April 8th, 6:07.
Before the scheduled time on the ring table sounded, Siloque opened his eyes.
Today was Saturday, a rest day.
The school had specifically arranged for class division exams to start on Monday, with the freshman entrance ceremony held on Friday, then a holiday for students to rest the next day.
Outside the window, the city was still shrouded in gray, not yet fully awake.
Siloque yawned and walked into the bathroom.
Early eight people, early eight souls.
The work experience from his previous life made his soul accustomed to waking early—awake at 6:00, finish washing up before 7:00, breakfast at 8:00, squeeze onto the subway from downtown to the company before 9:00.
He hung up the “In Use” sign, took off his clothes, and placed them on the wooden rack in the washroom.
“Whew… Taking a bath in the morning is pure luxury.”
Siloque sat in the bathtub, hugging his knees.
Water droplets fell from his slender chin and long eyelashes, trailing down his fair chest.
In his mind, he had already decided on someone suitable to train him.
Torna Taros
A judge invited to the Swordsmanship Tournament every year, former sword instructor at the National Explorers University, with over 20 years of warrior teaching experience, and most Explorers on the Dungeon Frontline had received his guidance to some extent.
He fathered a child at fifty, then resigned immediately.
Afterward, he opened a private Sword Dojo and started a retired life ahead of schedule.
Not a ridiculously overpowered Sword Saint, but learning some basic training methods would be enough.
Just by the name, you could tell—this person was Bried’s father.
Siloque’s dad also knew Bried’s father.
From memory, it was a wonder how two people with almost nothing in common became friends.
It was because Dad wanted to lose weight and learned kendo from the other.
They also had plenty to talk about when it came to raising (spoiling) their daughters…
It’s not that I don’t want to find a beautiful loli master for eye candy, but either they’re too far or I can’t afford them.
The main reason for choosing this old man is that he lives nearby.
The tuition shouldn’t be too expensive, so I’ll just let Dad owe it for me.
The only problem is…
“An idiot father who dotes on his daughter to the extreme…”
Siloque got out of the bathtub and dried himself with a towel.
Apparently, Torna always thought Siloque was a girl, so he allowed Bried to play with Siloque when they were little.
Otherwise, he would have chopped him into a thousand pieces.
“Looks like I’ll have to pretend to be a girl for a while.”
At least I don’t have to cross-dress.
As long as he doesn’t ask, I won’t say anything. Let this misunderstanding continue!
Besides, I don’t have any other intentions toward your daughter.
I remember in the game, Cass learned from an NPC that Torna liked Fig and Walnut Bread from a Yasen Bakery in the North District.
If you handed that bread to Torna, he was willing to teach training techniques and methods.
Training with him increased HP cap, as well as END and AGI, basically a story reward unlocked by reaching a certain favorability level related to Bried.
Just like his daughter, he’s a foodie.
I’ll go out later to buy the freshest bread to show my sincerity!
After a pleasant bath, Siloque slid open the partition door of the bathroom and bumped into Hill, who was brushing her teeth.
“Good morning, bro…”
Hill’s eyes moved from Siloque’s face downward.
The flush spread from her neck to her ears, quickly covering her entire face.
Oh, right. I’m not wearing any clothes.
“Can you stop staring at my elephant?”
“Bro…Bro…Gr…G-G-gege, you pervert! Lecher! Sex maniac!”
Hill cursed in a suppressed voice, face red, grabbed clean clothes from the rack, threw them at Siloque’s face, and quickly tiptoed out.
“She didn’t dare yell too loudly for fear of disturbing the neighbors. What a good kid. But I remember I hung the sign.”
Siloque checked the sign at the door; it hadn’t fallen or flipped over, confirming it wasn’t his fault.
Maybe little sister overslept and didn’t notice.
Hahaha, what a scatterbrain.
“Speaking of… sister…”
Maybe it was the post-bath feeling, or perhaps the pain in his body had disappeared.
The seal on Siloque’s memory loosened.
Cass also had a younger sister.
That character never woke up until the main story ended and wasn’t a romance target, but even though players discussed this Sleeping Beauty character a lot, the developers rewarded them in the game’s side stories with a CG of sleep violation and dismemberment…
Too many heavy-taste fans among the development team.
“Damn, my good morning mood is ruined.”
