The idol concept meeting to satisfy my daughters was dragging on longer than expected.
There were many concepts presented, but I couldn’t choose any of them. They were all such heavy choices that making a decision wasn’t easy at all.
“How about this one? I think you’ll really like it this time.”
Hainha doodled on the drawing board again and showed it to me. She hadn’t taken a single break since the meeting started, relentlessly coming up with ideas.
Her creativity was on an astonishing level. But slowly, it started to feel more like a joke.
“…What is that?”
Hainha gave a faint smile at my question and confidently replied.
“It’s ‘Magical Girl Diamond Magical Beauty’!”
“…….”
For a moment, my head spun, and I pressed my temples with my hands.
I wondered why there were two white jewels on her chest; I guess they were diamonds. It was such a bizarre sense of humor that I didn’t even know where to begin with the complaints.
After a while of pressing my head, I finally spoke up.
“Honestly, just admit it. You just want to see me struggling, don’t you?”
This was a reasonable suspicion.
At first, she had at least pretended to consider things seriously, but at some point, she started shoving strange concepts at me.
It must have been a joke. It had to be. There’s no way she genuinely thought that was okay.
“Don’t you like this one either?”
Hainha blinked a few times, then erased the Magical Girl diamond whatever and started drawing again. This time, it was another striking piece with a daring art style.
I didn’t even have the energy to critique anymore. I leaned on the table, watching the drawing show of a National Intelligence Service agent.
But why was it, my body in the drawing was quite large compared to before? And I was wearing some dinosaur mascot costume!?
“What the heck is that?”
I asked before it was completed, but no answer came. The artist, Hainha, focused silently, moving the mouse.
After a moment, she looked a bit brighter and explained.
“This is a ‘Pinkosaurus’!”
“…….”
I stared intently into Hainha’s eyes. The look I got in return was one of utter confusion.
She really didn’t understand what was wrong, it seems. She was surprisingly sincere.
I didn’t want to say anything bad to someone working hard, so I decided to make a more rational judgment.
“You can stop now.”
“Huh?”
Hainha tilted her head in what seemed like confusion while she was already drawing another concept. Then her expression brightened.
“Are you going for the Pinkosaurus?”
“…No.”
I’d never seen her look so delightfully pleased like that before. So I awkwardly smiled, unable to tell her to delete it immediately.
Thank goodness I had been training to keep my composure. I chose my words carefully to not hurt Hainha’s feelings as I spoke.
“I’ve decided. I like all of them, but one stands out more than the others.”
“Which one do you like?”
When everything seems unsatisfactory, I needed to pick the least embarrassing option.
“I’ll go with the one you showed me at first.”
“The Pink Ice Princess?”
“…Yes.”
It was a princess concept based on a character from a movie I saw a long time ago. Looking back, there really wasn’t a more mundane choice.
No, calling it mundane didn’t feel right. It was more accurate to say that it was better than the Strawberry Queen, Bunny-Ear High School Girl, or the Magical Girl with jewels glued to her chest.
“Just as I thought, that’s a good choice! I think so too!”
Despite my thoughts, Hainha looked extremely satisfied. I couldn’t help but giggle at her expression.
‘Now I can’t refuse it even if I wanted to.’
The outcome wasn’t all that great, but somehow she was trying her best to help me.
I was weak to her pure intentions. This was one of the changes that came with growing older.
“Pope, will the idol performance be broadcasted?”
“…Are you crazy?”
But no matter how full of goodwill it was, I couldn’t tolerate this.
“I will absolutely not show it on broadcast.”
“Then what about IbaTube…?”
“I don’t want to do that either!”
It’d already be embarrassing enough to do it in front of the kids, but to upload it on IbaTube? That idea was a nightmare.
“Remember this. I will only show it secretly to my daughters, understand?”
“Yes.”
Hainha replied with an expression of disappointment. It sent a wave of unease.
*
After finishing the meeting with Hainha, I took a taxi back home.
I had gotten so caught up in the meeting that time had flown. By the time I got home, it was already evening.
“Did I get late?”
Seo-yoon greeted me as I walked in. She was holding a slice of pizza in one hand.
“Were you eating pizza?”
“Yes. Hurry and come eat. It just got delivered!”
“Alright.”
I was feeling hungry, so it worked out perfectly. I quickly took off my shoes and headed to the living room.
A low folding table was set up in the living room, and everyone was gathered around it, having dinner.
The girls were especially enjoying their meal. The sight of them eagerly chewing with their little mouths was adorable.
But why were they ignoring me even though I was home?
‘…Did I get overshadowed by the pizza?’
To be honest, I felt a bit hurt. I had just come back after preparing an event for them, yet I wasn’t receiving much attention.
“Oh, the Pope is here!”
At that moment, the Young Dragon, who had been sprawled on the sofa, waved at me and greeted me.
Even the Evil Dragon, whom I had forcibly subdued, welcomed me like that, but my daughters weren’t even glancing my way. No matter how tasty it was, how could this happen?
Swallowing my disappointment, I stood frozen for a moment before Liam gently nudged the two girls.
