(Yuuta POV)
We finally rolled back into the city, my trusty old second-hand car coughing up a gentle rattle like it always did. Honestly, it’s not the flashiest ride, but it’s mine, it’s reliable My sweet baby.
Grandpa was leaning against the window in the passenger seat, wide-eyed and fascinated like a kid on a school trip.
Then he pointed. "That... is a school?"
I followed his gaze. The Morning Star Elite Academy lood ahead, its towering structure resembling sothing between a Gothic cathedral and an ancient fortress.
"Oh yeah," I said with a grin. "That’s the place. They preserved the architecture from the old Empire days. A real historical landmark, even by modern standards."
Grandpa gave a low whistle. "That’s... surprisingly noble. Back on my world, academies are nothing like this."
That piqued my interest. "Wait, didn’t your planet have schools? Like us, Dragon Academies? Erza told about that."
"We did," he said, nodding. "But they were built purely for functionality. Ours mostly focused on teaching combat magic. Swordsmanship. Strategy. History used to be taught... but ever since the new Headmaster took over, it’s all about power now. Only the gifted get full training. Everyone else just learns enough not to blow themselves up."
I blinked. "What?! That’s ridiculous. So, if soone’s average, they just get sidelined?"
Grandpa shrugged. "Exactly."
"That’s completely unfair," I muttered, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "Who ca up with that kind of broken system? That’s not education—that’s favoritism wrapped in magical elitism. Whoever designed that idea is a total... bitch bastard."
Silence.
A long, tense silence.
I felt Grandpa’s eyes slowly turn toward .
"...You do realize," he said calmly, "your wife is the Headmaster of that academy system."
My soul left my body.
I slamd the brakes so hard the seatbelt punched in the chest. Elena squeaked in the back seat as the car jerked to a stop in front of the gates.
"No," I said, quickly checking my mirrors and then glancing at Grandpa. "Did I... just call Erza’s system ssed up? Out loud? While calling her a...?"
"Yup," Grandpa said, way too calmly. "You did."
I turned slowly to face Elena. She was already grinning like a little gremlin.
"You... heard that, didn’t you?" I asked to Elena.!
She nodded slowly, holding back a smirk.
"Elena," I whispered, hands in a pleading pose, "sweetheart, please. For the love of peace and my poor face—don’t tell your mom I said that."
She tilted her head. "Hmm. You called Mama’s whole career plan a bad word..."
"I panicked! It was a heat-of-the-mont thing!"
"Please," I begged, hands folded like a monk. "Please, don’t tell your mom I said that."
She tapped her chin like she was thinking really hard. "Hmm... I could keep it a secret."
"Thank you—"
"But only if you buy sothing."
I sighed. "Blackmail? Really?"
She raised a tiny, devious eyebrow. "Chocolate."
"...What?"
"You want my silence? Buy chocolate. And a milkshake. And maybe so fries."
"You’ve been hanging out with Grandpa too much."
"Do we have a deal?"
I sighed in defeat. "Fine. Deal. But if she finds out, I’m blaming you."
"You were the one who said ’bad word.’"
"Can we stop saying that word out loud?!"
She giggled, and I could already tell today was going to be... sothing.
Grandpa suddenly coughed—very loudly—to grab my attention.
"I just rembered sothing," he said, clearing his throat dramatically. "You know... I can’t really keep secrets. I’m old now. Things just slip out sotis."
I narrowed my eyes. "What happen Grandpa.?"
He leaned back smugly. "Well, I might accidentally ntion that little conversation we just had... to Erza."
I sighed like my soul left my body. "Alright, alright. How many chocolates do you want?"
He scoffed. "I’m not a child, Yuuta."
"Then what do you want?"
He rubbed his frosty white beard, eyes twinkling like a mischievous kid. "I want our neighbor’s number."
"...Neighbor? Who exactly?"
"The one with the mature charm and a good figure."
I blinked. "You an... Miss Kano? She’s 46, divorced, lives alone—AND YOU are over a thousand years old!"
He shrugged. "Love is just a number, Yuuta. Don’t be the villain in my love story."
"...Fine. I’ll try my best. But don’t say I didn’t warn you."
He grinned wide, like he’d just won a war.
"That’s my granddaughter’s husband."
I finally pulled into the parking lot, gripping the steering wheel like it owed money. After surviving a full-blown backseat war between Grandpa and Elena—who were way too hyped over who got to pick the next snack stop—I needed a second to breathe.
Still, sothing about being here again felt... different.
Morning Star Elite Academy.
Not for a desperate interview this ti.
Not begging for a chance to prove I belonged.
No, this ti... I was here as Elena’s parent.
I stepped out of the car, adjusting my coat. Elena hopped out ahead of , her black-and-gold uniform catching the morning light like a royal banner. She twirled in it like she was auditioning for the lead in a magical girl show.
