EP.6.5 A Day with Tia
EP.6.5 A Day with Tia
A peaceful weekday morning.
On leave, I had become one with the bed.
I was the bed, the bed was me.
So I had absolutely no intention of leaving.
"Kkyu-it! Kkyu-it!"
A baby dragon drumming on my face to demand playtime meant I had to get up anyway.
Was this the reality of fathers with kids?
"Tia, do you want to play that badly?"
"Kkyu-it!"
"What do you want to play?"
I asked, kneading Tia's squishy face with both hands.
Oh, this felt nice.
"Kkyu! Kkyuuu! Kkyuuu!"
Having both cheeks held made it impossible for Tia to talk properly, but I could still mostly understand.
Tia wanted to go out and have fun right now.
"Where do you want to go?"
The answer to that question came back entirely unexpected.
"Kkyu-it!"
An amusement park.
"Huh? How do you know about amusement parks...?"
"Kkyu-it!"
Tia thrust a magazine toward me as though she had prepared her answer in advance.
A women's magazine Miho often read.
An advertisement appeared on the final page of the beauty magazine...
"So you saw this."
A promotional page for a newly opened amusement park.
It was packed with photos sure to catch Tia's eye, so it was unmistakable.
Now then, what to do about this?
Honestly speaking, I didn't want to do anything.
I already wasn't doing anything, but I wanted to not do anything even more intensely.
On the other hand, Tia's eyes were shining as if saying, Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!
"Kkyu...!"
Those sparkling little eyes, the gaze looking up from below, and even that short yet intensely plaintive voice.
Everything was cheating.
"Fine... I lost, I lost."
With my adorable companion dragon wanting to go so badly, how could I not?
"Kkyu-i!"
Tia beamed as if saying, I did it!
Just what did Tia's biological parents look like to produce such a cute creature...
Anyway, I'd decided to go to the amusement park with Tia, so I had to get ready and head out quickly.
When I changed clothes and came out, thinking about it, Yata and Miho were standing at the entrance as if it were the most natural thing.
Like how thread follows the needle, they must have meant they were coming too.
But—
"Sorry, but you two stay home today. I'm going with just Tia—just the two of us."
"What?!"
"Hm, figured as much."
If Yata already knew this would happen, why was she standing by?
"Why? Why just you and Tia alone?"
"Because if you two come along, there's a 99.9 percent chance you'll fight, right?"
The commotion from the last Motaras and the sights of an amusement park overlapped in my mind.
A derailed roller coaster, a burning haunted house, a Gyro Drop slammed upside down, even a Ferris wheel rolling along the ground...
Ugh, just imagining it was horrifying.
"Guh...! Then at least take me! It's dangerous otherwise, you know? Who knows when or where insect bastards might come after you, husband?"
"Isn't that exactly why I prepared this?"
I pulled a small mask from my bag and showed it.
"That's...!"
This was the Illusion Mask Miho had imbued with her ability.
Wearing it would make me appear as a different person to all living creatures.
Since it was something Miho and I had made together, she'd know its effectiveness better than anyone.
"I do think you'd be fine wearing that, but there's still the one-in-a-million chance, isn't there?"
"Not wrong, but... then let me ask: is either of you willing to step aside and let the other go instead?"
"No!"
"Nope."
See, if I take one, the other rebels.
So how could I take just one?
"Isn't that answer enough?"
"Grr...!"
Miho realized there was no more room to argue.
Tia still tried to follow us, but Yata held her back.
"Don't interfere! You birdbrain!"
"Wait just a moment."
This time Yata seemed to have something to say to me.
"Dear husband, are you confident you can take responsibility?"
"Huh...? All of a sudden?"
"Yes, you'll have to take clear responsibility for stopping two women who like you from coming along. Right?"
What did she mean by that...?
Ah! Did she mean since I stopped them from coming, I should at least bring back gifts?
In that case, sure.
"Yeah, I'll take responsibility."
"Then that's settled! Take care."
Yata seemed to have decided to send me off without a fuss.
"Wha— wait! I still haven't...!"
"That's enough now, come with me."
"What are you doing?! Birdbrain! Let go of me this instant!"
She even dragged off Miho, who was flailing to come along.
A little thing, but why was I so grateful?
Maybe because I'd spent too long being pushed around by the two of them?
"Well then, I'm off!"
"Kkyu-i!"
Anyway, before Yata changed her mind, I hurried to take Tia to the amusement park.
My first date with my adorable Companion Dragon—before I knew it, I was looking forward to it too.
***
"Kkyu-iiii!!"
Faced with the amusement park she'd only seen in photos, Tia bounced up and down as if overcome with emotion.
She'd wanted to come here so badly, so it was a natural reaction.
