My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 65

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Dad hiding his strength
Episode 65
Yes, Mom.
It was my first meeting with my mother.
‘What—this suddenly?’
Flustered, I had no idea what to say.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.
My heart pounded violently.
‘What do I say? What should I say first? Nice to meet you? Or introduce myself? Should I pretend to know her?’
After standing frozen for a long moment, I finally opened my mouth—
“Um.”
The ball in my hands was suddenly snatched away by Mom.
Then she whirled around and vanished as if fleeing.
“Wait—excuse me!”
My reflexive reaching hand found only empty air; she was already far away.
‘What—what is this? She doesn’t even want to acknowledge me?’
I just stood there, blinking.
Glancing sideways, my roommates were looking at each other in bewilderment.
“Ahem.”
I cleared my throat and slowly lowered my outstretched hand.
Embarrassing. Confusing.
Something felt off.
* * *
‘What’s going on.’
Spotting Lilis in the courtyard, Cheshire stopped in his tracks and watched her closely.
Her pale, trembling expression as she stared at the unfamiliar woman was unlike her usual self.
The woman seemed equally flustered.
“Wait—please!”
Lilis tried to catch the woman.
But for some reason, the woman fled the spot as if she’d seen a ghost.
‘Someone she knows, then.’
Looking at Lilis standing motionless in the courtyard, Cheshire found himself unable to turn away.
She looked bitter, confused.
What’s wrong.
Who is that person.
The kind of expression that makes you want to ask if she’s all right.
It was a side of her he’d never seen before—nothing like her usual brightness.
* * *
Theory class for the Attack Class division.
Cheshire and I were attending the afternoon session with the others.
‘This is so tedious.’
I flipped through the Magic Formula textbook, my mind wandering.
The theory lesson wasn’t demanding.
Nothing but copying out Magic Formulas by hand and memorizing them.
Of course, since I didn’t need Mental Magic Formula Implementation, none of it applied to me.
‘Still, I have to pretend to study if I’m going to keep my cover.’
I copied the Magic Formulas from the textbook into my notebook.
The Training Institute’s materials covered B-Rank to F-Rank Magic Formulas.
Higher ranks meant more complex formulas and more difficult implementation. Of course, the attack power increased proportionally.
‘Wow, but learning just one B-Rank formula would take me a whole week?’
I was astounded for a moment, then resigned myself to it.
If magic could be cast with a snap of the fingers, everyone would be a god.
‘Memorize it anyway! Stop daydreaming! Lilis!’
I slapped my own cheek.
Every time my mind went blank, thoughts of Mom crept back in, making everything feel muddled.
‘What was that look in her eyes?’
I’d already guessed that she didn’t want to meet me.
Was that why?
Was she afraid I’d pretend to know her?
But we ran into each other by chance, and she just vanished without a single word.
Is something wrong?
What did I do?
My head was full of question marks.
“…Lilis.”
“…….”
“Lilis.”
“Oh, huh?”
Cheshire’s voice startled me back to attention.
“Why have you been spacing out like this the whole time?”
“…Me?”
Cheshire jerked his chin toward my notebook.
I’d thought I was drawing a Magic Formula, but there was a sketch of a person instead—a woman with a ponytail.
My fingers had unconsciously drawn my mother.
Damn it.
“Right, yeah. I was spacing out. I wonder why….”
“…….”
I’d thought it wouldn’t bother me, but seeing Mother for the first time hit harder than I’d expected.
‘No, how could it not bother me? She’s my mother. My mother, and I just met her for the first time in my life.’
I heaved a sigh that seemed to sink into the ground.
“Do you know that woman from earlier?”
“Huh?”
“You brought a ball to some boy outside. I saw it.”
“Oh, you saw?”
“Yeah. Your expression was weird in front of that female researcher. Do you know her?”
“Ah.”
I paused for a moment, then spoke casually.
“She’s my mother.”
Cheshire’s eyes widened.
“What? That person is your mother?”
“Yeah. I saw her for the first time earlier, too.”
I’d mentioned my mother to Cheshire before, but I’d never said who she was….
So he looked quite surprised.
“So you two were meeting for the first time then? But why did your mother just leave without saying anything?”
“Who knows? …Oh! The baby was crying, wasn’t it? Maybe she got flustered.”
“…….”
“And since we weren’t going to live together anyway. Um, so…. Maybe she just pretended not to know me.”
Cheshire stared intently at me as I murmured.
