“Good morning, Narias,” a girl greeted him in a cheerful voice.
“Good morning, Nicky. How have you been?” Narias greeted her back.
“I’ve been very well, thank you for asking,” she was in a very good mood. “Say, you’ve come quite early. I didn’t expect to find anyone here yet.”
“Aah, I… I was so excited about going to El’Roonst today I woke up earlier than usual,” he answered with a bit of an awkward smile.
It was an early Sunday morning. Narias and his friends were invited to the Fabs & Swirls restaurant by Growly’s dad. So, they agreed to meet at the campus gates and go to El’Roonst together. It was still rather early in the morning, however.
“Yeah, me too. It is exciting, isn’t it? I didn’t expect Mister Ferpaw to invite all of us to go to the Fabs & Swirls restaurant. It was so kind of him,” Nicky was honestly excited about it. “I couldn’t stay in bed, or in my room from the moment I woke up. So, I thought I’ll go out for a walk and then wait for everyone here. I honestly thought I’ll be the first one to show up, but you beat me to it.”
“Y… yeah. Sorry,” he threw one hand behind his head.
“You don’t have to apologize about it,” the tiny girl chuckled.
“Whaaat? You’re already here? Dang it… I thought I’ll be the first one to come,” a sudden half question, half complaint was heard from behind them.
“Huh? Oh, hello Flavia. You look very cute in that dress,” Narias greeted his bunny girlfriend, adding a compliment as well.
“Aah, thanks partner,” her half-upset face lit up as soon as Narias said that. Flavia was wearing the same playfully colorful dress that she had bought in El’Roonst the other day.
“Hi Flavia. You’re as competitive as always, I see.” Nicky greeted the half-beast bunny girl as well. “But you should know, Narias came here before me.”
“Really? You must’ve woken up awfully early, partner?” Flavia was as much surprised as she was curious.
“Yeah, well…” again, he was put on the spot.
It’s not that Narias went to bed earlier than he usually would. As a matter of fact, he didn’t go to bed at all. The reason behind it was because he wouldn’t have fallen asleep even if he laid down.
When he was at Belinda’s place, sleep wasn’t on the menu for him. At first, Narias was too nervous to fall asleep to begin with. He tossed and rolled in his bed for a few hours before leaving his room and encountering Belinda in the kitchen. Then him and Belinda spent one third of the night eating cake and talking about stuff. In all honesty, it was very beneficial for both them. They got to know each other better and, knowingly or not, it helped them remove the emotional barriers they still had towards one another.
It would’ve been fine if that’s where their sleepless night would’ve ended. But only after a few hours of sleep Narias spent the rest of the night having sex with Belinda, only to catch a short nap in the early morning afterwards. When he finally got back to his dorm, it only took half a minute for him to pass out as soon as he fell on his bed to relax and ‘gather’ his thoughts about what had happened.
When he woke up in the afternoon, it was clear he wouldn’t be going to bed at the same time he usual was. So, Narias used his time old trick and read book after book until he finally passed out. But because he fell asleep at the table, with his head falling right on the book he was reading, Narias woke up extra early in the morning as a result. Not wanting to risk oversleeping and being late by going to bed to treat himself with some extra rest, he decided to catch some fresh air instead and ended up coming to the campus gate extremely early.
Maybe I should’ve walked around a while longer? Narias was thinking in his head.
More and more students were showing up to catch a transport to take them to El’Roonst. Ileena and Emilia showed up as well, both of them wearing their best dresses that they had too.
Everyone exchanged polite greetings, with Narias remembering to compliment his two other girlfriends on how pretty and charming they looked. A friendly chit chat followed until the transport arrived and the group was on their way to El’Roonst. Once they were at the city, the party turned towards Growla Ferpaw’s shop. They’ve agreed for everyone to meet up there before going to the Fabs & Swirls restaurant.
“Good morning, kiddos. How have you been?” Growla, wearing a rather fancy suit, greeted them as soon as they have entered the shop.
Woah! He looks like a… Narias gasped at how the bear blacksmith looked. He quickly drew an image in his head, comparing Mr. Ferpaw to someone from his previous world.
