It's been... About three and a half weeks since I brought Yukina into my home. She is quite the timid girl, too timid at times. Even though I brought her in for a short time, she's much like a daughter to me, like my own daughter.
However... This morning was different, I woke up in a bright, sunny mood. Everyone was like sunshine and rainbows! I gave my wife a kiss, then got up for the day. She, of course, just snored on and on... But that's what took my heart, her carefree yet strict attitude. It's been a happy fifteen years, we've been together.
Ah, speaking of Yukina. When I went to our dining room, Yukina was sitting at the table. I couldn't see her face, but her slumped shoulders told me she was tired. Such a diligent girl... Every day she reads books, studying her magic. "Good morning! how's my fluffy daughter doing?" I greeted her, trying to be in a cheery mood.
"Morning..." Yukina greeted back; that wasn't her usual tone... It seemed like she was beyond tired... Could it be possible she needs more sleep? "How did you sleep?" She turned her head, she looks awfully pale, is she not feeling well?
"I... I slept fine. Are you feeling unwell?"
"Just hurting..."
"Did you get hurt?! What's hurting you?!"
I could feel the gears turn in my head when she touched her stomach. Oh… That miserable expression and gesture was all that I needed to understand. She's going through that. She must be hiding it, or doesn't understand what she's going through… That confuzzled look written all over her face explained it.
"I woke up… I just felt a lot of pain coming from my stomach…" Yukina mumbled, she struggled to find a comfortable position on her chair.
"Here, I can help ease that pain." Poor girl… Even with Allisa and my wife, they never looked to be in this much pain… I knew she never liked her head being touched. "I won't pat your head, you don't need to jerk back…" Her disgust of them became even worse, physically she recoiled at the sight of my hand.
"Ah… Sorry…"
I'll have to get Melinda for this. I moved the mana from my body, letting a small light shine over Yukina. This skill, of mine, allows the dulling of pain. IT helped my wife and daughter a couple times in the past.
"There..." I retracted my hand, so I could see my adopted daughter's face. "How do you feel?" Although, I knew that was a redundant question. Her expression didn't feel at ease; it became slightly worse.
"I... I need to lay down... It hurts... So bad..."
"Let me help you."
"N-No I'm okay..."
Don't be stubborn! I wanted to yell at her, but I moved out of her way. Her limping hasn't gotten better, it really did become permanent. She slowly wedged herself against the wall, and left into hers and Allisa's room. What am I going to do...? I don't have any experience with 'THAT' when it comes to animalkin! "Agh... Whatever, I'll wait for the professional to wake up."
I whipped myself up something to drink, and sat down at our kitchen table. "We can't take on missions due to 'that' with Yukina... That emergency mission did set us up for sometime. Might as well plan out the next... Allisa has to be fifteen before she can become an adventurer..." I planned out the next steps out loud.
First, check Yukina's level. That bear kill would've pushed her to four or five... Might've gained a new spell. In addition to that, consult with my daughter what she wants to do; she has to be fifteen before becoming an adventurer. Did Melinda buy a different tea leaf? It was completely bitter in my mouth... She was supposed to buy sweeter one!
"Ugh..." I kept my face glued to my hands. A bit like this, I heard our bedroom door open. "Good morning."
"Oh, honey! Good morning! How did you sleep?" My lovely wife greeted me, she had a beautiful and clean appearance; did she even wake up recently? I asked myself. She grinned brightly at me, she probably saw my awe. "You don't have to give me that look all the time, y'know? Ah, whatever... What's got you down?"
"Oh... Just thinking of what to do."
"Hm? Lemme sit down so I can hear you."
She sat right next to me with her hand interlocking with mine. I was definitely blessed. Then she listened to my rambles intently.
"Maybe, find an easy mission for Yukina. All those nasty ones are taking a toll on her y'know? Lately, it looks like she hasn't been sleeping well."
"Well, my little party is the only high ranking one currently in the city... All the easy pickings are taken already." I responded to her, which is true. As the only copper ranked party, we could only take the copper and bronze ranked missions. The lower ones, which the majority of the adventurers take, are gone. My wife tilted her head then let out a groan. "I'm sorry... I wish- Oh crap."
"What is it? What's gotten you saying stuff like that?"
"Uh... Um, Yukina's... Having that. I tried easing the pain, but it backfired..." Don't give me that look please... There seemed to be a moment of clarification across her face, then a small smile replaced that look she always had. That devilish smile was something I never wanted to see...
