Retired S-rank father becomes a teacher

Classes were over for both father and daughters and they were back home. The sun had started to set. In his study, Silas sat behind a desk that had tons of book piles on it. Deciphered Russian papers on mana cores on one side and books on mana ethics on the other.

He was in the middle of reading the Russian experiment document Berlin had given him when Kathy burst into the study. Her arms were crossed and she was frowning at him. His eyes moved from the paper to his daughter. She was cute. Her purple eyes were doing that burning thing they did when she'd made up her mind about something.

Silas grinned.

“What do I owe this visit to, my darling Kathy?” He asked teasingly.

She clicked her tongue. Her black hair was loose on her shoulder, her bangs slightly messy.

“I am still E-rank! You promised to help me rank up and I have gotten nowhere since you started working on stupid Russian experiments and now you’re a student again. Dad you need to prioritize better.”

A hand went to her hip as she lectured him.

“Prioritize my darling daughter huh,” he repeated. His voice playful, but she was right.

Putting the paper down, he leaned back on his chair, his hands behind his head, and thought about it. The Russian technique was too risky for his daughter without proper testing, he didn’t have that yet. So what could he do to make her rank up?

The old fashioned way.

An idea popped in his mind.

He patted his lap.

“Sit Kathy,” he said.

She raised an eyebrow suspiciously before slowly approaching him and sitting on his lap. It was a bit tight. She wasn’t a little girl anymore and it made him slightly nostalgic.

Her body was stiff as she sat there, her butt on his thighs.

With a chuckle, his hands went to her sides and he squeezed her sides, tickling her.

She yelped and tried to get away from him. His grip was firm, holding her down on his lap as he tickled her. She squealed.

Her legs started kicking as she tried to push his hands away, but his touch was relentless.

“Dad st—stop it! Haha...” she said through laughs.

Then he stopped. His hands were still on her body as she tried to catch her breath. A smile was on her lips and her eyes were slightly moist. He leaned in close to her. His cheeks pressed to her back, listening to her heartbeat and smelling her strawberry scent.

Her breathing became quiet. She waited with complete trust in him. He closed his eyes.

Kathy was technically the eldest twin by twenty minutes. Her core was also more dense and filled with more mana than Victoria’s yet she still hasn’t ranked up. It wasn’t like she was weak or biologically different than her sister. So why is she lagging behind?

A soft hum escaped him.

“Take off your shirt,” he said against her back, his voice soft.

“Are you serious?” Kathy sounded unsure but her fingers moved to the buttons of her shirt anyway and undid them slowly. The shirt was pulled off her body and she put it on his desk. Her blue bra was still on.

He reached for the clasp and opened it, taking the bra off.

“What are you doing Dad?” Her face was completely red, embarrassment written all over her face.

“I am going to examine your core,” he replied, his fingers lightly tracing her spine. “Whatever you do don’t use mana.”

She gulped and he placed his other hand on her stomach to feel her abdomen. Kathy tensed under him.

His mana carefully entered her body and he felt her flesh and bones under his mana touch. Usually using mana inside of someone was an extremely dangerous and invasive thing, but he was extremely skilled in controlling space to the smallest detail.

He pushed his mana through the muscle tissue and towards her mana core. A thin tendril of space that gently wrapped itself around the bright blue core inside his daughter.

There were no abnormalities that he could see with his mana sight, no cracks in her pathways or anything physical. No strange mana connections to other parts of her body either.

Moving his hand higher, he touched between her breasts, the top of her sternum and then the bone itself. Another part of his space magic slowly went towards the bones in her chest.

“Dad...this feels...weird,” she muttered.

“I know sweetheart.” He kissed her shoulder. “Stay still for me.”

His mana circled her heart and he felt her blood flow, the beats of the muscle. It was a strong healthy heart with no blockages.

Pulling his mana back to his finger tips, he exited her body.

Kathy turned to him, a bit confused, her breasts right in front of his eyes and her eyes searching his.

