It’s been 9 days since Lay came into my life. He is developing really well; he’s slowly starting to explore all his movements, and he’s cooing more often. Maybelle has been over to document the whole thing. Lay’s hair is also growing out; it’s getting curlier as the days go by. It warms my heart to see Lay roam around the mattress of the bassinet.

  I’m also learning a little bit about his personality. Lay is really expressive; he enjoys being nuzzled by my finger. He gets so excited when I hold him in my hand as well. I think it’s the best part of his day when I wake up and yawn; you can bet he starts to call out to me even if I don’t say a word, he will still call out.

  That tells me Lay’s aware of the schedule. I have to say, chibis are really interesting creatures. I feed Lay with a doll-sized bottle. I prepare a standard formula with a variety of fruit essences.

  Lay seems to prefer sour flavors the best. I think he’s going to be a weirdo when he gets older, though, but I’m not sure right now. I’m giving Lay a few nuzzles with my finger, and he is loving it, giving affectionate coos. It’s the sweetest thing I have ever witnessed.

  Seth: Hehe, looks like someone is having a good time.

  Lay: Approving Coos

  Seth: Still, I can’t wait to see what your eyes look like. You should be ready to open them real soon.

  Lay: curious coo

  Seth: Yeah, hun, I know Chibis like you are known to have wild eye colors. I’m hoping your eyes are pink; it’s my favorite color.

  Lay: worried Coo

  Seth: Oh, sorry, hun. I didn’t mean to make you feel self-conscious. Your eyes can be whatever color they want. Don’t mind me; I’m just being silly.

  Lay: Carefree Coos

  Hehe, if you couldn’t tell, I’m getting pretty good at discerning Lay’s coos apart from each other. I hear that some Chibi Keepers are able to do this; it mainly happens to Keepers who are highly empathetic.

  Soon Lay begins to whine; this is his “I don’t wanna do this anymore!" Whine I remove my finger, causing him to let out a relieved sigh, and he begins to reposition himself into a more comfortable position. He’s taken to sleeping on his back in a position that looks like he’s about to make a snow angel.

  I chuckle at him. I then come over to the bassinet, and I gently move Lay onto the bassinet, and he whines a bit but slowly begins to calm down once he gets cozy. I soon hear an alarm. I pick up my phone and check my notifications.

  It’s my front door motion detector. My new tenant is here. Recently I had a meeting with my housekeeper, Jack. He told me that he was about to lose his house, so I offered him the opportunity to live with me so long as he continues to keep the mansion clean.

  Jack quickly jumped at the opportunity and quickly set about moving his things into my home. Jack also has a partner; his name is Dravis, and they are both wolves from different packs. It’s an interesting story.

  The two met each other after the turf war, and they eloped. Dravis is also carrying Jack’s puppies. I’m just happy I can help them out. I come out of the nursery, and I let the two in.

  Jack and Dravis smile, their tails wagging. I smile and show them to their room. I lead them to the first-floor guest room. Dravis smiles and takes a seat on the bed.

  Dravis: Thank you so much for allowing us to stay here, Seth; this means the world to us.

  Seth: It’s no trouble; it’ll be good to have some company.

  Jack: Still, Seth, this is incredibly charitable. I mean, a home, and I still get paid! You’re the best employer I’ve ever had.

  Jack then gave me an affectionate hug, his tail wagging. He slightly nuzzled against me. I let the two get settled, and I went back to Lay. He was still sleeping peacefully in the bassinet. I decided to prep a bottle ahead of time. I then took a moment to wonder if I should either adopt another Chibi or grow one.

  I went into the adjacent room and logged into my Chibi Keeper portal. My profile was filled with videos of Lay as well as a few memoirs I wrote about my experiences, plus a few photos of me and Lay together.

  The Chibi Keeper portal is how I contact Maybelle; it’s also where I can adopt other Chibis or request seeds. I went over to the forum to see other people's opinions on growing Gaudium plants. A lot of people are saying it’s a very stressful process making sure the conditions are just right so they can grow properly.

  But then there are people who say that seeing a Chibi appear in a Gaudium plant is the best thing in the entire world; it seems like a mixed bag of emotions.

