Chapter 20
“Dad, try a bite. Ah~”
Solphy tore off a bit of the pink beak part of the chick cotton candy for Marcelo. He opened his mouth wide.
“Dad! Why are you eating my finger too!”
“Our little lion tastes so good.”
“It’s the cotton candy that’s tasty!”
Really, not a baby, yet Solphy pouted her lips and grumbled.
Of course, her grumbling didn’t last long. The cotton candy melted gently in her mouth, and she felt happy.
“Oh! That outfit is so cute!”
“Where, where?”
Once tempted, it was easy to be tempted again. Cute animal pajamas, sparkly hair accessories, and…
‘Rain boots!’
Special boots that could only be worn on rainy days!
Solphy got excited by the colorful parade of boots covered in various characters.
“I-I-I want all of these!”
“Boots? You already have a pair at home with ducks on them.”
“But these are rabbits! Look, they have rabbit ears. Aren’t they awesome?”
Solphy fell in love with the pink boots with rabbit ears on both sides. As she repeated “Buy it! Buy it!” like a round song, Marcelo shook his head.
“Where’s that well-behaved seven-year-old gone?”
“Buy it! Buy it!”
“Alright. This dad has spoiled you with his wallet…”
Marcelo sighed but paid for the boots.
“Dad, this comes with a raincoat too!”
“Then get the raincoat too.”
The rabbit raincoat matched the rabbit boots perfectly.
Even the paper bag for the clothes was cute. Solphy hugged the bag happily.
“Dad, I can’t wait for it to rain. I hope it rains soon. Come rain!”
“I’ll make it happen.”
“No, it’s mine, so I’ll carry it… huh?”
Solphy’s eyes widened. She spotted an adult-sized raincoat in the display corner.
It was also pink, and it had a rabbit on it.
“Dad! There’s an adult raincoat too! Let’s wear it together!”
“That’s too cute for me to wear.”
“C’mon. Try it on. Kinan in my class said men can wear pink.”
“The size is small too.”
“It’ll fit perfectly. Try it on, quick!”
At first, Marcelo hesitated, but when Solphy threw a little tantrum, he gave in.
He took the oversized raincoat from the mannequin and put it on—but it was too small for him.
A big man wearing a cute pink raincoat made passersby bite their lips to hide laughter.
“See? Dad can’t wear the raincoat…”
Marcelo laughed awkwardly and tried to take it off.
Then—
“Oh!”
A familiar voice reached Solphy’s ear. She quickly turned her head and saw Serena in front of her.
Solphy rubbed her eyes in disbelief. It was really Serena!
“Teacher Serena!”
“Of all times… now of all times!”
Marcelo hurriedly tried to unbutton the raincoat.
Crrr—
Maybe he had used too much force, or maybe the buttons couldn’t handle his strong frame.
The raincoat tore, and a button flew toward Serena. She caught it like it was a ball.
“…”
The awkwardness peaked. Marcelo felt too embarrassed to lift his head, thinking he had looked foolish.
“Oh, well, this is—”
“Hello, Solphy’s father!”
Serena smiled kindly and greeted. Marcelo was sweating profusely.
“Hello, Giraffe Class teacher.”
“Nice to see you here, Solphy’s father.”
After the initial awkwardness, they formally greeted each other.
Solphy glanced at Serena. At the kindergarten, she always dressed like a princess, but today she was in comfortable clothes.
It looked different, but she still looked nice.
“Really grown-up!”
Solphy hadn’t expected to meet Serena in the clothing corner.
“But teacher, why are you here? There aren’t your clothes here.”
“Oh, that… the kids’ clothes were so cute I got drawn in.”
“Teacher fell for the temptation too.”
Solphy nodded, understanding. If adults could be tempted, it was natural for her to be tempted too.
Serena had come early and already checked other corners, her hands full with shopping.
“Teacher must be tired carrying all that.”
Even as an adult, Serena looked weak. Seeing only strong adults at the mansion carrying heavy grain sacks, Solphy thought she had to protect Serena.
“My dad is strong. He could lift that with one finger!”
If her dad carried the bags, Serena would be impressed for sure.