Narias would usually see Growla wearing his work clothes, with a protective headwear covering part of his head, including his ears too. Mister Ferpaw was full beast-human, with his body fully covered in fur. Because of the work clothes he’d have on him, Growla made an impression of an ordinary beast-human of whom Narias had seen many by now. But now he could see a completely different side of the big bear-looking blacksmith.
Growla was wearing a two-piece black color suit. Or something close to it. His suit consisted of a sleeveless black jacket and black pants that were stretching just below his knees in length. He wore shoes but not the ordinary ones that a human would wear. They were open at the front to let his feet fingers stick out. Additionally, Growla had a massive, shining necklace around his neck and, once he raised his hand, two rings flashed in front of Narias’s eyes. One on his index and one on his middle fingers on each hand. In addition to his attire, Mr. Ferpaw had combed his fur and his hair on the head in a sleek looking way.
Mister Ferpaw looks like a real gangster from my previous world. Narias made a comparison in his head, letting out a sigh of relief at the end.
“Wow, you look totally badass, Mister Ferpaw,” Flavia exclaimed after seeing him.
“Ahaha! Why thank you, little one,” Growla laughed wholeheartedly. “Is everyone here?”
The rest of the students exchanged greetings and confirmed everyone was present.
“Good, my wife Meska should be ready soon too,” Growla said at the end of the pleasantries.
“Good morning, everyone,” as soon as he said that, Mrs. Ferpaw entered the shop through the side door. She was wearing an elegant dry-sand color dress with short sleeves and a ribbon belt around her waist. Her son Growly was with her too, but for some reason, the furry beast-boy was trying to hide behind his mom. “Come on, Growly, say hello to your friends.”
“H… hi,” Growly walked out from behind his mom hesitantly. The reason for him hiding probably was because he was dressed exactly the same as his father, including how his hair was done too. The only difference was, he had his self-made bracelets on his wrists but no rings, and the necklace he was wearing was much thinner compared to his dad’s.
No way! Growly looks totally badass too. I would’ve never expected to see him wearing these types of clothes, or his dad for that matter. I’m so glad I am friends with them. Narias had no reason to worry, but seeing how Growla and Growly looked sent a chill down his spine. Hah, if they also had dark sunglasses on…
“Hey, you look totally cool, Growly, just like your dad,” Flavia was the first one to speak again.
“T… thanks,” he rubbed his cheek with one finger, feeling embarrassed about it.
“Oh please, darling. They’re your friends. No need to feel so uncomfortable,” Growly’s mom tried to encourage him.
“But… we’ll be going out…” that didn’t seem to help Growly relax much.
“Hello Growly. I think these clothes suit you well. You look very sharp,” Nicky greeted him with a smile.
“Oh? Really? Thanks…” it seemed like Nicky’s words hit the spot. Growly smiled back at her, feeling more confident about himself.
“Hah,” Growla smirked to himself. He probably caught the hint between the lines of Nicky’s compliment. “Alright, now that everyone is here, let’s get going.”
As it was to be expected, there was already a line at the Fabs & Swirls restaurant. Majority of the people waiting in line were young people, with most of them being the students from Reina’s Magic Academy. Growla with his wife Meska were walking at the front. Narias, with his three girlfriends, were walking right behind them. Growly and Nicky were last.
If Narias and his girlfriends were walking past by themselves, they’d hear more than a few comments from the envious onlookers. But since Growla Ferpaw was walking at the front looking the way he did, Narias couldn’t hear a single whisper coming from the crowd. That didn’t mean nobody was staring, of course.
“Good morning,” Growla greeted the man at the Special Guest entrance, extending a bunch of tickets at the same time.
“Good morning, Mister Ferpaw. We’ve been expecting you. Right this way, please,” the man greeted him politely with a bow.
The group entered the restaurant, then followed a cheerful waitress who led them to a large table reserved just for them. As soon as Narias sat down, he found Ileena and Flavia sitting right next to him from each side. Emilia sat down next to Ileena from the other side. Mister and Missis Ferpaws sat on the oposite side of the table, with Growly and Nicky sitting down next to them. The girl waitress passed out the menus right after and said she’ll be back in a few minutes to take their orders.
“Wow, this is so awesome. I’ve never sat at such a huge table before,” Flavia was overly excited.
“Mind your manners, Flavia,” Ileena tried to reprimand her.
“You’re always so serious, Ileena. Humph…” Flavia responded, throwing a half-frown back at her.