  For the time being, I’m going to adopt. I move over to the Adoption tab, and I look through all the options. I stick to the newborn to 1-month-old age range. It breaks my heart because there are too many. Eventually, I send an email to Maybelle and tell her that I would like to take in some more Chibis. She’s quick to reply and asks if I have any preferences.

  And like with Lay, I tell her that any will do, and like that, it’s history.

  I soon begin to relax, but soon Lay starts calling out. It’s amazing how loud he can be for being so small. I soon come into the nursery. These are his hungry cries. I grab the premade bottle, and I feed him. Soon Lay starts to squirm around innocently.

  Lay: tired, fussy, coos

  Seth: Hehe, you're so fussy when you wake up from a nap, little one.

  Lay: Annoyed Coos!

  Seth: Sorry, but you're just so cute, Lay.

  Lay: huffs

  I smile and nuzzle his tummy with my finger. Lay slowly starts to let out giggles, and I can’t help but gush even more. He’s so adorable, but then I see it: his eyes. They were starting to flutter open.

  I lean in close, and soon Lay’s eyes open; they are a beautiful shade of green. His eyes are filled with curiosity as he cocks his head to the side and lets out a confused coo.

  Seth: Hey there, little one. How does it feel to see the world?

  Lay would then smile and reach his hand out towards me; soon he placed his tiny hand on a lock of my hair. He then started to let out more happy coos.

  I can’t help but start to tear up the more time I spend with Lay like this. Soon I scoop him up in my hand, and once in my hand, he starts to adjust himself so he’s lying on his back and looking up at me.

  Seth: So I guess you want a full view?

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  Lay nods his head and starts reaching towards me. I smile and give him my finger. Lay soon takes it in his incredibly small hands and starts to make the most adorable sounds. His eyes have that same curious glow about them like when he first saw me, and I happily start to smile.

  This is the simplest interaction, but to Lay, this is like meeting a celebrity.

  Lay has me stuck in this pose for hours. Soon he lets go and stares at me, a huge smile on his face as he lies in my hand. I smile and start to nuzzle him with my finger, causing him to coo happily.

  I honestly can’t get enough of these moments.

  As the day goes on, Lay starts to get stronger. He soon starts learning how to sit up, and eventually he’s crawling, and it warms my heart. The next day, I found a mess in the bassinet, which meant that Lay needed diapers. This meant that Lay was entering his next stage; it’s called the transitional stage.

  Similar to animals, this is the stage where a Chibi grows to the size of a 20-month-old baby. As Lay sleeps, his body will go through a drastic improvement; he’ll get much bigger, and he’ll need to leave the Neonatal Nursery. Don’t worry, I’ve taken videos in Maybelle’s stead.

  But I don’t think I’m ready for that. Oh well, it happens. As I get ready for bed, eating a sandwich, I look at my Chibi Keeper profile, and I look through my video catalog—such good, fond memories. Soon I get into my bed and sleep.

  By morning I wake up to crying. I jump out of bed and find Lay lying on the floor crying his head off. I quickly scoop him up and take him upstairs to his new nursery. He doesn’t have any bruises, thank goodness, and I manage to calm him down with a song. Soon Lay snuggles into me, and when I place him on the changing table, he smiles happily.

  I then get him dressed in a beautiful white onesie with booties, and I notice that his hair is a little longer as well; it’s shoulder length, well, for him at least. I scooped up Lay, and he smiled, squirming excitedly.

  Seth: Hehe, I’m glad you’re happy, silly.

  Lay: ptththth! ...

  Seth: Hmm, what are you saying, Lay?

  Lay: Mmmph!!!!!

  Seth: Oh, hun, don’t force yourself.

  Lay: PAPA!!!!

  It was at that point that I froze completely.

  Lay: Papa, Papa, Papa!

  Hearing that four-letter word brought a tear to my eye, and I just snuggled my little Lay even more. Lay’s tummy soon made the rumblies, so I took him to get fed. I soon ran into Dravis, who was eating some soup. When he saw me with Lay, Dravis stood up and came over. Lay soon hid his face in my shoulder; I guess he wasn’t used to people yet.

  Dravis: So this is a Chibi? Are you sure? Because that looks like a normal baby to me.

