Chapter 169 – Kirin Class Lee Shiba (1)

“Beep.”

At the break of dawn, when loneliness seeped into her core, Shiba awoke and tossed her body around before opening her eyes.

“…”

In the dark room with not a single ray of light, no one else was lying on the bed except for Shiba.

Again, her father had disappeared with her sister. It was the same for her white-haired sister and her orange-haired sister, who often did that.

Where did they go, leaving me behind?

Shiba’s eyebrows furrowed upward.

“Father…”

She uttered his name, but it didn’t come easily. She felt worried and uneasy. Surely, her father wouldn’t be upset, would he?

Shiba recalled a scene she had once glimpsed outside her bedroom.

Her orange-haired sister feasting on her father with her mouth. It was so terrifying that it sent shivers down her spine.

-Beep, beep!?

Oh no, her father got eaten!

She couldn’t remember how much she had cowered back then.

She whimpered as if in pain, her breathing growing louder. Thankfully, her sister had a compassionate heart, so her father would still see her off tomorrow.

Shiba would be fine, for she was strong. There was no doubt in her mind that when she woke up in the morning, her father would be lying next to her. Still, she hated seeing her father unwell.

“Beep.”

Everything would be alright, just like last time. She would return in the morning. Her father had work to do as well! Shiba understood the responsibilities of a family member. Like how she played in kindergarten, her father needed to play too. Until then, all she had to do was keep her eyes closed.

She wrapped herself in the green blanket, clasping her hands together and placing them on her head.

“…Peep.”

A world of pure white fantasies unfolded in her mind. In this world, her father was gently stroking Shiba’s head as she lay on the bed. The more she imagined, the number of fathers multiplied.

One father… two fathers.

“Peeheehhhaha.”

Shiba smiled innocently at the happy thought and gently drifted off to sleep.

What food will be served for kindergarten lunch tomorrow?
Bibimbap? I dislike bibimbap!
In the world, Shiba hated sprout bibimbap the most.

The hierarchy of Shiba’s favorite foods was quite similar.
Her most favorite was the food her dad prepared, followed by the food her dad bought, and then the water her dad provided as the third favorite.

Thoughts of her father made her eyes well up with tears again.

Leaving me like this – such a bad dad.
Doesn’t he realize his mistake?

‘Beep?’

Suddenly, a brilliant idea surfaced in Shiba’s mind.

* * * * * * *

Hwangdo’s thighs quivered as she walked down the street.

“Huh… It’s okay.”
“Stop crying.”
“My stomach still throbs.”

Her waist was bent, and she awkwardly smiled while shaking her hips.

As I left the motel and smacked my waist, Zodiac let out a cry.

-Whack!

“Ah!”

Her buttocks quivered vigorously once. The more I looked, the more provocative her body appeared… Embracing Zodiac would become more challenging in the future.

Zodiac must have felt the same way. Throughout this dawn, I had allowed her to indulge in me as much as she desired. I did so to ensure we would not feel awkward when we met in the future, injecting as much affection as possible.

After all, only a few days remained before our parting. I wanted to dissolve the lingering awkwardness quickly, as my thoughts were filled with memories of Zodiac’s younger self.

Truth be told, I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of guilt. Although Zodiac was older, having seen her younger self, the age gap seemed to vanish. This perception may have been why I felt slightly hesitant when we became intimate.

“Zodiac, Zodiac.”

“Yes?”

As we crossed the crosswalk, Zodiac slowed her pace and called my name twice. She brought her face close to my ear.

“…I enjoyed the roughness today.”

…You better enjoy being insolent.

As punishment for Zodiac’s indecent jokes even on the roadside, I slapped the upper part of her buttocks. Her legs shook as she held her breath.

*Smack.*

“Ouch!”
“Enough, let’s hurry up. What are you planning to do if Shiba wakes up?”
“Shiba will never wake up! She’s the type who wouldn’t even know if she were carried while sleeping.”

I wish I could be as certain. Today, for some reason, I feel uneasy.

The emotional connection between father and daughter seems to be alerting me. In the middle of the night, a hollow feeling in my chest made me yearn to see Shiba. Could it be… she’s awake? I entered the dormitory, input the password, and walked into my room.

*Beep, beep.*

I lower the door lock that rings like Shiba’s voice. The door swings open with a creak.

