Chapter 220 - Surprise [Incomplete] — Words Unspoken

"Dad! Wake up!"

It was nearly noon. For the first time in a long while, I'd actually slept in.

Last night was the wives' girls' night, so I'd had the bed to myself.

What surprised me was that Lara had gotten up before me.

Right now, she was lying directly on top of me.

I patted her head.

"I'm up, I'm up..."

"Does Dad know what today is?"

"Ah...? Hmm. Let me think."

None of the wives had a birthday today.

The daughters' birthdays had already passed...

"Windsor's starting school soon, right?"

Yeah. That had to be it.

Windsor was seven now, and we'd been going back and forth on when to enroll her. The fact that she wasn't resistant to the idea was genuinely good news.

But Lara shook her head.

"That's just like you, Dad~ Oh well. Hurry up and get out of bed!"

"Alright, alright..."

-------

The house was buzzing with activity.

For reasons I couldn't pin down.

Were they putting together an enrollment party for Windsor?

Except Windsor herself was helping out, which seemed odd...

I spotted Aisha in the middle of it all and walked over.

"Let me help?"

"No need, Brother. Go sit at the dining table~"

"Is this for Windsor's enrollment party? I feel like her father should at least—"

"That's just like you, Brother~ It's not Windsor's enrollment party. So go sit at the dining table!"

"Fine..."

So.

What day was it?

Wedding anniversary? No, that wasn't right either...

I sat down at the table. Before long, Lucy came over carrying a plate of cookies.

Oh. Those strange little shapes — Eris must have made them, right?

I grabbed one and popped it in my mouth.

Not bad. Not too sweet. Just right.

"D-Dad..."

"Hmm?"

"Is it good?"

"Yeah, really good. Did Red Mama make these?"

Lucy's face went red. She lowered her head, fingers tapping together in small, fidgety movements.

Huh? Wait—

"Lucy, did you make these?"

Lucy nodded hard.

Then, like she was worried I'd misread something, she rushed to add,

"Mama... Mama helped me with the ratios. I did... the shapes..."

"That's incredible, Lucy!"

"Hehe..."

No fatherly pretense about it, I just reached out and patted her head.

Goodness. What was today?

My daughter actually made me cookies...

I was still sitting in that warm feeling when Lara and Windsor each came out of the kitchen carrying desserts.

Lara had pudding. Windsor had a bowl of the Eris-invented [Tangyuan].

Windsor set her bowl on the table and looked at me.

"Dad, Mom and I made these together. I wrapped a bunch of them myself."

"Oh!"

Lara set her pudding down, planted both hands on her hips, and announced:

"Hmph hmph! I made mine all by myself! Dad!"

"Oh!"

"Hmph-hahahahaha!"

Right as Lara was laughing in triumph, Windsor threw a bucket of cold water on it.

"Lara failed too many times and wouldn't let Blue Mama help. Summer Mama ended up secretly fixing the ratios for her."

I hadn't even gotten around to pretending to be shocked.

Lara beat me to it, she looked completely blindsided.

"Is that true?! No wonder it suddenly came out right..."

Anyway. I finished all the desserts my daughters had made.

A little full now... The wives still seemed to be making lunch, but nothing was coming out of the kitchen.

After a while, they walked out.

Sylphiette spoke first.

"Rudy~"

"What is it?"

"Are you still heading to Nanahoshi's place this afternoon?"

Hmm.

Today felt off from the start. I had a feeling I shouldn't go.

I shook my head.

"How about I stay home today? With my beloved wives and daughters?"

But Sylphiette shook her head.

"We're glad you feel that way, Rudy, but you really do need to go to Miss Nanahoshi's. She told me beforehand that you absolutely had to come today. Something important."

"Why didn't she just tell me herself?"

"Who knows~ After all, Rudy... well, I suppose that's one of Rudy's good qualities."

Something about that phrasing.

I'd heard it several times already today.

Then Roxy chimed in.

"Rudy~ We didn't make lunch today. The girls' desserts filled you up, right?"

"They did..."

"Come home for dinner tonight~ Don't let Nanahoshi drag you out drinking."

"Understood."

Aisha and Eris called out together.

