Elena ran ahead like a sugar-fueled puppy, her silver hair streaming behind her, her eyes locked on the massive glass doors at the entrance of the mall. To her, everything was new. Everything was magical. Everything was an adventure waiting to happen.
"Papa! Mama! Look!" She skidded to a halt, pointing with the kind of dramatic flair that only children possess. "The window is opening! It's ALIVE!"
As they stepped closer, the automatic doors slid open with a soft whoosh of air.
Elena jumped back.
Her eyes went wide.
"It moved by itself..." She grabbed Yuuta's leg, peering at the doors with suspicion. "Is it watching us?!"
Yuuta laughed, reaching down to ruffle her hair.
"It's not alive, sweetheart. It's just a door with sensors. Human technology."
Elena tiptoed through the doorway anyway, half-expecting it to bite her. She made it to the other side safely and immediately began examining the doors from every angle, trying to figure out their secrets.
Behind her, Erza stood completely still.
Her eyes were fixed on the doors with an expression that mixed suspicion and curiosity in equal measure. She studied the mechanism, the sensors, the way they responded to movement.
"I want one," she said flatly.
Yuuta blinked.
"For what?"
"For home."
He considered this for a moment. Imagined installing automatic doors in his tiny, cramped apartment. Imagined explaining that to the landlord.
"Yeah? You'll need a mall to go with it."
Erza didn't answer.
Her expression didn't change.
But her eyes continued to study the doors, cataloging the technology, filing it away for future reference.
---
Once inside, both girls stopped dead in their tracks.
The mall stretched before them like a cathedral of commerce.
Bright lights hung from the ceiling in long, glowing strands, casting warm light over everything below. The ceiling itself seemed to stretch up forever, lost in shadows far above. Shops lined both sides of the main hall like soldiers standing at attention—some with glittering clothes, others with food displayed on open trays, still more with electronics and books and things that sparkled.
A giant fountain splashed gently in the center of the main hall, water dancing in patterns that caught the light and scattered it like diamonds.
And there were trees.
Actual trees.
Growing from square patches in the tile, their branches reaching toward the artificial light, their leaves rustling in a breeze that came from nowhere.
Not fake trees.
Real leaves.
Real dirt.
Real life.
Elena spun in a slow circle, trying to take in everything at once.
"This place is HUGE!" Her voice echoed off the distant ceiling. "There are so many places to go! Papa, can we LIVE here?!"
Yuuta smiled.
"Let's not get evicted on day one, okay?"
Erza said nothing.
But her eyes continued to move, scanning, analyzing, learning.
---
They strolled toward the escalator.
Yuuta stepped on first, gliding upward with the practiced ease of someone who had ridden escalators thousands of times. He turned back, spreading his arms like a showman.
"Alright, come on! Just step on! It's not rocket science!"
Elena blinked at the moving steps.
Her jaw dropped.
"Papa..." Her voice was hushed with awe. "It's a magic stair?!"
Before Yuuta could correct her, she hopped on like it was her personal rollercoaster, laughing as the steps carried her upward.
"Mama! Mama! Look!" She waved frantically from her moving perch. "I'm moving but my feet are lazy!"
Behind her, Erza stood at the base of the escalator.
Her eyes tracked the moving steps.
Her expression didn't change.
But something in her posture shifted—a slight tension, a barely perceptible hesitation.
Yuuta noticed.
Of course he noticed.
"Don't tell me you're scared of an escalator."
"I'm not scared." Her voice was ice. "I'm assessing the mechanism. It appears to be a continuous loop of moving stairs. The engineering is primitive but functional."
"It's not a trap."
"I didn't say it was."
"You were thinking it."
Her eyes snapped to his.
"You don't know what I'm thinking, Idoit mortal."
"Step on, Erza. It's fine."
She looked at the escalator.
Looked at him.
Looked back at the escalator.
Then, with the careful precision of someone approaching a potential threat, she stepped onto the moving stairs.
Her body remained perfectly rigid.
Her hands gripped the rubber railing with unnecessary force.
Her face betrayed nothing.
But Yuuta could see it—the slight widening of her eyes, the almost imperceptible tension in her jaw.
"You're doing great," he said, unable to resist.
"Shut up."
"Really, Queen of the so called Atlantis Kingdom."
"I will freeze you where you stand."
She reached the top.
Stepped off.
Turned to face him with an expression that promised violence.
Before he could react, her fist connected with the back of his head.
WHACK.
"OW!" Yuuta stumbled forward, clutching his skull. "What was that for?!"
"For existing."
"That's not a reason!"
"It's reason enough."
She walked past him without another word.
At the top of the escalator, Elena was already cheering.
