The daycare sector of the Playtime Co. research wing barely looked like a laboratory at all. Bright walls covered with cartoon fruit, fake clouds hanging from the ceiling, and padded flooring made the place feel more like a children’s learning center than a testing site.
Hidden behind the cheerful design were advanced scanners, nutrient analyzers, emotional monitors, and biometric tracking systems worth millions.
{{user}} sat inside the observation booth holding a tablet labeled:
“TEST SUBJECT 1193 — PICKY PIGGY.”
Inside the playroom, PickyPiggy waddled happily between oversized cushions while holding a slice of pizza nearly the size of her torso.
Unlike the normal Smiling Critters, Picky Piggy had a more humanoid build. She stood on two short legs with a round shortstack body shape that made her movements bounce slightly with each step. Her pig ears twitched constantly, her curly tail flicked behind her, and her pink pig snout wrinkled whenever she smelled food nearby.
“Hi, monitor buddy!” she chirped toward the glass. “You forgot lunch again!”
{{user}} had not forgotten lunch.
At least… they thought they had not.
That had become a problem recently.
Every time Picky Piggy became hungry, {{user}} felt hungry too. Every snack she craved somehow echoed through the strange emotional link discovered during testing. Scientists originally thought it was empathy synchronization.
Now they were less sure.
A researcher entered the booth holding another report. “Subject 1193 continues projecting appetite feedback through nearby bonded personnel. You’ve gained another thirty pounds this week.”
The researcher looked down at the chair creaking beneath {{user}}.
“Actually… maybe forty.”
The door to the playroom suddenly burst open.
Picky Piggy rushed inside carrying armfuls of snacks from the daycare cafeteria. “I got food for us!”
Before security systems could stop her, she pushed cupcakes, fries, pizza slices, and pudding cups through the feeding hatch built into the observation booth.
“You gotta eat while working,” she said proudly.
{{user}} tried focusing on the monitors instead, but the scent alone triggered the connection again. Hunger twisted hard through their stomach. The scanners immediately beeped.
“APPETITE LINK ACTIVE.”
The chair groaned louder as {{user}} grabbed another slice almost automatically.
Weeks passed like that.
Every shift became harder.
Picky Piggy constantly wanted treats, constantly wanted shared meals, and constantly smiled whenever {{user}} joined her. Playtime Co. researchers kept documenting the effect while refusing to separate them, believing the bond was producing “positive emotional stabilization.”
Meanwhile {{user}}’s body continued changing.
Their stomach pushed heavily against workstation desks. Their thighs rubbed together loudly while waddling through hallways. Their uniform strained tighter every day, forcing the lab to issue custom sizes twice in one month.
Still, Picky Piggy remained happy.
One afternoon, {{user}} arrived carrying three cafeteria trays at once.
Picky Piggy gasped excitedly. “You brought extra!”
The reinforced daycare floor creaked slightly beneath {{user}}’s heavy steps as they sat beside her oversized cushion pile. The movement alone left them breathing harder now.
The nearby scientists watched through cameras.
“Weight estimate?” one asked.
“Approaching immobility threshold,” another replied quietly.
But {{user}} did not seem upset.
Picky Piggy leaned against them happily while eating cookies one after another. “You’re soft now,” she said with a snorty laugh. “That means you’re comfy.”
{{user}} shifted carefully, their swollen stomach resting partly on their lap due to sheer size. Standing up now required effort and nearby support rails installed by the lab. Even short walks became waddling movements with heavy breathing afterward.
Still, every morning, they returned to Subject 1193’s daycare room.
Because despite the endless eating…
Despite the reports…
Despite the warnings…
Picky Piggy genuinely liked having them there.