The Fox Cub's Joy
The soft rustle of a tail and the gentle twitch of a fluffy white ear filled the air.
"Uwoong!! Mommy! When is Dad coming?"
One puffed out her round cheeks, filled with longing as she asked.
Her whole body quivered with anticipation for Cheon's arrival, while the swollen cheeks expressed her impatience for him to hurry—both expressions bringing warm smiles to Beatrice and Yuna's faces.
"Just a little longer, Oneya. Father wants to come soon too, but there are procedures we must follow. It cannot be helped."
"Hic. But One wants to see Dad quickly..."
"Oneya, would you like Dad to come soon?"
"Yeah... I want him to come quickly and hug One."
Beatrice listened to One's specific reasons and persuaded her, while Yuna soothed the heartbroken One with Beatrice's words.
One's tail, which had been swaying, gradually drooped weakly, and her white ears, which had perked up, began to droop as well. Then One sensed something and perked her ears and tail again.
One's large, round eyes widened, and joy, happiness, and anticipation flooded them.
"Daddy!!"
Despite the faint, familiar aura she felt, One shouted and dashed toward the entrance.
"W-wait! Oneya! Where are you going!"
"Huhu, just leave the shop. It's been a long time since I've seen it, so it should be fine."
"Huh? What... Wait, unnie! You can't possibly mean..."
One suddenly bolted out, and as Yuna tried to chase after her, Beatrice grabbed her.
Yuna's eyes widened in surprise at Beatrice's words, and Beatrice nodded, confirming that Yuna's thoughts were correct.
"Yeah. It seems One has sensed Cheon's arrival."
Beatrice looked happily in the direction One had dashed off, and tears welled up in Yuna's eyes at the fact that Cheon had returned.
It was the moment the house, which had been lifeless, would finally be filled with life again.
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Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
It had been a long week since I first met my dad—my first time being apart from him for a full week.
Although we had been separated before, we could sometimes visit Dad thanks to Mom Bea, so I could bear it.
But this time was different.
Dad was badly injured and couldn't come see me. I couldn't go see Dad either.
Mom Yuna occasionally showed me photos of Dad lying in bed, but I didn't want to see him because he wasn't coming to see me.
I knew he couldn't come because he was too hurt, but I still couldn't help hating him.
I hated him, I hated him even more, and I hated him so much, but I still wanted to see the Dad I loved—the one who would come see me and hug me.
I wanted to see the Dad I loved—the one who would come see me even though he was in pain and couldn't come, the one who would hug me.
And the Dad I loved, the one hugging me, was waiting right outside that door right now.
Creak.
The door opened, and the Dad I hadn't seen in a week entered.
Whoosh—!
"Daddyyyy!!"
I leaped toward him and buried my face in his chest, hugging the Dad I had missed so much.
Whoosh!
His kind, warm arms wrapped around me.
It was the real Dad.
Not a dream—this was the real Dad.
The Dad I loved was the one who would come see me and hug me, not the one who was in pain and couldn't come.
The Dad's embrace was cozy and warm.
Warmer and more snug than home, the Dad's arms carried the scent of the Dad I loved.
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Whooooosh—!
"Huh? Who lit a fire at this hour... damn... there's light coming from his face..."
"Huh? Hey, what—wait, damn, what the hell is that..."
Annoyed stares rained down from every direction.
Even though I had hidden my presence as best I could, the fact that I was still unfamiliar with handling my power might have been the cause.
Strange—today more than usual, the women were staring at me intently.
"Damn gods, how did you give this bastard your appearance and everything else..."
"My ass, my ass, my ass, my ass, my ass, my ass, my ass, my ass."
Why were the men looking at me with jealousy and envy?
'Ah, maybe because I changed my hairstyle?'
Already told by Yuna and Beatrice to hide my face, I had let my long hair grow to cover my eyes after the fight with the subordinates.
During the regeneration process using the World Tree's sap, the life force coiled around my body had made my hair grow longer than shoulder-length—reaching all the way to my calves when I stood up.
Even though my height had increased, thanks to Beatrice's treatment, there was no need for rehabilitation, but I had to adapt to a body that had grown due to the increased height.
"Hmm~ This hair seems a bit too long. As long as Cheon Seong doesn't mind, can I cut it for you?"
After the treatment was complete, Eira looked at my overly grown hair and asked if she could cut it for me as long as I didn't mind. Since I hadn't cared about my hairstyle before, I replied that it was fine.
"Surprising. I didn't know Eira could do hair styling."
And the result was exactly this.
