Chapter 177 – See You Later

After a night of indulging in White Peach and alcohol, pouring and drinking to our heart’s content, the next day arrived. I rubbed my bleary eyes and sat up in bed.

“…Mmm.”

Although my body doesn’t feel fatigue, using the drunkenness as a substitute for exhaustion allows me to get some sleep. From now on, when I need to sleep, I can just drink alcohol. As I got up with that thought in mind, something heavy fell from my shoulder.

“…Beep.”

Sleepy Shiba, holding onto me like a koala.

Shiba’s eyes were also dazzled, rubbing them like I did, and she opened her small mouth wide, yawning without a care in the world.

“Byaaaaaaa~”

A cute yawn. Even in the morning, my daughter is adorable. I hugged Shiba with both hands and nuzzled her cheeks.

“Shiba, did you sleep with me? Come here, let’s hug~”

“Daddy, I love it!”

Shiba, weakened, spread her arms and grasped my head tightly, rubbing her cheek against mine just as I did.
Raising a daughter is truly delightful.

“Beep~”

Upon waking up together with Shiba in the morning, rubbing against each other, I caught the gaze of someone approaching from the doorway. It was Cheondo, dressed in her outdoor attire.

“Are you awake now?”
“Yes, are you leaving today?”
“…There’s no point in staying longer since it won’t change anything.”

Cheondo let out a bitter smile, then turned her head and brought a suitcase to me. Only the clothes I had used while living here were inside it. There seemed to be no need for any other essentials.

As I looked at Cheondo, she came closer to me, as if to tell me not to worry, and placed her hand on my forehead. Then, she gently brushed my hair to the side.

“Hmm… I won’t see my disciple’s face anymore.”
“Please, don’t say that.”

“Why? It is true that I won’t see your face for a while.”
“I know that, but I’m a little anxious. Master, you need to live a long life. Please don’t cast any disastrous spells.”
“…Is that so?”

Cheondo tilted his head, seemingly unsure, and approached the door once more with his luggage.

“So I’m heading to the airport, will you come with me?”
“Of course, I have to go. It’s where my master is going. But are you going to the airport without using magic?”
“…Isn’t it nice to take it easy sometimes?”
“I suppose.”

Though it’s convenient to move around swiftly like in a game by using only magic, one wouldn’t know the pleasure of riding a vehicle and enjoying the surrounding scenery while multitasking. In truth, the only way to find a place with unknown coordinates was to go there directly rather than calculating them.

Memorizing coordinates is a task in itself.
It’s safe to say that memorizing more than ten at once is near impossible.

‘It’s been a long time since I forgot Do-won’s coordinates.’

Coordinates that are forgotten if not reviewed every night. Currently, I have memorized only one each for the kindergarten and the academy.
Zodiac, who can memorize dozens of locations in an instant, is truly remarkable.

“What about Zodiac?”
“I’m awake. Should I call?”
“No… There must be a separate reason why the Master is here now. Let’s go. I’ll wash up and drive. What time is the flight?”
“It’s at 10:30.”

It’s 9 o’clock now, so we have plenty of time.
The distance between the dormitory and the airport isn’t too far. It’ll be a quick drive.
I carefully place Shiba on my shoulder, ensuring her forehead won’t bump into anything, and ask Heaven as we leave the room:

“Did you have breakfast?”
“…I was planning to grab something quickly outside.”
“Hmm, I could make you some toast. Would you like that? I can’t eat my disciple’s food anymore.”
“That sounds nice.”

As if she was pleased with my suggestion, Heaven smiles with a beautiful and radiant expression.

The smile that emerged on her lovely, rarely expressive face was still the most unforgettable visage even now.

I lifted Shiba with one hand and began washing my face by turning on the water at the sink.

“Shiba, hold your breath.”
“Squeak!”

– Epu-Epu.

With one hand, I scooped up water and splashed it onto my face.
I removed the eye boogers, wiped her cheeks and neck, cupped my hands, and brought them to Shiba’s nose.

