Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?, Vol. 2

“Oh, really?”

“Geez, you shoulda said that first!”

“Bwa-ha-ha! I see you’ve cheered up! How easily…er, how responsive you all are. Anyhoo…”

His smile beaming forth again, Mr. Burly snapped his fingers.

A magic circle appeared around the podium, and a number of ingredients began appearing. Meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, grains, and spices.

“The objective will be to craft some food. This will make it easier for combatants to grasp the creation process. The apparatuses on each table are designed to raise your success rates, so make good use of them. Points will be given based on success rate and rarity. Those are what you’re aiming for! Begin!”

And with that, the students set to work. Sorting through the ingredients on the podium, carrying them back to the tables, and setting about Item Creation.

Masato’s party joined in.

“I’ve never done anything like this…but it doesn’t seem like we’ve got anything to worry about.”

“Yeah. We’ve got Porta on our side… So, wanna show us how it’s done?”

“Okay! Leave it to me! I’ll make something first!”

Porta put an egg in a random beaker and quietly chanted, “Will it be good? It’ll be good! A good item…done!”

Light poured out of the beaker, and when it dimmed, there was a steaming egg inside.

Porta created Easily Peeled Boiled Egg—great success!

“Whoa… You sure made that look easy. Well done, Professor Porta.”

“Th-thank you so very much!”

Like Porta had, Wise put an egg in a beaker and chanted.

“Will it be good? Well, duh, it’ll be good! ’Cause I’m the one making it! So gimme a…boiled egg!”

Wise’s Item Creation activated. Light poured out, and when it vanished…

…there was a greenish, purplish, reddish-brown slimy thing in the beaker.

Wise created Mysterious Object X!

“What the—? What even is this?! Eww, it stinks!!”

“Ohhh… Um, well… That’s an Item Creation failure.”

“Bwa-ha-ha-ha! That’s your specialty, all right! Okay, my turn! …That cute little chant’s not really my style, so I’ll abbreviate a bit… Boiled egg, come on! …Uh, wait…”

The remains of a detonated egg appeared in the beaker in Masato’s hand.

Masato created What Happens When You Try to Cook an Egg in the Microwave.

“Um… Well, that might be edible, at least. But, Masato, that’s still a failure.”

“Do you just lack any kind of common sense? That was total overkill.”

“Hey! This is just what Item Creation did! Of course I know if you zap an egg in a microwave it’ll explode! Argghh… Well, clearly, Item Creation won’t succeed if you don’t have a crafting job. Everyone else…”

He looked around, hoping to see them failing.

“Oh, nicely done, Cleric Medhi!” he heard Mr. Burly saying. “An excellent success rate! Ten points to you!”

Laid out on Medhi’s table were fried eggs, scrambled eggs, an omelet, and several other successful egg dishes.

Medhi’s job was Cleric, and she was registered as a combatant. Her success rate was frankly astonishing.

“Whoa, well done, Medhi! That’s exactly why you’re my heroine! Just how much more will you torment me?!”

“Hang on,” Wise said. “Masato, look.”

“Mm? You mean…?”

He followed Wise’s glare to the back of the room. To Medhimama.

Sailor uniform mom number two.

It had taken him a lot of nerve to look that way, and he regretted it immediately. He suffered through it.

Medhimama was stroking her staff. Clearly activating some sort of support effect.

“So I’m thinking,” Wise said deliberately, “she may look all cool and perfect, but she’s actually making a bunch of Mysterious Object X. And then that old bat is using an illusion spell to disguise them. That’s what I think anyway.”

“Whoa, whoa, hold up. That’s quite an accusation.”

“But not a baseless one. There’s no magic that can raise Item Creation success rate. The other magic kids are all looking at her with great suspicion, so I bet I’m right.”

Wise was right. There were a number of other students watching Medhi and frowning. The only one praising her was Mr. Burly. Everyone else was watching in frosty silence. A chill settled over the room.

But even then, even if that’s what was going on, Masato would like to believe in Medhi’s ability…

“Um, if I could… Rather than worry about other people, I think it’s best if we try our hardest!” Porta said. “I think that’s what’s most important!”

