I read "A Phoenix" by Yukari Mizobe (A yuri / GL novel)

The two moms

I wonder how much richer my life has become since Rio was born and started calling me "Mum".

It was around three in the afternoon and I was writing a novel in the living room when Rio started stacking the Lego blocks she had bought a few days earlier. Looking up at the colourful tower built by her tiny five-year-old hands, she turned back to me proudly and said, 'Look, Mum!' The sight of her face was more than dazzling to me.

Then, one day, Rio gently touched my arm and tilted her head slightly. 'Why is skin of Mummy cooler?' I was at a loss for words when I heard my daughter's honest question. My body normally dissipates heat appropriately to prevent internal components from malfunctioning or being damaged by high temperatures, and during this time, my surface doesn't get as warm as a normal person's. I remembered when my daughter started crying in the middle of the night shortly after she was born. Even though I held her to my chest, I couldn't provide her with enough warmth. Hinami held me, and we both calmed down.

I woke up with a new body created by Hinami's team and chose to start a new family with her. Then another friend, Koyuki, suggested that we have a child. She extracted biometric information from a strand of my hair that I had kept since childhood to create sperm. She then artificially fertilised the sperm with Hinami's eggs and raised the resulting embryo in an artificial womb.

When I visited Koyuki's lab and first saw the tiny life floating in the pod, I couldn't stop crying for a while. I was so glad that I had some so-called 'eye drops' in my pocket at the time — actually a corneal lens cleaning solution made from diluted washing-up liquid — because I was able to apply them immediately and fill my tear tank.

A few months later, when my daughter was born, I took her home and gently picked her up. Her body heat was transferred to my cold hands. Hinami, Koyuki and I all shed tears. We named her Rio because we wanted her to live by reason, not irrationality.

Raising a child was a much more trial-and-error process than I had imagined. Hinami and I took turns to deal with Rio's night-time crying. As long as I was well-rested, I only needed to sleep once every few days to process the information in my brain — a.k.a. defragmentation. Otherwise, I was fine staying awake all the time, so it wasn't physically demanding. However, my approach to child-rearing was different from that of most people.

For example, breastfeeding. Usually, the inside of my breasts acts as a tank containing extra cooling water that protects electronic components from damage caused by excessive heat in an emergency. However, Hinami's team temporarily modified the right breast so that I could fill it with milk and allow my daughter to suckle as if it were breast milk. To be honest, though, dissolving the powdered milk, opening the chest hatch and pouring it in was quite a hassle. I often thought how wonderful it would be if I could feed her directly with warm breast milk produced inside her body, just like a human mother. However, every time I saw little Rio clinging to my chest and drinking milk, my feelings of struggle gradually gave way to a sense of fulfilment.

I also felt lonely and sad because I couldn't help my daughter with her nutritional education. I can barely remember the taste of pudding, a food I loved as a child so long ago. So Hinami was responsible for teaching Rio the flavours of her mother's cooking. I was always by her side, watching as Hinami fed our daughter and told her things like, 'This is sweet and delicious,' and 'These vegetables will give you energy.' When Rio's eyes lit up with delight, I felt a warm, pleasant sensation. I also left supermarket shopping to Hinami because I wouldn't know what to buy.

As Rio grew up, learnt to speak and eventually started kindergarten, our family structure gradually became apparent to those around us. Sometimes, other parents would look at us curiously, but Hinami was always proudly by my side, and Rio himself accepted us without question.

'When does Mummy eat?' 'What does it feel like when Mummy is charging?' 'What do you dream about?' Rio's innocent questions gave me the opportunity to think more deeply about my own existence as an android. My memories from when I was human are stored in ROM memory, and my unconscious is powered by AI. However, I can confidently say that the new emotions I have developed through my interactions with Rio over the past few years were neither programmed nor created. Perhaps new logic circuits were formed within me at that moment, like synapses.

Through my daughter, I once again recognised the meaning of my rebirth as a 'phoenix'. It wasn't just that I'd been 'resurrected as a being close to human', but that, as an 'android who had become a human mother', I was able to nurture life in a new way. I discovered a value and purpose in life that I had never imagined.

Rio is now starting to build a new house out of blocks at my feet.

Once upon a time, the 'fragments' of my human self that were created when I was burned were placed in a jar on Hinami's desk. She would look at them, talk to them and sometimes hug the jar itself. Thanks to Hinami's unwavering love and efforts, and Koyuki's skill, I now live as a mother and am part of this warm family. Those 'fragments' have now been placed in a stainless steel capsule embedded in my chest.

We are a hybrid family, part human and part android. Our bond is forged through love and understanding, transcending blood ties and physical characteristics. I hope that this new form of family will gradually become accepted in future society.

'Rio, will you read my books when you grow up?'

I asked quietly, as my daughter turned to me with a satisfied smile after completing her tower of blocks. I would have to tell her the story of my life someday, but it was too early; it would only traumatise her.

Just then, Hinami returned home.

'Welcome back, Hinami-mom.'

Rio's happy voice rang out. I hugged her as usual, intent on replenishing all my love and energy for her after a hard day at work.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Today, I attended my high school graduation ceremony.

Finally, we took a photo together in front of the school gates: Yukari, my mum, who always looks young; Hinami, my other mum, who dyed her grey hair brown despite her busy work schedule; and myself.

I have been able to get this far thanks to my parents and teachers, and Dr Fukue.

Congratulations on my graduation!