“…”

Inside the room, Shiba sat hugging a pillow.

“Dad.”

Zodiac, who was standing behind me, tried to follow me in, but she froze in place upon hearing Shiba’s voice.

“I’m back.”

That one word, colder than yesterday.

“Daddy.”
“Yes.”
“…beep.”

Beep, beep.

The sound of a chick with a sulky face shook my head quite heavily.

Is it just my imagination that each “beep” is replaced by the sound of “I hate you”?
It’s not just my feelings. To some extent, I could understand Shiba’s words.

This is…
An undeniable problem of mine.

Shiba slept so well… I couldn’t even muster an ugly excuse.

【 The World Tree of Purity puffs her cheeks and pushes you. 】

I was wide awake by the voice resounding in my head.
You’re right, World Tree of Purity.
But shouldn’t you be the one to say that, giving birth and leaving it unattended?

【 …… 】

Purity closed her mouth, as if she had nothing to say.
Alright… it’s enough to know that. That’s not the problem. It’s going to be a mess anyway.

I knelt down and nestled myself in Shiba’s arms instead of using a pillow.

Shiba still embraced me warmly, as if she hadn’t let go of her affection.

“Beep.”

A chillier-than-usual beep.

“Shiba, our daughter.”
“Beep.”
“I’m sorry, Dad. Huh? I won’t go out at dawn again.”

I patted her back and entered the room. Zodiac hurriedly followed me and, like myself, offered a deep apology to Shiba.

“Shi, Shiba… It was my sister who seduced… Dad isn’t at fault.”
“Why would you say that to a child? Seduced or whatnot. Just apologize.”
“Ugh, sorry.”

Without paying heed to Zodiac’s apology, Shiba silently nestled her face against my chest.

– Rub, rub.

Seeing her rub her head like that… It seems her anger has subsided to some extent.
As I stealthily detached Shiba, her smiling face reverted to a “pouty” state.

“…Beep.”

Her arms extended as if asking to be embraced once more.

The cynically slanted eyes sparkled with a chic gleam.

I embraced Shiba once more.

– Boobies.

As I let go again, her previously smiling face transformed into one that seemed to say, “I’m upset,” albeit a beat too late. Hmm. That can’t be right. Our Shiba surely isn’t that cunning.

“Beep! Beep!”

Shiba, with fists the size of pebbles perched on her waist, cried out spiritedly. I quickly hugged her and gently patted her back.

“Beep.”

I heard laughter. Once again, I felt a sense of inexplicable oddity, but I figured it didn’t matter as long as Shiba was enjoying herself.

“Shiba, is there anything you’d like to eat?”

Today is a holiday anyway, following the end of our training session. It’s a Saturday weekend. I planned to spend time with Zodiac only until this evening and then focus on Shiba for the remainder of the time. However, this didn’t quite pan out as expected.

I must console my daughter, at the very least. After all, she is the center of my world.

As he embraced Shiba tenderly and showered her with all kinds of affection, Zodiac, who was beside them, watched enviously.

“I wish I was born as a bronze statue’s daughter.”
“Pardon?”
“No, it’s just that you look so happy.”

What could she be jealous of? It’s the very embodiment of envy.

“But you received a lot of affection yesterday.”
“…Hehe. It did feel nice.”

When it comes to dealing with his daughter and Zodiac, it feels as if his energy is being drained. Particularly with Zodiac, who subtly appeals for sex, making it even more intense. If he were to get married later on, would he really be left bone-tired?

As he played with Shiba, and adjusted his pace to match Zodiac’s, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

“Daddy.”
“Yes?”

He lifted his head at the sound of Shiba’s voice, as she perched on his shoulder. Shiba took out a small dictionary from her pocket, and after reading a word in it, she slowly opened her mouth.

“…Daddy, I love you!”
“…”

Eureka!

The feeling of his fatigue dissipating.

It feels like being struck by both a whip and a carrot simultaneously.

“Shiba! What about me? What about me?”
“…Scared.”
“What?”

As the highly excited Zodiac spoke to Shiba, Shiba replied with a slightly hesitant tone.

Shiba, as always, only likes her dad. She lifted up Shiba, who was riding a wooden horse, and embraced her tightly.