Siloque shook his head to clear the memories, changed into his black-rimmed sportswear from middle school, got ready to go out, and headed to the entrance.
He definitely didn’t want to bump into Claude and waste time explaining unnecessary misunderstandings.
“You’re up early, kid.”
Claude came in through the door, holding a large paper bag in his hand.
“Other than rushing for the elementary school bus, I’ve never seen you up this early.”
Of course, whatever you fear most comes to you.
Looking at his blond hair and bronze skin, Siloque couldn’t help but imagine this was what a nightclub host looked like coming home from a night shift.
“Oh, morning, Dad. I want to build up my stamina, so I’m going for a morning run.”
Siloque lied without batting an eye, but he was also a little curious about why Claude was coming home so early.
“Heh, youth…”
“?”
Who knew what Claude was sighing about. He handed the paper bag to Siloque, who opened it in confusion—
“Bread?”
It was bread made with figs and walnuts, and the paper bag had the Yasen Bakery’s signature design.
“I already contacted Torna in advance. It’s the Sword Dojo I usually go to. You should know—the orange-haired girl’s dad next door. If you get into the Explorer School, he’ll guide you a bit. That guy said he used to teach four-layer Explorers, but he was probably bragging after drinking too much.”
Though it’s probably true.
“Dad, thank you.”
Saved me a trip and extra money on bread.
“Tch, don’t misunderstand, brat! I just don’t want you hanging around at home, disturbing the peaceful time with my wife and daughter. If you suddenly drop dead in the Dungeon, Cohen and Hill would be heartbroken, and if the atmosphere at home got worse, I wouldn’t be able to eat.”
With those contradictory words, Claude left, grumbling, “I’m so tired, so tired,” probably to get some more sleep before eating Cohen’s breakfast.
“Being tsundere isn’t trendy anymore, Dad.”
Siloque picked up the bread, rich with the scent of wheat, and quietly closed the door.
“I won’t die. I won’t let any of you die, either.”
Siloque left the house.
He didn’t know that, just then, the door opened again, and a yellow twin-tail peeked out.
Hill watched Siloque’s distant back, the worry in her eyes deepening.
“So strange.”
Dressed in sportswear, she was clearly ready and quietly followed Siloque.
“Why is Onii-chan going out so early? Who is he meeting?”
***
South Gate of Lake Heart Park.
There were already scattered people jogging, working out, or elderly men and women out for a walk.
As soon as Torna appeared, Cass would kneel on the spot, introduce himself, and offer the bread—
That was Cass’s way, but Siloque had no intention of copying it.
Every morning, Torna ran twenty laps around the park rain or shine, running barefoot like an ascetic.
As long as you waited, you would definitely have an “accidental” encounter with him.
Siloque sat on a stone bench, thinking about how long he might have to wait.
Huff… huff…
He heard heavy breathing, but a faint fragrance also reached his nose.
As the person approached, Siloque sensed something was off.
The newcomer had orange hair, and the sound of footsteps was from running shoes.
It was Bried.
She looked soft at first glance, but under her gray-blue tracksuit were toned limbs—a sign she ran regularly.
Bried noticed Siloque, looked confused, then glanced away, pretending not to see him.
Damn, it’s Bried.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem eager to interact either, and Siloque played along, pretending not to notice.
Could it be a memory error?
Or had things changed?
Why was Bried exercising in Lake Heart Park, too?
Even if the Cliff challenge event was triggered, she should be practicing swordsmanship at the Sword Dojo at home, not running here.
Siloque remained seated, deciding to wait longer.
Maybe Torna was running behind, too.
The two of them passed each other without a word.
But after a few steps, Bried suddenly stopped, turned, and walked back to Siloque.
“?”
Bried, sweaty and full of energy, leaned close.
Siloque propped up his arms, bored, and gazed at her determined, sweat-drenched face.
Though I said yesterday that I was starting over, today she’s already willing to reconnect.
Should I say she changes quickly or that she just doesn’t care?
Siloque figured it was mostly the latter.
Bried looked like a cool beauty, but in reality… a bit of an airhead.
What does she want?
Siloque gave off that aura, but Bried’s attention was elsewhere.
Panting, she pointed at the paper bag.
“This…Yasen shop…Fig and Walnut Frosted Bread?”