The hours passed in a blur of explanations and questions and the pure, unbridled joy of a child discovering a whole new world.
Elena was an exceptional listener.
She sat cross-legged on the floor, her chin propped on her hands, her violet eyes fixed on Yuuta with an intensity that would have been intimidating in anyone else. But in her, it was just... Elena. Curious. Hungry for knowledge. Absorbing every word he said like a sponge absorbing water.
Dragon children, Yuuta was learning, were basically walking cheat codes.
They learned faster. Understood deeper. Retained everything. Elena asked questions that cut straight to the heart of concepts he hadn't fully explained, piecing together the structure of school—classes, teachers, recess, friends, all of it—with an intelligence that would have made any human parent proud.
And through it all, someone else was listening.
Erza.
She hadn't moved from the sofa. Her book was open in her lap. Her eyes appeared to be scanning its pages.
But Yuuta noticed.
Noticed the way she turned pages without really looking. Noticed the slight tilt of her head toward their conversation. Noticed that she hadn't insulted him once during the entire hour-long explanation.
She was interested.
She would never admit it.
But she was interested.
---
Finally, Yuuta stretched.
His arms rose above his head. His spine cracked in three places that had been tight for hours. A massive yawn escaped him before he could stop it.
"So," he said, smiling down at his daughter, "I hope you understand now, little princess. School. What it is. How it works. Why it's exciting."
Elena's eyes went wide.
Wider than should have been physically possible.
"PAPA!" She shot to her feet, bouncing on her tiny toes. "School is AWESOME! When can Elena go?! Tomorrow?! Can Elena go TOMORROW?!"
Yuuta laughed.
"Not tomorrow, sweetheart. We have to wait for the interview date. But in the meantime..." He paused dramatically. "We have to buy school accessories."
Elena froze.
Her head tilted.
"School... access... accessjj?"
"Accessories." Yuuta grinned. "It means we get to buy you new books. And a bag. And colors. And all sorts of fun stuff so you can enjoy your school days."
Elena's brain seemed to short-circuit.
Then—
"LET'S BUY PAPA! LET'S BUY ALL OF THEM! RIGHT NOW! THIS SECOND! LET'S GO!"
She grabbed his hand and tried to drag him toward the door, her tiny legs pumping, her wings fluttering with excitement.
Yuuta laughed again, letting himself be pulled.
From the sofa, a voice interrupted.
"How much money are you planning to waste on useless things?"
Yuuta froze.
He turned slowly.
Erza was still on the sofa, still looking at her book, still appearing completely disinterested. But the words had definitely come from her.
"Don't you have savings to think about? Future plans? All those human concepts you're always worried about?"
Yuuta stared at her.
Did I just hear that right?
The Queen of Atlantis—the woman with unlimited wealth in her own world—just asked about my SAVINGS?
She's worried about MONEY?
"Are you okay, Erza?" The words slipped out before he could stop them. "Are you feeling... something wrong?"
Her eyes snapped to his.
Narrowed.
"What are you saying?"
Yuuta quickly raised his hands in surrender.
"Nothing! Nothing! I just—I didn't expect you to understand human finance systems. Or care about my savings. That's all."
Erza sighed.
"Listen, mortal. I am a dragon. I can learn anything I want. And last night, I read about how this so-called 'GDP' works and your ridiculous economic systems." She closed her book. "And surprisingly, you are an idiot who spends money on us without any thought for your future."
The shift in Yuuta's expression was subtle.
But Erza caught it.
His voice dropped.
Lost its lightness.
"My future..." He paused. "It's already decided."
The words hung in the air.
Heavy.
Final.
Wrong.
Then, just as quickly, the smile was back.
"What's the point of thinking about the future," he said brightly, "when I have you both now?"
Erza felt it.
The weight beneath those words.
What's the point of planning for a future I won't have?
What's the point of saving when I'll be dead in a year?
What's the point of anything except making these last months count?
He wasn't talking about money.
He was talking about her.
About the death she had promised.
About the end that was coming.
About the fact that everything he did—every meal he cooked, every penny he spent, every moment he gave them—was borrowed time.
Guilt crashed over her like a wave.
Unimaginable.
Unbearable.
I could have killed him last night.
He was sleeping. Vulnerable. Helpless.
I hesitated.
I should have done it then.
I WILL do it.
Eventually.
She looked down at her book.
Hidden her face.
"I should just kill him," she whispered to herself, so quietly that only she could hear. "The moment he sleeps again. No hesitation this time. I will surely kill him."
Elena puffed out her cheeks in that adorable way she had perfected over the past weeks.
"Papa," she said, her voice carrying a hint of frustration, "where can Elena buy school acces—acces—the thing you said?"
"Accessories." Yuuta corrected gently, unable to hide his smile.
Elena's cheeks puffed out even more.
She was angry now.
Or pretending to be.
It was the most adorable thing Yuuta had ever seen.
