Chương 91: Unfilial Piety

As I prepared to make a second batch of mana potions, a familiar text tone caused me to smile. [Luna: Good morning. (Yawning mouse icon)] [Luna: Did you sleep well?] [Me: Yep! No nightmares!] [Me: (Cheering raccoon icon)] [Luna: (Happy mouse icon)] [Luna: That's good! I'm so glad!] [Me: Hehe, thanks.] [Luna: Oh, right! I saw your Tawer post… You just couldn't help yourself, could you?] [Me: Hehe! (Mischievous raccoon icon)] [Luna: Such a troll… (Sighing mouse icon)] [Me: Troll?! Me!? Never! I really did it first try!] [Me: If it wasn't first try, I wouldn't have been qualified for the leaderboards, see! The tower clearly thinks it was my first try too!] [Luna: The tower accepts it's your first clear, not first try. Big difference.] [Me: Hmph, well, as the certified strongest production class who is OFFICIALLY ranked 2 on the leaderboards, my word is right!] [Luna: I feel as though you're gonna start introducing yourself like that to people.' Hi! I'm Raccoon, the Little Bomber, known as the strongest production class—officiated by the tower, and rank 2 on floor 5.] [Me: Oh! That sounds great?] [Luna: No… Don't…] [Me: Hehe.] This was exactly the type of conversation we'd have at breakfast. The only difference was that it was now over text. I smiled with a shake of the head. There was a small idea forming in my head, but, I still had to work out the details. For now, I turned my attention back to the cauldron.

I'll make another batch than list them on the exchange. … [Raccoon has listed 100 Sweet Mana Regeneration Potions!] [100 D+ grade potions]"Phew, that was a lot of work." I wiped my forehead. But! It was fun and filling. I haven't done standard alchemy in over three months, it felt good to finally get my potions back on the market. [All your items have sold out!]"Eh…?" I let out with my jaw dropped. Looking at my listings, everything had disappeared in the blink of an eye! What the heck!? I spent 5 hours for that!

And it's all gone in an instant!?

"Heh… Hehe." But, another part of me was happy—ecstatic even. Even if it was due to my current popularity and hype, my potions will speak for themselves. The people who bought them for novelty will eventually realize that there is real substance in them. Checking my points, I smiled with satisfaction at the smooth 1. 4 million points I just made. Is this why everyone always says production classes are rich? It was so easy to make a million. And that's with these simple D+ grade potions.

When I can make batch potions of higher grades like C grade or B grade… Just how much points will I be making per day? It feels like just half a year ago, I was struggling to pay rent. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Ah, right, that is exactly what was happening back then.

"Hehe." I smiled. Though I initially didn't think much of it, perhaps awakening was the greatest thing to happen in my life. Just then, another text tone sounded. I smiled as I went to check the message, then froze. [Mama:!?] [Mama: Oh my! Did someone bully you, my poor baby? You actually texted me first and with a heartwarming message?!] [Mama: Is your rebellious phase finally over!? Will you finally accept mama's money? How much should I send you? Actually, how about you just come back and live with mama and papa again?] Ah… Right… I did send quite a unexpected message a month ago… (1 Month Ago) [Mama: Baby, mama and papa are going to be in the tower for maybe a month or longer. Haah… I want to see you. Should mama just fly to France?] [Me: Ah! No! Mama, I'm very busy at the moment with work! You need to focus and make sure you don't get injured in the tower! If you get hurt, I'll be very upset! Just concentrate on maintaining your condition with papa!] [Mama: Wuuuuwuuuu! My son doesn't want to see me! How can I be well!] [Me: I'll come back to Florida soon! After you return from the tower, I might be back at my apartment.] [Mama:!!! It's a promise!! Finally! Why is it so hard to see my son!! You don't even accept or return calls!] [Me: Ahaha, see you later, Mama. I need to work!] [Mama: Tsk, just accept Mama's money, you stubborn fool. You're so like your father in that regard.] (1 Month Ago) [Me: Love you.]"Ugh…" I held my face in my palms.

What do I do?! I don't regret the message! But! I don't know how much longer I can keep up this charade! To understand, you'd have to go back 6 months ago when I first awakened. … 6 Months ago, when I first awakened.

"Haah…" I yawned, "So bored~" My bank account was on a sharp decline. The commissions weren't coming in and I had just spent a lot of money on my garden. As I was lazing around in bed, my phone buzzed. [Mom: Baby! How are you doing? Is it lonely down there? How about mom comes visit?] [Me: Mama, you just visited last week. You know I'm doing fine.] [Mom:!?] [Mom: Mama!? Since when did your way of speaking get so cute!!] [Me: Ah, no, mistype, I meant mom.] [Mom: No! Continue calling me 'Mama!'] [Me: But…] [Mom: No buts! It's the least you can do! If you won't accept Mama's financial aid, the least you can do it call me Mama!] [Me: Okay… Mama.] [Mom: Hehehe! Ah! You've gotten cuter! What happened? Did you meet a girl?] [Mom: Oh my!! I'm not ready for a grandchild! But! If you have one, I'd like to name them Seren if they're a girl or Cyrus if they're a boy!] [Me: I haven't.] [Mom: Hm…] [Mom: Mama can tell something's fishy!!] [Me:??? Mama, you're crazy.] [Mom: So unfilial! I'm so heartbroken! I'm telling your father! Maybe at least someone will comfort me!] [Me: You're just using me to make a move on papa!] [Mom: Ehehe~] [Mom: Wait! Why does he get to be called cutely so easily!? I had to fight for you to call me cutely!] [Me: Hmph.] [Mom: Ah!!! That's it! That does it!] [Mom: I need to discipline you in person! I'm having your father drive us over, right now!!] [Me:!!!] [Me: No! You can't!] [Mom: Oh? Why? Is there something you don't want us to see?] [Mom: Hehe, my foolish baby, Mama knows all. You're clearly embarrassed about getting a girlfriend! Don't worry! Mama just wants to know what kind of girl it is!] [Me: No! It's… It's not that!] [Mom: Well, I'll find out myself in about 4 hours!]"Waah!!!" I shouted in a panic. What do I do!? Mama's gonna find out!! She, of all people, absolutely cannot find out that my gender changed! I don't even want to imagine the amount of teasing I'd get!! I'd be so embarrassed, I could die! No!