Mm. She was right. The girl who always tried her best was totally correct.

“…Wise?” “Mmhmm, right.” Wise pursed her lips but said nothing further about Medhi.

“We’ve gotta find a way to cook things successfully… How can we do that? I mean, Mom’s really good at cooking, but I haven’t heard anything about her making it with Item Creation… Wait, what? Where’s Mom?”

Sailor uniform mom number one was not in the observation seats. Where had Mamako gone…?

“Ma-kun! Mommy’s over here!” she called. He turned to look…

Mamako had donned an apron over her sailor uniform (where did she get that?) and had taken over a table, where she was hard at work.

She had some veggies on a board, and her knife was tap-tapping away. She slid the chopped veggies into a pot, applied a gem-fueled burner, and set it to boil.

Yep. She was just cooking.

“Uh, Mom? What are you doing?!”

“What else? I’m cooking! Watching you all made Mommy want to join in! I asked Mr. Burly, and he said it would be fine.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this again…!”

“Oh, right. Ma-kun, will you try some? I hope it tastes like home!”

Mamako poured a little of the broth into a tasting dish and held it out for Masato.

“S-stop that! It looks really hot! There’s a lot of steam!”

“That’s right, you always did have a sensitive tongue, Ma-kun. Then we’d better cool it down!” She blew on it.

“Wait!! You don’t need to do that for me!!”

“Hmm, I think it’s still too hot.” She blew on it again.

“Please stop!! Everyone’s looking!! …Argh, fine! I’ll taste it! I’ll just do it!”

He had no choice but to grab the cooled dish away from her and knock it back.

Masato’s Item Creation success rate improved! Since Mamako blew on it twice, his success rate doubled!

“…Huh?”

“My, my! Looks like Mommy developed another special power!”

“No, no, no, no, this is way too arbitrary! It’s just too much… On the other hand, this totally helps! Wise, Porta!”

“I would loooove to tease you about your Oedipus complex again, but right now we need to earn ourselves some points! Mamako, gimme some of the twice-blown broth!”

“Can you blow on mine, too?”

Wise and Porta each accepted a sample of Mom-Blown Broth and knocked it back. Both their success rates improved!

Now they had a shot.

“Let’s do this! Bring all the stuff you want to use in a tasty dish!”

“Just throw it all into this success-boosting apparatus! Then!”

“I’ll do the chant! …Will it be good? It’ll be good! A good item…done!”

Item Creation activated. Blinding light poured out of everything they’d thrown into beakers, pots, and bowls. And…

The table was soon adorned with a thick, juicy steak; a wooden serving boat covered in seasonal sashimi; and a six-foot-tall wedding cake.

Mr. Burly took one look and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“Whoa! I didn’t think you’d make anything like that! Consider me impressed! Hero Masato, Sage Wise, Traveling Merchant Porta! I’ll give each of you twenty points!”

“““Yes!”””

So many points! So many emotions!

Masato’s party was showered with praise. The students around them, Medhi included, applauded, smiling. Medhi seemed genuinely pleased for them. She was a great heroine indeed.

But Medhimama…

“…The nerve… Something must be done…”

…was glaring at Masato’s party, and at Mamako, with naked hostility.

And, though perhaps not worth mentioning, she did this wearing a sailor uniform.

The crafting lesson had concluded, and it was lunchtime.

Masato’s party was gathered in the sunny garden, sitting on a blanket and enjoying their meal.

“Didja see that old bat’s face? She looked so pissed! It was majorly satisfying.”

“You sure are spiteful… But yeah, I gotta admit I felt pretty good about it, too.”

“Yes! Even I thought, ‘Take that!’”

“You all tried so hard! And that got you good results. I’m so proud of you!”

“Yeah, we went for it. We really did. We worked really hard…maybe a little too hard.”

Masato sighed, glancing down at their lunch.

On the menu was Mamako’s handmade lunches, Mamako’s handmade stew, thick juicy steak, a sashimi boat, and a six-foot-tall wedding cake for dessert.

So much food… So many calories… “…Can we get through it all?” “I think we have to.” “I’ll do my best!” “Don’t force yourself.” Chopsticks moved quickly, making headway.

