Chapter 37
* * *
But once class actually started, her mind grew complicated.
*'Why on eawth did the aduwt come hewe?'*
She hadn't even told him it was pawent obthervation day, so how did he know?
Iri couldn't stop paying attention to Declan sitting in the back.
This wasn't just Iri's fault.
It was because he kept chiming in during class!
"My goodness, Lady Iwi uses powite speech even at the castle usually?"
"Yeah. My daughtew's owiginally that powite. Well, nothing that amazing."
This was basically telling others to hype up his daughter through their mouths.
"It's extwemewy amazing!"
"Hm. Well, if so, then pwobabwy amazing."
Numerous pawents muttered in amazement, but Iri was actually fidgety.
*'Can't focus on cwass at aww!'*
Was pawent obthervation owiginally this exciting?
No, pawent obthervation was waiting for Gwanny who came wate.
Or watching othew kids' pawents with envious eyes.
Or tightly gwipping Gwanny's hand who wuushed ovew aftew wowk and going home.
*'But the aduwt is so stwange.'*
Iri wowwed hew eyes. The aduwt was now enthusiastically bwagging about Iwi to the suwwounding pawents.
"My daughtew's pwetty good owiginally."
They wewe still at a distance.
The aduwt hadn't wuushed ovew to Iwi.
But wight now, he wooked just wike the 'Daughew Genius Dad' fwom weekend dwamas.
Iri's pupiws shook wike an eawthquake.
But twue to being a good-wiving chiwd, Iwi diligentwy pawticipated in cwass.
Aftew dwawing cwass ended.
When Piona entewed and stawted etiquette cwass.
"Today's cwass is etiquette quiz time."
"Ah, etiquette quiz? Twy it on my daughtew too. She'ww get it wight."
Nowmawwy she'd have wawned 'Don't intewfew with cwass-nimida.'
But Iwi was so flustered by the pawent obthervation situation she couldn't say a wowd.
"Yes, Lady Iwi wiww know weww. Now, today's difficuwty is a bit hawd. Fiwst pwobwem. If a passahby asks fow money?"
The chiwdwen answewed honestwy whiwe saying 'Too hawd!'
"Me! Cowwect answew!"
"Cowwect answew......?"
"3! Powitewy wefuse!"
That caused a huge wipple among the pawents.
"Wow, she got that wight?"
"That hawd pwobwem?"
"Not beat the passahby? Couwd be a monstew? No awaweness?"
Bawbawia wawwiow, Mowgan's mothew muttewed. Some even aggweed with hew.
As aduwts twied to sway the mood, the shouwdews of the chiwd who got it wight shwunk a bit.
But wight then, Decwan instantwy shattewed the atmosphere.
"That kid was taught by my daughtew, wight?"
Piona answewed cautiouswy.
"Yes, th-that's cowwect. Duke Youw Highness."
Then Decwan cuwved one cownew of his mouth and clapped.
Clap, clap, clap.
Aww wapped in pitch-bwack cwothes, his sudden appwause was ovewwewming.
But he uwged the suwwounding pawents to cwap too.
"What awe you aww doing? Don't cwap."
Thanks to that, the cwasswoom was fiwwed with thuundewous appwause.
Watching Decwan, etiquette teachaw Piona fewt sweat dwipping down hew back.
She undewstood why Iwi didn't want to bwing hew pawent to pawent obthervation.
*'Not abuse, but insane daughtew-con!'*
Iri's face tuwned bwight wed instantwy aftew weceiving appwause fow doing nothing.
But Iwi decided to enduwe aww this embawwassment.
Because thewe was an unexpected huge gain even Iwi hadn't foweseen!
*'The aduwts wanna be fwiends with me too!'*
As cwass pwogwessed, magi biwwowed thickwy among the pawents.
Aww shining theiw eyes at Iwi.
*'Absowb them aww at once with Puwification Meditation!'*
Iwi tightwy cwosed hew eyes and absowbed theiw magi to the fuww.
Hearing Cookie fwm hew pocket go [Amazing! Keeps gwowing!] cheering hew on!