“Blow your nose. But not forcefully enough to go deaf.”
“Prueeung!”
“The other side.”
“Prue!”

Clearing her runny nose. When I was young, I did it myself. But raising Shiba somehow led me to do it for her.
After finishing washing my face and giving it a proper cleanse, I roughly dried my hair with a towel and stood in the kitchen.

Since I couldn’t prepare a full meal at this time, I took out a few slices of bread, spread margarine on the pan, and started cooking.
A few slices of ham on a fried egg.
And strawberry jam.

Cheondo spread jam generously on the toast, wrapped it in paper, and handed it first to Heaven, who sat at the table, accepted it, and placed it in her mouth.

“…Delicious.”

The abundant strawberry jam was ideal for someone with the palate of a grade-schoolstudent, like Heaven. It must be quite tasty without any vegetables.

“I’ve prepared some for Hwangdo and White Peach as well. Wrap them in paper over there and take them with you.”
“Understood.”

Having said that, this time I mixed a few pieces of lettuce with toast and handed it to Shiba.

“Peep.”

Shiba, holding the toast, seemed somewhat discontented. Her face clearly expressed a ‘why do I have to do this?’ sentiment.

“No, you need to eat your vegetables.”
“…Peep.”

Perhaps offended by my firm response, Shiba stuck her tongue out at me. My daughter is now poking her tongue out at me? It didn’t make me feel bad; on the contrary, I was moved by the fact she could express a wider range of emotions through her actions.

‘She’s grown up quite a bit.’

But one must eat vegetables to grow tall.
I may not know my own genes, but I cannot be sure about the genes of The World Tree of Purity, so I must manage my diet from now on to achieve a model-like figure.

Before making my share of toast, I sat next to Shiba and fed her a piece first.

“Ah~ the airplane is flying~”

As I playfully waved the toast, it found its way into Shiba’s mouth.
Aang, her small mouth is filled with a mouthful of toast.

-Munching.

Shiba smacks her lips as if the taste isn’t too bad.
She tugs on my clothes, swallows, and immediately opens her mouth for the next bite.

As I was assisting Shiba with her meal, Cheondo, who had been staring at me, gripped the half-eaten toast and chuckled.

“Truly… a beautiful pair of mother and daughter.”
“Do we look like that?”
“Yes. I feel that way every time I see you…”

Heaven smiles contentedly. This time, her smile is genuine.

From Cheondo’s perspective, a close relationship with her father must have been a distant memory from the faraway past. At some point, her father had become cold towards her. At the very least, their closeness must have been during her childhood.

Knowing Cheondo’s background, her smile seemed to carry a hint of bitterness.

“…Ah. Since I’m eating now, can I make your toast?”
“Oh? Yes, sure.”

Having taken a large bite of her toast, Cheondo confidently stood up and began to make my share of toast. I was curious to see how well she could prepare it. After all, Cheondo wasn’t particularly skilled at cooking.

‘The rice balls she made back then… were quite salty.’

She struggled with controlling the saltiness of her dishes. As a result, the food she made at that time was virtually akin to eating while looking at Cheondo’s face.

As expected, Cheondo’s first move was quite clumsy.

I scooped up the entire chunk of margarine and smeared it onto the frying pan, but my inability to control the pressure caused an excessive amount of oil to spill out.

The bread was firm and crunchy. Though sincerity was present, I was unaware that my hand was even touching the pan.

“Uh…”

Battle cuisine?

Had I been an average person, I would have already burned my hand several times.

“…You’re making toast, right?”
“What’s strange about it?”
“No, nothing.”

At least Zodiac’s cooking was well-presented and skillfully made. As for my teacher, Heaven… I began to think that I might need to feed and take care of her from now on.

“It’s done.”

Heaven finally completed the toast and handed it to me. I gripped the toast and brought it up to my face.

‘First off… there aren’t any severely burnt areas.’

It was a bit messy, but if I claimed it had been cooked for an extended period, it could pass as an excuse. I handed the remaining toast to Shiba and took a big bite of Heaven’s toast.

Sweet strawberry jam burst out from inside the toast.