A hero, a hero’s mother, a Sage, and a Traveling Merchant. A party working together, battling to consume sliced steak and sashimi with the rice from the lunches.

Hmm… We’re in a game! What are we even doing?

Masato shook his head.

Just then…

“My, that’s quite a spectacular lunch.”

At this familiar voice, they looked up to find a woman dressed as a nun. Shiraaase.

“Oh, Ms. Shiraaase! Won’t you join us?”

“Would you mind? I certainly wouldn’t mind partaking in a few… Oh, but first I suppose I should take care of business. Mamako, if you could join me for a minute?”

“Yes? What is it?”

Shiraaase beckoned, so Mamako got up and went over to her.

Shiraaase quietly spread her arms and gave Mamako a big hug.

Masato did a spit take. Everything in his mouth went flying.

“Pffft… Cough, cough… Wha…? Shiraaase?!”

“I, too, am happily married and have a child, Masato. What you see before you is your mother being embraced by another mother. How does that make you feel?”

“My brain is refusing to function, so I can’t say!”

“Fair enough. Even I am uncertain as to what the selling point of this situation actually is. I believe that’s enough. Mamako, thank you.”

“Um, okay? I don’t really get it, but as long as I was helpful…?”

Shiraaase released Mamako, and the two of them sat down on the blanket.

As if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Shiraaase began eating. Starting with the wedding cake. Just cutting herself a generous slice.

She sure packed it away, but that was pretty much expected behavior from her at this point. They all waited.

“…How about an explanation? What exactly was that demonstration for?”

“Nothing significant. I just had a need for a rough size estimate and chose that method of conducting it.”

“You needed her size?”

“Yes… I am somewhat reluctant to discuss this matter in front of Wise, but…”

“Oh, I see where this is going! Fine! One more word outta you and this steak platter goes right in your face!”

“Whoaaa, it’s hot! Don’t do that!”

Incidentally, the steak platter was also completely flat. No lumps at all.

“At any rate, given the size requirements, I needed to ascertain whether Mamako would be able to wear something or not.”

“Um. Wear…what, exactly? Y-you’re not going to put her in another weird outfit, are you?”

Alarms were going off in Masato’s head. His pulse jumped to unhealthy levels. Something horrible was about to go down…at least, something that would cause a great deal of suffering for him as her son. A wave of anxiety threatened to end him.

Shiraaase smiled faintly, as if enjoying his reaction.

“I recommend eating well to prepare for this afternoon’s class. If you don’t have a substantial reserve of energy, you may not be able to make it through! …Heh-heh-heh…”

“What does that have to do with this afternoon’s class?! By ‘may not be able to make it through,’ you just mean it’ll be a difficult lesson, right?! That’s what you’re talking about, right?! Please just tell me that’s what you’re talking about!!”

“Oh my, lunch time is just about over. I must get back to debugging the school. So long! …Heh-heh-heh…”

“Um, Shiraaase? Shiraaaseeeeee?!”

Without even a passing glance, Shiraaase walked off with the cake.

Something was definitely going down.

The bell rang, and the afternoon class began.

They were gathered in the indoor pool. A large pool, with several fifty-meter lanes, and the students had all changed into the suits the school required—school swimsuits.

Masato alone was curled up in the stands by the side of the pool.

Abject depression. It was all too easy to tell what was about to happen.

Swimsuits… And definitely ones no normal mother would ever wear…

Mamako would definitely show up here. To swimming lessons. In a swimsuit. That’s why Shiraaase had taken her measurements.

Mom. In class. In a swimsuit. It was a death sentence.

“No other hero in history has been this tormented by fate. Even if I fail to overcome it, no one in the world would blame me. The Demon Lord himself would pity me.”

It must have been so tough! That’s enough. You can rest now. He could almost see the Demon Lord patting his shoulder. He really thought he deserved that.

Reality was harsh. Nothing had even happened yet, but Masato was already teetering on the brink. His party members were calling him.

“Hey, Masato! What are you doing? Hurry up and get in line!”