  Seth: You would think so, yes, but Lay is a Chibi. Lay is in his transitional phase; he’ll stay like this for a few years before entering his socialization stage. That will be when it’s time for him to go to school.

  Dravis: Really? So Chibis are the same as animals?

  Seth: No, that’s a common misconception. Chibis are magical. Plant humanoids, and when they are fully grown, they can actively join society and contribute to the world in a number of ways.

  Dravis: Really, how so?

  Seth: for example Chibis, when raised right, can become professional. Scientists Lawyers, architects—the possibilities are endless. The most famous example is Hector Dario.

  Dravis: Wait, you mean to tell me that the famous actor Hector Dario was a Chibi?

  Seth: Yes, actually, he’s one of the greatest Chibi success stories.

  Lay Soon started to squirm and practically yelled,

  Lay: Papa!!!!

  Seth: Oh yeah, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get this little one fed.

  Dravis soon took a seat and began to watch as I fed Lay. He held the bottle on his own just fine. I personally thought he was adorable, but Dravis was amazed by Lay.

  Seth: Looks like someone’s been affected by Lay’s Chibi Charm!!!!

  Dravis: Chibi Charm?

  Seth: Chibis have a sort of effect on those who witness them; it’s the same feeling a parent has when holding a newborn baby, only for chibis this effect lasts even longer and makes others more likely to help and protect them. We call this effect the Chibi Charm.

  I shared more info on Chibis with Dravis, and soon Lay let out a loud and satisfied sigh and dropped the bottle.

  Seth: Ok, hun, time for the next step.

  I soon moved Lay to where his head was over my shoulder, and I burped him.

  Lay let out another satisfied sigh. I then held him on my shoulder and walked out of the kitchen.

  Dravis: Seth, real quick, I have one last question.

  Seth: What’s up?

  Dravis: What do you get out of caring for Chibis? Isn’t there some sort of compensation, like, at all?

  Seth: The only reward I need is the satisfaction of knowing that I made the world a better place.

  I smiled and took Lay up to the office. It has been a while since I’ve been here. Luckily, Jack has kept it clean and dust-free. Lay was looking around curiously at everything, completely impressed. I smiled and decided to let him explore. I placed Lay on the floor. He gasped at the feeling of the soft carpet and soon started crawling around. I smiled and put the child safety gate over the door, and I walked over to the chibi corner, and I waited for Lay to notice me.

  I watch as Lay is exploring every nook and cranny of the office. Soon after a bit of silence, Lay lets out a confused coo and begins looking for me. When he spots me, he quickly crawls over and falls into my lap.

  We then begin to play together. After a good play session, I’m able to tucker Lay out. I then take him to the Transitional Phase Nursery, and I gently place him in the crib.

  Like normal, Lay begins to squirm to get a feel for the bed. I can’t help but smile as he gets settled in.

  I soon make my way downstairs to get something to eat, mainly a fruit salad with a protein shake. I then go into the library, and I begin to read a book, but before I get too invested, I go into the nanny cam on my phone, and I switch it to Lay’s room so I can observe him and listen out for him when he wakes up.

  The book I’m reading is called Fables from the Forgotten Land. My grandfather used to read this book to me all the time. I loved it. I practically have the entire book memorized by heart.

  Speaking of the Forgotten Land, it is a real place. It’s mainly governed by a hundred nomadic tribes who happily live in peace with each other. The Forgotten Land is home to several naturally born magical creatures and plants.

  Several scientists and researchers go there to study the tribes and natural resources of the land, but they aren’t allowed to take any of it with them. This is because of the United Preservation Accord put in place by the leader of the Serene Zodiac Foundation. They are a group that preserves peace and nature around the world. They are funded by Interpol, and they also have stakes in almost every avenue in society. The last thing of note, and probably their most famous key point, is the Serene Zodiac Task Force, a team of mercenaries that completes tasks with expert efficiency.

  The point being that the Forgotten Land is protected, and anyone who tries to strip from the land will be cut down with extreme prejudice.

  I’m about to start rereading a good Fable when I get an email from Maybelle. She tells me that she has two Chibis picked out for me; apparently I have a 94% compatibility rating with them.

