Chapter 12: How to Raise a Dragon! (1)
Morning sunlight spilled gently through the curtains, warming the quiet room.
Naoki stirred beneath the blanket, his brows furrowing slightly as something soft and warm pressed against his chest.
"Kyu... Kyu..."
A tiny, persistent voice coaxed him awake.
"...Hmm?"
He blinked slowly, then realized the source of the gentle disturbance, the little dragon nestled close, its soft eyes fixed on him.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Naoki sat up with a yawn.
"Morning, little fella," he murmured, stretching out his arms.
The dragon sprang onto his lap, nuzzling his hands affectionately.
"Kyuu..."
"Come on, at least say 'papa,' will you?" Naoki chuckled softly.
"Kyu...kyuuuu"
He shook his head, amused by the creature's stubborn cuteness.
"Hungry, huh? Let's get you some breakfast."
"Kyuuu."
The little dragon let out a soft chirp before leaping off his lap. Then, like a wisp of smoke, it slipped effortlessly into Naoki's shadow, vanishing beneath him.
Naoki blinked, then smiled. "Guess that's your way of saying you're ready."
With a stretch, he rose from the bed and made his way toward the dining room, the quiet patter of his footsteps the only sound in the hallway.
He pushed open the door.
But the moment he stepped inside, his eyes locked onto a familiar figure seated at the table.
Cierra von Ophelia
Poised, elegant and clearly not in a good mood. And behind Cierra was her loyal maid
"Damn," Naoki muttered under his breath. "I forgot she'd be here."
But
'Why is she glaring at me...?' Naoki thought, pausing mid-step. Her intense gaze bore into him like sharpened arrows. Did I forget her birthday or something?
Then another thought hit him.
'Wait… is it because of yesterday's confession?' His face twitched. 'I did say weird things... real weird things. Aaaaagh.'
He dragged a hand down his face in silent agony.
'That wasn't me! That was this body's feelings.' Still flustered, he gave her a stiff nod and awkwardly took his seat, pretending to be calm.
But Cierra wasn't glaring, at least not the way he thought. She was focused, Intensely focused.
'I have to ask him for a walk'
she told herself, her heart pounding beneath her composed exterior.
She had spent nearly an hour the night before trying to write the perfect plan. Crumpled papers littered her floor by the end of it. each discarded draft a failed attempt to sound confident, graceful, and not completely desperate.
Only after tearing up at least six versions did she finally craft what she called "the ultimate plan." That final version, neat and precise, had earned a place in her diary, written in her best handwriting and underlined twice.
Today's Plan:
* Prepare a heartfelt apology gift and invite him for a quiet walk under the moonlit garden.
* Hold his hand. This time for real.
* Definitely say I missed you. Look into his eyes. Smile softly.
* No regrets.
Cierra took a quiet breath, feeling the weight of the small gift box tucked under her sleeve.
'Now or never, Stick to the plan. You rehearsed this.'
Behind her, Lina her ever-loyal maid, watched with a hint of worry in her eyes.
"My lady," she whispered, leaning in discreetly, "if you keep staring like that, he might misunderstand..."
Cierra blinked, then quickly looked down at her plate, her cheeks warming.
"I wasn't staring," she mumbled.
She glanced at Naoki across the table. He was buttering his toast like nothing in the world was wrong, completely unaware of the storm building inside her chest.
Slowly, deliberately, she stood up.
Naoki looked up, a slice of toast halfway to his mouth.
"…hmm?"
Without saying a word, Cierra walked around the table, stopping right in front of him. Her heart was racing, but her expression remained carefully composed, well almost.
Her hand moved toward the small box beneath her sleeve.
But just as she was about to speak
Thud!
A blur of shadows leapt from beneath Naoki's chair. In an instant, the little dragon popped out of his shadow and landed right on the table.
"Kyuu!"
It sniffed the warm meat, then immediately began munching without shame.
Naoki blinked. "Huh...hey! That's not yours!"
The soft clinking of porcelain paused. The household maid standing nearby gasped, their eyes going wide as their cheeks flushed pink.
"Oh my...what is that pet?!"
Another maid peeked."Is that... a cat?"
"But it has wings!" someone whispered.
"Look! A black-winged cat! It's like something out of Fairy Tail!"
In moments, soft murmurs rippled across the room. More maids poked their heads around corners, enchanted by the small creature.
Naoki sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
This was actually the first time he'd brought the dragon out in front of anyone. Not on purpose, he just didn't think about hiding it. He wasn't sure if he even needed to.
So, he said nothing. No explanation.
Meanwhile Cierra was surprise, blinking at the unexpected intrusion.
The dragon looked up at her with innocent eyes, a blob of jam stuck to its nose.
"Kyuu?"
And then
"Aether!" she suddenly shouted, lunging forward without warning.
She scooped up the small creature into her arms like it was the most precious thing she'd ever touched, cradling it with wide-eyed fascination.
"What is this creature?!" she demanded, voice bubbling with pure excitement.
Her eyes gleamed,huge and sparkling, burning with curiosity and childlike wonder, as if she'd just been handed the key to an enchanted world.
Then, without a care for appearances, she began bouncing on her toes, practically jumping in place.
"Aaaaaaa! It's so cute! What is this?! What is this?! What is it?!"
She turned the little dragon around in her hands, inspecting its tiny wings, its glossy scales, the way it blinked up at her with innocent eyes and jam still stuck to its nose.
"It's like a mythical pudding! With wings!!" she squealed, hugging it tightly.
The maids giggled from behind the walls, whispering to one another as Cierra spun once in place like a delighted child showing off her new pet.
Naoki, still holding a half-buttered toast, just stared blankly.
"…oh god. My life just gets weirder every morning,"