“Masato! You aren’t feeling sick or anything, right? Hang in there! Let’s get some points!”

Wise and Porta were both in school swimsuits.

Wise was…well, she was curvier than that steak platter anyway. Porta, of course, was adorable beyond measure, and the way she was keeping her bag balanced on her head was just too cute.

But even with Porta encouraging him—Wise didn’t really factor in—Masato didn’t have the energy to stand.

But then…

“Um… Masato, are you okay?”

“Huh? …Oh…”

Medhi had spoken to him. In her school swimsuit, she looked every bit as beautiful and pure and angelic as ever.

She was leaning slightly forward, peering into his face, and her rather large treasures were jiggling right before Masato’s eyes.

Mm. What else could he ask for in life?

There were times when a man just had to rise to the occasion. No, not that way. Phrasing. Point is, he got to his feet. To claim those treasures.

“Um, Masato…?”

“Oh, um, don’t worry, I’m fine! Totally fine! Sorry for making you worry!”

“Oh, good. Let’s try to enjoy this class!”

Medhi smiled and walked away. Jiggling. “…Wise could never manage that.”

“What are you looking at?” She stomped on his foot really hard and it hurt. A lot.

Even so, he couldn’t very well look pathetic in front of his heroine, so Masato was back in action. He steeled his ragged nerves and lined up with the other students.

A moment later, Mr. Burly came dragging a whiteboard over to them.

“Right, everyone’s here! And you’re all suited up! Good, everything’s in order! Naturally, I’m in my swimsuit, too! As you can see!”

Mr. Burly gestured proudly at his loincloth, as if to insist a loincloth was all the swimsuit a man could ever need.

But nobody enjoyed the sight, so they all ignored it.

“Bwa-ha-ha! Lots of you are averting your eyes, but you can’t be a teacher if you’re sensitive to these things! That said, I have been known to remember them later and weep quietly into my pillow.” For all his steely muscles, it seemed his mind was made of tofu. “I’d better explain what this class will be. Eyes on the whiteboard!”

The theme of the class was Waterside Training.

For combatants, monsters would appear in the pool, and they would fight them. They’d be ranked based on the number of enemies defeated, and the rarity of them, and the top-ranked student would get points.

For those with crafting jobs, they would be creating items from the materials the monsters dropped. They would be ranked based on the success rate and rarity of items created.

The combatants would defeat monsters and gather the drops. The crafters would take those drops, make items, and distribute them to the combatants. The combatants would use those items to fight more effectively. The key to this whole exercise would be both parties working in harmony to achieve the greatest results.

“And one more important factor! Don’t worry if the monsters that appear belong in fresh or salt water! Just accept them as is! Got it?”

““““Right!”””” everyone said, agreeing to the unwritten rule.

With the explanation complete, Mr. Burly suddenly began to look nervous.

“Um, so as class begins, there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to. Come on, boys! Ready? Let me introduce you to…”

“Me, of course!” Medhimama said forcefully.

Her lustrous, slim, youthful body was clad in a gold bikini.

Medhimama strode confidently past the students, her chest puffed out as if daring them to ogle it. “You look amazing, Mother!” Medhi cheered, clapping her hands.

But…

“Yes. Thank you. If we can get back to the point…”

“Wha…? Mr. Burly! Just as the male students are all in a frenzy…?!”

““““…Sigh…”””” Everyone slumped.

“H-hey! You there! Why did you just sigh? Why are you all hanging your heads?! Look at me! At my swimsuit! Does it not thrill you?! Come, cheer for me!”

“All right, let’s get Medhimama out of the way… And now, ladies and gentlemen!”

The one he’d meant to introduce was, of course…

“Hi, everyone! I’m Ma-kun’s mother, Mamako! I hope you all work very hard!”

Mamako.

A mom. In a school swimsuit.

An actual mom. In a real school swimsuit.

For a moment, nobody there knew how to process this spectacle.

But she was large where it counted, and she was Mamako, after all.

““““Woo-hoo! Welcome, school-swimsuit Mamako!””””

The male students erupted with cries of joy. Each time the bounty mounted on her chest swayed, something stirred within them!