"That's... Your problem mister. I'll have to take care of Allisa too, you know that right? You've been her father for thirteen years! Almost fourteen next month!" My wife snorted, but her demeanor did not seem angry, or frustrated. Thankfully! It seems like we both will have to keep our hands full. "Y'know... Allisa wants to go on more missions with you five, so... Find one easy one, if you can. If not take our daughter out, m'kay?"
"Haha... I will, thank you for-"
Suddenly, she jumped into my arms. She felt warm, nuzzling into my neck. That week really had her miss me. This is her normal mannerisms when I'm gone for a long time. She usually hides it in front of Allisa or anyone, but when we're alone we both enjoy each other's embrace.
"Try to spend time with both, alright? You don't want to make Allisa feel lonely, right?" She asked me quietly. I nodded my head in affirmation. whilst verbally agreeing. "Good you silly sir."
We stayed in this position for some time, I don't know the exact, nor did I want to know. We only separated when we heard Allisa's and Yukina's door open. My wife quickly leapt backwards out of my arms, and fixed her messy hair.
"good morning sweetheart! How did you sleep?"
"Morning! I slept well, how did you and dad sleep?" My daughter jumped into her mom's arms. After a bit of nuzzling and talking she was let back down to the ground. What a spoiled child. I laughed helplessly in my mind. My daughter's always been such an energetic and spoiled child.
"We slept well. Oh, good morning Yukina."
"Morning..." Somehow, Yukina came back even in a more miserable state, even her face was flushed.
"Oh, oh right! Mom, dad... Yukina's on her-"
"Shut! Do- Don't-"
"Heyyy, they-"
"I don't want to talk about it!" Yukina yelled, her face turned a beet red from my daughter's comments. Now, it seemed like Yukina was already well aware... Ah my daughter, please stop pushing it! She kept trying to explain to us; every attempt was thwarted by Yukina. Her face kept getting redder, by the end it looked like she wanted to die.
"Yukina... We know what you're going through, but you need to be nice to your sister." My wife stepped in, she stood tall at her short top height.
"I told her not to talk about it! That's what I keep telling her!"
"Allisa, you need to respect her wishes. You apologize, then Yukina you apologize to her. Okay?"
My daughter lowered her head, then mumbled an apology. Then, Yukina crossed her arms, then closed her eyes. Her face was still a cute shade of red, but eventually she spouted off a half assed apology.
"Sorry."
Looks like Yukina really is having it rough… Could it be her first time experiencing it? That could be the reason she looks so tired and miserable… I looked over at her, her hands were balled into tiny fists, her right arm was across her stomach.
"That's good, Don't ever yell at each other or be rude to each other okay?"
"Yes, Mom.."
"Alright."
Oh no… Yikes, Yukina! That's not the type of attitude you want to give her! Melinda's hand twitched at Yukina's disrespectful tone. Even though I was staring at the back of her head, I could sense she had an angry frown on her lips.
"Now then, Dear."My wife said, slowly turning around. She's… She's not in a good mood… Was my first thought upon seeing her beautiful, yet furious look.
Wait, wait, wait… What did I do this time?! I felt a chill run down my spine, when her furious look turned into a devilish grin. This can't be good!
"I'll write down a list for you to get things…" She further explained, she closed her eyes to infatuate that devilish grin. With two fingers she continued with her words. "So take a stroll for around two to three hours, please?"
Wait– That's pretty much kicking me out isn't it?! What the heck did I do to get punished here?! I'm innocent! I wanted to plead my case to her, but something in my stomach urged me to be quiet, and accept it…
"Yes, dear…" I hung my head low, defeatedly accepting my punishment. I must go to give my wife time to take care of Yukina…
It took a small amount of time, during which I just sat in a corner, waiting for my wife to finish scribbling on a small paper. With a cute, "Here you go!" She shoved it into my hands.
THAT-! That's not actually a bad list… It won't take up all the money we earned, but some parts of it will definitely hurt my pocket.
[Here you go dear… Make sure to be very precise with what you get… Hehe…
Tomatoes, Potatoes, Milk, Chocolate, Flour, Butter, Eggs, Onions, Vanilla..]
With that in my hand, and in mind, I gave a quick peck on Melinda's cheek, then left our home. Thankfully the streets weren't busy… I just need to head to the shopping district. I wonder if Yukina can eat chocolate? She's an animal kin… Which aren't like us.
