Chapter: 185. Family Service (3)
As I expected, the movie was far from a romance.
That doesn’t mean it was a human drama or tearjerker either.
And comedy? Definitely not.
In other words, it wasn’t a movie that matched my taste…
Ah, I do like comedy. It’s just that this wasn’t that kind of genre.
But still.
“Happiness Drop! Why?!”
“It’s because this won’t work…”
I felt like dying. Damn.
When that voice flowed from the speakers placed around the theater, an indescribable embarrassment began to wash over me.
Why did I pick this movie?
Let’s just ignore Linshua for now—didn’t someone need to stop this?
“Let’s go, Harris!”
“Yeah!”
The Thunder God, adorned with frills, emitted stars every time she moved. Could she be a motivation for me?
Why?
Was there really no one in the movie production team who found it odd that a magical girl was emitting stars in a reality-based war movie?
Not even one?
Of course, I understand why.
Most records of 0-Rank combat are classified, so all you can get is a vague overview or a heavily censored list of participants.
So, I guess they pieced it together based on this rough info and survivor testimonies.
It’s not strange for a design to come from such fragmented information about a magical girl.
Even so…
That just doesn’t cut it.
“Harris, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. You know, mascots don’t die easily.”
Even though I was already uncomfortable, on screen, a giant white wolf was blocking the Happiness Drop’s scarlet spear.
And then, there was the magical girl connecting with ‘Harris,’ who was wounded.
I felt like I would throw up.
The popcorn I had just devoured earlier mixed with my cola was about to make a comeback.
So I tried to avert my gaze from that disgusting screen and looked at the Thunder God and Linshua seated beside me.
First, Linshua on my left.
She had adorably clasped her hands on her chest and was gazing at the screen with shining eyes.
Wow. Wow. She added little exclamations for good measure.
She really is cute.
Maybe because of that cute sight, a smirk tugged at my lips, and the nausea that had been dominating my body started to fade.
Okay, now what about the Thunder God?
The moment I turned my head…
Our eyes met.
The Thunder God was staring intently at me.
She looked at me blankly for a moment, then turned her head to the screen and a few seconds later glanced back at me.
Considering she can barely see, her actions were quite awkward.
Then she suddenly started to laugh.
Maybe to keep the theater manners, she didn’t let her voice out, but surely, had she opened her mouth, the laughter would’ve filled the whole cinema.
She must’ve been saying something like, “Is that you?”
“That?”
Accompanied by some hearty laughter.
I could somewhat imagine it and turned back to the screen.
Fortunately, the scene featuring a magical girl similar to me had passed, and other heroes were now showcasing their talents.
A martial artist wielding a sword.
A robot in tri-color that Elders would adore.
A typical fantasy wizard wearing a cone hat and wielding a magic rod.
Thus, the battles in the movie began to flow rather calmly.
Too calmly.
“Dad! How was the movie?”
After the movie ended, just as I sat down at the typical shopping mall food court to grab a bite, Linshua popped the question.
I hesitated to answer, swirling the cup of water in front of me.
“How was the movie?”
Honestly, since I hadn’t watched it properly, it felt awkward to evaluate it, yet there were fragments of thoughts swirling in my head.
The structure was fine.
But the reality was so different that I couldn’t put it into words.
Why did the Happiness Drop die a tragic death while we had a happy ending with minimal sacrifices?
Still, there was no need to tell the sparkling-eyed child that.
“It wasn’t bad.”
I settled for a suitably okay answer, partly sincere.
Yeah, for a movie, it wasn’t bad.
If it hadn’t been based on reality, if it was just a simple movie, it would’ve been a perfectly typical hero movie.
Betrayal of allies.
A confused band of heroes.
Yet, through some incidents, the group’s resolution gathered.
The betrayer was eliminated.
But even the betrayer had their reasons.
Leaving thoughts like that, the movie came to a close.
I’m sure there wouldn’t be many who’d dislike it.
Aside from the two seated here.
The two heroes who participated in that battle.
I don’t know what the Thunder God thought, who had gone to get food, but at least, nothing came to mind for me.
The trauma of having participated in that battle was too distant since the movie was so different from reality.
If I couldn’t even decipher the motifs of the heroes that appeared…
If the enemy’s name hadn’t been Happiness Drop…
I might have enjoyed it purely.
In the midst of such reflections…
“I had fun too, but… I was a bit disappointed…”
Linshua, who had been laughing brightly, didn’t lose her smile but let slip a statement with a hint of emotion.
Well, now it’s my turn to step in.
“Disappointed? What about?”
“Well… I thought Dad would be in it. But you didn’t show up, and the story was different…”
Did Linshua expect something like that?
Well, if she had expected that, this was entirely a different thing.
Thinking that way, maybe it’s for the best.
The movie we just watched didn’t even pretend to be hopeful.
If someone managed to hack the Association and stole the complete combat records to make a movie out of it, I would have grabbed Linshua and stormed out of the theater mid-viewing.
The Divine One would probably have followed out, vomiting from PTSD too.
Of course, such a movie would have been scrapped by the Association’s watchful eyes, but it was just a ‘what if.’
“Dad’s here, so why not just watch it?”
That’s true! The movie probably couldn’t express Dad’s coolness at all!
Maybe my words were appropriate as Linshua beamed and raised me up.
“Really? Then should we go to the Guild and duel? That could be even cooler…”
A shock descended on my head.
It didn’t hurt much, but it was enough of a surprise to stop my words.
“Don’t bully those Guild folks. We might’ break something while sparring.”
That shock came from the Divine One whacking my head with a tray.
