
Suppressing the urge to hug him tightly, he patted the boy’s shoulder instead and departed. Even as he closed the door, Chase remained stubbornly turned away. Despite the child’s rejection, Koi found it hard to pull himself away.
“Um… listen, Chase.”
He hesitated and spoke cautiously. Would Chase even accept his words? He lacked confidence, but Koi continued anyway.
“I’m sorry, I might not be of much help… but someday, someone who understands you will definitely appear.”
After a brief silence, a short sound returned. A tsk—the sound of a tongue clicking in disapproval. Feeling suddenly embarrassed, Koi closed the door and headed back to his room. Then again, my words must sound absurd. He probably wondered what I could possibly know to say such a thing.
How could I possibly understand him? Our traits are so different. Chase probably knows that, which is why he says nothing to me.
“Koi.”
Seeing him return with a gloomy expression, Ashley stepped forward and hugged him as if to comfort him.
“It’s okay. We’re just experiencing things a bit sooner than everyone else does.”
He continued speaking.
“Don’t worry about the children either. I’ll do my best to make sure they grow up properly. You trust me, right?”
“Yes.”
Koi nodded obediently and hugged him back.
“I trust you, Ash.”
Yes, it’s okay. Koi thought. I know our children well. They are all kind and lovely children. The fact that they’re a bit different from other families is unavoidable because of their traits.
Koi truly believed that. As he closed his eyes and rested his head on Ashley’s chest, a forgotten memory suddenly surfaced. The moment their first child had shown a miracle.
〈Nathaniel is talking!〉
Koi had shouted with a flushed face, brimming with excitement.
〈Did you hear? He said Daddy and Papa. It’s so amazing, how is he growing so fast?〉
As soon as Ashley returned from work, Koi had shouted loudly, not knowing what to do with himself. Ashley gazed silently at the baby’s face, looking up at him from the crib. Without knowing what Ashley was thinking, Koi asked in an excited voice.
〈It’s because he takes after you! I told you, the more children that look like you, the better!〉
What does growing fast have to do with looking like me?
Ashley had thought, but he didn’t want to ruin Koi’s happiness.