He laughed softly and reached out, brushing his hand through her silver hair, letting his fingers run through the soft strands until her pretend anger melted away.
"Don't worry about the place, little princess." He grinned. "I know somewhere we can buy anything we want."
Elena's eyes went wide.
"ANYTHING?"
"Anything." Yuuta said it boldly, confidently, with the kind of certainty that only came from years of shopping at the same place.
From the sofa, Erza's voice cut through.
"That's a bold claim, mortal." She didn't look up from her book, but her tone carried that familiar edge of challenge. "Do you know that you can actually lose your life making claims like that?"
Yuuta shrugged.
"I don't know about losing my life, but I'm pretty sure this place has almost everything."
"Everything?" Erza's eyebrow arched. "Define 'everything.' "
"Well..." Yuuta ticked items off on his fingers. "Clothes. Food. Games. Books. Kitchen supplies. Home furnishings. Pretty much anything you could want."
Erza's eyes changed.
Just slightly.
Just enough for Yuuta to notice.
The curiosity was there, hidden behind that cold exterior, but unmistakable to someone who had learned to read her over these past weeks.
"What is this place called?" she asked, trying to sound indifferent and failing completely.
At the same moment, Elena bounced on her toes and said, "Papa! I asked first! Tell Elena! Please please please!"
Yuuta laughed at their synced curiosity.
"Libeus Shopping Center." He said it with dramatic flair, as if announcing the location of hidden treasure. "The biggest shopping center in this part of the city."
Erza tilted her head.
Just slightly.
Just enough.
It was the most curious, most childlike gesture he had ever seen from her—that head tilt, those violet eyes, that genuine interest in something as simple as a shopping center.
Yuuta's heart stopped.
Oh God.
She's so cute when she's not wearing her cold face.
Why does she have to be so—
"What are you doing on the floor?"
Erza's voice snapped him back to reality.
He looked down.
He was, indeed, on the floor.
He had no memory of getting there.
"I... just missed someone," he said weakly, climbing back to his feet. "Someone was there a moment ago. I think."
Erza stared at him like he was insane.
Elena tugged his sleeve.
"Papa! Let's go to the shopping center! Elena wants to see! Elena wants to go NOW!"
Yuuta considered.
He had taken the day off. The apartment felt small after hours of explaining school. And honestly—
He wanted to go too.
"Okay." He nodded. "Go get ready, Elena. Wear a nice dress. We're leaving soon."
Elena squealed and ran for the bedroom.
Yuuta turned toward the kitchen, planning to grab his wallet, when he felt it.
A gaze.
Burning into the back of his head.
He glanced over his shoulder.
Erza was still on the sofa.
Still pretending to read.
But her eyes—her eyes kept flicking toward him, then away, then back. She was waiting for something. Hoping for something. Too proud to ask.
Yuuta smiled.
The bond between them had grown so much over these past weeks. He could read her now in ways he never could have imagined. Could tell what she wanted without words. Could see through the ice to the being beneath.
"Erza."
She looked up.
"I bought you those clothes, remember?" He was staring at the wall, his face slightly pink. "Since we're going out... you could change. If you want."
Silence.
Then—
"Of course." Her voice was cold, dismissive. "If you hadn't invited me, I would have killed you. You chose wisely, mortal."
Yuuta smiled.
Not at her—he was still looking at the wall.
But inside.
Because he had heard that threat so many times now that he could read the variations. The tone. The intent.
That one, he thought, meant 'thank you.' That one meant 'I'm glad you asked.' That one meant 'I would have been sad if you left me behind.'
He sighed.
Smiled.
And waited for his family to get ready.
HOUR HAS BEEN PASSED.
A full, complete, entirely unreasonable hour.
Yuuta sat in the driver's seat of his beloved blue second-hand car, the one that rattled every time he so much as looked at the brakes. The paint had faded years ago to a sad, uncertain shade of gray-blue. The radio only spoke in static, and the seatbelt clicked in with what sounded like a prayer to whatever gods might be listening.
He leaned out the window.
Craned his neck toward the third-floor balcony.
"ELENA!" His voice carried across the apartment complex with the desperation of a man who had been waiting far too long. "What's taking so long?! You said ten minutes! That was an HOUR ago!"
From above, a tiny figure appeared on the balcony.
"PAPA!" Elena's voice rang out like she was announcing the opening of a school play. "Mama's just locking the door! We're coming! Wait right there!"
As if he had anywhere else to be.
Yuuta sighed, slumping back into his seat. But despite the wait, despite the heat, despite everything—when he saw them both coming down the stairs, he couldn't help but smile.
Elena led the way, bouncing with each step, her silver hair catching the sunlight like scattered diamonds. She wore one of the dresses he had bought her—a soft pink number with tiny flowers along the hem—and she looked absolutely perfect.
Behind her, Erza descended with the grace of a queen entering her throne room.