“Don’t bully? Those guys are pretty strong, you know.”
Queph and Al’sel are 0-Rank.
“And they’re definitely weaker than our naive Cherry Mallet.”
The Divine One said this while distributing the food on the tray.
In front of Linshua was a hamburger steak.
In front of the Divine One were chicken salad and cream soup, with several pieces of bread.
And in front of me was a bowl of soup.
“Oh, Thunder God… Unni! Thank you!”
“If it’s hard, you can just call me Thunder God.”
The Thunder God seemed to have gotten used to being called ‘Auntie’ or ‘Unni’ and said that as she settled into her seat.
“What were we talking about?”
“About the movie we just saw.”
Overall, it wasn’t that bad, but it felt a bit odd for us to watch it, right?”
“Yeah, it’s strange. Linshua looks a bit disappointed that I didn’t show up.”
“Thunder God, you didn’t show up either!”
Oh, now that you mention it, who was it that didn’t show up?
An unidentified superhuman appeared, but there was no electric type.
I had thought I would have fun teasing the Divine One if a hero inspired by her came out, but she never showed up at all, leaving me slightly disappointed.
“Isn’t it better not to appear in the movie?”
The Thunder God said that and looked at me with a mischievous grin.
“Someone was portrayed so gloriously… How do you feel about being a magical girl shooting pink beams while riding a white wolf?”
“If you mention that one more time, I’ll go knock the Guild folks’ heads off.”
I can’t hit the Thunder God or Linshua, so I’d have to take a swing at the Guild management as a responsibility.
If it was too difficult, I’d just smack Al’sel.
“Really? As long as it’s not you, then? How about ‘Harris’? A brilliant mascot there.”
Alright. Let’s demolish Unho.
It was undoubtedly because of him that I suffered this humiliation.
I should have used him for dumpling stuffing and sold him off ages ago.
Considering how to deal with Unho could wait for later, let’s just change the topic.
“Let’s leave the movie behind for now. What’s next on the agenda?”
I was prepared to follow along with whatever it was, but I hoped it wouldn’t be shopping.
“Um, I was originally going to browse a few more accessory shops… but…”
A momentary chilling phrase slipped from the Thunder God.
“I think we can skip it! This necklace is enough!”
As Linshua raised the necklace around her neck, her statement cut off.
“Alright then. Good to hear. Right?”
Holding a knife with chicken stuck on it, she poked my side as if she knew everything.
“Huh? No. It’s kind of disappointing.”
I also wanted to reply and let out a completely insincere response.
So now that we’ve seen the movie, shopping’s done… The next items on the agenda are karaoke, bowling, escape room cafes, arcades… And this doesn’t seem quite right, but there’s art…
“Art?! I want to go to the art museum!”
“Huh? Really okay with the art museum?”
“Yes! I love art museums! Dad used to take me there often!”
Ah… Now that you mention it, that was the case.
Since there weren’t many people around, it was easy to hide until horns sprouted.
Thanks to her parents, she had an immense love for artworks.
“Um. If Linshua likes it, that’s fine. How about you?”
“Huh? If Linshua likes it, that’s fine by me.”
As long as it’s not shopping, I’m fine with anything.
“Then it’s decided that we’re going to the art museum. I just found out there’s a special exhibition nearby.”
“What kind of art? Old stuff? Modern? Sculptures? Paintings?”
While the Thunder God searched for the museum on her phone, Linshua couldn’t even wait for that as she put down her fork and knife and started bouncing beside the Divine One.
Modern art, from a certain university…
The Thunder God smiled sweetly as she intended to answer.
“Linshua.”
I firmly opened my mouth to interrupt.
“What did I teach you while eating?”
Chitchat is fine, but don’t make a mess…
Maybe shocked by my severity, Linshua began to tone down her excitement and lowered her voice.
“She might just be excited…”
“Thunder God, this is my discipline policy.”
The Thunder God probably thought I was being too harsh, but I firmly extended my hand to cut off the Divine One’s words.
In the meantime, Linshua returned to her seat with a bit of a sulky expression and started to clean up her share obediently.
I quietly whispered to the Thunder God.
“You know, even if there’s a talisman, it’s best to avoid situations where Linshua stands out.”
Only then did the Thunder God nod quietly, as if to say she understood.
Once that mutual understanding was complete, I looked directly at Linshua and opened my mouth.
“Linshua, do you know why Dad is doing this?”
“Yes, Dad. I’m sorry.”
Linshua had calmed down a bit, but she said that in a flat voice with a hint of sincerity.
Now, it seemed like she was genuinely reflecting.
I’m not that strict of a father.
I’m also not a father who scolds for no reason.
“Linshua understands that too. You got too excited about going to the art museum with me, didn’t you?”
“But you have to eat cleanly. You can’t just throw your food away. Wouldn’t it feel bad if Unho did that? It’s the same as that.”
“I get it!”
“I’m glad you understand, so finish your food quickly so we can cheer together again.”
Once we finish eating, it’ll be a bit noisy, but they’re at that age.
Seeing that she seemed to understand my feelings, Linshua also smiled slightly and began to move the meat to her mouth.
Looks like I’m doing way better at being a dad than I thought?
“… After a few years, you’ll get used to it even if you don’t want to.”
“Yeah, I thought you were just irresponsible and threw things away.”
“Why would I? I tried to raise you as well as I could.”
Of course, that ended in disaster.
Before it reached that point, I wasn’t a great dad, but I thought I was at least an ordinary one.
Did she understand that struggle?
“Yeah. It seems so. You’re a good dad. For now.”
The Divine One said that with a slight smile, and that smile was quite kind.
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