116 The Best Dad in the World
Amidst the astonished gazes of all the young dragons and one human, the Vice Principal, clutching Noia’s essay, excitedly made her way to the podium.
The homeroom teacher quickly stepped aside, knowing full well that everyone in the Young Dragon Department was aware that Melkway’s family was the Vice Principal’s soft spot. It was only natural for her to personally oversee the reading.
However, once on stage, the Vice Principal wasn’t in a hurry to read Noia’s essay. Instead, she first offered some explanations.
“The reason Noia’s essay didn’t participate in this selection is that our school’s Principal, Angelina Olet, has heard of her remarkable deeds and family background, so she wanted to personally evaluate Noia’s writing.”
Wow, the name Angelina Olet was a first for Leon. If she didn’t show up soon to flaunt her presence, Leon was starting to worry the Vice Principal might pull a coup. After all, this old dragon’s appearance rate was absurdly high, showing up at everything from entrance exams to sports meets!
The Vice Principal shook the red-ink comments on the length of paper in her hand, wearing a proud expression as if the Principal was grading her essay, not Noia’s.
“Unsurprisingly, Noia’s essay received high praise from Principal Olet, who said that if a young dragon’s essay deserves a hundred points, she’d give Noia a ninety-five! But why the five points off?”
Leon silently snarked while watching the Vice Principal’s excited demeanor. “Because five points weren’t good enough?”
With a smug smile, the Vice Principal explained, “Because the Principal said she didn’t read enough! If there’s another essay competition, Noia must write a bit more. The Principal is more than willing to spare half an hour to evaluate Noia’s writing.”
Oh, got it. Essentially, “not being able to see Noia’s essay felt like having ants crawling all over.”
Putting down the comments, the Vice Principal gazed out the window, squinting under her white eyebrows, reminiscing, “The Principal’s words remind me of my youth, spending hours reading an author’s essay collection in a dragon newspaper. That author updated weekly, and after finishing each installment, the following week felt like an eternity. It was as if a ‘craving’ rushed through my body, and only the next update could relieve it.”
“I believe the Principal might also be hooked reading Noia’s essay.”
The Vice Principal snapped back to reality and turned to the homeroom teacher, “By the way, teacher, the essay rankings for your class should have come out, right?”
The homeroom teacher nodded, “Yes.”
Upon hearing this, Ral’s Dad in the audience tensed up and quickly stood up. “Vice Principal, you aren’t going to revoke my son Ral’s first-place prize, are you? I assure you, that is his hard-earned grade. There’s no way it can be taken away!”
At first glance, Ral’s Dad seemed logical, even casting himself as the underdog to evoke sympathy. But upon closer inspection, his so-called “hard-earned grade?” Was it really true?
Noia’s essay wasn’t skipped over in the selection process or submitted late; it was handed directly to the more stringent Principal Angelina Olet for review.
And in that scenario, Noia’s work still received rave reviews. The quality was undeniable.
So if Noia participated normally in class ranking, taking first place wouldn’t even be an issue, and Ral’s Dad’s “solid grade” would have only amounted to second place.
It’s akin to a top student and a genius both scoring a hundred on their finals.
The top student might think he was entering genius territory, oblivious to the fact he’d hit his cap at a hundred while the genius just had a perfect paper.
So how to break this stalemate? The answer lies in Noia’s approach, accepting tougher challenges and still standing out.
Leon, Roswiser, and many other parents present grasped this philosophy, with the exception of Ral’s Dad, who clung desperately to that hard-won first place.
Even Ral’s face started to betray him; he tugged at his father’s sleeve, whispering, “Dad, Noia’s grades have always been better than mine. If she were to participate normally, she would likely be first…”
Kid, are you throwing me under the bus here?
Am I your dad, or is Noia your dad?
Seeing Ral’s Dad in denial, the Vice Principal calmly remarked, “Rest assured, Ral’s first place is well-deserved. I won’t change it or bump him down; it’s his honor, and no one can take it from him.”
Indeed, there was no need to do so, and Leon had two reasons.
