Family

Something's sound wakes Virgo from his slumber. His eyelids, as light as feathers, lift to reveal eyes that gleam like stars in the night sky.

"Are you awake, darling?" a clear, heartwarming voice comes from beside him. He turns to see Sola, his wife, calmly peeling an apple with a knife. Her long, loose hair reaches her mid-back. Her smooth skin is no different from a young maiden's, and the alluring scent of soap and fabric softener fills the air. She places the knife and the red-peeled fruit on the table beside her before helping her husband sit up. He looks around the room; only he and his wife are there.

"Where are the children?" he asks, but Sola pushes his head to rest against her ample chest, causing the young man to blush and his heart to beat erratically.

"They went out shopping, dear. School starts soon, you know," she whispers softly.

"Did Nappo go too?"

"Of course, he did."

................

The Gigolo market is starting to bustle again after the dark arts demons ravaged it. Buildings and houses have been repaired to their original state and reinforced with metal thanks to government support. I, Anya, and Fongbeer are walking around, buying supplies for the school term. Of course, I've officially become a student of Escuria Academy of Magic after receiving a direct admission letter from Headmaster Conner along with a full scholarship until graduation.

Naturally, it's not just me; students who participated in the war like Raymond, Carlos, Anya, Fongbeer, Jack, and Cher-Tam are also included. It's truly a beautiful reward, like a flawless diamond. Anya walks arm-in-arm with me, her strong muscles pressing against mine, her face flushed. Fongbeer can only make a disgusted face, annoyed by our sweet intimacy. It's a complicated matter for a human and a pet to love each other like young lovers, but when I'm in human form, that problem immediately disappears.

"Seriously boring, you lovebirds," Fongbeer rolls her eyes and mutters.

"Why don't you pay attention to the guys at school, sis? There are many cute ones who are more suitable for you," Anya says, leaning her head against my arm. Right now, Anya is only up to my chest. "But Nappo is the cutest. I won't give him to you."

"Yeah, yeah, you're a really strange kid," the young woman sighs before stopping abruptly at Carlos's sudden appearance.

"Hey, girls, out shopping? Oh... uh, Nappo," Carlos appears, aiming his attention at Anya, but seeing me in human form, taller than him and baring my teeth in a low growl, he wisely backs away. He knows he can't defeat me in my Guardian Mage mode. "Okay, okay, I get it. Don't look at me like that."

"Oh, for crying out loud! If you want to flirt with my sister, you'll have to get past me first, buddy."

Fongbeer steps in front, dragging Carlos away. Anya and I stare wide-eyed at the two until they're out of sight.

"I guess there's no need for introductions anymore... Huh?!" Anya stops again, and as her time limit for staying in human form expires, she transforms back into a corgi, much to her master's disappointment. "Oh, for crying out loud... I could only be her 'temporary boyfriend' for five minutes... Did time really pass that quickly...?"

"If you train and increase your magic power a bit more, you'd probably be able to maintain the form for over ten minutes," I sigh, starting to feel tired after reverting. My gaze drifts to the pet shop I was briefly in. Then, an idea pops into my head. "Can I go see the old man at this shop for a bit?"

"You're so polite when you're being affectionate," Anya ruffles my head before picking me up. "You've gotten fatter, haven't you?"

"My lady is so rude..."

Inside the only pet shop in the Gigolo market, the scent of various magical creatures still lingers. They sit quietly, making occasional noises. The walls are decorated with pictures and posters of various magical creatures, including trophies for regional dragon hatchling competitions.

"Welcome... Oh! It's the dog from my shop! You've grown so much! Long time no see," the old shop owner, busy managing his stock of bagged pellet food in a corner of the shop, looks at me with a smile and affectionately strokes my head. "Want to nibble on something?"

Some people, even if you haven't been with them for years, make you feel like you've come back to your father. Only this shop owner gives me that feeling.

"Woof!" I bark excitedly, licking my lips and wagging my tail.

.................

When I open the door to the patient room with Anya, we see a sight that's quite rare in our family. Virgo and Sola are lying close together on the hospital bed, looking like newlyweds. When they see their daughter return, they quickly pull apart. But it seems Virgo accidentally yanks out the IV line in his arm, causing a bleeding wound. What follows is far beyond expectation.

"Wah! Waaaah! Honey!! The IV line came out!" Virgo wails like a toddler who's just gotten his first tooth, clinging to his wife and pointing at his hand, which is covered in gruesome, bright red blood. But he doesn't seem to be in much pain. "Look! Look!! A big bloody wound!!"

"Oh, my darling!! Does it hurt a lot!?" His wife rushes over and cradles his large, rough hand, which doesn't seem like it should be fussing over such a small wound. "Let me gently heal it for you, okay?"

"We're back..." Fongbeer opens the door behind us and stops short when she sees the situation her father and stepmother are in front of her, unsure of how to react. "What are you two doing?"

"I'm going to go throw up for a sec," Anya says with a disgusted look before disappearing into the bathroom, locking the door securely and trapping herself inside for a while before we hear gagging sounds. But if you listen closely, she's just pretending. Fongbeer and I exchange glances before sighing and contacting a nurse to reinsert the IV line.

The relationship between the three siblings and their father isn't going very smoothly. The atmosphere inside the patient room, which should be peaceful and relaxing, is instead tense, filled with the daughters' resentment towards their father, who is lying in bed reading a book, with Sola and I caught in the middle, unsure of what to do. We can't figure out how to mend this 'broken' family.

A shattered glass is difficult to piece back together perfectly. Thus, there are cracks that don't quite align but are waiting for the day they might mend.

"Anya, Fongbeer, come talk to your father for a bit, girls." Sola is starting to lose patience with this awkward situation. She clenches her fists behind her back, starting the sentence with a soft tone.

"You go first, sis. I'll go later," Fongbeer says, picking up her phone and opening the Maji App before retreating into the online world, leaving Anya, whose phone was destroyed when demon minions attacked the school dormitory, without a chance to buy a new one. Besides, they're expensive...

"Lessia Antere Lidenario," Virgo extends his palm towards Anya, creating a magic circle. Seeing this, I grab my wand, hold it in my mouth, and stand protectively in front of my master, fearing that the other party still has demon souls left. Moreover, that incantation wasn't familiar from any textbook.

"What are you doing?!" Sola cries out.

"Just watch," the young man's expression is calm, and then a strange event occurs, making all of us gape.

Over a hundred gold coins appear in the air, raining down and scattering all over the floor. Their brilliance stuns Anya, Fongbeer, and Sola before they turn to look at the newfound head of the family, who is smirking and chuckling. Heh heh.

"This is my secret. The money-conjuring spell that I invented myself," he says before turning to his wife. "Who do you think all the money I got from Headmaster Conner belonged to?"

Hearing this, Sola throws herself into Virgo's arms, bursting into tears. Anya picks up a gold coin, examines it, and then looks at her sister, who thinks the same thing: it's a real gold coin that can be used for everyday expenses in the Caronia world.

But then Anya stands up and orders me to transform into a human. Of course, I comply without hesitation. As my human form appears, she rushes over and hugs my arm, looking at her father with a determined gaze. Amidst the family's questioning looks, believe me, her next sentence makes everyone's heart skip a beat.

"If you allow me to date Nappo, I'll accept you as my father!"

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To Be Continue Ep.42