Specifically, from what I read on her status, she's a wolfkin. They're closely related to well, err… Wolves. Which are the ancestors of dogs… Would chocolate be bad for Yukina? I remember hearing, in a distant nation, that dogs and cats can't eat chocolate. Or something, apparently it's toxic to them…
Is Yukina allergic to them? I constantly asked myself, I could feel people's weird gazes staring at me as I walked.
Although, my wife did write it down, so she must know more than I do. Now looking at the list again, she's probably going to be making a cake… I should probably buy one on the side…
The nightmares of her first cake haunted my mind. It was on Allisa's tenth birthday… Focus! C'mon, you've been a leader of the party for so many years, you can focus on this ONE little task!
If it's a chocolate cake, we shouldn't worry… But… that Vanilla is sending a torrential downpour, well down my spine. Anyways– I'm finally at the first shop. It was a bakery stand, the older lady smiled at me before I made an order.
"I'd like half a kilogram of chocolate and half vanilla please."
All that thinking and I found myself in front of the shop, so no use to chicken out now. I'll still order an extra cake.
"Coming right up!"
Now while she's measuring these.. Eggs, huh…I don't know where Melinda gets those fresh eggs most of the time. I should've asked her…
"Here's your order, that'll be twenty four copper."
"Thank you, here you go."
That wasn't as expensive as I thought huh. Alright next stop let's find a poultry place for the eggs and milk. As for the rest, I can just buy them on the way– I should've brought a basket… Crap. I'll just cry to Melinda for overworking my arms later.
The tomatoes were found at a shop as I went to a well known poultry place. It cost me a whopping… Five copper. Pretty cheap, I must say… At least for the two that's in my arm. Now, potatoes were at the same shop, the kind soul– An old grandpa with a hunched back gave me a small basket of his for an extra two copper.
I don't know how long I spent going around… I gathered everything plus more! I found a pair of gloves for Yukina, her fire magic might burn her hands one of these days… These'll probably protect them, they were a cheap pair of leather gloves that were stained black. Some… Protection, I stuffed into my pocket.
"CAN YOU NOT CALL ME THAT?! I T-"
"Little Grumpkina… I know what you're going through, but you don't have to take it out on us."
What the heck is going on?! On the first step inside our home, I heard Yukina screech in defiance. Then my wife's voice in a mocking tone, there was an attempt at being sincere, but the name "Grumpkina" threw it out the window.
I crept around the corner, just to see Yukina stepping back, staring at Melinda in disgust. Melinda's hands were separated, her fingers pinched something I couldn't see.
"I am NOT Grumpkina! PUT THAT AWAY! I AM NOT WEARING THAT!"
"Grum-"
"JAMES HELP ME! SHE'S CRAZY!!" Yukina screamed for my help, at a closer look I could see tears welling up in her eyes.This is not my job. It's insane… How one thing she doesn't like, removes all the pain. Was that a known move from Melinda? She's so beautifully smart.
"DO NOT NO COME BACK HERE! HELP ME!!"
"Oh, Honey! Welcome back!"
"JAAAAAMES! HELP!!"
I'm sorry, Yukina. This isn't my job. I closed my eyes, and stepped back outside, listening to the demonic wolf screeches from Yukina. They soon quieted down, and the door to our home opened with an embarrassed Yukina welcoming me home.
"Is that fiasco finally finished?" I asked her, the laughter in my throat almost broke the curiosity in my voice. Yukina slightly nodded her head, her cheeks were a cherry pink, and the fluffy ears that were adorable flattened. "Can I come in?"
"Y-Yes…"
She meekly swung the door, and stood to the side. She's adorable like this. Seems like whatever Melinda used helped her with the pain.
"Welcome back! How d- I told you to get what was on the list! Why is there…" My wife exclaimed, but her tone changed as soon as her eyes landed on what was in my arm. "I know you just got a big payday, but why the heck did you get more than what was needed?!"
"Well… I was forced to be out there for a couple hours…" I replied, setting down the basket. Yukina leaned over curiously, and Allisa left her bedroom. Once she saw me, she jumped to give me a hug.
"Ugh.. Whatever you say, did you at least get what I told you to get?"
"Mhm…"
Melinda grabbed the basket, and started to organize everything on the table. Her search stopped when she saw the cake… Crap… She glared at me before setting it on the table. I'm definitely screwed.
"You got so many things." My wife said, resting both of her hands on her beautiful hips. She rested her chin on her hands, whilst eyeing them. "Allisa, we're going to be baking a cake, wanna join to help mom cook?"