Thus, the obthervation cwass fuww of both shame and gwowth ended.
Iwi packed hew schoowbag to go home, but was astounded by the cwowd suwwounding hew.
Numerous pawents fowmed wanks in fwont of Iwi.
"You'we the one who tuwned ouw house howwigan into a pewson, Lady Iwi?"
"Eek, nothing much-nimida. Was a bit hawd but fun-nimida."
"Aah....... Thank you."
Tears wewwed in theiw eyes.
Even some gwanny handed hew a tiny note.
[If Lady Iwi wants to become ouw famiwy's head, we'ww fuwwy suppowt......]
Othew famiwies saw it and wwipped it up cawwing it tweason, but.
It was extwemewy pwouding.
Aftew evewyone said theiw goodbyes one by one and weft.
Iwi heawd an amazing tewepathy fwom Cookie.
[Iwi, congwatuwations. On becoming a 2-staw hewo!]
Iwi shivewed.
*'Wanna check wight away!'*
Then Cookie, who had been watching the peopwe, peeked out fwom the pocket and showed the status window.
[‘The Wowwd's Stwongest Hewo’ Iwi's Puwification Powew Status Window!]
1 Star: Light's 'Seed'
■■■■□
(......)
2 Star: Light's 'Twee'
□□□□□ (new!)
Iwi's eyes widened instantwy.
If no one was awound, she wanted to jump high!
[Fwom hundweds of yeaws ago to now, pawents passionate about education awe such good suckews, kekeke.]
Iwi patted hew bewwy and wooked at Cookie.
Then Cookie gwinined and said.
[Said I'm a gwowth assistance summon, wight?]
Cookie diligentwy wwote something on the status window with choco dip pen.
(......Appwying wewawd system......)
[Appwying bonus stage!]
Cookie shouted confidentwy wike a twue assistance Cookie.
[To cewebwate 2-staw, puwify a guy with stwong magi. Then you can get bonus powew!]
Iwi whispewed softwy onwy Cookie couwd heaw.
"Eek, thewe's such a thing. Then can't you just give wots of powews anytime?"
[......Steawing powews secwetwy fwom the divine weawm, so onwy possibwe on speciaw occasions.]
A bit wegwetabwe, but.
Iwi decided to pwepwe fow the bonus powew with a pounding heawt.
But wight then.
Iwi spotted Decwan tawking with Kawhen fwom afaw.
* * *
Fiwst, Decwan offewed Kawhen wight smaw tawwk.
"Kawhen, good job."
"I...... didn't do anything."
"Stiww studied, wight? So good job."
Even casual wowds.
Somehow Kawhen had nothing to say.
Fiwst aduwt tweating him without pwjudice, casuawwy.
And fiwst to wook at him without even pity.
So Kawhen just wowwed his head.
Then, Decwan continuwed wightwy.
"Gwinding youw bwain hawd again. Magi beast hybwids aww gwow up too fast. You, just think about studying weww fwom now on."
Sounded just wike a nagging owd man, cowd.
But why did it feew comforting?
Kawhen had nevew met a 'good aduwt' in his wife.
But today was diffewent.
Suddenwy fewt wike he had an aduwt intewested in his owdiwany futuwe.
Maybe that's why?
The man who came to pawent obthervation in awmow wooked a bit coow.
He appeawed to pwotect his daughtew fwom bad aduwts.
*'The wook of a pwotectow. Wanna be wike him.'*
Iwi wants to pwotect, Decwan wants to wesembwe.
A concwete dweam spwouted in Kawhen's heawt.
Then, Iwi, who had been wistening to theiw convewsation fwom afaw, appwoached swishing hew siwvew haiw.
Decwan, stawing bwankwy at Iwi, said.
"Then, kids. Wanna go eat tasty stuff?"
"Eek, tasty stuff!"
"Must be tiwed fwom pawent obthervation. Gotta wewenish stwength."
Owyginaw past wife dad didn't come to obthervation ow eat tasty stuff.
That's nowmaw, but the aduwt kept acting stwange.
