Chapter 6.3: Five, three

The female pilot and the woman both sit in silence, a question swirling in the woman's head.

"By the way, I wanted to ask something. I heard that all pilots are considered to be siblings or something of the sort. Can you explain that to me?" she finally asks.

"Sure. It's actually not a blood relationship, it's more like kinship through the connection of being pilots. But I will say that it's kind of as strong, if not stronger than blood ties. And as such, we have certain constraints around each other like we can't marry each other and of the sort," explains the female pilot, hinting at an obvious idea.

"I see. So, your mother and other pilots married people that aren't pilots. And then gave birth to more pilots?"

"It generally is like that. Although, because we don't seize to exist, the birth rate is extremely low even if pilots get married. And my mother a special case,"

"Special case? How so?"

"Well, this is a bit weird to say, but I don't actually have a father,"

"Wait, really?!" asks the woman in shock.

"Yeah," the female pilot nods.

"My mother got pregnant without any male intervention and because she is a very high figure, when word got out that she was pregnant, rumors started spreading like wildfire. But the loud and major voice was the Rope people defending my mother and her name from the attacks of the rumors, and they won that war apparently. And because of my origin story, let's say . . . I got a bit of special attention back home," she says, her face twisting in annoyance towards the end.

"And then here we are now," finishes the female pilot, looking back towards the woman.

"I see. This conversation took an unexpected turn. Sorry if I brought back any bad memories," she says, looking apologetic.

"No, no, it's fine. I've moved on. And this is my new life now," says the female pilot, waving a hand.

The woman smiles but a thought runs through her mind.

Very high figure, huh?