"Papa! Mama! Elena made it! Elena is the escalator champion!"
Erza glanced at her daughter.
Said nothing.
But something in her eyes softened.
Just slightly.
Just enough.
---
They stepped off and regrouped.
Elena immediately spotted their destination.
"Papa! Look!" She pointed down the corridor with the intensity of a hunting dog spotting prey. "School stuff! Many-many bags!"
She took off running.
Arms flapping.
Hair streaming.
Absolutely zero concern for speed limits or parental supervision.
Yuuta pushed the shopping cart slowly behind her, already bracing for chaos.
Erza walked beside him.
Silent.
Observing.
---
The school section was overwhelming.
Shelves stretched in every direction, packed with school bags in every color imaginable. Tiny chairs designed for small bodies. Crayons in boxes of sixty-four. Notebooks with cartoon characters. Pencils with erasers shaped like animals. Water bottles disguised as dinosaurs. Lunch boxes with secret compartments.
It was a rainbow explosion of childhood necessities.
Elena stopped in front of a wall of backpacks.
She gasped.
Her eyes went huge.
"This one is pink!" She grabbed it, hugged it, spun with it. "Ooooh—this one has EARS!" She grabbed another. "Papa look! This bag is a PANDA! It's talking to me!"
Yuuta examined the backpack in question.
It was, indeed, a panda.
Round and black and white with googly eyes and little ears and a tiny stitched tail.
"It's not talking, Elena. It just has googly eyes."
She hugged it tighter.
"It say 'Take me home!' " Her voice became a high-pitched panda impression. " 'Elena, I am sad! Please adopt me!' "
She looked up at him.
Her eyes were wide.
Her lower lip trembled.
"Papa please. Bag is sad."
Yuuta sighed.
The panda went into the cart.
Erza watched the exchange with cold, unreadable eyes.
"You're spoiling her," she said flatly.
"I'm making her happy."
"Same thing."
"Is that a problem?"
Erza didn't answer, she didn't knew why she start Caring.
She simply turned and walked toward the backpack display.
---
She moved past the pink bags, the animal bags, the sparkly bags, the bags with cartoon characters and frilly edges and everything designed to appeal to children. Her eyes scanned each option with clinical detachment.
She stopped in front of a plain red backpack.
No cartoons.
No sparkles.
No personality whatsoever.
Just red.
Functional.
Practical.
Efficient.
She picked it up.
Examined it.
Found no flaws.
"This one," she announced.
Elena peeked over the edge of the cart, her panda clutched protectively to her chest.
"It's boring." She squinted at the red backpack like it had personally offended her. "No eyes. No tail."
"It doesn't need a tail," Erza replied, her voice completely devoid of emotion.
"But..." Elena's brow furrowed with genuine concern. "How will it walk?!"
Erza stared at her daughter.
The silence stretched.
Uncomfortably.
"Backpacks don't walk," she said finally. "They carry items. That is their function. A tail would serve no purpose."
Elena looked at her panda.
Looked at the boring red backpack.
Looked back at her panda.
"Panda walks with Elena," she declared firmly. "Elena will carry panda. Panda is happy."
Erza said nothing.
She simply placed the red backpack in the cart beside the panda.
The contrast was almost comical—the plain, practical bag next to the round, ridiculous creature with googly eyes.
Yuuta bit back a laugh.
Erza caught his expression.
"Something amusing, mortal?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
"Good. Keep it that way."
---
The cart filled quickly.
Crayons. Notebooks. A lunch box shaped like a dinosaur. A water bottle with a built-in straw. Tiny shoes. A uniform that would need alterations. A hat that Elena immediately put on and refused to remove.
Yuuta watched the total climb with each addition.
His bank account screamed in agony.
But Elena's smile made it worth it.
Erza walked beside him, observing everything with cold, analytical eyes. She watched the way he chose items, the way he asked Elena what she wanted, the way he never once looked at a price tag before tossing something in the cart.
Finally, she spoke.
"You're terrible at saving money."
Yuuta glanced at her.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me." She gestured at the overflowing cart. "All of this. For one child. For one school. You spend like there's no tomorrow."
Yuuta's smile flickered.
Just slightly.
Just enough.
"I—"
"Don't bother explaining." Her voice cut him off like a blade. "It's not my concern how you waste your resources. But when you come crying about your empty accounts later, remember that I warned you."
She walked ahead.
Leaving Yuuta standing there with the cart.
The shopping trip continued.
Cart after cart, bag after bag, item after item. Yuuta had lost count of how much they had accumulated—Elena's panda backpack, the plain red one Erza had chosen, enough school supplies to stock a small classroom, and now, somehow, toys.