At the edge of this commotion, Masato was attempting to expel all the air from his lungs, dive to the bottom of the pool, and cling to it for the rest of his life.

If it was just a regular swimsuit… If it was anything but a school swimsuit…

After seeing something like this, as her son, as a human being, as an organic life-form, he simply could not go on living.

As Masato attempted to convert himself into an unknown mineral at the bottom of the pool… “Masato!” “What are you doing?!” Porta and Wise dragged him back up. It was a very sad sight.

“Um, quiet down, class,” Mr. Burly said, wincing. “Calm down. Particularly you, hero. Take a deep breath and learn to live on dry land.”

“Gah… Shiraaase… How could you…? You’re a menace…”

To a son, there could be nothing worse than the sight of his mother in a school swimsuit. Like a virulent poison that affected only the eyesight and brain. The corruption may not prove fatal, but he would suffer all the same.

For Masato, even though it had its own problems, Medhimama’s swimsuit was much…

No, maybe not. A mom waltzing into a place like this in a gold bikini and self-destructing wasn’t exactly…

“…Heh-heh… Toxic bitch… Serves you right… That was funny as hell…”

“Gotta say I feel the same way… Wait…”

He replied without thinking, but who said that?

He glanced toward the voice and found his angel, Medhi.

“What’s wrong, Masato?”

“Huh? Uh, no, nothing…”

Had Medhi said that? No, there was no way.

She was a beautiful girl. She’d never be so foulmouthed, or say anything like “That was funny as hell.” She wasn’t Wise!

“Geez… Wise, you shouldn’t go calling people ‘toxic bitch.’ Even if it’s true, it’s rude to Medhi!”

“Huh? What?”

Wise look baffled, but she was clearly just playing innocent. Whatever. It didn’t matter.

Medhimama was getting even more heated, yelling, “What’s the meaning of this? It doesn’t make sense! I’m being treated horribly compared to Mamako! Mr. Burly, explain yourself!”

“Now, now, you’re just imagining it! It’s all in your head! The observation seats are right over there! If the class can’t proceed smoothly, I’m sure that’ll affect your daughter’s results, so if you wouldn’t mind…”

“Argh! …Y-you have a point! I’ll quiet down for now, I suppose! Reluctantly!”

Scowling like a demon, Medhimama stalked over to the stands and sat down.

“Mamako, over here! Next to me!”

“R-right! If you’ll excuse me.”

“Hmph! …I can certainly see that you’re a beautiful woman and have taken very good care of yourself, but so have I! And yet…so frustrating!”

Medhimama’s grumbles showed no signs of subsiding, but there was no point in paying them any attention.

Class was starting.

Masato and the other students scattered around the poolside. The combatants had weapons in hand, and the crafters were ready for Item Creation, everyone waiting for the signal.

“Ready…set…go! When I say that, you can start. Just kidding! Bwa-ha-ha!”

All students registered Mr. Burly as an enemy and targeted him right then and there. Mr. Burly had drawn all aggro in the room. His defeat was assured. “Whoa, sorry?! I’m a bit of a prankster!” Being a prankster would not earn him forgiveness.

“W-well then, for real! Ready…go!”

At last they got started. The combat students all jumped into the pool.

A lot of monsters spawned in the water. Monster fish, invertebrates like octopuses and squids, and even some sort of living seaweed. All sorts of aquatic creatures.

Yep. Exclusively aquatic monsters.

“Mr. Burly! I don’t suppose there will be any flying monsters?”

“Oh, no. I mean, this class is for monsters found near water. So only aquatic.”

“I figured as much, but arghhhhhhh!”

Masato was specialized in fighting aerial foes and was not going to impress anyone here. But it was too soon to give up entirely. Masato wrangled his emotions into some semblance of enthusiasm and joined the fight.

But he didn’t jump right into the water. He couldn’t do that here. The poolside was packed with other students.

He needed to get himself in the middle.

If I leap off the diving board and swim a few strokes, I’ll secure a good hunting spot!

He ran along the side of the pool (No running in the pool area!) and headed for the diving board.

His route took him past the observation seats.

