Nikolai sat with a calm face, looking at the distant sun setting over the horizon—because of Madame Zara, Selene became aggressive and angry before she asked for some time alone and thus, their date in the Djinn world ended early.

“Selene…”

‘Though you got angry for me, why did you push me away?’

He watched the birds flying home with a sense of envy—there was nowhere for him to go right now other than Nikita’s house since Nagisa promised to help him purchase a new house.

Bzzzt—!

Suddenly, Nikolai’s phone started to vibrate… before checking the name, he swiped the call and placed it against his ear, the sound of a lighter being lit echoing from the other side.

The call took a deep drag, his lips pressing together before a long exhalation.

“Haa….. Nikolai.”

‘Dad?!’

[Ivan… he’s smoking?!]

Elizabeth’s surprise made Nikolai realise his father would only smoke when extremely upset or stressed out because of something.

“Dad… it’s good to hear your voice.”

A deep, raspy voice that might sound a little sharp, like a gangster at times, but to Nikolai, it felt nostalgic. The weak and breathless sound of his father in the past vanished, and only the dad from his teens returned.

“Nikolai, we need to meet. There are many things that I believe you are ready to hear now, sorry that I wasn’t there for you when you needed me most… Nagisa scolded me.”

‘Mother Nagisa… thank you…’

Nikolai realised once again just how much affection and love Nikita’s mother gave him. Now, his avoidance and feelings of inferiority made him feel stupid.

“When can we meet?” Nikolai’s voice quivered slightly.

He couldn’t admit it, but the amount he missed his father was much greater than he thought. That comforting and resolute figure that always waited for him. Even when sick, his father always stayed beside him after a hard night at work to keep Nikolai company.

“Now… come home son, I’ve made your favourite food, though I hope it still suits your tastes.”

‘My favourite… dad, you foolish old man.’

“I’ll be there in two minutes.”

“I’ll wait.”

Beep-Beep—!

“Dad’s back…!”

Nikolai was currently sitting in a building near the northern quarter because he could not return to the apartment, but this seemed like a safe place to linger.

‘Let’s go home!’

A strange feeling, home… what kind of existence that small dirty apartment might seem to others, for Nikolai even after buying the expensive apartment. That place was home, the small rooms with bad soundproofing, as he stood up and gazed at the brilliant sun halfway over the horizon.

“Shall I run?”

With a brilliant smile, his hips lowered before dashing forward, jumping two metres across the buildings with a loud bang.

He plopped on the Scarlet Group building before running along the wall, flinging himself towards the government buildings and rolling on the gravel and stone.

“Phew… faster, I can run faster!”

His pace increased, and with each step, he tried to lengthen his stride—the wind blowing against his face while Nikolai’s eyes narrowed, taking in the rapidly changing landscape.

He reached the central district in a few seconds, and his ankles ached slightly from the repeated jumps. He promised to achieve it in two minutes, so no matter what, he must achieve it.

Finally, after twenty-five seconds, his form slowed down outside his previous house—the window to the apartment was open with smoke flowing out.

The sight brought a grin to his face, his chest puffing out while deep, taking in the meal’s scent. His father cooked, and the memories of being poor, but the days they would have this meal were special to Nikolai—it was an expensive meal to them in the past.

“DAD!” Nikolai jumped through the window, rolling his body across the new floor. The scent was strange compared to the past, but it was still home.

‘I forgot I paid to have it renovated several times…’

His thoughts stopped because the kitchen light illuminated his vision. Behind the door, Ivan appeared, standing there calmly in a white apron.

A pot was in his right hand, and with a flick, he poured its contents onto a plate in his left palm. The pasta flowed down with a wet squelch before he mixed it in the sauce and spices.

“Dad?!”

Once done, he laid the plate on the table with an easy-going expression on his lips, watching Nikolai. “Welcome home, son. Do you want the cheese bomb?”

The handsome male looked no older than his early thirties at most. He was nothing like the sickly old man Nikolai knew. Long silver hair, a rugged jaw, and a muscular figure stood, holding a small pan in his large hand—though smaller than the current Nikolai. The sight of such a healthy and youthful father made Nikolai’s heart pound with delight, joy, and a sense of relief.

‘Dad’s really okay!’

He knew Selene wouldn’t lie about his father being alright, and when he saw him at the arena, he looked okay, but now… finally, it set in that his dad was fine, and his heart wasn’t failing.

“How do you look so good?”

Ivan turned to his son with the same gaze that Nikolai had given him, his lips curling into a smile and his pride visible. Nikolai, you’ve really grown. Dad is so proud. So, are we having a cheese bomb with our pasta tonight?”

“Ah… of course, Dad!”

