Tianming Apartment, Yan’an City.
Little Aya Jiu sat cross-legged on the bed, clutching Fire Finch’s phone, her face etched with a profound sense of grievance.
Her eyes were swollen and red, tears welling up and threatening to spill over at any moment.
Streaks of tears stained her delicate, rosy cheeks.
The sight of her was enough to tug at anyone’s heartstrings.
Nearby, Fire Finch was in a frantic scramble, clothes strewn haphazardly from her backpack.
Yet, she couldn’t seem to find a single item fit to wear.
From her appearance, it was clear she had just woken up, her hair a chaotic mess.
“What’s wrong, Little Jiu?”
“There, there, no more crying, okay?”
Aya Tone, assuming Little Aya Jiu’s tears stemmed from his earlier loud tone, quickly offered gentle comfort.
However, upon hearing her ‘Daddy’s’ reassurances, Little Aya Jiu’s pent-up grievances found an immediate outlet.
Her sobs only grew louder and more unrestrained.
Fire Finch, standing by, dared not utter a word, but her movements became increasingly frantic.
‘Oh no, oh no. If Aya Tone finds out I made Little Jiu late on her very first day, there definitely won’t be a next time.’
‘Move, you disobedient hands!’
At that moment, Fire Finch wished she had sprouted several more pairs of hands.
“Don’t cry, Little Jiu. How about we video call?”
The last time Aya Tone had heard Little Aya Jiu cry with such profound sorrow was when she was very young.
Back then, having just adopted Little Aya Jiu and lacking any parenting experience, Aya Tone had accidentally splashed water into her eyes during a bath, leading to incessant crying.
It had been so long since he’d heard Little Aya Jiu weep so miserably.
“Mmm~”
Hearing her ‘Daddy’ suggest a video call, Little Aya Jiu’s cries momentarily softened.
However, they weren’t about to cease entirely just yet.
The video call connected.
Little Aya Jiu’s tear-streaked, aggrieved face appeared on Aya Tone’s phone screen.
“Little Jiu, why haven’t you changed yet?”
Aya Tone recalled not having requested a day off for Little Jiu today.
Nor was it a holiday…
To his surprise, upon hearing Aya Tone’s words, Little Aya Jiu’s cries, which had finally subsided, welled up once more.
Aya Tone watched, dumbfounded.
“Don’t cry. Tell Daddy what’s wrong. It’s alright, take your time.”
“…”
After a considerable pause, Little Aya Jiu finally calmed down.
Her eyes were red, and she sniffled softly.
Yet, fearing Aya Tone’s scolding, she spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, “—Late… I’m going to be late…—”
‘Late?’
Aya Tone’s brow furrowed slightly; had the room not been so quiet, he truly might not have caught what Little Aya Jiu was saying.
Upon hearing the word ‘late’.
He instantly understood why Little Jiu had called him in tears.
‘It must be Fire Finch again…’
“No need to worry, Daddy will tell your teacher, and then you won’t be late.”
“Really?”
Little Aya Jiu pouted her small lips, tears clinging to her eyelashes, a truly adorable sight.
“Truly. When has Daddy ever lied to Little Jiu?”
Little Aya Jiu pondered for a moment, and it seemed… he truly hadn’t.
Under Aya Tone’s soothing words, her anxious feelings gradually settled.
Noticing Little Jiu had calmed and showed signs of quieting down.
Aya Tone then said, “Little Jiu, hand the phone to your big sister Fire Finch.”
‘He’d certainly like to see what Fire Finch had been up to.’
Little Aya Jiu, ever obedient, passed the phone to Fire Finch.
After a brief moment of dizzying motion.
Fire Finch’s sheepish face appeared on the screen.
Before Aya Tone could even begin to scold her, Fire Finch was already poised to apologize.
“I’m sorry, I overslept.”
Fire Finch knew she had messed up and readily took full responsibility.
If it hadn’t been for Big White discovering that the little master hadn’t woken up after finishing breakfast and pushing the door open to call them.
It was likely both the adult and the child would have slept until noon.