Grandpa erged next, dressed in a traditional white kimono, complete with sandals and a wooden staff. "This is the formal attire of wisdom," he declared proudly. "Also, I spilled coffee on my other clothes."
"And you wonder why people stare..." I muttered.
? I kept it simple—black coat, crisp white shirt, plain black tie. I wanted to look responsible. Or at least like I wasn’t constantly five minutes away from chaos.
We made our way toward the main gate. The old stone arch was still there, carved with ancient Nova lettering. Statues of long-forgotten scholars stood watch overhead, as if judging every student who dared to walk beneath them.
I paused for a second, rembering my last ti here.
The stares. The whispers.
That second-hand car they all judged.
But most of all—Erza, reaching out and grabbing my hand.
"Ignore them. You’re walking beside now. That’s enough."
I blinked. My chest tightened.
Where is she now? What’s she doing?
God, I miss her.
"Elena," I called, watching her dash ahead through the academy gates like a little spark of lightning. "Slow down, please! And for the love of everything—don’t bump into anyone. These people look like the type to sue you if you breathe too close to their shoes."
She laughed over her shoulder, twirling once in her black and gold uniform, totally unbothered.
I sighed, shaking my head. "No fear in that one..."
We passed through the massive entrance of Morning Star Elite Academy—the place where nobles sent their gifted children, where everything slled like polished stone and old money. It had the vibe of a museum and a battlefield all in one.
Grandpa walked beside in his white kimono, still claiming, "This is how all wise old n dress in your Japanese shows." And ? I was doing my best to look responsible in my black coat and tie. Adult mode: activated.
I was just about to call Elena again when—
WHAM.
My shoulder slamd into sothing solid.
I reeled back a step, blinking.
It was a man.
A very round, very well-dressed man.
His glasses had flown off his face and hit the pavent with a soft crunch. And just like that, my stomach dropped.
"I—I’m so sorry," I said quickly, bending down to help.
Before I could even touch the broken fra, the man’s hand shot out and grabbed by the collar, yanking upright.
"You absolute fool!" he barked, his voice booming across the courtyard. "Do you have any idea what you’ve done?!"
I flinched. "Sir, I swear—it was an accident!"
"Accident?" he spat. "Those were custom-designed fras. Imported. Titanium-coated. Fifty thousand dollars!"
My eyes nearly fell out of my skull. "F-Fifty...? For glasses?!"
As if summoned, his secretary rushed over, holding a fresh pair of spares like a soldier delivering a sword to a general. He snatched them, shoved them onto his face—
Then everything changed.
His expression stiffened. His hands stopped moving.
His eyes—now focused behind those new lenses—were staring at like he’d just seen a ghost.
"...No," he muttered.
I froze.
"...Those eyes. That hair. You’re..."
His voice dropped lower, quieter. But it hit harder.
"You’re that boy."
I blinked. "What?"
A strange sensation stirred in my gut. I didn’t know where this was going, but I could feel it wasn’t good.
"You’re from the orphanage," he said slowly, almost like the words were rusted. "I rember now. You’re the bad luck monster. How dare you show your face here again."
Bad luck monster.
My entire body went cold.
That nickna... I hadn’t heard it in years. But hearing it now was like a blade pressing against an old scar.
"I—I think you have the wrong person," I said softly.
"I don’t," he snapped, stepping closer. "Don’t act like you forgot, brat. I was the first person who tried to adopt you."
My heart stuttered.
And suddenly—
I rembered.
The man is Jas Walmart.
The way he used to smile—how he and his wife held my hands the day they picked .
I rembered how they walked out of the orphanage like I was their child.
Like I finally belonged to soone.
That day, I let myself believe I had a real family. A mom. A dad. A new ho.
But it didn’t last.
Within a week, they’d lost everything.
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. My hands were trembling now, and I couldn’t even et his eyes.
"Still cursed, I see," he said, voice full of disgust.
Then his wife appeared beside him. Sa posture. Sa disgusted eyes.
She grabbed his arm tightly. "He’s here? You think he’s co to bring his bad luck to our daughter now?"
"...Daughter?" I asked quietly.
And that’s when I saw her.
A small girl peeked from behind her mother’s dress. Soft brown eyes. Perfect hair. A pearl pin in her bangs. Maybe four or five.
She looked at curiously—no fear, no judgnt.
Just... a child. Innocent.
My chest tightened.
Back then, I rembered them crying in the orphanage office, telling the staff they couldn’t have children. They were desperate, grieving.
And now, they had their miracle.
And I was still... a mistake in their story.
More voices started whispering around us. Parents. Students. Staff.
Isn’t that the bad luck boy I heard year ago but tragedy Jas?
He was adopted and sent back...
Isn’t he that cursed orphan?
