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Hamsters are cute.

There was a time when I joked about them being emergency rations, but to be honest, that was only half a joke. How could I possibly eat something that talks back to me?

Of course, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t joking at all—

…Anyway.

If you’ve ever kept a pet, you probably have common thoughts.

They’re too cute, but their lifespans are too short, or it would be nice if they understood human speech a bit. Most rodents are cute and smart in their own way, but because their lifespans are relatively short, just when you start to get attached, they end up dying. There’s a way to raise them across generations, but that can mentally drain you since it involves too many goodbyes.

Hamsters are particularly cute among rodents.

Naturally, they also have all the disadvantages that come with being a rodent. They may be fluffy and cute, but sometimes they’re overly cautious, chew on anything that fits in their mouth, and most importantly, their lifespans are short.

In that sense, the creatures in front of my eyes right now honestly tug at my heartstrings a little.

“Why don’t you come live at our house?”

“Are you talking like a kidnapper?”

“A kidnapper….”

I felt a bit hurt.

Anyway, with the atmosphere around me becoming softer, it seems my heart softened a bit too.

The Squeaky Adults, no matter how kindly you look at it, have hamster appearances. In fact, they’re even a bit smaller than dwarf hamsters, so I could easily hold one in my hand and lift it up high.

That little fluffy hamster can even talk and manage its own affairs, and their lifespans are almost similar to humans.

Don’t you think anyone would want to keep one?

Of course, one problem is that they aren’t real hamsters.

Their official name is ‘Squeaky Adult.’ As the name suggests, they’re hamsters-like aliens from Squeaky Planet. While they’re called squeaky, to our ears, it just sounds like squeaking, but actually, they seem to have their own nuances.

“Don’t you think saying that about my daughters would make people think you’re a kidnapper?”

“Well, I may look like this, but I’m willing to provide plenty. So at the very least, I can make sure they won’t starve.”

“Who do you think you’re calling a pet…?”

James asked, looking shocked.

Even now, his voice still has the tone of a middle-aged man. I’m not quite sure how James’s “real” voice sounds to his partner Cherry, but at least at the moment, he’s using a voice translation device for that tone.

Anyway, I’ve been rumbled.

“James, Ji-eun didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

Cherry said with a smile.

In her arms, there were six… six little Squeaky Adults.

Of course, they still looked very much like “hamsters.” Baby hamsters.

Their bodies were still so pink that the fur hadn’t properly grown in yet. Unlike Cherry’s soft pink, they looked more like just skin, quite literally like blobs of flesh.

But those tiny blobs wriggled around, trying to burrow deeper into Cherry’s arms, and sometimes they opened their little mouths as if yawning, and their still-closed eyes made them even cuter.

If I could, I would’ve loved to place them on my palm and take a closer look, but no matter what, I wouldn’t dream of doing that to someone else’s kids. A tiny mistake and they might endanger their lives.

“Look at that. It’s the gaze of a pervert.”

“No, no matter what, I’m not thinking any such thoughts about you!”

I got hurt again.

“By the way, they really are cute…”

Ha-yoon, who had been watching from the side, replied with a voice mixed with a sigh.

“Right? Right?”

Cherry beamed with pride.

Of course, she couldn’t hug all six kids in her arms, but they looked just like that otter bragging about its young I once saw on the internet—truly unbelievably cute.

“It’s a shame that such a noble race has to be subjected to a barbaric act like this, it’s a disgrace for sentient beings.”

Jua said with a very serious expression.

Well, if we delve deeper, it’s not just other creatures, but similar acts were carried out against fellow humans too.

…Well, let’s skip that topic for now.

Anyway, after they got sorted out, James and Cherry came to visit us in their “Camping Car.”

Though it’s called a ‘Camping Car,’ anyone can see it’s a miniature camping car fitted with anti-gravity devices instead of wheels. Of course, considering the body ratio, its size was far beyond what we think of as a regular camping car—practically at the level of a cargo trailer, but still, it’s small.

I’m not quite sure if this analogy works, but it’s like a slightly bigger hamster cage. The inside is decorated somewhat like a regular human home, though.