“Thank you so much for inviting us, Mister and Missis Ferpaw,” Emilia thanked them.
“Yeah, that was very kind of you,” Nicky added with a happy smile.
“Hah, don’t mention it. This is the least we could do for taking care of our son. Besides, I’m really grateful that you brought all those materials to me instead of selling them to somebody else,” Growla told them in response. “Now then, no holding back. Order whatever you want and as much as you like.”
The waitress returned, took their orders and the next thing everyone knew, the table was fully covered with the delicious food and drinks. Even if some of the girls tried to restrain themselves, everybody was enjoying their meals to the fullest. Little by little, munching on food was replaced by the talks about the recent dungeon exploration. Growla and Meska were curious to hear how it went, as well as learn more on how their son Growly did.
“Oh, Growly was totally amazing. He was so strong too. He’d smack the monsters in one hit,” Flavia was telling about it.
“Yes. He was very reliable. Not to mention, it was Growly who found that treasure chest with the Soft Steel Ore in it, and all the Crystalized Mold ores too,” Narias added.
“Is that so? Hah, I’ve already told you this but well done son,” Growla complimented his son.
“Well… Flavia was the one who tracked the Crystal Snatcher Bug and… Narias was the one who was leading the group,” Growly tried to switch the focus to someone else, so he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with all the attention.
“That’s right. Growly mentioned it was thanks to you the group was able to navigate through the dungeon and not get lost. Our son also said you were an excellent leader during the fights too, Narias,” Growla turned to him.
“Yeah, Narias was totally cool. He’d come up with a strategy before us engaging the monsters and it worked every single time,” Flavia couldn’t be quiet about it.
“That’s right. Narias instructions helped us take down the monsters easier. I… probably would’ve panicked during some of the fights if it wasn’t for his guidance,” Emilia confessed.
“Ah, thanks everyone. But in all honesty, it was a team’s effort. I was just trying to help a little,” Narias couldn’t escape becoming the center of attention all of a sudden.
“But hearing you beat the Fanged Whitemane Wolf on your first run was more than a surprise. It must’ve been one hell of a fight,” Growla commented, throwing a quick glance at his son.
“Hah, that fight was easy. We beat the boss monster to a pulp,” Flavia flexed her arm to show off.
“Oh, really? Did you already forget what has happened during the fight, Flavia?” Ileena added before having another drink from her cup.
“Eek! That was…” Flavia knew exactly what Ileena meant.
“Growly mentioned the incident to us. Our son was really worried he might not make it in time to interrupt the boss monster’s attack,” Mrs. Ferpaw added in a kind manner.
“Well… I…” the way Growly’s mom said it made Flavia think about it. The bunny girl lowered her head, feeling ashamed. “Sorry…”
“Don’t feel bad about it. The important thing is you won the fight and nobody was badly hurt. All you can do is learn from it and move on,” Growla commented in a serious tone. A moment of silence fell over the table, probably because his words made an impact not only on Flavia.
“By the way,” Mrs. Ferpaw spoke to break the silence. “Growly mentioned something about a Thank You gift to the teacher who had accompanied you throughout the dungeon. I think that was such a kind act on your part.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Ferpaw. Actually, it was Narias’s idea,” Emilia said.
“Speaking of which, did Miss Salroze like the gift, Narias?” Flavia asked point blank.
- ‘Cough,’ – Narias choked on his drink after hearing the question.
“Sorry… ahem,” he tried to clear his throat. “Yeah… Miss Salroze… liked the Thank you gift.”
“Really?” Flavia was feeling suspicious about how he said it.
“Did something happen, Narias?” Ileena noticed something was amiss too.
“Well…” he was against the wall and had to think of something. “Miss Salroze was… surprised to see me… I mean, she was surprised to see me bring her a Thank You gift. It was… unexpected to her.”
“That’s understandable. I was surprised to hear you suggest it at first too,” Ileena admitted, taking his answer seriously.
“I was surprised about it too. Thanking someone for their help should be an obvious thing and yet…” Emilia said in an embarrassing voice.
“Now, now. No need to beat yourselves over it. You did get your teacher a gift in the end and that’s what matters. I’m sure she was delighted to receive it,” Mrs. Ferpaw added with a kind smile.
“I hope she liked the cake,” Growly was more thinking out loud than asking a question.