There was something embarrassing about his gaze, and my heart felt unsettled.
“Ugh, I don’t know.”
I let my heavy body collapse onto the desk like a soaked sponge.
* * *
I figured I wouldn’t run into her again.
“Newya!”
That was what I’d thought just a few hours before.
But in the Restaurant where I’d come to eat dinner, I was taken aback.
Kayle grinned widely and held out his small hand to me—a hand as delicate as a maple leaf, holding a single Candy.
“Is this for me?”
“Yeah! Newya eat!”
He seemed to remember me bringing him the ball earlier.
I carefully took the Candy from the child’s hand.
“Thank you.”
“Yep, newya!”
Kayle answered cheerfully and toddled away.
‘My brother….’
I watched his small, waddling figure disappear with an unfocused gaze.
When I didn’t know, I felt nothing.
But now that I knew he shared half my blood, my heart felt strangely stirred.
“…….”
As I stared blankly at the Candy in my hand, my eyes suddenly caught the Juice sitting on the tray.
I quickly picked it up and ran after Kayle.
“Huh?”
“Hey, thanks for the candy. I’ll enjoy it! And look—here, I’m giving you this!”
Kayle blinked his wide eyes at the Juice I offered, then broke into a bright smile and took it.
“Thanks, Lilis!”
“Mm, hehe.”
“…Kayle!”
I froze.
‘Mom.’
I’d barely heard her voice a handful of times, yet it was already familiar enough to make me stiffen instantly.
Mom rushed over and scooped Kayle into her arms like she was fishing him out of danger.
“Mom! Lilis just gave me juice!”
“…….”
Unlike before, Kayle was utterly radiant, but the expression on Mom’s face as she looked at me had grown even paler.
‘What on earth is wrong with her? And why is she being so cautious around me?’
Her eyes, fixed on me, were trembling visibly.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Sorry?”
“Or… did this child do something wrong?”
“……?”
I panicked and waved my hand dismissively.
“No, no! Nothing like that. This child gave me some candy, and I just wanted to give the Juice back as a thank-you….”
“…….”
“Is… is something the matter?”
The unrelenting weight of her stare made me smile awkwardly.
“Take it.”
“Oh.”
“My juice!”
Mom pressed the Juice back into my hands.
Then she avoided my eyes and spoke quietly.
“Look, dear. The child doesn’t understand things yet. If he speaks to you again… just tell him to go away. And if you have anything to say, speak to me instead, not to him.”
“…….”
Then I understood.
Mom was afraid I might say something strange to Kayle.
“I won’t ask about what happened this afternoon. Please don’t do it again. That’s all I ask.”
This afternoon?
My head snapped up from where I’d been staring helplessly at the ground.
Exactly. She’d misunderstood—she thought I’d stolen Kayle’s ball and bullied him earlier.
“About that, it was actually—”
But I didn’t get the chance to explain.
Mom had already turned away.
“Wait, please, just a moment!”
Stop running away! I grabbed for her, desperate to clear this up—
‘Cheshire?’
Cheshire appeared.
He’d been eating moments before, but now he stood directly in Mom’s path.
“Excuse me.”
Cheshire’s voice carried an unusual edge of anger.
“What did she do wrong?”
“Pardon?”
“What exactly did she do wrong?”
Mom turned back, bewildered, at Cheshire’s words as he gestured toward me standing behind him.
“This afternoon, your son had his ball taken by another child and cried. Lilis gave it back to him.”
“…….”
“And just now, it looked like he came to her first. Also, this Juice—”
Cheshire strode over and took the Juice from my hands.
Then he handed it to Kayle.
“Juice!”
“It’s fresh from dinner service. There’s nothing harmful in it.”
I was startled by Cheshire’s aggressive tone.
Mom was taken aback as well.
“Ah, I see. I’m sorry. I must have misunderstood this afternoon. And about the Juice—that’s not what I meant. I just….”
“He didn’t do anything wrong. He has no intention of bothering your son.”
Cheshire cut off my mother’s words and took my hand.
Then he fixed her with a hard stare and continued.
“So stop looking at him like that. He hasn’t done anything wrong, and you need to stop making him nervous.”
……
“If you’re so worried about your son, then just teach him yourself not to go near Lilis.”
I stood frozen, my mouth hanging open at the words pouring from Cheshire.
“Let’s go.”
Cheshire took my hand and led me out of the Restaurant, leaving my mother speechless.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————