I need to do something to stop her! Then, a light bulb in my head went off. There was only one way to avoid her driving all the way over here. [Me: Mama!! You can't come because I'm not home! Even if you drive over, you won't get to see me!] [Mom:?] [Mom: What do you mean?] [Me: I'm not in Florida right now!] [Me: I'm in France for work! I found a good job opportunity creating art for a gacha game, but the company's based in France and I needed to go there for work!] [Mom: WHAT!?] [Mom: (Missed Call)] [Mom: (Missed Call)] [Mom: Miles! Answer your phone right now!] [Me: Ah, Mama! They're calling me for work! I need to go to a meeting! Talk to you later!] [Mom: Miles Lyra Nyxotol! I swear to God if you don't answer your phone!] [Mom: (Missed Call)] I shivered and quickly turned off my phone. It's official! I'm now living in France! Phew… Safe for now. … Elara stroked her chin with a furrowed brow. She wasn't as angry as the texts implied, because, simply, she knew her son was lying.

Though, she didn't know why. As truth would have it, she actually didn't have any intention on visiting right now. She was simply teasing the boy. Yet, his reaction was so panicked that he made up some silly lie just to stop her from visiting? Why? Elara couldn't figure it out. But, without any clear clues other than that he didn't want her to visit for some reason, there was nothing she could guess.

"Haah…" Elara sighed, raising a child was hard. Especially one who inherited the same stubbornest as his father. But alas, she'd play along for now. If there was really a problem, she trusted that he would let her know. Thinking about it from another perspective, she could see him flustered every time she texted him from now on.

'Hm…Maybe I'll say I'm going to visit France. I wonder what his excuse would be then.'

"Elara?" A male voice came from the side, "Is something wrong?" It was Marcel, her husband. Elara's brow immediately unfurrowed and a pitiful expression appeared on her face,"Oh! Marcel! Sniff!" Elara fake sniffled, "I'm so heartbroken! Our son called me crazy and is even lying to me! If only someone could comfort me~" She licked her lips. …

"Ugh…" I shivered, rubbing my arms. She's gonna find out! I can already hear the "Oh, my baby boy has become a baby girl!"

"Haah…" I sighed, I guess I can't hide it forever. [Me: No ones bullying me, Mama. I'm doing great financially!] But! The day I tell her is not today! I haven't even told Luna yet!

"Mm… Right… Luna needs to know too." I sighed, a heavy feeling weighing on my heart. She's… Probably going to be upset, right? I flopped onto the couch, leaning back and looking towards the ceiling. The text notification snapped me out of my thoughts. I'll think about that later. [Mama: Hm…] [Mama: When are you flying back to Florida? Should I come pick you up at the airport?] [Mama: Surely, you weren't lying when you said you'd come back after I returned from the tower! That'd just break Mama's heart!] [Me: I'm coming back soon… Within a month at most.] [Mama: That's a promise! If you're lying… Heh, well, just don't let Mama find out you're lying.] [Me: How could I lie to you, Mama! I'd never lie!] [Mama: …] [Me: Hehe…] [Mama: Reflect on that last message.] [Me: I'm reflecting!] … Elara chuckled with a shake of her head.

"What's so funny?" Marcel asked.

"Just talking to a foolish child." Elara replied.

"Did he do something wrong again?"

"We'll find out soon." Elara shrugged, turning her attention to the television.

"The Little Bomber is assumed to live in Florida, estimations guess that she has a height in the 140's and is somewhere in her teens…" The guy on TV said.

"Odd, so odd~" Elara said.

"What? The familiarity?" Marcel asked, "Maybe we've passed by them at some point." Elara shrugged as a reply. She had already looked up all the information she could find on the Little Bomber and had watched her clear videos. Though she was silhouetted in all of them, she couldn't help but feel an ounce of familiarity for some reason. There was some part of her that screamed that she knew this person. But, in her memories, not a single person came to mind.

"This Raccoon fellow is quite a troll, isn't she?" Elara commented.

"Oh, for sure. Have you seen her posts online? Reminds me of when you were young."

"Excuse me?" Elara turned and stared at Marcel. Marcel suddenly felt the air shift. His arms got goosebumps as he turned to face Elara.

"A young me, darling? ~" Elara cutely said, "Am I not…Still young?" Marcel gulped.