"Safe travels~ Be back by dinnertime!" x2

-------

So I made my way to the laboratory.

The moment I arrived, I could tell it was lively inside.

Nanahoshi, Cliff, Orsted, Zanoba, and Julie, all of them were there.

They all smiled when they saw me.

That alone was unsettling.

Cliff walked over and clapped me on the shoulder.

Then he held out a bag. Milis specialty goods, by the look of it.

"What's this?"

"Milis specialty products. Top grade. You're going to love it."

"It's food?"

"It's food."

I accepted Cliff's gift without really understanding why.

Then came Zanoba and Julie.

Together, they presented me with a doll.

A doll of [Rudeus].

The craftsmanship was clear, magic and hand-carving both, made with real care.

"Master, I could only capture a fraction of your greatness. But this comes from both our hearts!"

"Master... we really did try our best!"

I accepted the doll and gave a small nod.

"Thank you."

Then Orsted stepped forward. He presented me with a robe.

Black, with the [Dragon God] crest embroidered across the back.

"Rudeus. This gift is long overdue. It is a magical robe, drawn from the Dragon Clan's treasury..."

He went on to explain its effects in detail.

The most significant thing wasn't the magic. The robe itself was a symbol of lineage and standing.

He actually gave it to me.

By this point, I knew. There was no way I couldn't know.

It was my birthday.

I had so many things I wanted to say. What came out was two words.

"Thank you."

Orsted smiled and nodded.

Finally, Nanahoshi.

"Here."

"What is this?"

"You can't tell just by looking? It's a necklace."

A black gemstone set in silver. I could feel the magic sealed inside, almost certainly a mana-storage gem she'd made herself.

"I can sense the mana. Does it have an effect?"

"Nothing special. Just wards off illness."

"Wards off illness... Orsted's Dragon Clan secret art already covers that."

"Can't you just wear it as an accessory? Hmm?"

"Alright, alright... Thank you."

"Heh. You're welcome. There's a second gift, by the way."

"Oh?"

"You'll find out tomorrow. Don't ask."

"Fine."

I put on Orsted's robe first, then clasped Nanahoshi's necklace around my neck.

Oh.

That looked the part.

The robe was black, same shade as the old one I used to wear. That one had been passed on to Aisha. These days I wore the one my wives gave me, but this,

I turned around once.

"Well? How is it?"

Cliff nodded.

"Very handsome."

Julie and Zanoba nodded along.

"Master's bearing is something else entirely!"

"Master, I think all the dolls and statues made in your likeness need to be redone from scratch. Your current image is even more striking than before."

Ah.

Even I felt a little embarrassed at that.

Nanahoshi looked me over from head to toe.

"Mm. It'll do, I suppose."

"Harsh as ever..."

Since it was my birthday, we skipped the experiments entirely.

We just talked. And as the conversation drifted, the topics got surprisingly personal, the kind of things you'd expect at a girls' night.

Nanahoshi was the one steering.

She turned to Orsted first.

"Hey. Have you ever been in love?"

Orsted didn't answer. He just smiled.

Nanahoshi seemed a little deflated at the silence. She pivoted to Julie.

"What about you? What type do you like?"

Julie was a sweet girl. Her face went red immediately.

Her eyes drifted over to me, and she mumbled,

"Someone... like Master..."

Nanahoshi's eyes curved into a smile. She looked at me.

"Heh. Look at you, leading a young girl astray."

I pulled a face.

"What Julie feels for me is closer to admiration, honestly."

Julie nodded emphatically.

Then Cliff spoke up.

"You keep asking everyone else. What about you, Nanahoshi? What's your type?"

Nanahoshi thought it over, then said,

"Hmm~ My ideal type... First, he has to be handsome."

"Shallow."

"And then... the tough-guy type, personality-wise."

"That one I can follow."

"Best if he's the kind who... doesn't care about anyone else in the world. Only the person he loves. Someone who'd do anything for me~ That's my ideal type. Hmm... naturally, all of that is on top of being handsome."

"Heh..."

Cliff let out a quiet laugh and summed it up.

"So in other words, you're a romantic."

"A what?"

"Handsome, willing to throw everything away for the one he loves. That's a romantic."