“Yes, I hope so too. I didn’t know what kind of cake she liked,” Nicky added with a smile.
“Yo’, Narias. Did Miss Salroze like the cake?” Flavia wanted to know.
“What? The cake?” Narias became tense all of a sudden.
“That’s a silly question, Flavia. How would Narias know that?” Ileena commented in a way the answer should be obvious.
“Oh, right. Sorry, partner. It’s not like you ate the cake together with Miss Salroze. Hah,” Flavia laughed at her own words.
“Aah… ha…” Narias tried to laugh about it too.
Aaa… This is bad. I promised I would keep what happened between me and Belinda to myself. I don’t want to lie to my girlfriends, but if it comes out in the open the whole school can suffer because of it… Narias was becoming really worried about where the conversation was going.
“Hah, speaking of cakes, anyone wants another dessert? It’s the last call of the day,” Growla saved Narias by throwing an offer to the students to order one last dessert.
“May I? In that case…” as usual, Nicky couldn’t refuse an offer to have another piece of cake.
“Hey, me too,” Flavia jumped in on the offer as well.
“Can I have another one too?” Growly was hesitant to ask it, though.
Even if he was full, Narias ordered another sweet snack himself, just so he could keep his mouth full. Ileena and Emilia tried to hold themselves at first, but in the end, couldn’t resist to have another dessert each. The fun ended with everyone happily overeating before leaving the restaurant.
“Well then kiddos, thank you for coming with us. I hope you had a good time,” Growla thanked them when they were finally outside.
“Thank you, Mister and Missis Ferpaw. It was very kind and generous of you,” Ileena bowed down.
The others expressed their thanks as well.
“Glad to hear that. Well then, have fun with whatever else you had planned to do today,” Growla Ferpaw wished them.
“Thank you again, Mister Ferpaw,” Narias added at the end.
The group hadn’t planned to go anywhere else, so they were about to turn towards where the transport was to take them back to the academy’s campus. Except Growly. He had to go back home with his parents.
“Growly…” just when the students were about to leave, Growla threw a stern look at his son.
“Yes… I know,” Growly commented, feeling totally out of place for some reason.
“See you at school, Growly,” Narias said goodbye to his friend.
“See ya’, Growly. Hey, those apple cream puffs were so good. I am definitely buying some the next time we go to…” Flavia said goodbye and instantly turned to catch up with Narias, Ileena and Emilia to share how much she liked her last dessert.
“Bye Growly. I’ll see you at our student club tomorrow,” Nicky was the last one to say goodbye to him.
“Yeah, see you… Aarhm… I was…” Growly was stumbling on his words, which was really unusual for him.
“Huh? Is something the matter, Growly?” Nicky noticed he was feeling out of place.
“Well… you see… this is for you…” the gangster-looking chubby bear boy extended a box in front of him, turning his face away at the same time.
“Wow, a present for me? Thank you so much. Can I open it now?” Nicky was honestly surprised about the unexpected gift.
“Yeah…” Growly answered.
“A bracelet? So pretty. And it has such lovely green glow too. Thank you for buying it for me, Growly,” the tiny girl’s cheeks were sparkling.
“I made it…” the furry beast-boy told her.
“You… made it?” Nicky looked at him.
“Yeah… from the Crystalized Mold that I found in the Magic Dungeon,” Growly was too embarrassed to look Nicky directly in the eyes.
“Wow. That is so kind of you. I really love it,” the tiny girl smiled her sweetest smile.
“Really? I’m… glad…” Growly finally looked at her, adding a sharp smile.
“Hey, Nicky! Are you coming?!” Suddenly, Flavia’s voice was heard from the distance.
“Oops, I should be going now. See you later, Growly. And thank you again for this wonderful gift,” Nicky put the gift away inside her lady’s handbag, smiled at him again and walked to catch up with the others.
“Hmm…” Growly finally relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.
“See? It wasn’t that hard,” Growly’s dad said, also tapping his son on the shoulder.
“Fighting monsters is easy. Talking to girls is hard,” Growly commented back in his usual manner.
“Hah,” Growla laughed at his son’s response. “Come on, let’s go. You said you wanted to improve your craft. We still have half a day left for ourselves.”
“Yeah,” Growly grinned wide.
