119 Mom Really Likes Dad!
Next Tuesday is Roswiser’s birthday.
Leon has enough time to prepare.
First step: figuring out what Roswiser likes.
Well, Leon knows one thing she definitely doesn’t like—cilantro.
But it’s her birthday, so he doesn’t plan on pulling any childish pranks like that!
He doesn’t want to make her flustered; the most important thing is to keep his daughter in high spirits.
Actually, Leon doesn’t know much about Roswiser’s preferences.
She has this talent for being vague about her likes, often saying “this is fine, but that’s okay too” without much enthusiasm.
After being stuck under her thumb for this long, Leon only knows she likes oranges—she even insists on orange-flavored ice cream!
Aside from that? Zilch.
But he can’t just prepare a bunch of oranges for her birthday. She might say:
“Is this how humans celebrate birthdays? How cheap!”
With no ideas in sight, someone knocked on the door.
Leon got up to open it and found Noia and Moon there.
“Dad~ Time for class~” Moon chirped.
Leon squatted down, took her tiny hand, and smiled. “Aren’t you going to take a break on Saturday?”
Moon shook her head seriously, replying, “Big sister didn’t take breaks when she started learning magic, so I want to be just like her!”
Leon glanced at Noia, the eldest daughter, who silently nodded in agreement.
“Okay, then let’s head to the library! Noia, want to come along?”
“Yup!”
“Let’s go!”
Holding Moon in his arms and leading Noia by the hand, the trio made their way to the library.
They found a few relevant books, and Leon settled Moon on his lap, ready to teach her the lesson of the day.
Noia quietly sat across from them, poring over a more advanced magic introduction that was meant for older students. Leon couldn’t help but marvel at how well she understood it.
Shaking off his thoughts, Leon opened the book in front of him.
“Today, Moon, we’re going to briefly explore another way to use magic—magic circles!”
Moon’s big, pretty eyes widened with attention.
“This world’s magic is ever-changing, and there are many ways to use it. Magic circles are just one of them.”
Leon explained, “The purpose of a magic circle is to assist the user in achieving a certain magical goal more easily. For example, if a user lacks enough magical power, they can accumulate energy within the circle and release it in one big burst to achieve the desired effect.”
“Of course, this is the most basic use. The more skilled you become at magic, the more capabilities the circle has, and the greater the assistance it provides to the user.”
“Let’s use an example! Moon, you love eating fried steak, right?”
Mention this, and Moon perks up instantly, nodding vigorously, her little antennae standing up in excitement.
Even Noia, sitting across from them, perked up upon hearing “steak,” her eyes flicking to Leon, curious about how he would tie steak into a lesson about magic circles.
“Making a delicious steak can be boiled down into two steps: one, find a cow; two, process the cow, right?”
Moon nodded.
“Now, if we break down step two, there’s a lot of annoying procedures. Don’t you wish you could skip all that hassle and just eat a delicious steak?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
“Then how about we design a magic circle that combines cutting magic with fire magic? That way, you just shove a cow inside, and when it comes out, voila—a pot of steak!”
Noia was momentarily at a loss for words regarding her dad’s comparison.
She couldn’t say it was nonsense because what Leon described could actually work, even if nobody would waste their magic or time creating a magic circle dedicated to producing steak. Maybe for a laugh, but that’s about it.
After thinking it over, Noia understood why Leon used such bizarre analogies.
Back when she was getting pre-school tutoring from him, Leon was all serious and effective. Because he knew that would suit her, and it worked—she managed to reach a level where she could pass the entrance test for Saint His Academy in just a month!
As for Moon?
This lively little dragon girl cannot be too serious.
So, Leon took a different approach, using something more familiar and interesting to her—fried steak.
Seeing her little sister listening so intently made Noia realize that he often employed this tactic when teaching her too.
Yep, indeed, she has the best dad in the world who knows how to bond with his daughters!
Noia smiled to herself, returning to her book.
“Oh, oh, I get it, Dad!”
“Great, now let’s talk about something a bit more complex.”
…
The afternoon of lessons flew by quickly.
Before dinner, Leon took his two little dragon daughters out to enjoy the evening breeze in the yard.
Moon nestled in his arms, while Noia sat beside them.
The cool breeze rustled Moon’s little antenna and brushed against Leon’s face.
As he gazed at the setting sun, he suddenly asked, “By the way, Moon, Noia, do you know what your mom likes?”
Leon decided to gather intel from his daughters first.
But he didn’t mention Roswiser’s birthday.
Since he wanted to make up for last year’s regrets, Leon thought to surprise them with her birthday gifts.
“I know, I know!” Moon exclaimed excitedly.
Leon’s eyes lit up; his little cotton jacket was worth keeping around—especially at times like this!
“What does Mom like?” he eagerly asked.
“Mom likes Dad! A lot!”
“……”
Well, if you put it that way, she’s not wrong.
In your and your sister’s eyes, I’m the pure love warrior of pure love warriors alongside your mom.
“Huh? Dad, why aren’t you saying anything? Did Moon say something wrong?” Moon leaned in, tilting her little head up to look at him.
Leon lowered his head, pinching her cheek. “You’re right, sweetie, Mom likes Dad. But I want to know what else she likes. Like, food or fun things, maybe?”
Moon’s eyes grew hazy with confusion.
Great. Looks like asking her isn’t going to yield anything.
Leon turned to Noia, who obediently sat in silence, gazing at the sunset. The bl**d-red light reflected in her eyes, reminding her of that day when Mom and Dad went on a date.
They ended that date under this beautiful sunset.
Too bad, at the last moment, Anna had blocked her and Noia’s view, saying kids shouldn’t watch—
Oh!
Noia suddenly remembered.
“Mom said that a dragon’s life is so long, any beautiful thing will eventually expire, and the day it’s no longer loved means that moments of fleeting beauty hold more nostalgic significance for her.”
That was something Anna told her when she tried to capture a moment of Mom and Dad holding hands on the beach.
She glanced over at Leon. “That’s all I can think of.”
“Fleeting beauty, huh…”
Leon pondered over her words. Though it didn’t clarify exactly what she liked, at least it gave him a general direction.
Just wait, Mother Dragon! I’ll throw you a memorable and satisfying birthday—
As for how “memorable” it’ll be, we’ll just have to wait and see!
XX
You all have managed to hook me into reading! I am totally craving more—but without tickets, I feel like ants are crawling all over me!