I could feel every word like a needle pressing into my skin. becasue Jas was the top most business man in World and because he bla everyone knew .
I wanted to say sothing. Anything.
But I just stood there—frozen—staring at the family I almost had, and the mory I never asked to relive.
As I stood there, frozen in the middle of the academy courtyard, the world around seed to blur. The whispers of the crowd faded into a low hum. My chest felt tight, as if the weight of a hundred unspoken mories had just slamd back into all at once.
Then... a gentle tug on my leg.
I looked down.
Elena.
She clutched my pants, her small hand warm against the cold creeping into my skin. Her eyes—so full of light, unaware of the shadows hanging around us—looked up at with quiet concern.
"Papa..." she said softly, tilting her head. "Why do you look sad?"
Her voice was so gentle it almost broke .
I knelt slowly and placed a hand on her head, brushing a few strands of hair from her face. I wanted to smile. I wanted to tell her everything was okay. But my lips couldn’t find the words.
Before I could speak, he let out a scoff behind .
"Papa?" Jas said, practically spitting the word. "You’ve got to be kidding . You have a child?"
I rose to my feet again—not too fast, not aggressively. Just steady. Quietly steady.
"Yes," I said, locking eyes with him. "I’m married. And Elena is my daughter."
His mouth opened slightly, like he didn’t quite believe it.
Or maybe he just didn’t want to.
"You’re telling ..." he began slowly, shaking his head, "...that you—you—brought a child into this academy?"
"I did," I replied, my voice calm but firm. "I went through the proper process. Elena passed all the qualifications. We’re here just like everyone else."
For a mont, he said nothing.
He just looked at .
Like I wasn’t human.
Like I was a ticking bomb he couldn’t stop watching.
Then his wife stepped up beside him, a carefully grood woman with cold, calculating eyes. She rested her hand on his shoulder and leaned slightly toward him, whispering sothing too quiet to catch. But her glare never left .
And then she said it.
"You brought your daughter here? What for? To ruin soone else’s life like you ruined ours?"
I stayed silent.
Elena gripped my hand now—tighter. She didn’t understand the full story. Not yet. But she could feel it.
She knew this was different.
The man’s voice cracked slightly as he pointed at again. "You’re cursed. Everyone knows that. You brought bad luck wherever you went. Businesses collapsed. People got hurt. My life was nearly destroyed—because of you."
"I was a child," I said softly. "You think I wanted any of that?"
"Don’t play innocent," he snapped. "You know what happened. I tried to give you a future. I tried to give you a ho."
He took a step closer, his voice growing louder, chest rising with old anger.
"You were supposed to be our son. We welcod you. And within days, everything I’d built fell apart. My company. My savings. Our ho."
I took a breath.
"I never blad you," he continued bitterly. "Not at first. I thought maybe we were just unlucky. But then you kept showing up—at places where disaster followed. And I knew. You’re not just bad luck. You’re a black hole."
My body felt still. Too still. Like I couldn’t move even if I wanted to.
I rembered it clearly now.
The rain. The way his hands gripped my arm as he dragged out of the car. The sound of paper tearing when he ripped the adoption papers in two and threw them in a puddle.
"You’re cursed," he’d said back then.
He was saying it again now.
And just when I thought it couldn’t get worse—
"There’s no way you have a real family," he added. "You probably just adopted that girl to get back at so that you can take revenge. that it? Is this so sick revenge sche?"
I clenched my jaw.
"Enough," I said, but my voice was too quiet to stop him.
"Where’s your wife, then? Let guess—she ran off. Or maybe she died— Or endup in Gang hand."
That’s when I snapped.
I stepped forward, grabbed his collar, and lifted him slightly off the ground. His feet dangled just enough for the panic to show in his eyes.
My voice dropped, low and cold.
"Don’t. Speak.ill. About my wife."
He froze.
Everything around us did.
The crowd that had gathered was silent now. You could hear the breeze through the trees.
I slowly lowered him, releasing his collar.
He fixed his jacket, straightened his tie, then looked at with a twisted smile.
"So," he said, brushing invisible dust off his shoulder, "the monster does get angry."
Then he leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper—ant for no one else but .
"I’ll make sure your daughter gets expelled. For the safety of mine daughter. Becasue she has sa eye like yours I don’t want her to feel the pain which, I gone through."
I stood there.
Still.
But inside, sothing had changed.
Because this ti... I wasn’t a scared orphan.
I wasn’t the boy waiting for soone to save him.
I am father now.
And I would never let anyone take her future away—not again.
To be continue...
[End of Chapter]
Hey everyone! I’m really sorry if the Chapters are getting a bit long lately. Please forgive ! I just don’t want to leave you all hanging in suspense—I want you to feel relaxed and enjoy the story comfortably when a new Chapter drops. Thank you for always supporting !
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