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“Good morning, Narias,” a girl greeted him in a cheerful voice.
“Good morning, Nicky. How have you been?” Narias greeted her back.
“I’ve been very well, thank you for asking,” she was in a very good mood. “Say, you’ve come quite early. I didn’t expect to find anyone here yet.”
“Aah, I… I was so excited about going to El’Roonst today I woke up earlier than usual,” he answered with a bit of an awkward smile.
It was an early Sunday morning. Narias and his friends were invited to the Fabs & Swirls restaurant by Growly’s dad. So, they agreed to meet at the campus gates and go to El’Roonst together. It was still rather early in the morning, however.
“Yeah, me too. It is exciting, isn’t it? I didn’t expect Mister Ferpaw to invite all of us to go to the Fabs & Swirls restaurant. It was so kind of him,” Nicky was honestly excited about it. “I couldn’t stay in bed, or in my room from the moment I woke up. So, I thought I’ll go out for a walk and then wait for everyone here. I honestly thought I’ll be the first one to show up, but you beat me to it.”
“Y… yeah. Sorry,” he threw one hand behind his head.
“You don’t have to apologize about it,” the tiny girl chuckled.
“Whaaat? You’re already here? Dang it… I thought I’ll be the first one to come,” a sudden half question, half complaint was heard from behind them.
“Huh? Oh, hello Flavia. You look very cute in that dress,” Narias greeted his bunny girlfriend, adding a compliment as well.
“Aah, thanks partner,” her half-upset face lit up as soon as Narias said that. Flavia was wearing the same playfully colorful dress that she had bought in El’Roonst the other day.
“Hi Flavia. You’re as competitive as always, I see.” Nicky greeted the half-beast bunny girl as well. “But you should know, Narias came here before me.”
“Really? You must’ve woken up awfully early, partner?” Flavia was as much surprised as she was curious.
“Yeah, well…” again, he was put on the spot.
It’s not that Narias went to bed earlier than he usually would. As a matter of fact, he didn’t go to bed at all. The reason behind it was because he wouldn’t have fallen asleep even if he laid down.
When he was at Belinda’s place, sleep wasn’t on the menu for him. At first, Narias was too nervous to fall asleep to begin with. He tossed and rolled in his bed for a few hours before leaving his room and encountering Belinda in the kitchen. Then him and Belinda spent one third of the night eating cake and talking about stuff. In all honesty, it was very beneficial for both them. They got to know each other better and, knowingly or not, it helped them remove the emotional barriers they still had towards one another.
It would’ve been fine if that’s where their sleepless night would’ve ended. But only after a few hours of sleep Narias spent the rest of the night having sex with Belinda, only to catch a short nap in the early morning afterwards. When he finally got back to his dorm, it only took half a minute for him to pass out as soon as he fell on his bed to relax and ‘gather’ his thoughts about what had happened.
When he woke up in the afternoon, it was clear he wouldn’t be going to bed at the same time he usual was. So, Narias used his time old trick and read book after book until he finally passed out. But because he fell asleep at the table, with his head falling right on the book he was reading, Narias woke up extra early in the morning as a result. Not wanting to risk oversleeping and being late by going to bed to treat himself with some extra rest, he decided to catch some fresh air instead and ended up coming to the campus gate extremely early.
Maybe I should’ve walked around a while longer? Narias was thinking in his head.
More and more students were showing up to catch a transport to take them to El’Roonst. Ileena and Emilia showed up as well, both of them wearing their best dresses that they had too.
Everyone exchanged polite greetings, with Narias remembering to compliment his two other girlfriends on how pretty and charming they looked. A friendly chit chat followed until the transport arrived and the group was on their way to El’Roonst. Once they were at the city, the party turned towards Growla Ferpaw’s shop. They’ve agreed for everyone to meet up there before going to the Fabs & Swirls restaurant.
“Good morning, kiddos. How have you been?” Growla, wearing a rather fancy suit, greeted them as soon as they have entered the shop.
Woah! He looks like a… Narias gasped at how the bear blacksmith looked. He quickly drew an image in his head, comparing Mr. Ferpaw to someone from his previous world.
