IBMOT Chapter 34

Episode 34

 

Erina could only smile wryly as she watched the energetic children from the early morning.

Each of them had so many pretty ribbons in their rooms that were far better than the one they were fighting over, yet here they were, crying over just one.

Letting out a small sigh, Erina cut the long ribbon into three smaller ones.

She decorated each child’s hair with their own ribbon, and their eyes sparkled with delight.

Erina felt satisfied, as the ribbons seemed to suit the children better than herself.

“Now then, let’s eat quickly and start our morning lessons, shall we?”

“Yes!!”

The children shouted enthusiastically, gripping their spoons and forks.

After breakfast, Erina guided the children through reading lessons.

In the afternoon, they focused on numbers.

While they occasionally went outside for hands-on learning in the garden or the nearby hills, most of their lessons took place indoors.

Aside from the occasional visits from Mitzu or Dylan, the library was a space shared exclusively by Erina and the children.

After finishing breakfast, Erina headed to the library with the children, not forgetting to write the day’s lesson plan on the calendar.

Writing it down allowed her to track progress at a glance.

While reviewing the schedule, a soft ‘pop!’ sounded, and tiny sparkling stars appeared, circling the calendar.

Erina widened her eyes at the sugary, glitter-like stardust.

The stars sparkled for a while before vanishing with another soft ‘pop!’.

Realizing something, Erina clapped her hands lightly.

“Oh, the star mark!” she exclaimed.

Tomorrow, she was supposed to visit Dylan because of the magic lingering in her hair, and the stars seemed to be reminding her in advance.

The calendar’s cleverness impressed Erina. With reminders like this, she wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting important appointments.

Thinking of her meeting with Dylan, Erina glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Her original golden hair color still hadn’t returned.

“It still looks strange.”

She murmured, twisting a strand of her long hair before hurrying to the library. The children’s lessons took priority today.

Among the triplets, Resen was the most interested in studying.

His curiosity seemed boundless, and he was insatiable when it came to learning—whether it was food or knowledge, he wanted to devour it all.

Today, Resen’s eyes were fixed on the book in front of him, as if he were about to consume the words. He read smoothly:

“The little whale dances. When the whale dances, the waves become excited and sing. Whoosh, whoosh, let’s all play together in the joyful sea.”

“Wow! Resen, you read so well it felt like I was really having fun in the sea!”

Erina gently patted Resen’s hair as he finished two pages in no time.

Seeing this, Lia and Poi pushed their heads forward, wanting the same affection. After being fairly patted, they returned their attention to their books.

Unlike Resen, Poi was slower at learning letters, even compared to Lia.

“Okay, Poi, let’s have you read aloud from here.”

“Yes!”

“Great, ready? Begin!”

Poi, visibly nervous about reading after Resen, swallowed hard before opening his small lips.

“T-trees? Trees are?”

“Trees say.”

“Um, trees say h-hollo…?”

“Hello.”

“Hello!”

The book Poi was reading had barely 30 words on a page, yet it took him over five minutes to finish.

Erina patiently guided Poi whenever he stumbled, but Resen and Lia soon grew bored of Poi’s repeated mistakes and began to complain.

“Poi’s so slow!”

“How can you not know that? Ugh, Erina, let me read instead of Poi!”

Poi’s expression darkened as his siblings teased him. Tears welled up in his big, dark eyes, and Erina looked at the three children, troubled.

Finally, she turned to Resen and Lia.

“Resen, Lia, are you going to keep saying such mean things to Poi? Didn’t you promise not to do this last time?”

“But it’s true! Poi keeps messing up!”

“Yeah!”

“That may be true, but Resen and Lia aren’t as good at tag as Poi is. What if Poi ignored you and refused to play with you because of that?”

“No!!”

“Lia loves playing tag with Poi! If Poi doesn’t play, I’ll be sad!”

“See? Resen and Lia would feel sad too, right?”

“Yes!!” the two chimed together.

Erina smiled and asked.

“Then what should we do instead?”

Resen raised his hand and answered.

“We help Poi get better at reading! If he struggles, we can help him!”

“Exactly! Well done, Resen.”

“Lia will help too!”

“Of course you can, Lia.”

Erina patted both Resen and Lia on their backs as they clung to her arms.

The children, still young and simple in their thinking, quickly understood when Erina presented a similar situation.

In time, they’d come to realize that playing tag and reading weren’t the same, but for now, their innocence made it easier to resolve conflicts.

“Poi, we’re sorry!”

“Sorry!”

“It’s okay. I’ll help you when we play tag too.”

Poi wiped away his tears and gave a shy smile at Resen and Lia’s apology.

It seemed Poi also knew he was unbeatable when it came to tag.

Listening to the triplets’ adorable conversation, Erina chuckled inwardly. She calmed the lively atmosphere and resumed their reading practice.

“Let’s have Poi read the next page too.”

“Yes!!”

Although Poi struggled through the 30 or so characters on the page again, this time, Resen and Lia didn’t show any frustration. Instead, they actively tried to help him.

Thanks to their support, Poi managed to finish the page in just three minutes—two minutes faster than before.

“Wow!!”

“Poi, you’re amazing!”

“Hehe.”

The children spread their arms wide, unable to hide their excitement.

To celebrate, Erina served them strawberries soaked in syrup as a snack.

“…!!!”

The children blinked rapidly, their long lashes fluttering, as they tasted the sweet and tangy treat for the first time.

They were so enamored with the syrupy strawberries that they begged Erina to skip studying and eat them as their lunch instead.

Even Resen, who was usually obsessed with books, abandoned his lessons and stared longingly at the strawberries, drooling.

The three children drooled so much that a tiny puddle formed at the edge of the desk. Erina broke into a sweat as she worked to divert their attention away from the enchanting snack.

 

***

 

The star mark on the calendar sparkled even more brilliantly than it had the previous day.

It was so dazzling that it would’ve been impossible to forget the appointment.

After checking on the children, who were sound asleep in their beds, Erina carefully opened the door to their room, ensuring no sound disturbed them.

She moved quietly through the silent second floor and descended to the first floor, where Dylan’s office was located.

Like the rest of the house, the first floor was dark and quiet, except for the faint light seeping through the crack in Dylan’s office door.

Knock, knock.

“Yes, come in, Miss Erina.”

The door opened almost as soon as her knock ended, as if Dylan had been standing by, expecting her.

“Ah, yes. I thought today might be the day, as it’s almost a week now. About my hair…”

“I see. You’re right on time. Please, come in.”

“Excuse me, then.”

Since she hadn’t spent much time alone with Dylan without the children, Erina felt awkward and moved stiffly as she stepped inside.

Dylan, too, cleared his throat lightly, a rare sign of unease.

For Dylan, who had never felt awkward in front of anyone or anything, Erina was the sole exception.

Whenever she was near, he felt like the clumsiest dragon in existence.