Accidentally become a father-Chapter 53: A Miscalculation

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I woke up to the sound of something falling.

It wasn’t loud.

But enough to disturb a light sleep.

The manual resting on my face fell to the floor.

I opened my eyes.

The apartment was still quiet.

The television was still playing softly.

But there was another sound.

The sound of something dripping.

...coming from the kitchen.

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I got up from the floor.

I made my way to the kitchen.

As I reached the doorway, I stopped.

The situation was quite clear.

Eggshells on the counter.

A bowl containing a mangled egg.

A knocked-over bottle of soy sauce.

And a puddle of dark liquid spreading across the floor.

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In the middle of it all—

Yuna sat on the floor.

Her shirt was dirty.

Her hand clutched a small rag.

Her face was pale.

The moment she saw me, she moved.

Too fast.

She bowed until her head nearly touched the floor.

Her hands pressed against the sticky floor.

"I’m sorry!"

Her voice trembled.

"I... I just wanted to make lunch..."

Her breathing came in short, shallow gasps.

"I knocked over the soy sauce by accident..."

She shook her head rapidly.

"I’ll clean it all up... I promise..."

Her hands pressed harder against the floor.

"Please don’t be mad..."

Her voice grew smaller.

"...please."

I didn’t answer right away.

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I looked at the floor.

The puddle of soy sauce had almost reached my socks.

If I took another step carelessly, I would definitely slip.

I waited a few seconds.

Yuna kept her head bowed.

Her body trembled slightly.

I stepped into the kitchen with slow, deliberate steps.

Avoiding the wettest parts of the floor.

Then, I crouched down in front of her.

Now, we were at eye level.

She still didn’t lift her head.

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I grabbed a paper towel from the counter.

There was egg white stuck to her forehead.

I wiped it off gently.

Yuna stopped moving.

A few seconds later, she slowly looked up.

Her eyes were red.

She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

I pointed at the floor.

"The floor is slippery."

She blinked.

"...Eh?"

"Soy sauce reduces friction."

I pointed at her knees.

"If you stay down there, your knees will get sticky."

Yuna just stared at me.

It seemed like she was trying to process those words.

I offered her my hand.

"Stand up first."

She hesitated for a moment.

"...Papa isn’t mad?"

"No."

She stared at me again.

"...Really?"

"Yes."

She slowly took my hand.

Her hand was small and cold.

She stood up slowly.

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The moment she was fully standing—

her stomach suddenly growled.

Loudly.

GRUMBLE.

We both fell silent.

Yuna immediately clutched her stomach.

Her face flushed red.

"...Sorry."

I looked at the clock on the kitchen wall.

It was almost two in the afternoon.

"You haven’t eaten?"

She shook her head.

"Not yet..."

"Why?"

She stared at the counter.

"...I wanted to make something first."

I followed her gaze.

The smashed egg.

The soy sauce on the floor.

The chair pulled up to the counter.

The hypothesis was simple.

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"You tried to cook."

Yuna gave a small nod.

"...I saw it on TV."

"Anime."

"Yes."

I looked at the counter again.

"The experiment failed."

Yuna immediately looked down.

"...Yes."

I took a rag from the hook.

I handed it to her.

"Let’s clean this up first."

She took the cloth with both hands.

Still looking hesitant.

"...Papa really isn’t mad?"

I grabbed the mop from the corner of the kitchen.

"If getting mad could clean the floor faster, maybe I would be mad."

I started mopping the puddle of soy sauce.

"Unfortunately, it doesn’t."

Yuna stood in silence for a few seconds.

Then, she finally knelt on the floor.

This time, not out of fear.

She started wiping the counter with the small rag in her hands.

Her movements were still cautious.

But at least—

she wasn’t trembling anymore.

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