Elena had found a section filled with plush creatures and immediately fallen in love with a small dragon toy. It was green, with little wings and a long tail, and when squeezed, it made a soft squik sound.
"Papa! Papa!" She had run back to him, clutching the toy like it was made of gold. "Look! It's a baby dragon! Like Elena! Can we keep it? Please please PLEASE?!"
Yuuta had looked at the price tag.
Looked at her face.
Bought it without hesitation.
"What will you name it?" he had asked.
Elena had squeezed it once, listened to the sound, and announced with absolute certainty:
"Squiz."
And so Squiz the dragon joined their family.
---
But the most surprising development wasn't Elena's new toy.
It was Erza.
Somewhere between the school supplies and the endless walking, something had shifted in the Dragon Queen. She had started—of all things—tracking the expenses.
"That's the third unnecessary item," she had said flatly when Yuuta added a sparkly pencil case to the cart. "Do you have any concept of budgeting?"
Yuuta had blinked.
"I... what?"
"Budgeting. Financial planning. Resource management." She had pulled out her phone—yes, her phone, the one she had somehow mastered—and shown him a spreadsheet. "I calculated your average monthly income against your necessary expenses. You're spending forty-three percent above your sustainable limit."
Yuuta had stared.
And stared.
And stared some more.
"Did you... did you just make a budget spreadsheet?"
"I analyzed your financial situation. It's pathetic. You're pathetic. But someone has to think about these things."
She had continued down the aisle, leaving him standing there with his mouth open.
Since then, she had been like this.
Questioning every purchase.
Calculating totals in her head.
Making him put things back when they exceeded what she deemed "reasonable."
She was acting like—
Like a housewife.
The realization hit Yuuta so suddenly that he almost tripped over his own feet.
She's acting like a housewife.
A worried, budget-conscious, financially responsible housewife.
My housewife.
Our housewife.
His face turned red.
Is it possible? he thought, his heart racing. Is it possible that she's actually developing feelings for me?
He knew it was impossible. She was the Dragon Queen. She had threatened to kill him more times than he could count. She called him a disgusting mortal on a regular basis.
But—
But she had healed him.
But she had kissed him.
But she was standing here, in a mall, worrying about his bank account like it mattered to her.
What if...
WHACK.
"OW!" Yuuta's hand flew to his head, where Erza's fist had just connected with alarming precision. "What was that for?!"
Erza stood before him, arms crossed, expression colder than the ice she commanded.
"You were smiling like an idiot," she said flatly. "It was disgusting. I couldn't bear to look at you anymore."
Yuuta rubbed his head, wincing.
"That really hurt, Erza."
"Hurt?" Her eyebrow arched. "Pathetic. I held back most of my strength, and you can't even endure that much. What a fragile mortal you are."
She made a sound—hmph—and turned away.
Walked down the aisle like nothing had happened.
Yuuta watched her go.
And then, because he was an idiot, he muttered under his breath:
" 'Pathetic, you can't handle my strength.' Lizard queen, if I had this much strength and hit you with the same force, then you'd realize how painful it actually is."
He thought he had whispered.
He thought no one could hear.
He was wrong.
---
Elena stood three feet away.
Squiz clutched in one hand.
Her violet eyes wide.
Her lips already curving into a smile.
"Papa wants to hit Mama," she announced.
Not quietly.
Not discreetly.
With the full, unbridled enthusiasm of a child who had just discovered something wonderful.
Yuuta's blood ran cold.
"Elena, no—"
"MAMA!"
Elena's voice carried across the entire aisle. "PAPA WANTS TO—"
Yuuta moved faster than he had ever moved in his life.
He lunged forward.
Clamped his hand over her mouth.
"Mmph! Mmph mmph!" Elena's protests were muffled against his palm, but her eyes were still laughing.
Erza turned.
Her gaze landed on them.
On Yuuta, frozen in place, one hand clamped over their daughter's mouth.
On Elena, squirming with glee, clearly trying to say something important.
On the scene of utter chaos that had somehow become her daily life.
She sighed.
Long.
Deep.
Exhausted.
"What," she said, her voice carrying the weight of someone who had long ago given up on understanding this family, "are you both doing now?"
Yuuta opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
Nothing came out.
Elena, still muffled, continued to make urgent sounds behind his hand.
Erza sighed.
That long, deep, exhausted sigh that had become her signature response to the chaos that followed her family everywhere.
Yuuta took advantage of the moment.
He leaned down toward Elena, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"Elena. Listen. If you don't tell your mama what I said, I'll make you the most delicious food you've ever eaten."
Elena's eyes went wide.
Wider than should have been physically possible.
"Really, Papa?!" Her voice squeaked with excitement, completely forgetting that she was supposed to be whispering.
