Chapter 29 - They have sealed the deal

Lisa was frowning a little, as she saw how Marc's Paw Magic wasn't up to par with his nimble fighting style. It was precisely the martial art that his grandfather beat into him.

It focuses on strong and nimble kicks for attacks while using his arms to lock his opponent in place if they get too close.

His Grandfather's argument when Marc asked why not just back off? And he answered "Your opponent is already here, then why let him leave unscathed? That's just a wasted opportunity…"

But the thing Lisa spotted was Marc's imbalance and wasted potential in his martial arts style and his magic. Marc didn't seem to know how to use them together. His fast kicks that Leona tanked needed more power to do any real damage.

She thought about stopping the fight after Marc used *Ursus Shock* as he was really hurt after being hit in the stomach from Leona's attack. But she quickly abandoned the idea when she saw how Marc was smiling. He had fun, so she shouldn't interfere even if she was worried about him, so she forced herself to stop. So what if the attack just blasted a good portion of the area away, and coincidentally destroyed a wall revealing a man taking a dump in an old fashioned wood toilet? She didn't care at all as Marc was infinite times more important in her heart.

The more she watched the fight, the more she admired his fighting style. It felt so free as he sometimes made a triple kick in the air, or just countered Leona's fist by jumping in the air and meeting it with the sole of his foot.

"That was awesome!" Marc complimented as he was pushed back by her fist.

"You are not bad yourself. But your kicks need more power!" Leona gave a compliment of her own.

"...That's true." Marc didn't deny it as he already knew the disparity between his martial art and his use of his magic. The Paw Magic wasn't his 'own' yet. He felt restricted and awkward while using it together with his grandfathers' teachings. But he can't solve that right now, so he just let the incoming fist in between his armpit and made a wide sidekick to her face.

She blocked it with her other hand, but before she knew it, she was kneed in the face by Marc.

They continued trading blows with happy smiles until they fainted standing.

...

"Mother, quickly! I swear I'm telling the truth and nothing else. I saw big sister blushing while hugging...a boy." Nina was pulling her mother's hand in the direction of the Adventurer's Guild.

"And I'm saying it again. I think you jumped to the wrong conclusion like always Nina. She must have turned red out of anger. I have already given up on her getting married, or even getting a boyfriend. She isn't anything like you." Lisa and Nina's mother said with a defeated expression while being dragged.

"Then have you ever seen big sister putting her hand on her chin, blushing and holding her chest with her other hand when angry?" Nina asked her mother with raised eyebrows.

When her mother heard that, she instantly sped up, now dragging Nina's hand. "That's impossible!! Why didn't you say that earlier??"

"So unreasonable... Must be where Lisa gets it from." Nina couldn't help think after seeing her mother's reaction.

When they reached the guild and entered, they were met with a ton of holes in the walls from the back. Marc's *Pressure Shots* sure did a good job.

Nina and her mother looked at the ruined walls with deadpan looks. "...Seems she hasn't changed after all..." Her mother's hope of Lisa maturing like her age, diminished after seeing the familiar sight of destruction.

"I totally forgot that she can't be left alone without causing trouble when I rushed to get you..." Nina blamed herself for forgetting her sister's irresponsible behavior.

"Sigh, I knew it was too good to be true!" Her mother released a sigh in disappointment that would quickly change again soon.

They walked out of the back of the guild and saw a high man with long black fisher net hair and purple lipstick fighting multiple adventures. This was Rofta who had to fight too if he wanted to join the guild. Either way, he wanted to fight too after watching the fight between Marc and Leona. He would be dammed if he was being left behind by the dwarf.

Nina and her mother only took a glimpse at the fight before they turned their eyes in the direction they felt Lisa was in. What they saw made them open their eyes and mouth wide open, almost dropping to the ground.

Lisa was sitting on her knees to the side of the garden with Marc's head on her lap. She was giving him a lap pillow while rubbing his head with a smile.

After Marc and Leona lost consciousness, Lisa made Chopper give them medical attention, of course, Marc was the first to receive it. Then they were moved to the side, where she decided to give him a lap pillow. While occasionally glaring at people who couldn't help blabbing unnecessary words too high.

Lisa wasn't too focused on her surroundings, so she didn't know her mother and sister were looking at her with an unbelieving expression until her mother called out to her.

"Li-Lisa?" She kinda had the same reaction as Nina. She did doubt if this was her daughter.

Lisa looked up at the one calling her and saw who it was. "Mother? What are you doing here?"

"Uhm, because Nina told me something that I found unbelievable, but seeing you like this...Who is he? " Her mother replied with a not so sure voice before she turned her attention to the sleeping boy in her lap.

"His name is Marc Doyer." Lisa presented Marc's full name to her mother, but it wasn't really what she wanted to know, or rather, she wanted to know more than his name.

"And…? What is he to you?" Lisa's mother was full of hope but also worry for her daughter. The age gap between them seemed big, and Marc wasn't even a full-grown man yet.

"He bullied me and…now we are meant to be!" Lisa said with both her hands on her chins, blushing while twisting her upper body around and somehow making her mother and sister see illusionary hearts around her. It didn't wake Marc up as Leona's punches send him too deep into dreamland.

"Meant to be? She finally fell in love. But I have to get the crux of this. Does he feel the same? When's the marriage? Where are my grandchildren? Nina already gave me one fine girl and I might die before getting another grandchild. Anna is too young to get kids, so I won't get any great-grandchildren either." Lisa's mother's brain went overdrive with questions, never thinking about if Marc was too young to be a father.

"…Does he feel the same?" Lisa's mother asked with hope in her eyes.