He took a strand of her hair and put it behind her ear.

“There is nothing wrong with you Kath.” He gave her a smile and pulled her close in a hug, rubbing her bare back gently.

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

“So why am I still an E rank? Vic will reach C soon at this rate,” Kathy mumbled in his neck. It was the first time he heard her admit that she was feeling insecure about the rankings.

Silence fell over them.

“Your mind is holding you back,” he said.

“What?” Her voice was shaky.

On the chair he adjusted her to sit on one of his thighs so he could see her better. Her cheeks were red. She was trying her hardest to ignore that her nipples were out and he was right infront of them.

His violet eyes locked on hers.

“The strongest hunters I know all have one thing in common; a complete lack of self doubt.”

A shiver ran through her body as her grip tightened around him.

She shook her head.

“I don’t have self doubt. I train every day. I work harder than anyone at the academy."

A sharp pain went through his chest. Silas sighed. She was still a kid after all. Even if she looked and sounded more grown up than she was, she was still his little girl.

He reached for her cheek, caressing it gently. She leaned into the touch.

“Kathy why do you want to get stronger?” He asked.

Her brows furrowed.

“To surpass you and get away from your constant watch and live a normal life,” she said.

Her answer felt hollow to him, so he waited and he kept looking at her and saw the way her eyes shifted around, avoiding his gaze, her fingers playing with her nails on her hand. Then her breath got a bit shorter.

He reached for her chin, tilting her head back so she faced him.

“Why do you really want to rank up, Kathy?” He asked again.

A pout formed on her lips, she was getting frustrated, angry even.

She opened her mouth but only a sigh came out.

Then she shook her head and leaned on his shoulder. Her voice a whisper.

“I want to protect you like you always protected me.”

His heart swelled in his chest and he wrapped his arms around her back, his daughter burying her face in his shirt. The softness of her skin felt right against him.

She didn't move for a moment then she lifted her face, her eyes were slightly wet and her lips were trembling as she gripped his hand tightly.

“Is that stupid?” Kathy sniffled. “You’re the strongest so why should I...I don’t even know how. It doesn’t make sense but it’s what I want to do. It’s like who protects the strongest? Who protects the protector—” She choked on her tears.

Her entire body was trembling in his hold.

He wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

“It is not stupid. It makes perfect sense, I feel the same way, wanting to protect your mom and Vic. But Kathy you don’t need to protect me yet. Maybe in fifty years I’ll be weak and you can take care of me but for now I protect you okay? And when the time comes you can protect me,” he said gently, planting a kiss on her nose.

She sniffled again. “What if I want to now?”

A chuckle escaped him and he stood up, carrying her in his arms. She squealed at the sudden movement and clung to him, her chest rubbing against his as he held her legs with one hand.

The other hand reached for her bra and he helped her get dressed again, buttoning her up, his fingers brushing against the bare skin of her chest.

She watched him with her violet eyes, still a bit teary.

When she was fully dressed, he ruffled her hair.

“You can protect my heart by not calling me an old man and hugging me everyday,” he said with a playful voice. A small giggle escaped his daughter and she punched his shoulder.

“Never!” she said.

Kathy then put her head on his shoulder again as they stood in the middle of the room in an embrace, she held onto him tightly. For some reason she felt heavier. He smiled and rubbed her back.

The door creaked open.

Victoria was standing in the doorway with a confused look. Her hair was wet from the shower and she had a bathrobe on.

She blinked slowly.

“What is the meaning of this?” Vic asked and crossed her arms.

Kathy snorted and walked out of his hold. With a huff she looked at her sister.

“Nothing! I am leaving before you two start your weird shit!” She turned her back to them and walked out of the study.

Silas smiled at the empty space his daughter left, his chest felt warm, knowing she felt better now. He looked at Victoria who still looked a bit bewildered.

“Want me to help you dry your hair princess?” he asked. Her eyes lit up as she nodded enthusiastically.