The scene described above unfolded only after Little Aya Jiu woke up and saw the time.
“…”
“Then what are you still doing? Hurry up and get Little Jiu dressed!”
Aya Tone felt that entrusting Little Jiu to Fire Finch’s care had been a truly regrettable decision.
However, for now, he had no choice but to rely on this unreliable adult.
“Yes!”
With a wry expression, Fire Finch, guided by Aya Tone’s video instructions, dressed Little Aya Jiu in an adorable school uniform.
She then tied her hair into a single ponytail.
Aya Tone found it difficult to demand much more; it was already acceptable that she looked presentable.
‘There was no need to overly trouble this inexperienced adult…’
“Remember to eat breakfast!”
Observing Fire Finch’s flustered demeanor, Aya Tone couldn’t help but suspect she might just rush off without ensuring Little Jiu had breakfast.
Going to kindergarten at this hour, breakfast time would surely have long passed.
Since they were already late, a little more time wouldn’t make a difference.
It was better to let Little Jiu enjoy a peaceful breakfast.
“Little Jiu, Daddy will talk to your teacher. You be a good girl and follow big sister Fire Finch, okay?”
“Mmm~”
Having washed her face, Little Aya Jiu, apart from a faint redness at the corners of her eyes, had regained her usual liveliness.
After repeatedly cautioning Fire Finch, he reluctantly ended the video call.
Concurrently, he opened the messaging app for Little Aya Jiu’s class teacher.
After briefly explaining the situation, he closed his phone and tossed it aside.
He rubbed his forehead and glanced at the window.
Veiled by the curtains, only a sliver of light pierced through a gap, falling onto the floor.
With Fire Finch’s antics, he no longer had any inclination to continue sleeping.
He stayed by his phone, wishing he could fly directly to Little Aya Jiu’s side.
Finally!
His phone screen lit up, displaying a message from Fire Finch.
He tapped to open it.
Inside was a video of Little Aya Jiu, carrying her small backpack, waving as she entered the school gate.
A sigh of relief escaped him.
The taut string of anxiety within him finally loosened.
The kindergarten teachers were far more reliable than Fire Finch.
After reiterating to Fire Finch not to forget to pick up the child in the evening, Aya Tone finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
****
When Aya Tone awoke again, the sun was already high in the sky.
The last message lingering on his phone was a goofy smiling emoji from Fire Finch.
“…”
He chose to ignore her.
After a quick wash, a surge of magic enveloped Aya Tone.
His eyes gleamed faintly.
After the morning’s events, Aya Tone felt increasingly uneasy about leaving Little Aya Jiu with Fire Finch.
He had originally intended to gather once the tidal energy reached its peak.
Now…
White Tiger Grand Tower, Imperial Capital.
“Little friend, this is not a place for playing.”
The moment Aya Tone stepped into the ground floor lobby, a security guard barred his entry.
“Uncle, I’m an adventurer too.”
Being mistaken for a minor and stopped wasn’t a new experience for him.
Thus, Aya Tone naturally began to explain to the security guard.
He simultaneously retrieved his S-rank identification card from his pocket and handed it to the guard.
If possible, he truly wished he didn’t have to pull out his ID card every single time.
As for why…
“S-rank!”
The security guard’s gasp instantly drew the attention of the passing crowd.
They all stopped, turning to look at Aya Tone.
‘Ah, it’s like this again…’
‘That’s why he really didn’t want to take out his ID card inside the guild.’
Aya Tone reached up, tugging at his hood, attempting to conceal his face further.
However, his unusual action only served to make passersby recognize him.
“It’s the Silver-Haired Witch!”
“What? Are you saying, the one ranked tenth on the S-rank leaderboard?”
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
They all promptly pulled out their phones and began searching.
“Uncle, don’t just stand there, give me back my card…”
Seeing the situation rapidly spiraling out of control, Aya Tone snatched the identification card back from the security guard’s hand.
Before the crowd could fully encircle him, he exploited his small stature.
He ‘slipped’ directly into the White Tiger Guild’s interior.
Safely arrived!