“Pa-pa~ Daddy!”

The expression on Zodiac’s face as she looked at me was one of utter bewilderment.

“It’s so strange. I’ve heard that children tend to like those who take care of them.”
“Isn’t Shiba really smart when you think about it? I believe a good school would suit her, but we should definitely send her. Should we look for a piano academy?”
“…In the book, it said there might be some distance between her and a dad who is always going out to work. That’s why I’ve been so attentive.”

As Shiba looked at Zodiac, she hugged me tightly.

“Scared! Dad is, great! Zodiac? No.”
“That seems to be the case.”
“Hmph… Shiba.”

I’m still more accustomed to the beeping sound. I believe that even such terse language will eventually become familiar.

“Shiba.”
“Beep?”
“Still, you have to go to kindergarten. It ends early today.”
“……”

Shiba understood my words.
There’s no use in making a sullen face.

Social skills must be cultivated.
I prepared breakfast, fed Shiba, assisted her with brushing her teeth, and then teleported to the kindergarten.

Getting to kindergarten is simple.

Teleport to the coordinates of a secluded alley.
Emerging in a place where people seldom visit, I took Shiba’s hand, and we entered the kindergarten as though we had walked there from nearby.

“Oh? Hello, Shiba’s father~ You’re here today?”
“Ah, yes, hello. I haven’t been able to visit for a while because of work.”

A kindergarten teacher wearing a yellow short-sleeved shirt saw me and greeted me with a smile.
Upon seeing Shiba, her grin resembled that of a delighted puppy, and she beamed joyfully.

“Every time I see them together, they seem to have such a great father-daughter bond. Hehe.”
“Do we really?”
“Absolutely~ Shiba adores her dad so much~ When she draws pictures, she always draws only her dad, you know?”

I’m well aware of that.
The drawings Shiba occasionally brings home from kindergarten always feature a tall man with black hair at the very center.

At first, I thought it was an imaginary prince on a white horse, but White Peach corrected me, saying it was clearly a depiction of me.

Grinning at my face, the teacher answered a question that had been on my mind since last night.

“By the way, when did Shiba start talking?”
“Ah, Shiba’s language learning has been a bit slow for her age… She has been receiving special classes.”
“I see. It was quite a surprise when she came home yesterday and called me ‘Dad.'”
“Phew. You must have been thrilled.”
“It was the best feeling.”

So, special classes.

Given Shiba’s appearance, she looks about five or six years old. Others might have thought it strange that she hadn’t been able to speak until now.

But Shiba was not even a year old yet.
She was a genius, truly a genius.

“Now, Shiba, shall we go to the teacher?”
“…Beep.”

Seemingly reluctant, Shiba let go of my embrace and clung to the teacher’s legs. Out of all the people in this kindergarten, this teacher was the one she followed the most.

Her name was… Shin Hye-young, wasn’t it?
It appeared that Shiba, just like me, had a clear fondness for pretty women.

“Oh, right. The talent show is next week, you’ll definitely be there, right?”
“Of course. It’s my daughter’s performance, so I have to watch it.”

Giraffe Class. Lee Shiba (1)
The more I thought about it, the more I felt I had chosen the wrong name…

‘Sigh.’

But Shiba had already recognized it as her name. Could I change it now? If she received any criticism for it later, it wouldn’t be strange to change it then.

“Please take good care of our Shiba.”
“Yes, father~ Shiba, let’s go.”
“Beep….”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Shiba’s disheartened voice.

Having mostly finished my morning tasks, I returned to the alley and used the teleport again, thinking of taking a short break while waiting for Shiba to return around lunchtime.

*Flash!*

I arrived back at the dormitory.

In the morning after Shiba left, it was normal for dishes to be piled up and uneaten rice bowls to be left on the table, as well as laundry accumulating in the bathroom. Seeing the details that I hadn’t noticed when I was younger, I realized how worry-free my life had once been.

“…I should clean up.”

Fortunately, I didn’t feel tired at the moment.

I tidied up Shiba’s carelessly discarded clothes and headed to the kitchen.

*Swoosh.*

Upon reaching the kitchen and opening the door, I was greeted by a familiar voice.

“…Are you here?”

At the kitchen table, Heaven, who had been organizing the leftover food, sat reading a magazine.