Sweet enough to make one furrow their brow!

Startled, I glanced at Cheondo while chewing on the toast, and she was scrutinizing my complexion with a poker face.

“How is it?”

Looking back at the past, why… she seems like that young Cheondo.
No.
It feels as though she only transforms into an innocent version of herself when she cooks.
I swallowed the toast with a bitter taste. The strawberry jam strongly invaded my throat, nose, and mouth simultaneously.

“…It’s quite sweet.”
“Sweet is tasty.”

Right, there’s nothing wrong with sweet toast.
Like a sandwich, perhaps. They sell those at convenience stores too.
I took another bite of the toast.

“…Hmm.”
“Do you want one more?”
“No, I drank a lot yesterday, so I’m good.”

…I must take care of this person.
For this instance, I thought to myself while looking at Cheondo, who seemed to be under the illusion that I was enjoying the toast, as if my eyes had degenerated.

* * * * * * *

Having hastily finished breakfast with Cheondo, we arrived at the airport.

Driving her car to the airport, surprisingly, the reward for doing so was Cheondo’s fairly valuable automobile.

“Here, use this.”
“…Are you sure you don’t need it?”
“There’s no real need for a car… It’s more about the sentiment.”
“Well, considering you’re the master, walking might actually be faster.”

I entrusted my luggage to her, took a seat, and waited for the departure time. Anticipating fewer opportunities for conversation after this, a stream of various topics poured from my mouth.

“Please, don’t take on any dangerous tasks.”
“…Is that something you, as my disciple, should say? It’s something I should tell you.”
“Is that so?”
“I don’t know what happened during the retreat… but think carefully and act accordingly.”
“…I’ll return those words to you.”

This time, I had no choice but to let her go.
Or should I say, I decided to let her go?

It’s just… these people are out of my sight, and it leaves me feeling uneasy. Truthfully, recalling the scene I witnessed back then and experiencing nightmares every time I sleep is not something a normal person should endure.

“At least when I drink and sleep with my daughter beside me, I don’t have nightmares.”

In any case, it is true that Cheondo will face danger later on. As her teacher, I stared intently at her face while giving her advice.

“Make sure to eat well. If you ever encounter a truly dangerous adversary, don’t be ashamed to run away. Be steadfast when trying to protect someone. As for that matter… Are you listening?”

Her features are distinct, reminiscent of a doll. She looks angelic when smiling, yet her expression is often intimidating. The two sides are so contrasting that even I sometimes question it, but one thing remains unchanged: her beauty.

Perhaps that’s why…

“…Death penalty!”

Gazing at her face, I’m suddenly reminded of the young Cheondo.

I unconsciously reached out and stroked Cheondo’s head.

“…”

Given the height difference, I could easily notice any changes in Cheondo’s expression.

“Ah, my mistake.”
“…What are you doing?”
“No, it just happened…”

Gently caressing. Cheondo displayed a hint of embarrassment with her expressionless face and shaking eyes. Still, she didn’t tell me to stop. As I continued to stroke her soft hair, Shiba tugged on my clothes from the side.

“Beep, beep!”

You too? When I stroked her with my free hand, she made a purring sound.

“…”
“Your hair is surprisingly soft.”
“Quiet.”

With a bewildered look in her eyes, Cheondo discreetly pulled her head away from me, rubbing the top of her head with her hand and tilting it several times. I couldn’t tell what she was feeling.

Just then, an airplane began to approach.

“…Anyway. You understood everything I said, right?”

Heaven gently nudged me once, then transformed her body to become Zodiac and White Peach. After exchanging a few words with me, one by one, we boarded the plane.

“Then, see you later.”
“Mhm.”

I don’t know when it will be,
But we will surely meet again in the not-so-distant future.

As Heaven walked away, I looked at her retreating figure and raised Shiba’s hand, waving it gently in the air.

-*Giggle*-

Heaven turned around and saw Shiba waving her hand, with me holding her hand and shaking it together, then she smiled once more.
To see her rare smile twice in one day – today was undoubtedly a lucky day.