First, if Ral’s ranking were changed from first to second, though nobody cared how Ral’s Dad would react, such a change would genuinely be a blow to Ral, especially after that bullying attempt on Noia that got his arm broken. The little dude had been behaving more since, studying hard, no doubt pushing himself to earn that first place.
As for the second reason…
The tone and subtext from the Vice Principal were crystal clear; given Noia’s writing level, taking part in class ranking had become nearly meaningless.
Indeed, the most skilled often found their contributions uncounted in the grand total.
A good daughter, taking after her dad!
Once the Vice Principal spoke, Ral’s Dad finally quieted down.
With a sigh of relief, the Vice Principal turned her attention back to the homeroom teacher, giving her a signal.
The homeroom teacher instantly understood and transformed into a wingman. “Vice Principal, since Noia’s essay is so excellent, why not read it aloud for everyone? Noia, would you like to?”
Noia stood up, looking to the Vice Principal. “Sure.”
The Vice Principal’s eyes squinted with delight. What an honor it was to read a model student’s essay!
Seeing the grin on the Vice Principal’s face, Leon and Roswiser began to sweat bullets.
The executioner was ready, and the social d*ath blade was itching for action.
The couple discreetly clasped hands behind Noia’s seat, united for warmth.
No, no, no.
If we’re gonna go down, we’ll do it together!
“But…”
Suddenly, Noia spoke again, “I want to read it myself.”
The Vice Principal froze, “Read it yourself?”
Noia nodded seriously. “Yep.”
The couple turned their heads to look at their daughter’s side profile.
Do we really have to do this, little marshmallow?
Are you determined to snatch that social d*ath weapon from the Vice Principal’s claws?
Sigh.
Ah, whatever.
Better to “d*e” by your daughter’s hand than someone else’s.
The couple’s tightly held hands relaxed a bit, fingers still abstractly intertwined.
They leaned back in their chairs, deflated like balloons.
The Vice Principal had no intention of denying Noia’s request. “Alright then, please come up, Noia, and read.”
Noia stepped up to the podium, took her essay, glanced down at her parents, and began reading earnestly.
“They are a loving and somewhat odd couple.”
“But that doesn’t stop me from loving them, love them to the core.”
Her tone wasn’t as booming and flashy like the previous two young dragons but leaned more towards Roswiser’s usual cool demeanor. However, within that coolness was a blazing warmth.
Every emphasis hit just right—neither overly sweet nor fake.
Especially that line “love them to the core,” it didn’t sound like something a young dragon should normally express.
That wasn’t feigned maturity; it was her most genuine feelings for her parents.
As the reading continued, the couple gradually realized: this essay was not a social execution tool—they were being gifted a love letter from their daughter instead.
“They taught me that ‘love’ is never a gamble but a journey, a two-way journey.”
“If love is like a balance scale, within my family, there’s no question; it always tilts towards my sister and me. Because Mom and Dad have placed all their love on our side.”
Originally expecting some offbeat “love” discussion, they were unexpectedly treated to Noia’s sincere and deep love for her dad, her mom, and her sister—
Perhaps “deep” shouldn’t apply to a child, but that’s the vibe she gave Leon.
In just eight hundred words, she swiftly approached the conclusion.
Leon thought she might delve deeper and elevate the theme, but Noia’s ending proved otherwise.
She set the paper down, her little face serious yet solemn, looking directly at Leon.
Father and daughter locked eyes across the podium—one high, one low.
After a moment, Noia softly stated, “I have the best dad in the world.”
Pausing for a second, she seemingly sensed a hint of sourness and quickly adjusted, looking toward Roswiser, “And mom.”
Her essay originally stated just that—“I have the best dad and mom.”
Compared to the more metaphorical and rhetorical flourishes earlier, this conclusion felt a touch mundane.
But only Leon and Roswiser picked up on the small nuance in her wording:
Whenever both Roswiser and Leon appeared together, she had always called out “mom” first and then “dad.”
Yet this time, she put dad right up front.