  Their names are Alice and Uni. Alice is a Sun Chibi. They are Chibis, best known for their golden hair and gentle natures. Meanwhile, Uni is a Sea Urchin Chibi. They are categorized by their dish-brown skin and black spiky hair. They sometimes have curly hair, and they are one of the few Chibis that have a natural defense system. For sea urchin Chibis, they can secrete a paralyzing poison. Good thing I have dividers in the bassinet.

  I give the email one last look over and see that there is more to it. Maybelle is also handing me some Gaudium Seeds; they are of the Kaze Kori and Futsu Genus.

  Kaze Gaudium Cabbage/Roses produce Avian race Chibis, while Kori Gaudium Cabbage/Roses produce Ice and Winter Beast Chibis, and lastly, Futsu Gaudium Cabbage/Roses will produce Chibis like Lay, absolutely normal and indistinguishable from normal humans.

  I believe my garden room is fully prepared for this, though I might need to prep it first. I soon put my book away, and I pick up my phone and head towards the garden room. It’s located on the third floor. When I reach the silver shutter door, I punch in the code and enter the sterilization chamber, and I get sprayed down.

  Keep in mind Gaudium plants are incredibly sensitive plants; they wilt at the slightest touch, so handling them is like performing serious surgery.

  For this reason, many Chibi Keepers resign from the position, but having a garden room or greenhouse devoted to growing Gaudium Bulbs is a strict requirement.

  After I’m sprayed down, I move to the next room, and I put on a special apron and gloves. I then begin to prepare some pots. Each pot will be covered with a large, vertical, slender dome.

  But first we need to focus on prepping the soil. Now, the soil is one of the big parts about growing Gaudium bulbs; it needs to have the proper amount of nutrients as well as elemental particles. The nutrients are a given for any plant, but the particles are the most important part.

  To get Elemental Particles, you will need to go mining for Elemental Ore, which can only be found on the Forgotten Continent. With this in mind, the Serene Zodiac manages the trade of Elemental Ore; they get it straight from the tribes, and in return, the Serene Zodiac grants the tribes a variety of other services.

  Now then, the process for converting elemental ore into particles is somewhat easy. First, you crush them down into dust, then you distill the dust until they shine. After that is done, you mix the particles into the soil with a mixer.

  I soon crack my neck and begin the process of crushing Wind and Ice Ore separately, mind you. With that done, I begin to pour the newly made dust into two separate distillers and then begin the process. As that is being done, I go to the mixer and add the soil. I then walk over to the shelf and begin to pull out the proper nutrient vials. I then pour a small amount of each into the soil-filled mixer. After that, I close the lid and start the mixer.

  While all that is being done, I begin to check the pots for any possible flaws. This part isn’t necessary; I’m just a stickler for details and a bit of a perfectionist.

  I soon hear a ding telling me the distillers have finished. I slowly begin to check the quality of the particles under a microscope. I smile when I see that they are nearly perfect.

  When the mixer is finished, I begin to add the distilled particles, and I start the mixer again. Things will be done in no time. Soon my phone begins to let out a whining sound. I check it and discover that Lay is awake. He’s happily babbling in his crib, but he’s slowly starting to get lonely. Removing my gloves and apron, I leave the garden room and head toward the transitional phase. Nursery: I soon come to Lay’s crib, and he smiles when he sees me. I pick him up and give him a nose nuzzle.

  Seth: Hello, little one. Did you sleep well?

  Lay: Papa!!!

  I smile and take Lay to the library, and I begin to read him stories. Lay doesn’t seem to grasp anything I read to him, but he’s more than happy to just listen to me talk, and I’m just as happy to spend time with him.

  Lay and I slowly spend the day together, and when the day is done, I place him in his crib. He’s nice and cozy in his lamb jammies, and I go to the Garden Room to finish preparing for the Seeds. You may be wondering why I added both elemental particle types to the same soil, and the reason for that is that the Gaudium Bulbs will get a bonus from the other particle type. The only rule when preparing particles is that you must crush and distill them separately; otherwise, you might cause a freak explosion.

  So adding them both to the same soil is completely harmless. With that done, I fill six pots with the perfected soil, and I smile at my handiwork. I then begin to get ready for bed, taking a shower and moving to the bedroom across from the Transitional Phase Nursery, and sleep. It’s going to be a good week.