Motherly Love

Kyoko's thunderous scream spread to all corners of the building. It triggers Sienna to take off her heels and run as fast as possible, leaving her task of checking the goods in the warehouse.

"What happened!?" The assistant shouted as soon as she arrived near the principal's office. Seeing Anneth in human form, she asked while out of breath. "Oh, hi, you're Miss Anneth, right?"

"Please, call me Anneth. Miss Bellucci. No need for honorifics." The monster woman answered with a smile. Her way of speaking was almost melodious.

Eiji imagined what if that woman sang a lullaby to him with that silky voice. He may be able to sleep in seconds.

"How long do you plan to stay there, Kyoko?" The principal looked up.

The female ninja finally came down from the ceiling, causing Sienna to flinch in surprise. "You can't be Anneth. I've never heard of a monster transforming into a human. Ninjas do learn shapeshifting techniques to disguise themselves, but it's not instant like this. We have to apply make-up, change clothes, and do other things."

"Maybe it's like that in your world. There really aren't any monsters that can turn into humans." Anneth responded. "But in my world, there are cases of monsters disguised as humans, and I found my own way to do it."

Eiji was amused seeing Kyoko's mixed expression of confusion and terror. As a kunoichi, she should be skilled at hiding her feelings.

It seemed that this moment was truly beyond her expectation.

"As we know, there are many worlds in this universe." The principal approached the kunoichi. "There will definitely be many differences between those worlds. Something common in your world might be surprising in another…. Ah, just so you know, when you multiplied for the first time here, Sienna's expression was just like yours now."

"But…. That's…." The kunoichi scratched her hair. "She's really Anneth?"

The monster woman chuckled. "Yes, I'm Anneth, a witch and teacher."

Kyoko was silent for a moment. "At first, I thought…. In your other form…. You were a…. You know?"

The witch chuckled again. "You thought, because I'm a tall and terrifying monster, I only used my muscles to fight? I've never even used my fists to hit people."

***

Anneth sipped her tea with graceful movements, showing no signs that she was a monster.

"Finally, I can drink your tea, Miss Belluci." The witch put the cup on the table. "Its taste and aroma are so refreshing."

Previously, Anneth had difficulty doing that. Her fingers and hands were too big in her monster form, so she accidentally dropped the cup.

"That's because the tea ingredients are excellent." Sienna, sitting next to Anneth, replied with a smile. "I just brewed it."

"But without good skills, you could spoil the taste of any tea. Trust me, I've tried it before."

Both women chuckled with the back of their fingers on their lower lips. They reminded Eiji of classy and well-mannered noble ladies.

"And I apologize to you, Mr. Principal." Anneth lowered her head to Eiji. "Maybe my words and criticism were too harsh when I was in my other form. My personality does tend to change a little when I change appearances."

"No problem at all." Eiji sipped his own tea. "Your insight means a lot to us."

After observing Anneth for a long time, Kyoko took a deep breath. "If I may ask, actually….. How come…. You know what I want to ask, right, Anneth?"

The witch smiled again. "You want to know why I can turn into a human, Miss Kyoko? I have to start this story from when I was a tadpole."

"T-tadpole?" The kunoichi was taken aback again.

"That's right. At that time, my body was still round, with a long tail and no arms. In human language, I was still a baby." Anneth elaborated. "Back then, a witch adopted me."

Eiji couldn't imagine Anneth in that form. That must be very uncanny.

"Initially, she adopted me because she wanted to experiment. She was curious about what would happen if someone taught magic to a monster. But over time, the bond between us became strong." Anneth resumed. "Even though she already considers me her own daughter, she only taught support magic to me. She feared that if I learned offensive magic, I would use it wildly. I'm still a monster, after all."

The witch stopped her story to sip her tea again and perhaps mustered up the strength to continue. Eiji noticed that the woman's hands were shaking slightly.

"She was very strict in forbidding me from learning any offensive magic. Even after she died, I couldn't find materials for learning those anywhere in our house." The witch looked up a little. "However, my desire to continue studying magic is unbearable. I want to learn about other magics I only heard about through my mother's stories. And the only way is to leave her house in a remote forest... To human civilization…. You can imagine what happened, right?"

"Yeah," Eiji answered in a low voice while the others fell silent. The principal could guess that things weren't going well. The humans must be frightened by Anneth's monster form.

"So, that time you decided to find a way to look human?" Kyoko asked, but her gaze was on the table, not Anneth.

"You're right, and it takes years." Although her voice was cracking, Anneth kept smiling. "I spent my time in the forest, developing ways to transform into them. I remember being very happy when I did it. I took on the form of a girl I met the first time I came out of the forest."

"After the person who adopted you… I mean, after your mother died, you must be feeling very lonely." Sienna chimed in. Her voice became a bit hoarse.

"It was like that at first, before I met my friends." Anneth closed her eyes. "Every day, I miss her. She means a lot to me. Because of her, I have the curiosity to continue learning magic. It allows me to join civilization and study there. Otherwise, I will be a monster wandering in the wilderness."

"And that's why you became a teacher." Eiji made a conclusion. "You want to educate people like your mother educated you."

For the umpteenth time, Anneth chuckled. "Your guess is very sharp, Mr. Principal. Maybe I didn't accept your offer at first. But the truth is, I was excited. Even though I have died, I can still do what I love."

"Good for you." Sienna patted the witch on the back. "We are very pleased to have you here."

Anneth's smile grew even wider. "And now, I can teach the knowledge that my mother taught me because all of you have accepted my true form. I'm not sure my words of gratitude will be enough."