She wore a flowing white dress with violet embroidery, the one he had chosen specifically because it reminded him of starlight. Her silver hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her face was its usual mask of cold perfection.
But she had come.
That was enough.
---
Elena hopped into the front seat with her usual explosive energy, immediately pressing her face against the window.
Erza, on the other hand, slid into the back like royalty boarding a royal carriage. She crossed her legs with dramatic flair, arranged her dress precisely, and announced:
"You mortals may now proceed."
Yuuta didn't even flinch.
This was normal now.
This was his life.
Elena clapped her hands together, bouncing in her seat.
"We're going shopping! To the mall! To the BIG mall!"
Erza scoffed.
"Honestly, shut up, Elena." Her voice dripped with disdain. "It's just a commercial structure. Don't act like a peasant seeing fire for the first time."
Yuuta groaned.
"Uff. Here we go with the royalty drama again."
Erza's glare could have started a wildfire.
"Right." Yuuta shifted gears, pretending he hadn't noticed. "Let's just... go."
"Hoho! Brum brum!" Elena giggled, mimicking car sounds even though the engine was already running.
The joy was contagious.
Yuuta grinned.
---
They hit the highway, and Yuuta carefully avoided any roads near the college campus.
He was skipping today—officially, unapologetically skipping. If one of his professors spotted him driving around with a beautiful woman and a happy child while supposedly sick in bed?
Well.
Let's just say he'd need to write a will.
As they drove, both girls stared out the windows like tourists visiting another planet.
Glass towers rose around them. Overpasses curved overhead. The metro train zoomed past on elevated tracks, sleek and silver and utterly alien to eyes accustomed to dragon kingdoms and ice palaces.
"Papa! Papa!" Elena pressed her face against the glass, her breath fogging the window. "Look! A metal anaconda!"
Yuuta followed her pointing finger.
The train.
She meant the train.
Erza leaned forward from the back seat, her curiosity getting the better of her despite her best efforts to appear disinterested.
"Yes... some kind of human technology." Her eyes narrowed, studying the train as it disappeared into the distance. "What is that thing?"
Yuuta saw his opportunity.
A golden, terrible, absolutely irresistible opportunity.
He turned with the straightest face he could manage.
"My Queen," he said solemnly, "that is a Steel Serpent. It carries humans inside its belly and transports them across the city."
Erza blinked.
"Wait... seriously?"
He held it for five seconds.
Five glorious seconds.
Then he burst out laughing.
"You actually believed that?!"
"How can you be so stupid."
The temperature in the car dropped.
Not metaphorically.
Actually dropped.
Yuuta could see his breath.
"Oh no," he muttered. "Why does my mouth always choose violence?"
---
They reached the mall.
Yuuta parked as quickly as he could, desperate to escape the frozen death that was slowly creeping toward him from the back seat.
Erza stepped out with icy grace.
Her arms were folded.
Her expression could have been used to preserve food.
"Don't you ever," she said, each word a frozen dagger, "try to deceive me again."
Yuuta raised his hands in surrender.
"Yes, yes—my bad, my Queen. Won't happen again. Ever. Swear it on my life."
"Which I'll be taking eventually anyway."
"...Fair point."
They walked toward the mall entrance.
Elena skipped between them, holding Yuuta's hand with the fierce grip of a child who refused to be separated from her father. Her eyes were everywhere at once—the fountains, the shops, the people, the lights.
Erza followed behind.
Her face was cold.
Her posture was perfect.
But she was looking.
Taking it all in.
Watching.
---
From the outside, they probably looked like the ideal family.
A father, a mother, a daughter.
Ordinary.
Happy.
Normal.
Yuuta smiled without meaning to.
"Man," he breathed, so quietly that only he could hear. "I really enjoy begin with Her."
---
But somewhere nearby, on the upper floor of the mall, behind a tinted glass window that looked down on the entrance—
An old man stood watching.
He wore round, silver-framed goggles that caught the light and reflected it back in strange patterns. A long coat hung from his shoulders, moving slightly in a breeze that shouldn't have existed indoors.
His eyes—visible even through the goggles—were fixed on the family below.
On the silver-haired woman.
On the red-eyed man.
On the child who bounced with joy between them.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Head Master." A security guard approached, his voice respectful, uncertain. "Is something wrong?"
The old man didn't answer immediately.
His eyes didn't move from the scene below.
"It's been a while," he said finally, his voice low and distant, like it came from somewhere far away, "since I've seen a happy family like that."
He paused.
Let the words hang in the air.
"They remind me of something I lost long ago." His smile widened, just slightly. "What a strange, strange little family I've met today."
He turned.
Walked away.
Disappeared into the shadows of the hall.
Leaving only the faint echo of his words behind.
And below, completely unaware, the Konuari family walked into the mall.
Ready for their adventure.
Ready for whatever came next.
---
To be continued...