The expensive cheese, at least to them in the past, bubbled over the heated water as it became soft… his father made great pasta, but Nikolai loved the adverts where people scooped cheese from the wheel in the past, but it cost too much. Thus, Ivan created a similar sight with a cheaper cheese.

However, today, The cheese he used was the one they had always wanted to buy!

“Dad that cheese!”

“Haha… do you remember, when you first asked me to try this cheese wheel?”

“Of course!” Nikolai watched the cheese melt, the colour becoming darker as more bubbles popped from underneath. Its fragrance soon floated throughout the room, reaching his nostrils and making his stomach grumble despite not needing food… Supernatural beings remembered foods with more meaning, like this, which could trigger hunger.

“Haha… stop drooling, your mother was just like you.”

[I was not!]

‘Haha…’

“She would watch the cheese counter, because of one time we went on a date and tried cheese fondue.”

[IVAN!]

Ivan couldn’t see Elizabeth, but Nikolai had already heard about this from his mother. It seemed to be part of their punishment for performing the ritual, and rather than hers, it was Ivan’s punishment, which is why he became so weak in the first place.

“Mom would probably beat you if she knew…”

“Haha~ your mother is too kind and sweet to hurt me, she would be too occupied eating the food and bothering you.”

Nikolai felt his chest tighten.

Progress toward reviving his mother wasn’t far off, but he couldn’t say it would be soon, either, so these emotions got caught in his throat like a bone.

“Don’t worry, Nikolai. I heard from Nagisa. Eliza, she’s always protecting you, right?” His father’s silver eyes felt lonely, yet his mouth kept smiling.

‘Mom… let’s end this quickly…’

‘I want you to be with Dad.’

[Mmm… let’s do it together—this old fool probably can’t take care of himself without us.]

“Stop being stupid, get your plate… I see you’ve replaced everything but the brand is just the premium version. You did that for me right?”

Nikolai knew how fussy his dad was about the things he used, so instead of buying super expensive items, he bought the premium range of the items they already owned. It made a world of difference, but still…

He felt relieved his father wasn’t mad.

.

.

.

The meal passed quickly.

A pair of grown men watching boring television while eating a nostalgic meal soon faded, and Ivan came into the living room with a bottle of whiskey. “I bought this brand when I married your mother… when you were born and now, since you’ve become a man and a fully grown werewolf. Let’s have a toast, Nikolai.”

The serious atmosphere suddenly made Nikolai a little nervous, and he watched his father pull out his glasses.

“Pftttt… calm down.” As he sat back down on the couch, he threw Nikolai a glass. His father poured the whiskey into his glass before slamming the glass together. “Now… do you want to ask me anything?”

“A lot has happened, Dad.” Nikolai sighed as he drank the whisky, a burning sensation passing down his throat with each sip, making his face scrunch up.

However, the scent—the sweet flavours—reminded him of his dad.

“I remember this scent…”

Though the brand might be different, the smell was there—unforgettable and strong, something Nikolai couldn’t forget.

The smell of the past lingered on his father’s clothes from those times.

“Smell is the sense tied strongest to memory, at least that’s for humans, but we are wolves so it’s even stronger, hahahaha.” With an amused grin, Ivan swished the drink around in his cup, taking another slow sip before a satisfying breath.

“Did you make up with that little Fenrir girl?”

“Nikita?”

“Ah… that girl really loves you, the amount of times I found her in your bed or sneaking into your room and pretended to not notice…” He shook his head as if amused, though that last part… somehow he felt that the lewd things she did also were noticed.

‘Shouldn’t you have stopped her?!’

He was tempted to say it aloud but didn’t. It wasn’t that embarrassing anymore. “I did. Now I don’t feel inferior or unworthy.”

“You should never have had such a thought process; Nikita’s a bright and fierce young girl, you are allowed to act immature, be yourself, let loose.” His father took another sip of the whiskey before chuckling.

“I once spoke to her when you turned fifteen, and she said even if you were poor she wanted to marry you… That if you wanted money she would become the richest woman in the world and own half of S-City to make you happy.”

“I… I think she’s doing that now.” Though Nikolai found himself speechless, he muttered under his breath.

“She is, but you’re beside her instead, right?” Ivan smirked. It seemed that Nikolai’s father really wanted to talk like this with his son all those years.

“I won’t judge you for who or how many women you are with Nikolai… but I hope you never think of abandoning or mistreating them.” Ivan scolded his son, while Nikolai couldn’t help but take these words to heart, knowing his dad still loved his mother to this day.

“I know… Selene, Nikita and Risa are already my responsibility and people I must protect, like you did mother.”

“GOOD! Now drink more!”

[Ah… Ivan looks ecstatic… I am glad. It’s been so long since I saw him smile like this.]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep