Mina.
The child of my ex-wife, who treated me like a wallet and cheated with another man.
Strangers with not a drop of blood connecting us.
But more precious to me than anyone else—my daughter.
The baby angel sent down to this wretched man.
Though not a single drop of my blood ran through her veins, my daughter was incredibly bright.
She catered to my every need, especially when it came to me.
Something I'd never felt from my ex-wife after the divorce.
It was like receiving private service tailored just for me at the finest hotel.
Back when she was in sixth grade.
One day, after I'd come home from stitching up a kid who'd fallen in the neighborhood.
She must have noticed how tired I looked, because she started preparing everything I could want.
"Daddy! I cleaned the house today—how does it look? Clean enough?"
"Daddy! I made some doenjang jjigae today. I hope it's okay. I followed your usual recipe but only added tofu! I hope it tastes good!"
"Daddy, you must be tired. How about a can of beer today?"
"Daddy, let me give you a shoulder massage. My hands are magic—you'll feel better right away!"
For a sixth-grader, my daughter was far too mature.
Once she hit the upper grades of elementary school, she started learning all the household chores I'd been doing, and by sixth grade, she was handling most of them herself.
When I told her to focus on school instead, she brushed it off with a casual "Don't worry."
And she meant it.
Mina's grades in elementary school were top of the class.
"It's only natural—I'm Daddy's girl."
Her response left a bitter taste I couldn't hide deep down.
Mina wasn't my biological daughter.
A 99.999998% certainty that she wasn't mine.
So how could she resemble me so much?
Kind, hardworking, not a single flaw—utterly charming.
It was like looking at myself.
They say you start to resemble the people you live with. Had she grown to look like me by watching me?
How wonderful it would have been if Mina truly shared my blood.
...
No.
Let's not go there.
Blood ties aren't what matter.
What matters is that Mina is my daughter.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Daddy and daughter.
Daughter and Daddy.
I want nothing beyond that.
I want us to be a normal family, not some twisted one.
That's why I never told her she wasn't my blood.
And I never will.
When I divorced her mother, I even added a special clause.
If she ever told Mina the truth, she'd owe me millions in compensation.
Aside from her looks, Mina took after me in so many ways.
Unless I forced myself to think about it, the fact that she wasn't my biological daughter hardly crossed my mind.
It saddened me that I wasn't her real father, and I hated myself for dwelling on it.
I'd sworn to forget, but it wouldn't fade.
"I'm sorry, my daughter. I'm so sorry for making things hard on you."
I pulled her into a tight embrace.
Had my little girl grown this much?
She felt less like a child and more like a young lady.
"Daddy, why? I told you—I'm your daughter. I was born because of you, so I have to work hard for you."
"Mina..."
"It's not hard at all. But you give me something every day."
A hot, moist little something brushed my cheek.
"You tell me you love me every day. That's all I need."
She wrapped her now-long arms around my neck in a squeeze.
"So don't say you're sorry."
Ah.
To think an angel like this was sent to me...
Unbelievable.
I'd never felt this kind of consideration even when dating her mother.
Come to think of it... that woman never loved me.
She loved my family's money.
And the fact that I was a med school grad.
But my daughter is different.
She loves me for me.
She gives back as much as I give her love.
No—more than that.
In a way, this feels more like a romance than when I was actually dating her mother.
...
Still, when did Mina grow so much?
Holding her made it clear.
She'd shot up in height.
I hadn't noticed because I wasn't paying attention... but she had to be around 150cm now.
And puberty was hitting... her breasts were starting to bud.
I felt a small, definite softness pressing against my chest.
She hasn't even gotten her first period yet...
Being a guy, I'd overlooked it completely.
I'd said I was raising her alone, but failing at basics like this? What kind of father was I?
"H-Have you... um, Mina, has there ever been blood when you... you know, go?"
Her face flushed red in an instant.
Oh no... was this embarrassing for her?!
"S-Sorry, my girl! Daddy's a guy, so I didn't think about your feelings! I'm really sorry!"
"Daddy, I'm sorry... It's been happening since last year... I looked it up online and figured it out. I should've told you, but I was scared..."
"Ah..."
She was starting to tear up.
She realized she'd made the wrong choice.
She could've made things easier by telling me, but she'd chosen the hard path in silence.
I'd left most of the household budgeting to her lately.
Seeing her manage the accounts at such a young age made me trust her with it.
Her simple monthly briefings on income and spending were a nice touch.