“Oh, there’s Ma-kun! Ma-kun! Mommy’s right here! Good luck!”

Medhimama scowled at him, but Mamako smiled, waving.

Cheered on by his mom in a school swimsuit. He puked blood. “…Guh…”

“Eeek! M-M-Ma-kun?!”

Masato began to collapse…

But out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wise go off the diving board into the pool.

“Ha-ha! You lie there and die, I’m going on ahead!”

“Ah! Wait! I had my eye on it first! Damn!”

The damage from school-swimsuit mom was dire, but this was no time for dying!

And his other rival…

“Masato! Pardon me!”

…was Medhi. She was also aiming for the center of the pool.

Medhi’s dive was flawless, a sleek arc transitioning smoothly into a perfect crawl. The water pressure built up by her endowments proved no obstacle, and she made great time. “Wha…?! She’s fast!” Wise said, quickly passed despite having negligible water pressure to contend with herself.

And when Medhi reached a fish monster, she took the staff in her hand…

…and clubbed it!

“Hahhh!”

Thunk! One shot. The head caved in, and the monster died instantly. It floated sideways and turned to dust.

“Wha…? You’re finishing it with physical attacks, not magic? Medhi, are you a melee healer?”

“Yes! I’m a healer specialized in bash damage! Mother said I should be the ultimate being, a healer who challenges the assumption that healers aren’t strong!”

“She’s an educational master… I can’t help being impressed…but I can’t stand here gawking!”

Masato jumped into the pool himself. He pushed through the water, and as a monster approached—“First one!”—he slashed an octopus in two.

Masato defeated the octopus. Received item: Octopus Arm.

It was literally an octopus arm.

“Oh, materials! Hey, Porta! Where are you? Take this!”

“Here! I’m right here! Leave it to me!”

Masato tossed the material to her. Porta caught it beautifully. Time for Item Creation.

Porta took the Octopus Arm in hand and did her cute little chant. The visuals were alarming, but the chant made it cute.

“Will it be good? It’ll be good! A good item…done!”

Light poured out of Porta’s hands, and when she opened them…

Takoyaki flour, eggs, water, salad oil, and diced octopus arm. She also had a hot plate with lots of round depressions.

Porta created Takoyaki Party Set!

She’d gone to all the trouble of making it, but Masato was less than impressed.

“Wh-what is that…?”

“A Takoyaki Party Set! It lets me make takoyaki, which can recover status ailments! I’ll make some right away!”

“S-sure… Just…don’t burn yourself…”

“That sounds like fun!” Mamako said. “Mind if I join you? If we mix store-bought chuno sauce (a sauce made from a blend of fruits and veggies) and mentsuyu (a soup base typically used in soba and udon dishes), we can get a sauce every bit as good as the specialty sauces. The dashi in the mentsuyu really makes the flavors pop!”

“Yikes, look who took the bait…”

“All right, let’s get cooking!” Wise said, joining them. “I’m great at flipping them!”

Takoyaki Girls Club @ Poolside had officially launched. School swimsuit takoyaki cooking by the pool. What was even going on…?

And wasn’t Wise supposed to be defeating enemies? Masato was puzzled, but then he realized…

Oh… Did she get her magic sealed already…?

He hadn’t noticed, but it was entirely possible… He could totally see her choking back tears, desperately distracting herself by mixing takoyaki ingredients. Poor thing.

But whatever, it was just Wise.

“This is a competition, so don’t call me heartless for it! You can’t blame me here!”

One less rival was something to be welcomed.

All he had to worry about was his one remaining rival, Medhi.

“Hey, Medhi! You’re sure working hard!”

“Yes! Losing is simply not an option. Even if I’m up against you, I won’t go easy!”

“I like that passion! Let’s see who wins!”

He regretted not getting fired up enough to add an “I love you,” but he had bigger fish to fry.

The number of monsters in the pool was steadily dropping. Medhi had been cleaning up. She had a pretty solid lead on him by now.

It would be tough catching up, but he wasn’t ready to admit defeat just yet.

“There must be one somewhere! Now’s my chance to turn the tables! A special bonus enemy or… Mm…?”