Perhaps…
‘As expected of Solphy’s father! Strong and considerate like a Knight Commander. I might fall for him!’
Imagining Serena saying that, Solphy secretly smiled.
But she couldn’t just grab the bags herself. To help, she needed to be part of the group.
With bright, sparkling eyes, Solphy called, “Teaacheeer!”
“We’re lost. Can you guide us? We’ve been going in circles here.”
“When did…?”
Marcelo muttered in protest, but Solphy ignored him.
Cute act, pitiful act!
She looked at Serena pleadingly with sparkling eyes. No adult had ever refused this gaze.
“Sure. I saw a booth you’ll really like.”
“Wow! I’m so curious!”
“This way. Follow carefully, there are lots of people.”
Solphy’s ‘become part of teacher’s group’ mission succeeded, and she cheered inside.
“I’ll carry the bags.”
“No, that’s fine. I can—”
Marcelo tried to help, but Serena politely refused.
Solphy didn’t quite understand, but adults seemed uncomfortable helping each other. Kids helped freely.
‘It’s my turn.’
With her small hands, Solphy took one of Serena’s paper bags.
“I’ll carry this!”
“Give it here, Solphy.”
The bags passed naturally through Solphy to Marcelo. Serena’s hands were empty.
“It must be heavy…”
“This? Lighter than a sword. I can handle it easily, buy whatever you need.”
Marcelo shrugged. To show off his strength, Solphy joined in.
“My dad is strong! He looks normal in clothes, but without them, he’s very sturdy. I’ve seen it all!”
“Oh, really?”
Serena smiled awkwardly, and Marcelo coughed.
Solphy whispered as she held Serena’s hands with both of hers, helping Marcelo carry the bags.
“Teacher Serena, where are we going?”
“Over there is a booth full of birds. They’re so cute.”
“Wow! I love birds!”
“Right? Our Solphy loves birds.”
What birds would be there? Solphy pictured all the ones she knew. Maybe a huge peacock? She remembered being amazed by a peacock in a picture book.
‘I also like small kingfishers and round little nuthatches! Hehe.’
Solphy imagined being surrounded by all kinds of birds, happily, when a group whispered nearby.
“That house is lucky. My kid’s dad ignores me even if I ask him to come.”
“Right? I begged him to come for my second child’s academy preparation, but he ignored me.”
“Beautiful men with good personalities are really something.”
The women laughed.
Serena’s ears turned red, and Marcelo coughed repeatedly.
‘People must think we’re a family!’
And they hadn’t done anything yet. Just walking around the exhibition together.
‘I need to create more chances to meet outside!’
Solphy made a firm decision.
“Wow!”
The bird booth Serena mentioned was crowded with kids.
At the entrance was a big peacock model, and all kinds of bird dolls hung from parasols.
When the wind blew, the birds swayed as if flying, and the children cheered.
“The sparrow is cute.”
“It’s not a sparrow! It’s a nuthatch!”
A small argument broke out between adults who didn’t know birds and kids who loved them.
Among the noise, something caught Solphy’s heart.
“Wow! The bird pictures and explanations are detailed. If I have this, I could really be a bird expert!”
It was the Empire Bird Guide.
“Sparrows are so varied: house sparrow, black-throated sparrow, tree sparrow…”
It even listed birds seen in the capital, which made Solphy’s heart race. She had seen some during two years in the capital, and many she hadn’t.
She waved Serena’s arm excitedly.
“Mom! Look at this. With this guide and binoculars, I could make my own bird guide…”
Suddenly, she realized she had called her “Mom”! Flustered, she apologized.
“I-I’m sorry, Teacher…”
“Huh? No, it’s fine.”
Serena smiled gently at the embarrassed Solphy.
She was used to mistakes like this and just laughed.
‘I hear that at least ten times a semester. Why is that?’
Maybe because kids say “Mom” so naturally?
Especially since Solphy missed her mom, Serena patted her head kindly.
‘She said it’s okay? Is she ready to be like a mom to me?’
Solphy interpreted Serena’s words in her own way and her eyes sparkled.