"Hoh... maybe."

Nanahoshi smiled and turned to me.

"Rudeus, do you know anyone like that?"

"Not really. As for handsome — do I count?"

"Narcissist."

"You didn't deny the handsome part."

"Heheh..."

In the end, we did have a small drink at the lab.

Just a little. Barely anything.

There was still the birthday banquet waiting at home tonight.

--------

I reached the front door.

I hadn't even knocked when it swung open.

"Happy Birthday, Dad!" x4

"Happy Birthday, Rudy!" x2

"Happy Birthday, Brother!"

"Happy Birthday, Rudeus!"

--------

Zenith and Paul and Lilia had come too.

The mothers weren't at the door though, they were in the kitchen finishing dinner.

Paul, on the other hand, had been hiding behind the sofa.

He jumped out.

Old rascal.

At the dinner, Sylphiette and Roxy made an announcement.

They were both pregnant.

So that was why they'd been keeping their distance lately. They'd been saving the news for my birthday.

After they told everyone, Sylphiette turned to me with a smile.

"Rudy~ Ariel had a mountaintop hot spring built for your thirtieth birthday. Shall we head out tomorrow?"

A hot spring.

That sounded genuinely wonderful. It was the middle of winter, after all.

Though, Sylphiette and Roxy were pregnant.

Could pregnant women soak in a hot spring?

Roxy caught my expression.

"We're still in the early stages. And pregnant women can soak in hot springs, you know."

"Is that right?"

"It is~"

"Alright. Settled then. Father, the mothers, and the kids should all come, right?"

Paul shook his head.

"We're not going."

"Uh... why not?"

"Heh. A man's business. Your mothers and I have somewhere else to be."

Zenith gave Paul a clean knife-hand chop to the head, then smiled at me.

"You all have a wonderful time. Don't worry about anything your father just said."

Lilia smiled softly.

"Enjoy yourselves."

I smiled back.

"You too, Father, Mothers... stay safe."

In every sense of the word.

-------

With pregnant women at the table, there weren't many of us who could drink. I kept Paul company for a little.

Truly just a little, Zenith and Lilia cut us off.

Even at thirty, I was still a child in my mothers' eyes.

Around midnight, Father and the mothers headed home.

--------

As the maids began clearing the table, Roxy smiled.

"So~ when the time comes, it'll be everyone except Dad and the Moms. Miss Nanahoshi, Ariel, Cliff and Elinalise will all be there. Oh! And Orsted too!"

"That many people... I was hoping it'd just be me and my wives."

"Of course that's still happening~ There are private indoor open-air baths. We'll take very good care of Rudy when the time comes~ But as for tonight~"

Roxy glanced over at the children.

"Lara, are you tired?"

"Not tired!"

"You're tired."

"..."

Windsor, Lucy, and Tina raised their hands at the same time.

"We're tired..." x3

Eris gave a firm nod.

"Off to bed then!"

Windsor took Lucy and Tina by the hands and led them toward their room. A few steps from the table, all three of them turned back.

"Dad, Happy Birthday~" x3

"Thank you."

Then there was just Lara.

Roxy smiled at her.

"Lara, are you brave enough to sleep by yourself tonight?"

Lara's face shifted into a very deliberate [I get it, I get it] expression. She stepped away from the table without a fuss.

But before she left, she paused.

"Dad. Happy Birthday... sleep well."

"Thank you, Lara."

Once all the children had gone to their rooms,

Roxy rested her chin in her hand and looked at me.

"Rudy~ It's your birthday. Shouldn't we do something tonight?"

"D-do... do what?"

Sylphiette smiled.

"Roxy and I are pregnant~ but~ today is Rudy's birthday."

"Don't even think about it. Not a single risk. Not one."

"That's not what we meant! What exactly is Rudy imagining?"

"Then what did you mean?"

"How about Roxy and I help out from the sidelines?"

"Uh..."

That was when Eris and Aisha both slapped the table and stood up.

They were walking straight at me.

"Wh, what are you doing—"

"Rudeus!"

"Brother!"

They were grinning.

And they pushed me right into the bedroom.

➤ Next: Hot Spring, Part One