Something caught the corner of Masato’s eye.

A large shadow in the pool. Much, much bigger than any of the other monsters, swimming along, its body writhing.

That was definitely a special enemy. It better be anyway.

“Right! That’s what I’ve been waiting for! This is my chance! …Medhi! Sorry, but I’m taking that one down!”

“No, I won’t let you! I’ll defeat it!”

Masato swam after the shadow. Medhi started swimming, too. The two were evenly matched, in a dead heat.

Just then…

“Ma-kun! Don’t push yourself too hard! The scores don’t really matter! What matters most is that you don’t hurt yourself!”

“Medhi! You know what to do! You must be number one, no matter what! If you aren’t number one, there’s no point! You can’t let that Masato kid beat you!”

Both moms’ voices echoed across the water. One asking only for her child’s safety. One asking only for her child’s victory. Both cries revealing everything about the speakers.

Meanwhile, their children…

“Argh! You say that, and now I’ve gotta work twice as hard! Geez!”

Masato swam even faster.

Of course he did. If he slacked off after being told not to push himself, it would be like he was letting Mamako spoil him. Please. He didn’t have an Oedipus complex!

But deep down…

…My mom really does care about me.

A part of him was pleased by this reminder. It wasn’t a bad feeling at all, not that he wanted to admit it. Best to forget it.

Meanwhile, Medhi slowed down. She was gradually falling behind. Why…?

Then he heard Medhi whisper, “Ughhh… ‘Number one, number one’… You’re so obnoxious… Just drop dead already…”

“…Huh?”

Masato definitely heard that whisper. No doubt about it.

Medhi, his shining beauty…had a storm cloud cast over her expression. Her eyes went dark, like she’d lost faith in everything. She looked beyond irritated, her teeth grinding.

W-wait… What is this…?

Had he misheard her? Was he seeing things? No, this was rock-solid reality.

The oasis of Masato’s heart, the angel he’d found at last, the heroine he was destined to meet had turned into something else entirely.

And then the shadow suddenly surfaced.

“Nyrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

He wasn’t sure if that was a voice or just a sound.

The monster was a sea anemone as large as a tree. It towered over them, dozens of tentacles sprouting out of its upper torso, all of them wriggling and writhing. It was really creepy, and it smelled even worse.

The giant anemone got the first attack.

“What?! Already?!”

“Wha…? Eeek?!”

A number of thin tentacles stretched out, bearing down on Masato and Medhi as they stared in horror…!

Or so they thought. “…Huh?” The swarm of tentacles suddenly changed direction. “Mm?” They passed over Masato’s head. “Hey, that’s…” Stretching and stretching.

The tentacles attacked Mamako at the Takoyaki Party, where she’d been cheering Masato on.

“Oh? Oh, oh, oh?! Eeeek?!”

“Hey! Why’re you targeting my mom?!”

The reason was unclear…but it was likely just because she was a mom.

In all of human history, there were extremely few instances of tentacle attacks on moms. Perhaps that’s why the giant anemone decided to go for her.

To leave its mark on history.

“Nyrrrrrrr! Nyuuurruu!”

The tentacles completely ignored the panic-stricken merchant girl and the takoyaki-gobbling high school Sage, wrapping exclusively around Mamako’s body!

Slimy tentacles around her arms, feet, and thighs!

The boldest of the tentacle tips were slipping under the edges of the swimsuit, the bastards!

Ah! Th-they were coming out! The swimsuit was being pulled aside and the parts that should be hidden were on full display!

“Nooo! There’s something slimy and wriggly all over meee! It feels so weeeird! …Ma-kun! Mommy’s being attacked by lots of slimy things! Eeek!”

“Arghhh!! That’s enoooooough!!”

This was unacceptable. Completely unacceptable. The situation, Mamako’s voice, everything. Masato turned to rescue her when…

“Hold it!” Medhimama’s voice rang out.

She was glaring furiously at the giant anemone.

“You there, what is the meaning of this? Why are you only targeting Mamako? …She’s not the only beautiful mother here! Wouldn’t you say I am far preferable to Mamako? You would, right?”