"Yes!"
"Meanwhile, James…"
"H-Huh?"
"Don't pull any stunts like that again." She ordered, pointing at the baked goods I bought. "The first time may have been terrible, I've been practicing…"
"G-Got it…"
As those two went along their little cooking journey, I called Yukina over. She still looked uncomfortable. Even more so, she was holding her left arm with her right. She sat just left of me, her eyes seemed to linger on the items strewn across the table. Well what was left of it.
The cake, gloves, a small knife, a child-sized satchel; and a tiny wand that was just right for beginners. As I thought before, the gloves were perfect for Yukina… Protection against your own magic can help spellcasters.
"I got a little gift for you, Yukina." I said, trying to give her a secretive smile. She gave me a raised eyebrow, whilst watching my hand grab the gloves. "I don't know if your hands are protected against your own magic, so these are for you. I used [Identify] on it, and they're resistant to heat."
"Oh… Um– Thank you…" She thanked me with an awkward smile. Then, she grabbed them carefully, her face sort of distorted after a moment. "You- Said they were resistant to heat… Right?"
"Correct."
"Can- can you check again?"
"Hm? Let me see."
What's she talking about? I took them back, then used [Identify] on them.
[Ordinary spellcaster gloves: Grants heat resistance to the affected body parts.
Int +2.]
That's exactly what they said, is that really affecting her much? I handed them to her again, explaining what was told about my skill use… Her eyebrows furrowed in response, what left her mouth next removed all words I had.
"Then… I guess my [Identify] is not working properly…"
"I-I'm sorry? You can use identify?" I couldn't help but question, I felt something moist roll down my forehead. That skill! It was only a skill high level mages could use… Not someone at her level… I'd assume she's level five! I gained it at level thirty four!
"Yes, I got it after the death of the Elder Bear…" Yukina stopped talking for a moment, eyebrows furrowed, she asked me, "what's that look for?"
Does she not reali- Oh right… She lost her memories, or anything… I raised my finger, whilst attempting to explain how skills work. I slowly lost my words, seeing Yukina's lips turn into a frown, tilting her head either in frustration or pure confusion with how I explained.
She closed her eyes, whilst catching the bridge of her nose. "You're really bad at explaining things, you know that, right?"
Straight to the point, and blunt… That stings… If it was an actual attack, it would've pierced straight through my heart… I thought Melinda and Allisa were bad… Yukina completely took a total turn around in personality, previously she was a timid girl, now she's–
"Ha! And you thought the cake would've been bad!" My wife's words completely cut my thoughts off. She plopped a semi-decent looking cake, there was no frosting, and it had a few layers. They were semi-proportional, and stood crookedly. One half was a dark brown, and smelled like burnt chocolate, whilst the other was a skin white… And reeked of vanilla.
"That.."
"How does it look?! Mom and I did our best!" Allisa yelled, she was completely covered in flour, from head to toe. A patch of flour dotted her nose, making her look absolutely adorable. Melinda tapped her nose, before sending her off to the bath.
"That… Certainly looks better than your first attempt."
"Looks plain."
"..."
"Then you aren't getting any missy– Just kidding~ Whilst you mister! You get none! I thought you were supposed to be supportive of your wife!"
I did-
"YOU WONT BE GETTING THAT EITHER!" She screamed whilst yanking the other cake away. "Oh, don't give that crappy look on your face, mister… You deserve it, I don't want you to get fat…"
"I.."
"You should listen to your wife…" Yukina mumbled, she was glaring at me, whilst covering her ears. What is up with you two?! I wanted to ask them… They were ganging up on me… This isn't fair… I hung my head in defeat, whilst a laugh came from my wife.
They both kept taking jabs at me… Their words pricked my skin, but there was no malice, or hatred. Soon enough, I started laughing with them, till Allisa joined in. Thus, we dug into the monstrosity they created.
Yup… This tastes terrible. I slowly "savored" the utter "sweetness" from the cake.
THUD!
"Umm… Melinda, I don't think it was a good idea for-"
"I DID MY RESEARCH! I SWEAR!!! Um- I fee- Oh no…" Melinda's realization struck when her eyes widened. "U-Um… I promise chocolate is not toxic to animal-kin- But…"
"But?"
"For Wolfkin… It acts like an alcohol…"
I turned my head to see Yukina face first into the slice of cake in front of her. I pulled her body up, just to see her snoring away.