“You guys are lucky.”

I said, looking at the Squeaky Adult family.

“Carrying your whole house around, it looks like traveling would be super convenient.”

“Well, if you were to make a camping car of this ratio, it wouldn’t be a camping car, but a spaceship flying through the air.”

That’s what I said.

I nodded vigorously at James’s words.

“I brought ice cream!”

Ji-hye shouted as she came back into the room holding ice cream.

The ice cream we were going to eat was enough to consider it a single serving, but for James and Cherry, it was practically just a ‘teaspoon.’

And given the body ratio, even that looked huge.

James and Cherry still sat in front of us, holding their kids. The kids showed no interest in the ice cream.

“……They’re cute. You guys, why don’t you come live at our house? There’s more than enough space.”

Ji-hye commented as she watched the two slowly lick their ice cream.

“I really don’t know why there are so many people interested in our kids.”

“Well, it’s just a joke.”

No matter how you look at it, Ji-hye’s expression wasn’t joking at all, but I decided to move on.

“…….”

When everyone was just staring silently, James quickly turned uncomfortable again.

“Cherry, are we sure we didn’t come to the wrong place? All we see are perverts watching people eat.”

“I can understand saying there are only perverts in this house, but isn’t it a bit much to consider watching someone eat as being perverted?”

When I said that in disbelief, James looked up at me with a scandalized face.

I felt a bit guilty, but without the villain’s glasses, right now he just looked like a hamster when he glared—totally not scary.

While we were in a stare down, the door swung open and three people rushed in.

“We’re here! Did Cherry arrive already?”

“Seo-hee!”

Cherry jumped up from her seat at the call.

There was a bit of ice cream smudged on her chin.

“Cherry!”

Even now, Cherry remains the magical girl mascot. Though she’s on maternity leave, she hasn’t been too busy in the magical girl business lately either.

The girls who rushed in all crowded around the desk.

“Wow.”

Yeon-woo exclaimed.

“It’s real. It looks miniature.”

“It’s not a miniature.”

“……So cute.”

“How rude to casually say such things.”

But when Chae-yeon corrected her, James couldn’t quite muster the will to deny it. After all, they are his kids, so they can only be cute.

“Wow, I never thought Cherry would become a married woman.”

“You guys are getting ready to get married soon too.”

Cherry replied with a smile at Seo-hee’s remark.

But, not yet. We’ve postponed marriage until after we graduate from university.

There were also a few more things we needed to get sorted, and we intend to prepare properly by checking around for houses and such.

However, that doesn’t mean we aren’t excited about the word marriage.

Seo-hee scratched her head with a smile, and the other kids blushed for various reasons. Even Chae-yeon, who usually showed the least emotional expressions, was blushing.

“……While we aren’t finished with preparations yet, we’re steadily getting ready at the same time.”

Jua nodded with a rather serious expression.

Cherry looked up at us. With her hands on her hips.

That pose truly exemplified the look of a magical girl mascot.

“……You guys are all really cute.”

Cherry said.

“Look at the faces of girls completely in love. All of you.”

“Well, there are a lot of us, but still.”

James’s comment wobbled, but, it’s not entirely wrong.

We’re definitely in love.

What kind of future lies ahead of us, we still don’t know. Our lives are still long, very long. There are definitely things that can’t be easily resolved.

But, that’s okay.

…As time goes on, we’ll find ways to resolve those issues as we go along.

It’s been said that two heads are better than one.

For us, it’s not just better—it’s like we have the power of a magical girl.

With love and friendships,

And with hope, we move forward.

“Right, we’re cute, aren’t we?”

When I said that, all the kids stared at me in shock.

Why?

It’s the truth, isn’t it?

I think the other kids are cute and lovable, and I treat everyone the same.

When I grinned cheekily, the kids each gave me a light tap.

That contact felt nice.

…Ah, yes.

In the end, I too am a magical girl in love.

Honestly, it was hard not to admit that.

Laughter echoed between the two households.

And I enjoyed it.

I wished for that laughter to linger on, for as long, as absolutely long as possible.

I prayed.

 

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