Narias would usually see Growla wearing his work clothes, with a protective headwear covering part of his head, including his ears too. Mister Ferpaw was full beast-human, with his body fully covered in fur. Because of the work clothes he’d have on him, Growla made an impression of an ordinary beast-human of whom Narias had seen many by now. But now he could see a completely different side of the big bear-looking blacksmith.
Growla was wearing a two-piece black color suit. Or something close to it. His suit consisted of a sleeveless black jacket and black pants that were stretching just below his knees in length. He wore shoes but not the ordinary ones that a human would wear. They were open at the front to let his feet fingers stick out. Additionally, Growla had a massive, shining necklace around his neck and, once he raised his hand, two rings flashed in front of Narias’s eyes. One on his index and one on his middle fingers on each hand. In addition to his attire, Mr. Ferpaw had combed his fur and his hair on the head in a sleek looking way.
Mister Ferpaw looks like a real gangster from my previous world. Narias made a comparison in his head, letting out a sigh of relief at the end.
“Wow, you look totally badass, Mister Ferpaw,” Flavia exclaimed after seeing him.
“Ahaha! Why thank you, little one,” Growla laughed wholeheartedly. “Is everyone here?”
The rest of the students exchanged greetings and confirmed everyone was present.
“Good, my wife Meska should be ready soon too,” Growla said at the end of the pleasantries.
“Good morning, everyone,” as soon as he said that, Mrs. Ferpaw entered the shop through the side door. She was wearing an elegant dry-sand color dress with short sleeves and a ribbon belt around her waist. Her son Growly was with her too, but for some reason, the furry beast-boy was trying to hide behind his mom. “Come on, Growly, say hello to your friends.”
“H… hi,” Growly walked out from behind his mom hesitantly. The reason for him hiding probably was because he was dressed exactly the same as his father, including how his hair was done too. The only difference was, he had his self-made bracelets on his wrists but no rings, and the necklace he was wearing was much thinner compared to his dad’s.
No way! Growly looks totally badass too. I would’ve never expected to see him wearing these types of clothes, or his dad for that matter. I’m so glad I am friends with them. Narias had no reason to worry, but seeing how Growla and Growly looked sent a chill down his spine. Hah, if they also had dark sunglasses on…
“Hey, you look totally cool, Growly, just like your dad,” Flavia was the first one to speak again.
“T… thanks,” he rubbed his cheek with one finger, feeling embarrassed about it.
“Oh please, darling. They’re your friends. No need to feel so uncomfortable,” Growly’s mom tried to encourage him.
“But… we’ll be going out…” that didn’t seem to help Growly relax much.
“Hello Growly. I think these clothes suit you well. You look very sharp,” Nicky greeted him with a smile.
“Oh? Really? Thanks…” it seemed like Nicky’s words hit the spot. Growly smiled back at her, feeling more confident about himself.
“Hah,” Growla smirked to himself. He probably caught the hint between the lines of Nicky’s compliment. “Alright, now that everyone is here, let’s get going.”
As it was to be expected, there was already a line at the Fabs & Swirls restaurant. Majority of the people waiting in line were young people, with most of them being the students from Reina’s Magic Academy. Growla with his wife Meska were walking at the front. Narias, with his three girlfriends, were walking right behind them. Growly and Nicky were last.
If Narias and his girlfriends were walking past by themselves, they’d hear more than a few comments from the envious onlookers. But since Growla Ferpaw was walking at the front looking the way he did, Narias couldn’t hear a single whisper coming from the crowd. That didn’t mean nobody was staring, of course.
“Good morning,” Growla greeted the man at the Special Guest entrance, extending a bunch of tickets at the same time.
“Good morning, Mister Ferpaw. We’ve been expecting you. Right this way, please,” the man greeted him politely with a bow.
The group entered the restaurant, then followed a cheerful waitress who led them to a large table reserved just for them. As soon as Narias sat down, he found Ileena and Flavia sitting right next to him from each side. Emilia sat down next to Ileena from the other side. Mister and Missis Ferpaws sat on the oposite side of the table, with Growly and Nicky sitting down next to them. The girl waitress passed out the menus right after and said she’ll be back in a few minutes to take their orders.
“Wow, this is so awesome. I’ve never sat at such a huge table before,” Flavia was overly excited.
“Mind your manners, Flavia,” Ileena tried to reprimand her.
“You’re always so serious, Ileena. Humph…” Flavia responded, throwing a half-frown back at her.
