Retired S-rank father becomes a teacher

Apparently I was the only one to reach C-rank in the dungeon. Instead of boasting about it in class or in front of my sister I decided to train more. The gym was quiet as I used the weights, my muscles burning as I pushed myself to do more reps.

My dad said training both body and mana was important so that’s what I did.

The sun shone through the windows and the air smelled like rubber and sweat. With a grunt I finished my last rep. Putting the weights down, I looked at the clock on the wall and grabbed my towel.

Cardio time.

Putting on my earbuds and playing some loud music, I went on the treadmill. My feet were moving quickly as the sun warmed my skin. Then someone took out my right earbud and I looked to my left.

Jessica was there, her blonde hair in a ponytail and she wore her sports bra and some leggings.

“Training again? Don’t you ever take a day off?” she asked, wiping her forehead with her own towel.

Shrugging, I took the other earbud out.

“No. Not until I am S-rank,” I replied.

A raised eyebrow from her. Then she started to stretch, her hands reaching down to touch her toes and I couldn’t help but glance at her butt. I had to applaud her. Even with my height difference she was curvy in all the right places and I second-guessed my own figure sometimes.

Shaking my head, I continued running.

“Any plans after this?” Jessica asked as she grabbed her water bottle and took a few sips.

A beep was heard and I slowed the treadmill to a walk and wiped the sweat from my face.

“Not really. But want to play some one-on-one?” I grinned.

Her eyes narrowed as she smirked back.

The sun was high and blinding so we upped the tint of the windows to make the room dimmer. Grabbing two pairs of practice wooden swords we went to the sparring room, our feet on the soft mats.

The door closed and the air felt fresh. Weapon training was a requirement in Aethelgard and my father made me and Victoria train in two different types of weapons. I chose japanese style blades obviously. Then he forced me to learn to use a hammer. Which was so stupid because when am I going to use that?!

I stood across from Jessica, the wooden sword in my hands. Her own wooden blade was pointed at me and the challenge was there in her green eyes.

We bowed to each other and then started. Jessica lunged forward, her sword aiming for my side and I dodged it with a sidestep, bringing my own blade down on hers, creating a clacking sound as wood met wood.

We were evenly matched.

The fight continued and our movements were a repetition, a dance with the sound of wood echoing in the room and the air getting warmer. She went for a low hit to my feet but I jumped. Then I went for a thrust and she parried.

Somehow even our breathing was in sync. This was nice. We both pulled back, catching our breath and grinning.

“You are definitely improving. If you keep this up you might just reach my level.” She teased.

I scoffed.

“I already surpassed you. You are not as good as you think you are.” I smirked back and she laughed.

Setting out swords back into the rack across the room, I went to the bench and drank some water from my bottle. Jessica sat next to me.

She leaned back on the bench and wiped her face. Her blonde hair was falling out of the ponytail and there were beads of sweat on her neck.

“So how does it feel being the first first-year to reach C-rank?” She asked and turned to me.

It felt like a dream. The thought of being able to use my own mana to teleport and escape was exciting but the fact that I couldn’t actually use it yet made me pout.

Although that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to gloat.

“First C-rank in all the Academy’s around the word, Jess,” I corrected her.

She rolled her eyes. With a laugh she ruffled my hair and I slapped her hand away, smoothing my hair again.

“Yeah, yeah. Miss hot-shot Katherine Vane. You’ll definitely participate in the tournament now.”

My mind went back to the inter-academy tournament that happened every two years. It was a big deal and this year I could possibly participate. It was open to C-rankers and above only. That would be nice. To compete with the world’s best and show off my own strength.

With a sigh, I stretched on the bench.

“I just need to master teleportation.”

Jessica raised an eyebrow.

“Just use it? By using it you’ll master it faster anyway,” she paused and then pointed at the sword rack across from us. “Come on teleport that sword into your hand and let’s spar again.”

Teleport?

She was already standing up with a grin on her face, waiting for me to try. But my dad’s words were in my head, warning me of the danger and telling me to not do it without him. A heaviness sat in my chest. I backpedaled. No. I couldn’t. Not yet.

But my fingers ached to try it.

My mana was pulsing. I was going to do it. Reaching my hand out, I focused on the sword rack and gathered mana into my palm.

The air around my hand felt weird and the room felt cold. Then in a small burst, the wooden sword was in my hand.

My breathing was shallow as I stared at it. Jessica laughed, the sound echoing.

“See? You’ll master it in no time. Now let’s fight again!”

With a smirk on my lips, I raised my wooden sword and she charged at me. The feeling of my dad’s disappointment was there, nagging in the back of my mind, but for now I pushed it away. I had fun with Jessica and her competitive nature. My friend.

After the training we both left the gym and I waved her goodbye as we got into our cars and I drove home, the music loud as I thought about my dad and what I did.

Why didn’t he immediately show up? Was he letting me make my own mistakes now? I bit my lip.

Parking the car in the driveway, I got out and went into the house. The smell of food was in the air and I took my shoes off, heading to the living room. Silas was cooking in the kitchen, wearing an apron that said “Best Dad” and he turned to me with a smile.

His eyes were bright and happy. The sound of the sizzling meat filled the air and my stomach growled.

No one else was downstairs yet. I approached him.

Sitting at the island counter, I looked at his face and waited for him to say something. He kept on cooking and humming a song. Did he not know? That didn’t seem likely.

Clearing my throat, I got his attention. He glanced at me.

“Is something wrong Kathy? Do I have to kiss it better?” His teasing made me frown. He wasn’t upset at all?

“What did you do today dad?” I asked, my voice quiet.

With a smirk he started to plate the food. Putting it in front of me, the smell was delicious.

“I went to Jupiter for a bit. Checked on a project. Had a chat with a few old friends,” he listed.

My eyebrows shot up. So he didn’t know that I teleported a sword today? He didn’t have some all-seeing eyes on me? I got away with it. A strange feeling settled in my stomach, was it guilt? No. It was excitement. Freedom. For the first time he didn’t watch me.

His fingers were on my chin, lifting my head to look at him.

“Why are you crying, Kathy?” His voice was gentle and I reached up to my face. Tears?

My dad wiped them away. My heart clenched. The smell of his minty soap was nice and his thumb caressed my cheek.

“I teleported something today...without you knowing.”

I confessed and looked at my feet. The tears didn’t stop falling. I wasn’t sure what this feeling was but I didn’t like it.

His hands were suddenly pulling me into a hug, my face on his shoulder and he rubbed my back.

“Thank you for telling me,” he whispered and kissed my temple. His embrace was warm and his heartbeat was calming. What was it? One. Two. He always counted when we were younger to calm us down. The memories were warm in my chest and I hugged him back, crying softly.

We stayed like this until mom came down and asked what happened. The tears dried up. Then everyone else came down and dinner was served. A happy atmosphere filled the air and the feeling from before was gone, like it was never there.