"Really really." Yuuta nodded solemnly. "I promise. The most delicious food in the entire world."
Elena considered this for approximately half a second.
Then she nodded so fast her head seemed in danger of detaching from her neck.
"Elena agrees! Elena will be SILENT! Like a ninja!" She pressed her finger to her lips in an exaggerated shushing gesture.
Then she turned and walked toward Erza, her little hand waving in the air like nothing had happened.
Yuuta smiled.
Crisis averted.
He followed behind her, catching up to Erza just as she stopped in front of a display.
---
Erza was standing still.
Unusually still.
Her eyes were fixed on something—a small sign attached to a rack of clothes. Her brow was furrowed in that way it did when she encountered something she didn't understand.
Yuuta approached gently.
"What are you reading?" he asked, his voice soft.
Erza didn't look up.
"What is 'discount'?" She pointed at the sign. "It says there is a discount on these clothes. Forty percent. But I don't understand what that means."
Yuuta blinked.
Then smiled.
A warm, genuine smile.
"Look like dragons aren't as smart as I thought."
Erza's hand moved faster than thought.
Her fingers found his ear.
Twisted.
"How many times," she said coldly, her voice dropping to dangerous levels, "have I told you that dragons have first-time learning? I haven't encountered this word before. How could I possibly know what it means?"
Yuuta winced, his ear burning.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was joking, your highness! Please let me explain!"
Erza released him.
"Explain."
Yuuta rubbed his ear, gathering his thoughts.
"Okay, so. Discount. It's simple, really." He pointed at the sign. "See this? Forty percent off. That means if something originally costs a certain amount, they take away forty percent of that price."
Erza's brow furrowed deeper.
"Take away? How?"
"Like this." Yuuta grabbed a random item from the rack, checking the price tag. "Say this shirt originally costs one thousand dollars. With a forty percent discount, you only pay six hundred. The four hundred is... gone. Saved. You don't have to pay it."
Erza's eyes widened.
"Wait." She grabbed the shirt from him, examining the tag with new intensity. "You mean... I could purchase high-quality clothes for less than their actual value?"
"That's exactly what it means."
Before Yuuta could say another word—
Erza vanished.
"Ehh?!" Yuuta spun around, searching wildly. "Erza?! ERZA?! Where did you go?!"
Elena tugged at his sleeve.
"Papa." She pointed down the aisle. "Mama went that way."
Yuuta followed her finger.
In the distance, at a clothing rack with a massive 50% OFF sign, a silver-haired woman was rapidly filling her arms with dresses.
She moved like a warrior in battle.
Grab.
Assess.
Add to pile.
Repeat.
No hesitation.
No restraint.
No mercy.
Yuuta stared.
Then, slowly, a smile spread across his face.
"Look like it doesn't matter if you're human or dragon," he murmured. "If you're female, you'll fall for a discount."
He scooped Elena into his arms.
"Come on, little princess. Let's find somewhere to sit while your mother conquers the sales."
Elena giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Mama is like a dragon with treasure!"
"Yeah." Yuuta laughed. "Yeah, she really is."
They walked toward the seating area, leaving Erza to her shopping frenzy.
They found a bench near the center of the mall.
Soft seats. Good view. Close enough to keep an eye on Erza's location.
Yuuta sat down with a sigh.
Elena climbed up beside him, Squiz clutched in one hand, her legs swinging happily.
For a moment, everything was perfect.
Yuuta watched Erza through the store windows. Watched her interact with the cashier. Watched her hand over clothes to be scanned. Watched her adapt, learn, become part of this world in ways he never could have imagined.
"Truly," he thought, "dragons are mythical and legendary creatures. No one would ever know what she really is if she didn't show them."
He glanced down at Elena.
To share the thought.
To smile at her.
To—
She wasn't there.
Yuuta's heart stopped.
He looked left.
Empty.
He looked right.
Empty.
He stood up so fast the world spun.
"Elena?"
Nothing.
"ELENA?!"
His voice rose.
Echoed off the mall walls.
People turned to stare.
He didn't care.
"ELENA!"
She was gone.
His daughter was gone.
---
To be continued...
[End of chapter]
Yo, Yuuta here!
Guess what? We hit 200 chapters—and yeah, I did promise you a little something, didn't I?
So, to all my loyal readers (and even the nosy ones lurking around), I've dropped TWO bonus chapters just for you.
One for your morning tea time—because who doesn't love chaos with a side of toast?
And one for your evening coffee—because dragons and drama hit different at sunset.
Go ahead, dive in, laugh a little, cry if you must—just don't forget to leave a comment or two so I know you're alive!
Enjoy, legends. You made this possible.