“Thank you so much for inviting us, Mister and Missis Ferpaw,” Emilia thanked them.
“Yeah, that was very kind of you,” Nicky added with a happy smile.
“Hah, don’t mention it. This is the least we could do for taking care of our son. Besides, I’m really grateful that you brought all those materials to me instead of selling them to somebody else,” Growla told them in response. “Now then, no holding back. Order whatever you want and as much as you like.”
The waitress returned, took their orders and the next thing everyone knew, the table was fully covered with the delicious food and drinks. Even if some of the girls tried to restrain themselves, everybody was enjoying their meals to the fullest. Little by little, munching on food was replaced by the talks about the recent dungeon exploration. Growla and Meska were curious to hear how it went, as well as learn more on how their son Growly did.
“Oh, Growly was totally amazing. He was so strong too. He’d smack the monsters in one hit,” Flavia was telling about it.
“Yes. He was very reliable. Not to mention, it was Growly who found that treasure chest with the Soft Steel Ore in it, and all the Crystalized Mold ores too,” Narias added.
“Is that so? Hah, I’ve already told you this but well done son,” Growla complimented his son.
“Well… Flavia was the one who tracked the Crystal Snatcher Bug and… Narias was the one who was leading the group,” Growly tried to switch the focus to someone else, so he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with all the attention.
“That’s right. Growly mentioned it was thanks to you the group was able to navigate through the dungeon and not get lost. Our son also said you were an excellent leader during the fights too, Narias,” Growla turned to him.
“Yeah, Narias was totally cool. He’d come up with a strategy before us engaging the monsters and it worked every single time,” Flavia couldn’t be quiet about it.
“That’s right. Narias instructions helped us take down the monsters easier. I… probably would’ve panicked during some of the fights if it wasn’t for his guidance,” Emilia confessed.
“Ah, thanks everyone. But in all honesty, it was a team’s effort. I was just trying to help a little,” Narias couldn’t escape becoming the center of attention all of a sudden.
“But hearing you beat the Fanged Whitemane Wolf on your first run was more than a surprise. It must’ve been one hell of a fight,” Growla commented, throwing a quick glance at his son.
“Hah, that fight was easy. We beat the boss monster to a pulp,” Flavia flexed her arm to show off.
“Oh, really? Did you already forget what has happened during the fight, Flavia?” Ileena added before having another drink from her cup.
“Eek! That was…” Flavia knew exactly what Ileena meant.
“Growly mentioned the incident to us. Our son was really worried he might not make it in time to interrupt the boss monster’s attack,” Mrs. Ferpaw added in a kind manner.
“Well… I…” the way Growly’s mom said it made Flavia think about it. The bunny girl lowered her head, feeling ashamed. “Sorry…”
“Don’t feel bad about it. The important thing is you won the fight and nobody was badly hurt. All you can do is learn from it and move on,” Growla commented in a serious tone. A moment of silence fell over the table, probably because his words made an impact not only on Flavia.
“By the way,” Mrs. Ferpaw spoke to break the silence. “Growly mentioned something about a Thank You gift to the teacher who had accompanied you throughout the dungeon. I think that was such a kind act on your part.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Ferpaw. Actually, it was Narias’s idea,” Emilia said.
“Speaking of which, did Miss Salroze like the gift, Narias?” Flavia asked point blank.
- ‘Cough,’ – Narias choked on his drink after hearing the question.
“Sorry… ahem,” he tried to clear his throat. “Yeah… Miss Salroze… liked the Thank you gift.”
“Really?” Flavia was feeling suspicious about how he said it.
“Did something happen, Narias?” Ileena noticed something was amiss too.
“Well…” he was against the wall and had to think of something. “Miss Salroze was… surprised to see me… I mean, she was surprised to see me bring her a Thank You gift. It was… unexpected to her.”
“That’s understandable. I was surprised to hear you suggest it at first too,” Ileena admitted, taking his answer seriously.
“I was surprised about it too. Thanking someone for their help should be an obvious thing and yet…” Emilia said in an embarrassing voice.
“Now, now. No need to beat yourselves over it. You did get your teacher a gift in the end and that’s what matters. I’m sure she was delighted to receive it,” Mrs. Ferpaw added with a kind smile.
