Lola and Silo sat on the floor, eyeing the children lined up on the long couch. They gulped, both overwhelmed by the sudden addition—Silo especially. The twins were already too much for him, but another four?! Not one, not two, but four?! And babies, no less!
The twins grinned at either end, while four smaller children sat neatly between them.
Silo slid his gaze to Lola, who hissed back immediately, as if she’d already read the unspoken accusations on his face.
"Chacha, Second?" Lola cleared her throat. "These four are...?" They aren’t abducted, right?
"Cousins!!" the twins chorused, proudly turning to the little ones. "This is..."
"Chacha!" one baby mumbled.
"Chacha!" echoed the next.
The third chimed in, "Chacha!"
Lola and Silo’s faces twitched, then contorted further when the fourth piped up: "Thirty!"
"Thirty?" Silo repeated blankly, only for Second to explain:
"Thirdy," he said, holding up three fingers. "Because he’s the third placer, the oldest among them!"
Both adults slapped their hands over their mouths, mentally weeping at the naming.
"Does this mean we have... four Chachas?" Silo whispered in horror. "Can I sue their parents for this?"
"Uncle Silly, I’m the only Chacha," Chacha pouted, raising one finger. "My cousins just like me so much, they wanna be Chacha too!"
He deadpanned. "What about the third placer?"
"Who knows!" Second shrugged adorably. "But he’s Thirdy. Like me—I’m the Second, and he’s the Third. We’re like brothers!"
The adults nodded numbly, then shifted their eyes to the other three children.
"Okay, so... Thirdy we know," Silo muttered. "How about the rest?"
THUD!
Both flinched at the noise. They turned to see Slater standing beside his duffel bag, his mouth covered by his palm.
Silo leaned toward Lola and whispered, "Looks like your boarder’s just as shocked as we are."
"Babies..." Slater’s eyes welled up as he dramatically fell to his knees. "Babies..."
"I know, I know," Silo nodded sagely. "It’s shocking, but crying is a bit much—"
"BABIES!"
Silo choked when Slater launched himself in slow motion, tears flying back in equally dramatic slow-mo.
"Oh, my god..." Slater stopped by the couch, darting his eyes across the children. He covered his mouth and mumbled, "Those two finally showed their true colors—the ultimate opportunist couple."
"Uh..." Silo blinked at the superstar, who was effortlessly shattering the image he’d had of him. "What in the world is going on..."
His confusion deepened when the little ones suddenly spoke:
"Anki Pest."
"Ankol Pest."
"Pest."
"Pest!"
"Yes, babies, it’s me! Uncle Best!" Slater declared, kneeling before them and hugging all four. "Your mother finally let me see you. That woman is the worst!"
"..." Silo and Lola pursed their lips. To their ears, the kids were definitely saying pest.
"Tell me I’m not dreaming," Silo muttered in dread.
"That’s the wrong question, Silo," Lola said flatly, eyes glued to the scene. "You should be asking if they’re actually saying pest instead of best."
They sat in silence, numb, as Slater happily played with six children while the two slumped across from them. Minutes later, Silo and Lola settled on the other couch.
"So, you’re saying... the uncle the twins kept talking about is him?" Silo asked, pointing at Slater.
Lola leaned back, arms crossed. "Uh huh."
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