Sitting on my lap, explaining it all while looking up for praise—she was utterly adorable.
She was so mature, I'd forgotten.
That my daughter was still just a little girl who needed my care.
"But... if there was blood, how didn't I notice...?"
"I'm sorry, Daddy... I stuffed a lot of cotton from the medicine cabinet... right where I pee..."
That explained why I hadn't noticed while bathing her.
She'd removed her pad beforehand and shoved degreased cotton into her privates to hide it from me.
"Never!! Never do that again!!"
My voice came out louder than intended.
What she'd done was absolutely not good for her body.
"Forgive me, Daddy. I did something stupid."
She burst into tears.
She seemed so grown up, but moments like this reminded me she was still in sixth grade.
"You're the most precious thing in the world to Daddy."
"Y-Yeah... sob... yeah..."
"We can't have my precious girl hurting, right? We have to fix it."
"Yeah... you're right."
"What's Daddy's job?"
"D-Doctor... teacher..."
"This doctor daddy can fix anything that's wrong with you, Mina."
"Yeah..."
"So next time something feels off or there's blood, promise you'll tell Daddy right away."
I held out my pinky.
"Promise me, my girl."
"Okay, Daddy... I won't hide it next time."
Mina hooked her already-long pinky around mine.
"I'm tired, Daddy."
"Yeah, let's get to bed early tonight?"
"Okay."
I carried her straight to bed as is.
She needed to brush her teeth, but I figured one night was fine.
And just like that... the little troubles that cropped up between us were mostly resolved by sleeping together.
But then... when she hit third year of middle school, things changed.
The puberty that started in sixth grade had fully blossomed by third year middle school, giving her the clear look of a young woman.
I hate to mention that year, but she'd taken after her mother in looks—transforming from puppy-like cuteness to cat-like beauty.
Her breasts and hips had filled out properly.
Still, I kept sleeping with my daughter.
Because she loved sleeping with me.
The problem was...
I'd wake up with morning wood more and more often.
Not to brag, but when erect, my dick gets so big it pokes out of my underwear.
Why was this happening?
Well.
Lately, I'd been feeling more energetic.
Probably because I had a lot more free time than before.
It was a good sign health-wise, but I could never let my daughter see it.
If she did, this devoted girl would despise me.
So I talked to her about it.
Wasn't it time we slept separately?
I even tried bribing her with a new bed of her choice.
"No!! No way!! If you don't sleep with me, Daddy, I won't sleep!!"
The moment she heard me, Mina threw herself on the floor and wailed.
"You're abandoning me!! You said you wouldn't, but you're abandoning me!!"
She even used the one phrase I hated most.
She'd turned into a naughty girl.
But I couldn't yell at her.
I'd sworn never to raise my voice at my daughter.
I had to soothe her.
"I'm afraid... I might make a mistake."
"What kind of mistake?"
I was at a loss for words.
"Well... it's just..."
"I like Daddy."
"Huh?"
"Daddy likes me too, right?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Then we love each other."
"Right."
I felt like I was being led into a trap.
"So we have to love each other's flaws too, don't we?"
"...Y-Yeah."
She threw herself into my arms again.
"I can forgive any mistake you make, Daddy. Because you're Daddy. The Daddy I love most."
...
How could I refuse such a lovable daughter?
"...Okay. Then let's... make sure Daddy doesn't make any mistakes."
"So we'll keep sleeping together forever?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Yay!! Thank you, Daddy!!"
She buried her face in my chest.
My shirt started getting damp.
She was crying again.
"Sweetie... what's wrong? Did I mess up? Did Daddy do something wrong? I'm sorry..."
"No... sniff... it's not your fault, Daddy."
"Th-Then?"
She was sobbing, holding it in.
"I'm sorry... Daddy... I'm sorry... I was so scared you'd abandon me..."
Ah.
My lovable daughter.
To think she worried about me this much.
I hugged her tight.
"Daddy loves you."
"R-Really?"
"I won't abandon you."
"..."
"So no more talk of abandoning you, okay, sweetie?"
"...But you might someday."
"I'll never abandon my daughter."
"...Can you promise?"
"I promise. Pinky swear."
And so we hooked pinkies again.
"I'll never forget this promise."
"Daddy won't either, so don't worry too much."
"Okay... thank you."
"Ready for bed now?"
"Yeah... carry me."
I scooped her up effortlessly.
Her height rivaled most grown women's, but she was as light as a feather.