"Yes, we already sealed the deal!" Lisa said, surprising both Nina and their mother. What she was talking about was the deal with the treasure map, where she will join Marc in solving it. That's a date in her eyes, but she worded it misleadingly.

"Great! I knew I didn't raise you wrong." Lisa's mom was way beyond happy, and can already see herself with many grandkids in the near future. Alas, she will have to be disappointed…

"When did you…seal the deal?" Nina couldn't help asking, as this was an important moment for any woman.

"Just a while ago," Lisa told her, making Nina misunderstand once again.

"They did it while I was getting mother? Did they do 'it' in the office? How bold!" Nina's head got red imagining her sister having sex in the office where she just signed papers earlier.

…

When Marc opened his eyes again, he didn't see an unfamiliar ceiling like most protagonists do, but two big and wrapped marshmallows hypnotizing him.

Naturally, it was Lisa's boobs he could see while being given the legendary lap pillow.

After talking with her mother and Nina. Lisa decided to move the unconscious Marc inside the office and forcing her mother and sister to go away. She didn't want anyone to bother them and she felt like they were in the way of her lovely time with Marc.

"…"

"…"

None of them said anything, making the atmosphere awkward so Marc said to break it. "...Nice racks!"

"Racks? Where?" Lisa luckily didn't know the slang.

"Never mind. More importantly, you sure are bold to give me a lap pillow!" Marc began his usual teasing.

After hearing it, Lisa suddenly felt very embarrassed. It just felt like the right thing to do before, but now that Marc's awake, she flustered and quickly got up. It was so sudden that he hit his head on the armchair of the couch they were on.

"Ouch!" Marc rubbed the back of his head, where his pillow changed from thick thighs to a wooden armchair. It was his own fault, so he didn't complain but when Lisa saw what happened she quickly said "I'm so sorry! Let me blow on where it hurts." She didn't wait for his answer and just began blowing air on where he hit his head.

"…You do know I'm not a little kid right?" Marc couldn't help asking, as his grandmother did the exact same thing every time he finished training with his grandfather.

"That old geezer didn't know how to hold back!" Marc internally complained about his grandpa and missed his grandmother a little while Lisa was tenderly caring for his head.

Lisa stopped, and asked a question."Who taught you how to fight?"

"My grandfather forced me to train in his martial arts and stopped me from chasing various animals in the forest that I used to do," Marc told her some of his childhood memories.

"Pfft, seems you didn't change since then." Lisa giggled with a hand in front of her mouth.

"Hehee, guess your right." Marc agreed with a cheeky mile.

"Then who taught you magic?" Lisa asked another question.

"I learned it myself, though I got my Paw Magic from someone." Marc didn't reveal the specifics on how he got it.

Marc then remembered something. "So how was my fight against that lion lady?"

"Hmm, to be honest. She's a more balanced mage than you. If she didn't fight so straight forward, she would have won no doubt..." Lisa told her honest opinion, making Marc nod as he thought the same thing.

"You are talking about how my magic doesn't suit my fighting style as it is now right?" He already knew this problem and intended to solve it as quickly as he can.

"Yes." She nodded and confirmed.

Marc went quiet, thinking how he should solve it. Obviously, he wants to be able to use his Paw Magic with his feet, but what's the most effective training method to attain it?

While Marc was thinking hard, Lisa pulled him out of his thoughts by showing him a gold plate and said "This is now yours! I would have given you a Platinum plate...but I think you should solve your problem first before advancing."

Marc took the plate and appraised it. He didn't protest about her choice of rank, rather he wanted to know something else.

"So can I take quests now?" He wanted to know so badly.

"Yes, you-" Before Lisa could finish her sentence and telling him that he can take from Gold-ranked quests and down, he already ran out of the door before shutting it with a bang.

Lisa scratched her head a little as she noticed Marc loved to cut short people's sentences.

"Oh, I nearly forgot. Can I crash on your couch for a few days? I don't have any money at the moment to rent a room in an inn.." Marc suddenly opened the door and stuck his head in after he remembered he didn't have a place to sleep here in the Capital. He looked at the couch he hit his head on before.

Lisa couldn't help rolling her eyes at him when he said he didn't have any money for the moment. She doubted if he would ever have enough money, but it didn't matter as she knew how to earn them by making those stuck up nobles pay up."

"Of course you can." She would never say no to a request he would have.

"Thanks a lot. See ya'" Marc closed the door and ran off in the direction of the guildhall.

More specifically he wanted to find the quest board...and Rofta. He nearly forgot about the best bud of his.

When he entered the guildhall, it wasn't that filled with people as it was when he entered earlier as most people usually take quests in the mornings before setting off to complete them.

The quest board wasn't hard to spot at all because it was humongous. Multiple quests were on it.

[Copper-rank: Deliver floor to Bread Maker Arnold on...

Reward: 400 Jewels (4$)]

[Iron-rank: Gather 10 Snake Weeds.

Reward: 1.000 Jewels (10$)]

[Silver-rank: Catch 5 Hell Butterflies.

Reward: 2.200 Jewels (22$)]

[Silver-rank: Get 8 Lacrima from Slimes.

Reward: 2.500 Jewels (25$)]

[Gold-rank: Kill the Fey Wolverine that attacks the villagers from Zakha Village.

Reward: 50.000 Jewels (500$)]

"Woah, there's so many different quests!" Marc felt like a kid in a toy shop. He quickly wanted to see what the highest-ranked quests are about.

***

(A/N: I unintentionally made Lisa's personality like Hancock's in the previous chapter, so I just stuck with it in this chapter too.)

(A/N: And damn it's hard to find a title...So I just choose one that might troll the horny guys out there...)

(Words: 2303)