The Great Sword is not the Main Body!-Chapter 139: Trial (2)

“Yeah.”

I walked quickly to the table and sat down, noticing that there were three ice cubes in the barley tea, which had turned lukewarm.

The cup was cold, but the warmth spread inside as I took a sip of the barley tea, rinsing my mouth.

I picked up the spoon.

I didn’t need chopsticks.

Dad had already cut everything into bite-sized pieces for me.

“Hehe.”

I quietly smiled as I moved the spoon.

A spoonful of warm rice.

A spoonful of miso soup at just the right temperature.

A bite of the potato next to it.

A piece of meat.

“Honestly... I think Dad’s miso soup is way better than Mom’s...”

“Right? Only those who know how to eat can understand. Hehehe!”

Once again, Dad’s rough hand ruffled my hair.

I ate the really salty miso soup, feeling it fully.

It was peaceful.

It was happy.

The very bland miso soup took two spoonfuls.

The rice, too watery and soggy, took one spoonful.

I chewed the undercooked potatoes thoroughly.

I chewed and swallowed the cheap, fatty meat.

“Hmm... So, what are we doing for this wedding anniversary?”

“Well, it’s the 20th anniversary this time, so I saved up quite a bit of money.”

“...Didn’t you get in trouble for secretly saving it and hiding it from Mom last time?”

“Trouble? No, she just got mad for no reason.”

As if recalling that memory, Dad smiled warmly and mischievously, then took a sip of lukewarm barley tea before continuing.

“Anyway, I want to get a ring this time.”

“Ah... a ring.”

“Yeah. You don’t have a single one. So I want to get one for you, me, and Mom.”

“...Me too?”

“Yeah, why? You don’t want to?”

Dad’s right eyebrow shot up in a playful arch.

“Ah, no... It’s not that I don’t want to... but don’t you think it would be better if it’s just you and Mom?”

“Why leave you out?”

“Well...”

The words "because it's too expensive" almost escaped my throat, but I swallowed them down.

“Well... What do you mean? It's a family ring for the family, so how can you not be part of it?”

Family.

“...Alright, then.”

I lowered my head and scooped more rice into my bowl like it was soup.

“Well, we’ll get the ring, buy some flowers, write a letter...”

“That’s something you always do.”

Of course, it wasn’t flowers bought from the store.

It was flowers picked from the backyard of the fire station.

“Yeah, that’s right. So this time, I want to do something different.”

I chewed the tough meat in my mouth as I tilted my head.

“Noah, if you don’t help, we’ll be in big trouble.”

Chuckling.

Hearing that ominous laugh, I swallowed the meat quickly.

What could it be?

Beep—beep—bam!

The sound of rubber being tied up with air filling it completely echoed in the room.

“Ugh... Heh, Dad... I... I feel dizzy...”

“Ugh! How are you already ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) feeling that way? I fed you so much rice already.”

“Nooo... This... this is way too much! How can you ask me to blow 300 balloons with my mouth!”

“I’m blowing too, so it’ll be halved. Hurry up, we’re out of time!”

Whooosh—

Is he really Captain America?

Dad, who blew up a balloon to an impressively large size in one breath, suddenly felt amazing to me.

I need to blow a few times just to get one balloon...

I looked at the deflated balloon in my hand and sighed.

“So... Dad, when you proposed to Mom, did you blow all 300 balloons by yourself?”

Dad, with a balloon in his mouth, nodded.

Then, he tied the puffed-up balloon and spoke,

“When I proposed, I didn’t have a car or anything, so the only thing I could do was blow up balloons... I nearly died doing it, hahaha.”

A truly happy smile.

“What did you like about Mom?”

“What did I like... I never thought about it like that. It was just... um.”

Dad scratched his head shyly as he picked up the next balloon and whispered softly.

“I liked everything about her.”

His expression and tone made me feel shy too.

“Ugh... Gross, Dad.”

“Hey, damn it! If you say that, I’ll feel embarrassed too!”

Thwack—!

“Ugh! Why are you hitting me!”