"I get you want to go in quickly, but we need to buy tickets first, so wait a little, Tia."
I headed to the ticket booth, holding Tia snug in my arms so she wouldn't get lost.
"Welcome, sir!"
"One adult and one small animal."
"Oh my! What a cute companion lizard!"
I had an illusion cast on Tia so she looked like an ordinary lizard to other people.
Even so, it seemed her essential cuteness couldn't be hidden.
"Here! Your tickets!"
"Kkyu-it!"
Tia took the two tickets from the ticket seller with her tiny, adorable hands.
Now she was holding them out toward me, eyes sparkling.
Her eyes seemed to ask, We can go in with these, right? Right? Ah, she was unbearably cute!
For the sake of the baby dragon brimming with anticipation, I needed to get inside quickly.
Fortunately it was a weekday morning, so there weren't many people and the waiting lines were short.
The only people around were families on their days off or students here on a field trip.
In that case, the ride lines would be just as short, so it looked like Tia and I could play a ton today.
"So, shall we go play to our heart's content?"
"Kkyu-it!"
And so, Tia and I began our amusement park exploration.
The first ride was the carousel, chosen with Tia's age in mind.
It was a ride easy enough for even small children.
Especially for Tia, classified as a small animal, there was a dedicated space to sit at the front of the horse,
That meant I would not have to hold her throughout the ride.
"Kkyu-i!"
Riding atop another animal was a first for Tia too, so thankfully she enjoyed it with great excitement.
Even if it wasn't a real animal...
The second was the teacups.
A children's ride where you spun by turning the handle in the center.
At first, I turned it myself. Then Tia climbed onto the handle and ran like a hamster on a wheel, apparently eager to try it herself.
"Kkyu-iiiit!"
With the teacup spinning round and round and seeming satisfied, Tia ran even harder.
"You're doing great, Tia!"
I was thoroughly satisfied, capturing Tia's adorable appearance in photos on my phone.
Ahh, I was so glad we came...!
The third ride required a lot of thought before riding.
That was because it was the roller coaster, practically the main attraction of this amusement park.
For me it didn't matter, but I worried that Tia, not long hatched, might be scared.
"Tia, are you really sure you'll be okay?"
"Kkyu-it!"
The baby dragon's confident expression insisted, I can handle it! Left with no choice, I boarded the roller coaster with Tia.
And so the roller coaster departed.
At first, the coaster followed the usual course, slowly climbing toward the highest point. Then it reached the summit...
"Aaaaargh!!"
It plunged down fast, delivering thrills to the riders.
"Uwaaargh...!!"
"Kkyu-i?"
In conclusion, my worry had been groundless.
Unlike me, who couldn't even keep my wits about me from the unexpectedly high speed, Tia was perfectly serene.
Her expression seemed to ask, Is that supposed to be exciting...?
Come to think of it, expecting a Divine Beast governing air and wind to feel thrills from a roller coaster had been the strange part.
"T-Tia, you're uwaaargh...!! amazing...!"
"Kkyu-i! Kkyu!"
Didn't they say praise makes even whales dance?
That one word of praise from me stirred up unnecessary enthusiasm in Tia.
"T-Tia?"
Tia seemed about to do something.
Like during the Motaras, my survival instinct began screaming at me to stop her immediately.
"W-Wait!! Tia! Stop!!"
"Kkyu-it!"
"Noooooo!!"
And so the roller coaster we were riding was transformed by Tia from an amusement ride into a torture device.
...
...
...
"Hahh...! Hahh...! I-I nearly died...!"
"Kkyu-i!"
"Tia, from now on, no matter what happens, absolutely do not use your powers."
"Kkyu-ii?"
She was asking why...
I glanced back; the passengers who'd ridden the same roller coaster with us were all coming out like zombies drained of their souls.
"Uwaaaa..."
"Urp...!!"
"Gruuugh...!"
The speed was already such that flesh trembled and tears welled up, and on top of that Tia had reduced the air resistance, so everyone experienced the sensation of bone and flesh separating.
That was no longer something you could enjoy, just agony you wished would end soon.
"Anyway, no! Got it?"
"Kkyu-it!"
Her obedient side really was so lovely.
...I decided to change our plans and choose safer rides from then on.
The roller coaster just now was that much of... trauma.
***
"Already, the day is fading."
"Kkyu-i."
After enjoying all kinds of rides and sights, the sun was already slanting low.
Considering the time to head back now, it seemed we could only manage one more ride.
"Tia, what do you want to ride last?"
"Kkyu-it!"
The dragon's little hand pointed to the Ferris wheel.
As expected, for the finale there was nothing better than that ride.
"Shall we go then?"
"Kkyu!"
The Ferris wheel where you could gaze out over the entire amusement park.
