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It was a typical day in Shiodome. Shiki was at Gatto Nero's headquarters working on her next clothing line, while Neku was in his studio working on his next masterpiece. Having been married for so long, the two have become comfortable in their married lives. Yet only four years ago, they brought a new bundle into their world: an adorable baby girl named Tsugumi. While she was born relatively recently in their married lives, she was already proven to be quite exceptional. From what they heard, she was one of the most creative students in Sunshine Kids Academy. There was no doubt she was just as gifted as her parents.
Or at least, that's what they initially thought.
"Thank you for coming here today," Gina Miura spoke as the two parents entered her office and sat down.
"Is Tsugumi okay?" Shiki asked. "I hope she isn't causing trouble."
"Oh no, she's doing all right in my class," Gina explained. "But she seems to be struggling with certain lessons."
"Which ones?" Neku asked.
Gina took out two sheets of paper and laid them on her desk. Both papers contained the same assignment featuring cartoonish animals with lines below each picture. "Recently I had my class fill this out to see if they know the names of different animals," she said. She pointed at the left assignment. "This is what most of the students filled out." She pointed at the right assignment. "This is what your daughter wrote instead."
Neku and Shiki compared the two sheets of paper. "I don't get it," the orangeylocks man said. "What did she-" But he stopped talking mid-sentence upon realizing what Gina was implying. Sure enough, Tsugumi did screw up the assignment, but not much. Yet what she got wrong was very obvious.
She labeled the cat as PIG and the pig as CAT.
"This isn't the first time it happened," Gina continued. "Ever since the year started, Tsugumi has been continuously mixing up cats and pigs. Is there any reason why she keeps doing this?"
Both parents were too embarrassed to even speak. They knew exactly why their daughter created such a mix-up. It was all because of playful teasing that had been continuing ever since they first met.
"Who else is gonna make stuffed piggies?"
"He's a cat! Heh heh..."
Neku let out a nervous cough, wishing he could hide behind a high collar. "...That's my fault," he apologized. "She must've heard me and Shiki teasing about Gatto Nero's mascot."
"How does that contribute to your daughter's mix-up?" Gina asked.
"I keep calling Mr. Mew a piggy," Neku clarified, his face still bright red.
Shiki noticed Gina's puzzled reaction. "It's something we've been doing since we met," the brunette quickly corrected. "But we'll stop if this is becoming an issue for Tsugumi."
"That would be the best option," Gina agreed. "Make sure she understands what cats and pigs are so we can prevent future mishaps."
After picking up Tsugumi from school, Neku and Shiki tried to figure out how to break the news to her. But as the two prepared dinner, a flash of long dark brown hair ran over to them with a huge smile.
"Mommy! Daddy! Look what I drew!" Tsugumi exclaimed as she held up a drawing of a chubby-looking black pig. Given the eyes, nose, and unusually long tail, it was kind of obvious who that was meant to be.
"Is that...Mr. Mew?" Shiki checked.
"Mmm-hmm!" Tsugumi cheerfully nodded. "It's Mister Mew the piggy!"
The two parents looked at each other in concern. "What's wrong?" Tsugumi asked, sounding worried. "You don't like it?"
"No, of course we like it," Shiki corrected. "But..." She wasn't quite sure how to deal with this. Fortunately her husband quickly spoke up for her.
"Tsugumi, do you know what pigs are?" Neku asked. He carefully picked up the young girl and nodded towards Shiki, silently asking her to finish dinner before carrying their child to the living room and getting her to sit on the couch.
"'Course I do," Tsugumi answered. "Pigs are fat and round and very soft."
"And what about cats?" Neku continued as he sat next to the beaming girl. "What do you know about them?"
"Cats are soft and fluffy," Tsugumi happily replied. "Some are fat and round, too."
Neku slowly nodded. "So you know what Mr. Mew is?" he checked.
"He's a piggy!" Tsugumi cheered. "Mister Mew the piggy!"
While the younger girl's words sounded too happy, the words she spoke felt all-too familiar for the orangeylocks man.
"He's not a pig! He's a cat! Mr. Mew the cat!"
"You sure?" Neku checked.
"Yup!" Tsugumi happily insisted. "He's a good piggy, helping mommy sell lots of clothes."
"That's right," Neku replied. He was able to come up with a good lesson on the spot. "And do you remember what brand of clothes that is?"
"Gatto Nero!" Tsugumi answered with a big smile.
Neku nodded in response. "Do you know why it's called Gatto Nero?" he asked,
"Nope!" Tsugumi quickly answered.
"'Gatto' is another words for 'cat'," Neku informed. He pointed at his daughter's drawing. "That's what Mr. Mew is. He's a little chubby, but he's still a cat. Mr. Mew the cat."
"But daddy, you call him a piggy," Tsugumi pointed out. "So he's gotta be a piggy."
Before Neku could answer, Shiki had already finished cooking dinner and headed to the living room. "Well Tsugumi, when a mommy and a daddy are in a happy mood, they often make jokes," she explained. "And sometimes these jokes aren't meant for a good little girl like you to hear. They're special little secrets, so no repeating them outside of this house. Promise?"
"Okay, mommy," Tsugumi answered after a few seconds of silence. "I promise."
"Good," Shiki said. She gave the young girl a forehead kiss. "Now how about I put your adorable drawing on the fridge and the three of us can eat dinner together?"
"Yaaay! Dinner!" Tsugumi cheered. She ran over to the kitchen with a huge grin, leaving her parents alone in the living room.
"You think she'll keep that promise?" Neku asked.
"Probably not," Shiki admitted. She looked back at Tsugumi's drawing. "But maybe we should stop joking about Mr. Mew in front of her. We wouldn't want her to keep that habit as she gets older."