Only then did Erina and Ibailla finally look at me.
“Hi, Mom!”
“Hello!”
After a brief greeting, they returned their focus back to the pizza, doubling the shock I felt.
“…….”
This was an act too rude to overlook. It was time for some discipline.
I approached my daughters and squatted down to their level. Then I spoke softly.
“Erina, Ibailla.”
Both of them showed different reactions when I called their names.
“Why?”
Erina replied cheerfully, not realizing what was happening as she was too into the pizza.
On the other hand, Ibailla was quicker to pick up on the situation.
“I’m sorry.”
She apologized even before I had a chance to scold them. She already looked intimidated.
I felt my heart soften for a moment at that sight, but I needed to say what had to be said. I couldn’t let the Pope’s daughters grow up to be rude.
“Ibailla, what do you think you did wrong?”
“Mom came back after work, and we didn’t greet her properly….”
At that moment, Erina’s eyes widened as if she had just realized what mistake she’d made after hearing her sister speak.
“I’m sorry.”
Then, the eldest also sweetly smiled and apologized. I had to discipline them, but they were so cute that my lips threatened to smile.
I barely managed to maintain a stern expression and reprimanded them firmly.
“Don’t smile. Did I teach you to laugh while getting scolded?”
“…No.”
“You can’t look down. Keep your head up and look me in the eye, and stand properly. What kind of behavior is this?”
It hurt my heart to reprimand my adorable children.
This often happened in the other world too. Discipline was always my responsibility, after all. That’s because Liam could only be trusted to play with them.
The bishop of the Order might have taught them proper ethics and morals, but I was responsible for teaching them manners in everyday life.
Back then, I taught manners so thoroughly that sometimes the kids seemed intimidated in front of me, just like now.
“I’ve told you numerous times that proper speech and behavior create a good character. If you continue down the wrong path, how much would it hurt your mother’s heart?”
While I spoke, the two of them looked carefully into my eyes. Erina seemed about to cry, while Ibailla looked glum.
Both still held the leftover pizza in their hands, which looked pitiful under those circumstances.
“Now do you understand?”
Not wanting the pizza to get cold, I decided to make it a brief lesson today.
“Then please continue eating.”
I left those words and stood up.
My daughters checked my expression and slowly began eating their pizza. However, their expressions weren’t as cheerful as before.
Seo-yoon and Liam also kept glancing at me, unable to focus on their meal. The atmosphere suddenly turned sour.
“I knew this would happen.”
Only Hekatrith spoke calmly while munching on her food.
It felt like if I stayed there, this situation would continue, so I decided to step aside.
“Oh… sis, you should eat too.”
Seo-yoon cautiously handed me a slice of pizza, but I declined and entered the inner room.
Then, I flopped onto the bed and covered my face with my hands.
‘I should’ve scolded them after they finished their food….’
How pitiful must it have been for them to be interrupted during their meal? I was too hasty. I felt so bad for the kids that I couldn’t keep my body still.
I regretted it. But there was no helping it.
I didn’t want my children to grow up to be thoughtless adults. I hoped they could live doing what they wanted while still upholding etiquette.
One reckless warrior still figuring things out before maturing was more than enough.
“What are you doing?”
In that moment of self-reproach, the fundamental reason I disciplined my children entered the room, holding my little look-alike, Rohan.
“…Liam.”
“Why did you call me?”
Liam walked over leisurely and lay beside me. In the meantime, Rohan reached out to me, babbling.
I quickly took him and held him, and my son smiled brightly. His smile lit up my complicated mind.
“How are the kids doing?”
As I stroked Rohan’s back and asked, Liam, who had been happily looking at me, tapped my nose.
“The kids say they’re mad at Mom.”
“…Don’t joke with me.”
“Actually, I don’t really know. They’re just being quiet.”
It seems they were sulking after being scolded. If I didn’t calm them down soon, they might end up hating me as Liam had said.
I briefly imagined such a situation.
“Mom, go away!”
Erina running away from me.
“I won’t play with Mom anymore!”
Ibailla glaring at me angrily.
Imagining their transformed selves startled me awake. I sprang up and shook Liam’s body.
“Liam, prepare the welcoming magic right now!”
An emergency situation. It seemed I had to move quickly to avoid my children’s ire.
“What is it for?”
“I’m going to hold a performance for the kids.”
“A performance?”
“I need you to get the images that I’m about to describe ready.”
I couldn’t afford to hesitate even a little. I immediately began explaining the ‘Pink Ice Princess’ concept I had settled on with Hainha to Liam.
“…….”
Liam silently listened to everything I said. Once I finished explaining, he thumped his chest.
“Leave it to me!”
“…Tell me what you’ll do.”
His overly bright voice prompted me to check if he was truly understanding what I’d said.
Suddenly, the punk wrapped his arms around my waist and grinned.
“All I have to do is make you into a graceful princess, right? Just trust me and wait for it!”
As Liam’s confident words reached my ears, I knew.
‘He’s probably going to do something outrageous…’
The idol performance for my daughters was likely to become the worst black history of my life.
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