“I hope she liked the cake,” Growly was more thinking out loud than asking a question.
“Yes, I hope so too. I didn’t know what kind of cake she liked,” Nicky added with a smile.
“Yo’, Narias. Did Miss Salroze like the cake?” Flavia wanted to know.
“What? The cake?” Narias became tense all of a sudden.
“That’s a silly question, Flavia. How would Narias know that?” Ileena commented in a way the answer should be obvious.
“Oh, right. Sorry, partner. It’s not like you ate the cake together with Miss Salroze. Hah,” Flavia laughed at her own words.
“Aah… ha…” Narias tried to laugh about it too.
Aaa… This is bad. I promised I would keep what happened between me and Belinda to myself. I don’t want to lie to my girlfriends, but if it comes out in the open the whole school can suffer because of it… Narias was becoming really worried about where the conversation was going.
“Hah, speaking of cakes, anyone wants another dessert? It’s the last call of the day,” Growla saved Narias by throwing an offer to the students to order one last dessert.
“May I? In that case…” as usual, Nicky couldn’t refuse an offer to have another piece of cake.
“Hey, me too,” Flavia jumped in on the offer as well.
“Can I have another one too?” Growly was hesitant to ask it, though.
Even if he was full, Narias ordered another sweet snack himself, just so he could keep his mouth full. Ileena and Emilia tried to hold themselves at first, but in the end, couldn’t resist to have another dessert each. The fun ended with everyone happily overeating before leaving the restaurant.
“Well then kiddos, thank you for coming with us. I hope you had a good time,” Growla thanked them when they were finally outside.
“Thank you, Mister and Missis Ferpaw. It was very kind and generous of you,” Ileena bowed down.
The others expressed their thanks as well.
“Glad to hear that. Well then, have fun with whatever else you had planned to do today,” Growla Ferpaw wished them.
“Thank you again, Mister Ferpaw,” Narias added at the end.
The group hadn’t planned to go anywhere else, so they were about to turn towards where the transport was to take them back to the academy’s campus. Except Growly. He had to go back home with his parents.
“Growly…” just when the students were about to leave, Growla threw a stern look at his son.
“Yes… I know,” Growly commented, feeling totally out of place for some reason.
“See you at school, Growly,” Narias said goodbye to his friend.
“See ya’, Growly. Hey, those apple cream puffs were so good. I am definitely buying some the next time we go to…” Flavia said goodbye and instantly turned to catch up with Narias, Ileena and Emilia to share how much she liked her last dessert.
“Bye Growly. I’ll see you at our student club tomorrow,” Nicky was the last one to say goodbye to him.
“Yeah, see you… Aarhm… I was…” Growly was stumbling on his words, which was really unusual for him.
“Huh? Is something the matter, Growly?” Nicky noticed he was feeling out of place.
“Well… you see… this is for you…” the gangster-looking chubby bear boy extended a box in front of him, turning his face away at the same time.
“Wow, a present for me? Thank you so much. Can I open it now?” Nicky was honestly surprised about the unexpected gift.
“Yeah…” Growly answered.
“A bracelet? So pretty. And it has such lovely green glow too. Thank you for buying it for me, Growly,” the tiny girl’s cheeks were sparkling.
“I made it…” the furry beast-boy told her.
“You… made it?” Nicky looked at him.
“Yeah… from the Crystalized Mold that I found in the Magic Dungeon,” Growly was too embarrassed to look Nicky directly in the eyes.
“Wow. That is so kind of you. I really love it,” the tiny girl smiled her sweetest smile.
“Really? I’m… glad…” Growly finally looked at her, adding a sharp smile.
“Hey, Nicky! Are you coming?!” Suddenly, Flavia’s voice was heard from the distance.
“Oops, I should be going now. See you later, Growly. And thank you again for this wonderful gift,” Nicky put the gift away inside her lady’s handbag, smiled at him again and walked to catch up with the others.
“Hmm…” Growly finally relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.
“See? It wasn’t that hard,” Growly’s dad said, also tapping his son on the shoulder.
“Fighting monsters is easy. Talking to girls is hard,” Growly commented back in his usual manner.
“Hah,” Growla laughed at his son’s response. “Come on, let’s go. You said you wanted to improve your craft. We still have half a day left for ourselves.”
“Yeah,” Growly grinned wide.
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