Rik lay in his bed completely tired out. The organising and managing of the trip was all done by him. At last, he found some time for himself. The bed in the orphanage's guest room was not as comfortable as the one he had in his new apartment the next town over.

It wouldn't take long for him to reach back but he decided to accept the Head Nun's offer to stay the night. Before he could close his eyes, a translucent blue screen popped up in front of him. It was a system quest mission.

"Host, please read the mission details. I will go on standby," said the system sleepily. It was strange that an AI could feel sleepy. That probably was because it was time for its once a year recharge period.

"Mission: Adopt Doll.

Rewards: System upgrade.

Upgrade of System Storage.

Guide to Parenting(Basics).

Punishment: Elimination of Skeletal system.

Mission particulars: C-type."

C-type.

Compulsory type. No refusal allowed.

...

...

...

"There's no way you can take in a kid!"

"I know."

"He would die! He won't last a week!"

"Probably."

"You killed three fishes and a hamster by not feeding them on time!"

"Sorry."

"..."

"I'm coming over."

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"No."

"I am."

"No you are not!"

Beep. The call was hung up on him.

"Ugh.....Sigh," grumbled Rik, "Do whatever."

It was an uncomfortable night. The mattress was too stiff for his liking.

.....

Breakfast was a lively event. The kids still were excited and chattered like little monkeys. They settled into rows in the dining hall and awaited their meal impatiently.

When Rik came in, he was greeted collectively with an enthusiastic and cheerful, "Good morning, Mister!"

It was really a novel experience for him.

As he strode in, he noticed Doll. He was at the extreme end of the table and the furthest away from him. They made eye contact and Rik gave him a little wink. Doll's mouth curved up a little.

The eyes of the children brightened when they saw the lavish spread before them. There were fruits, juices, jam, fresh bread, cookies and biscuits. The aroma made them salivate. They even got a cup of chocolate milk each that they had received the previous day.

The breakfast table was swept clean and the even the sc.r.a.ps were cleared off. Some of the kids had snuck off with a few goodies to enjoy them later.

Since it was a good day, the Nuns decided to cancel all cla.s.ses and let the children play. They even packed small sandwiches for them to eat outside.

.....

Fer was not in a good mood. Her stinky colleague kept buzzing around her like a fly during office hours. It was a pity she couldn't swat him away like one. Then she found out that her little brother decided to catapult himself to the other side of the planet. Although there was no language differences between regions and borders between countries were blurry, it didn't mean he just had to up and go. (That was just her being petty.)

Then she found that he decided to get himself a house. Alright. She could deal with it.

And then he dropped the bombsh.e.l.l on her head.

"You're probably going to become an Aunt. Congratulations!" he said.

"I'm gonna be a father soon!" he said

"I called to tell you as soon as I heard. Aren't you happy?" he asked.

After a long silence on this side of the planet, she flipped over the coffee table.

"I'm thinking of adopting a kid."

Fer wasn't ready for the sudden news. She paced around the house as she tried to calm her emotions. Earlier, she had informed her superior of a sudden family matter that had cropped up that required a leave of absence. Since she had a good work record, she was granted two weeks. Ravew was twelve hours away.

Originally, the longest distance between any two places on Old Earthland was about forty thousand- something kilometres.

Now it became about two hundred thousand-something ever since the changes occurred.

She looked at the time displayed by a bluish translucent screen that followed her around. There were still two hours left for the flight's reporting time. She contemplated a bit and decided to do some grocery shopping.

....

The office had a homely feel befitting of a mature lady. The furnis.h.i.+ngs were simple and had the musky scent of age. The drapes were a soft off-white patterned with pretty, little floral prints. A small potted plant happily basked on the cool, partly shaded window sill. Rik had tried to smell its lone, little flower and sneezed.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," said the Head Nun as she dusted her hands," What did you want to inquire about, Mr. Aadam?"

"Could you let me know a bit about the kid called Doll?"

He went straight to the point.

The Head Nun paused. She stared at him probingly. "Why do you ask, Sir?"

"He seems like a good kid. I thought I could know a bit about him first before taking him in."

.....

....

.....

"You can't adopt Doll."

"Why?"

"He is an Odd," replied the Head Nun.

Rik was taken aback.

"You should have heard the news before. There was an IMM at the orphanage a few weeks ago."

He remembered. One of the kids had died. The name of the Odd was not disclosed.

"So, he will never get to have a family? What of his own choice?" he asked a bit concerned.

"He will be kept by the orphanage. There is no other choice for an Odd like him. Once he is of age, he will either be kept as a helper or sent to the government charity trust as an invalid."