Since Shinji and the others genuinely treated Jack as a daughter and protected her well, Jack never really had a chance to show her true abilities. As time passed, many people forgot her real name was Jack the Ripper and that she possessed a terrifying anti-female special attack with high priority. Under certain conditions, her Noble Phantasm, Maria the Ripper, could deliver a one-hit kill to female targets.
Even though her Noble Phantasm wasn't currently activated, Jack still maintained a formidable anti-female capability.
After taking down both Rin and Luvia, she quickly found her next target.
"You've got Daddy's scent on you too, so you must also be a mom. What's your name, Mom?"
This time, she was talking to Fujino.
"My name is Asakami Fujino... As for the Mom thing... um... well, how should I put this..."
Fujino awkwardly played with the hem of her clothes, unsure whether to agree or not.
Due to her childhood experiences, she had always carried a sense of inferiority. Although her life in the Matou household had been happy and had softened many of her past traumas, her self-esteem wasn't fully healed, especially when it came to her feelings.
Am I worthy of that increasingly amazing, increasingly powerful, and (in Fujino's lovestruck view) increasingly handsome man? Compared to me, isn't Sakura still a better match for him?
She had long since decided she was content just quietly following beside him, being able to see him regularly as a family. That was enough to make her happy.
If possible, she would've preferred to remain in this ambiguous silence, but Jack wouldn't let her off so easily. Jack stared at her with expectant eyes, her large, beautiful eyes blinking innocently.
Fortunately, at that moment, Kirie swooped in. She wasn't here to save her friend though—she was here to fight for her happiness.
"Jack, Jack! I'm your mom too!"
Jack looked at the combat mecha with four pairs of tail fins and pouted. "Robots can't be moms."
"I'm not a robot! Wait, well, a Gundam is a kind of robot, but it's a real-type robot—ah, what am I even saying? Anyway, the real me is just like the others, a human. This is just a special battle suit I'm controlling. See?"
As Kirie rambled on, mixing second-hand anime references with reality, she disengaged from the mecha, revealing her dual existence. She thought this would help earn Jack's trust, but the moment she returned to her spiritual form, Jack's eyes gleamed like a hungry wolf. Her small hands instinctively reached for the hilt of her knife.
"Food... something delicious."
"Eep!"
Kirie shrank back into her mecha as if she'd encountered her natural predator. She pitifully called out to Shinji for help.
Shinji patted the armor of Mecha in a consoling manner.
"Alright, it's okay now. Just don't let Jack see your spiritual form again. She loves eating spirits."
"Oh."
Kirie reluctantly stepped back, no longer daring to claim the title of Mom.
Jack ignored her and resumed her journey of finding more moms.
To Sakura:
"Are you my mom?"
"That depends on you, Jack. If you want me to, I'd be more than happy to be your mom."
As expected from the thoughtful and meticulous Sakura, her answer was perfect. It didn't push too hard, didn't create unnecessary trouble for Shinji, and left her with a dignified way out. It was the smoothest response so far.
"I want you to be my mom, Mom Sakura!"
Jack exclaimed happily.
"Good girl. Call me that again."
Sakura pulled Jack into her arms, using Jack's short hair to hide the smile curling on her lips.
"Mommy Sakura!"
This level of affection rivaled what Shinji received, which made Fujino and Kirie envious. Why didn't we think of that? They both wondered.
As expected, Sakura is a sly one—so subtle, yet so effective.
...
To Lorelei:
"You must be my mom too!"
"No, I'm not."
Since Jack had already attacked several people by now, Lorelei was mentally prepared and responded proudly, without hesitation.
"You're not?"
Jack frowned.
"But you smell like Daddy. Right here."
Lorelei instinctively placed her hand on her side.
"That's just a communication device. It doesn't mean anything."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Sorry, Auntie."
Jack politely apologized and skipped off.
"Is that okay?"
Waver asked quietly.
"There's nothing wrong with it," Lorelei replied calmly.
"You didn't have to refuse so directly. You could've handled it like his sister, solving the situation neatly."
"There's no neat solution. He never said what I am to him, so why should I be the mother of his child?"
Lorelei replied stubbornly.
"You keep going like this, and you'll miss your chance with him."
"Then let it pass. I am who I am."
There was a soft snap as Lorelei bit down on her right index finger.
Inside her white glove, blood began to seep out, though no one noticed.
...
To Touko:
"Are you my mom too?"
"Well now, am I or am I not?"
Aoko's eyes gleamed, her expression playful yet commanding. With just a single move, she seized control of the conversation.
"Am I or am I not?"
Jack pressed on.
"I won't tell you the answer yet. First, you answer me a question."
"What question?"
"How many moms do you have?"
Jack let out a thoughtful hmm and began counting on her fingers.
One, two, three, four, five…
She needed both hands to keep counting, and the sight made all the nearby women's eyelids twitch. Shinji, meanwhile, broke out in a cold sweat.
Flirting is fun at the moment, but the consequences are a nightmare.
Fortunately, Jack didn't finish counting her fingers, nor did she give an exact number.
"We can't count them all. Every time we meet, Daddy finds us a new mom. Mommy even said Daddy is good at finding moms."
"Is that so?"
Touko adjusted her glasses, feeling an urge to take them off entirely. "Jack, can I ask you another question?"
"Mm-hmm."
"You call us all by our names plus Mom, but earlier, you just called someone Mom directly. Why is that?"
"Because she was the first one we met who accepted us. We love her the most. We also love Daddy a lot, and Mommy loves Daddy too. Mommy, Daddy, and Jack are a happy family."
"Wha—"
"Huh?"
"Ah!"
"Whoa?"
Jack proudly and happily declared this, but the women who had been called Mom, or who were hoping to be called Mom, were far from pleased.
Does this mean we have another competitor? They wondered, And one with a powerful weapon at that!
In one casual comment, Jack had completed a metaphorical rampage, achieving a godlike streak.
Jack the Ripper, the most terrifying female serial killer of the modern era, truly lived up to her fearsome reputation.