Unlike other rides, it lacked thrills, but you could take in the beautiful scenery at leisure, gaining a subtle pleasure.
Tia seemed to feel the same way, eyes shining brighter than on any other ride as she looked outside.
A proud dad smile formed on my face at the sight.
I decided to borrow this moment to casually ask something I'd been curious about.
"Hey, Tia."
"Kkyu-i?"
"Did you have fun today?"
"Kkyu!"
The baby dragon grinned and answered, Yeah!
"Then what was the most fun?"
"Kkyu-i!"
Without hesitation, Tia held out the stuffed doll she'd been clutching tightly.
"Right, that was the most fun, huh."
A doll with a hole in its stomach.
It was a doll Tia had wanted from a shooting gallery we'd happened to pass by.
I'd spent a considerable sum trying to win that doll, but whether the gun was rigged, every shot missed.
Just as I was about to give up and just buy it with money, Tia stepped up saying she'd help, and we were able to get it.
Of course, in the process, an unfortunate incident occurred where all the hair above the fraudulent stall owner's ears was blown off and the doll's abdomen was pierced through, but we laughed heartily and enjoyed it.
A great happiness found in a small thing... I felt like this was exactly the everyday life I'd been pursuing.
"I had a ton of fun too."
Up until this morning I'd been content just staying home, but now that we'd actually come, every moment with Tia had become a happy memory.
"Next time, let's all come together, the four of us, not just the two of us."
"Kkyu-it!"
I felt sorry toward the two I'd kept from sharing such a fun memory.
By the time that thought crossed my mind, the Ferris wheel had reached the top.
I turned toward the window to see the view the park was famous for...
"Thank you!"
"Huh...?"
At the clear voice I'd heard for the first time, I turned my head back.
But where I turned, there was nothing but Tia, nodding off adorably.
"Did I mishear...?"
It was a voice too clear to say that.
I fell into thought for a moment, but decided not to dwell on it any further, and picked up the dozing Tia so she could sleep comfortably.
"You worked hard today. Sweet dreams, Tia."
"Kkyu-i..."
The baby dragon smiled to the very end, as though drifting into a pleasant dream.
***
"I'm back~!"
Night, with the surroundings already grown pitch-dark.
Having barely made it home, I first laid the already-asleep Tia on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
"Goodnight."
After that I gave Tia a goodnight kiss on the forehead and came out of her room.
"But where did everyone go?"
The two who normally would have come out to greet me at the entrance.
Yet today, oddly, they'd neither come to meet me nor made a single sound.
Moreover, except for the hallway, all the room lights were off, so it seemed the two had gone out together on friendly terms.
"Then they'll be back soon..."
With that thought, I opened my bedroom door.
The scent of sweet aromatherapy candles and candles creating a deep red backdrop welcomed me.
"Hwuh?"
Startled that the whole atmosphere of my room had completely changed, I heard two women's seductive voices from beside my bed.
"Welcome home, dear husband♡"
"We've been waiting, darling♡"
The two companions I'd assumed had gone out were on my bed.
"Wh-What the! What on earth is that getup?!"
And in extremely thin see-through lingerie at that...!
Each with their distinctly colored snow-white skin and chocolate-brown skin.
With the see-through fabric layered over them, the pink areas hidden beneath the cloth seemed faintly visible yet not, making it look even more lewd.
"What do you mean~! We changed to have a sizzling time with you tonight, husband♡"
"What do you think? Looks good, right?"
The two who'd been fighting tooth and nail now seemed to have joined forces.
I recalled the times they'd wrung me dry before, and chills began running down my spine.
"I'm exhausted from playing with Tia all day, you know...?"
"You happily played with Tia, so are you saying you can't play with us?"
"Dear husband, don't you remember what we talked about this morning? You said you'd take responsibility."
"I-I took that as meaning I should buy presents!"
Presents I'd bought without forgetting.
One was pure white citron flowers for Miho, and the other was a folding fan with a crow drawn on it for Yata.
"Ahh! They're so pretty! Husband!"
"Mm, as expected, our dear husband's gift choices aren't bad!"
"So I can rest now, right...?"
However...
"Presents are presents, play is play. Husband!"
"Right, just as much as you played with Tia, you have to play with us fairly."
My hope was lightly ignored.
"W-Wait!"
The two each grabbed one of my arms and pulled.
"Hwaaaargh...!"
The two's soft, full breasts, rising plumply, and my arms buried between them were transmitting pleasure straight to my brain.
"We're not letting you sleep until tomorrow morning! Prepare yourself♡"
"From now on, it's grown-ups' playtime♡"
"N-No...!!"
I resisted desperately, but no human could meaningfully oppose a Divine Beast...
I was devoured by my lewd companions.
From now on, let's not take the word "responsibility" lightly...