“Hurry up and blow the balloon!”

“Jeez...”

I rubbed my hot forehead repeatedly and blew air into the crinkled balloon in my hand.

An hour passed, but it felt like ten.

Finally, the hellish time was over.

I had 100 balloons.

Dad had 200.

“Alright, now let’s move them.”

“...Move them?”

“Yeah.”

“Where to...?”

“To Dad’s car.”

“...Why?”

“Tomorrow is our anniversary, so I have to hide them.”

Dad grinned as he stood up, holding a bundle of balloons tied with thin string.

One bundle had 20 balloons.

15 bundles in total...

“Ugh, this is a pain.”

“If we finish successfully, I’ll buy you meat.”

“...But we were already planning to eat out.”

Dad clicked his tongue, shaking his head and finally opened his mouth with a heavy sigh.

“I’ll buy you regular meat, not all-you-can-eat.”

“...Really?”

“A man doesn’t change his mind.”

“Deal...”

I immediately grabbed one bundle of balloons and stood up excitedly.

Seeing this, Dad smiled bitterly, opened the door, and walked out.

I watched his back silently, then said quietly,

“Honestly, I don’t mind all-you-can-eat. I really like the tteokbokki there.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, when we go, we eat tons of tteokbokki. So... just go to the usual place.”

“...Okay.”

Thud, thud—

The sound of my heels on the cold vinyl floor.

Then, between those steps...

Sorry.

Dad’s soft voice weighed heavily on me.

I pressed my lips tightly together.

I didn’t want to hear it.

After a moment, Dad’s loud voice broke the awkward silence.

“That aside, honey, is this house okay?”

“Ah... Yeah. It’s a little tiring because of the mobility issues, but it’s fine. The family is kind, too.”

“That’s a relief.”

He smiled with genuine relief.

“Why are you asking about that, though?”

“Ah, one of my colleagues has a wife who works as a caregiver like you. The family in the new house is supposed to be very demanding, so... I was a little worried.”

“Really? Why? Are you worried they’ll complain because of your facial scars?”

Dad’s soup fell off his spoon with a clink.

“No, no. I just don’t want you to be tired.”

“Heh heh, it’s fine. The people here are really kind. They don’t even seem to mind. In fact, I think they try not to look at it. I’m thankful for that.”

Dad’s mouth curved up and down with a slight twitch.

His smile came and went in waves.

“Yeah... That’s good.”

“Ugh... I think younger men are cute, after all.”

Mom, carefully setting down the pot of barley tea, poked Dad’s cheek.

“Younger men? At forty, they’re all friends, right?”

Dad grabbed Mom’s hand gently, turned his head sharply, and started massaging her fingers with his rough hand.

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

...Does he not know Mom’s ring size?

Mom, seeing this, smiled mysteriously and looked at me.

“You’re right, Noah. At a four-year difference, he’s definitely younger, right?”

Dad’s gaze locked onto mine.

“...Honestly... I think at four years, that is young.”

“Heh, you’re right?”

“Ugh.”

I ignored Dad’s glare and continued eating the miso soup.

The potatoes were perfectly cooked.

The seasoning was just right.

It fit so perfectly in my mouth.

...Mom is the best.

Meanwhile, Dad’s fingers never stopped caressing Mom’s ring finger.

Looks like it’s already obvious.

Sigh.

*****

“Are you here, traitor?”

“...Honestly, four years... is younger.”

“Was the miso soup that good?”

“Ugh...”

I turned my eyes left and slowly sat next to Dad.

“Did you pick the ring design already?”

Dad, squinting at me, handed me his phone with the gallery screen open.

The gallery was full of photos of Mom and me.

At the top were six photos of rings.

I clicked on the first photo and examined the design.

“Hmm... It’s a bit ambiguous.”

Next.

“This one... is too thin for you, Dad.”

Next.

“Ew, this one is a total thug ring.”

Next.

And then...

When the fifth ring photo appeared.

“...Huh?”

I felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

The ring had a silver-white base with a blue cubic gem.

The name of that ring was...

RuBia.