Even someone as completely unfamiliar with beauty as I was had to admit Eira's styling skills were flawless.
Looking at the finished result, the change in hairstyle was so drastic that I doubted whether this was really me.
"Oh my~ Cheon Seong, you have a very handsome face, don't you?"
"Yeah. I wonder why you always dressed like that."
Of course, when Eira and Seong Yu-ra gave me such flattering compliments, my expression soured as I wondered how the two of them usually thought of me.
"Are you all surprised?"
Even if I looked unlucky, honestly, my appearance was handsome enough that anyone would say so.
I was very curious about how One, Yuna, and Beatrice would react to seeing me like this.
"I can't wait to see them."
Smirk.
Imagining their shocked reactions to my appearance, my lips curved into a smile.
Regenerating my arm had been incredibly difficult.
I had joined severed bodies together many times, but regenerating a completely new severed body—including from before my regression—was my first time.
The pain when bones, nerves, flesh, and muscles regenerated far exceeded the agony of being cut away, but the guilt of not being able to stay with little One for a long time was what hurt me even more.
Even if it took a full five hours to regenerate, the pain was lessened enough to shorten it from five hours to two.
I wanted to return quickly and see the three of them waiting at home, but I couldn't use teleportation.
After teleporting only as far as near the house, I walked with a full cart of TenX that One loved, heading home.
My body itched to see them quickly, but somehow, it felt like a kind of surprise gift.
I wanted to sneak in without the three noticing and surprise them.
Of course, calling a surprise gift something I almost died but had only just been discharged from felt a bit too much, but...
"Well, even the left arm that wasn't there before is back, so it counts as a gift, right?"
If Beatrice heard my words and predicted her next action, it would be...
"Hmm, I think I'll beat you until the dust flies on a rainy day or squeeze you until you're a mummy."
Though this was her favorite behavior, my plan to surprise the three of them remained unchanged.
Was this what they called "the reason men die quickly"?
No matter what, it was the same ending, but since I knew it was a dead end and still didn't stop, it seemed the saying wasn't wrong.
"Hoo... it feels tense because it's been a long time."
Arriving at the familiar but awkward house, I opened the door with a trembling heart.
Squeak.
Whoosh—!!
"Daddyyyy!!"
When I opened the door, One, who must have sensed my arrival, rushed over and dove into my arms.
"Uwoong! Daddy's here! The real One's Daddy!"
"Oneya? How did you know Dad was coming?"
Asking One, who was rubbing her adorable face against me, I was left in shock by her answer.
"Uwoong, hehe. I felt Dad getting closer."
One's face, completely relaxed, said she had felt me coming.
I had hidden my presence and focused so intensely that even those who could barely sense it wouldn't notice.
If Beatrice had sensed it, I would have let it go because of her ability, but the fact that One, who hadn't even awakened her unique ability beyond mana, had noticed was unbelievable.
'Wait, more than that—what exactly is One's unique ability?'
Pre-regression One was a [Yoho], the Nine-Tailed Fox.
A powerful being who wielded nine tails and had slain those of Upper and Highest ranks, the one I had personally ended the life of with my own hands—but I didn't know what the Yoho's unique ability was.
The nine tails that symbolized the Yoho were more like a sign of the stronger Fox species rather than the unique ability itself.
Thinking about the way the Yoho fought, it was unarmed combat.
But when I fought the Yoho, I hadn't felt even the slightest hint of a unique ability from her attacks.
'Then maybe it's a body-enhancement form? Or like me, a mana-manipulation type?'
No, it wasn't body enhancement.
The Yoho's strength was ordinary.
Of course, with her level and nine tails, she was far above an ordinary person, but considering she was at the Highest rank, her strength was still normal.
'Then she must be the same as me, a mana-manipulation type...'
"Huh? Dad, why are you like this?"
"Huh? Ah. It's nothing. Let's go inside, Oneya."
Responding to One's call and calming the One whose face showed worry that something was wrong with me, I carried her inside while holding her in my arms.
"Hehe, Dad's cool."
The sight of One rubbing her face against me while being held in my arms made the thought about her unique ability from moments ago vanish like melting snow.
'Yeah. It's not important what One's unique ability is.'
One wouldn't need to use her unique ability.
Or at least, she wouldn't have to use it like the Yoho.
Because I would make sure of that.
One would grow up in a peaceful world as a normal child, without any danger from Celestial-like beings or trash, the world I would create.
I would definitely do it.
If I didn't, I wouldn't have any reason to live.
Just as a tool that fails to perform its tasks has no purpose, I too must fulfill my own usefulness.
Squeak, bang!