Sai Ken gazed at Aiko and spoke with gratitude, "Much appreciated, my love. This stubborn child just doesn't heed any counsel."
Aiko chuckled in response, her eyes gleaming with warmth, "Anytime, Grandpa."
Sai Ken was taken aback by the sight of Aiko's radiant smile, and he muttered, "You're...smiling after such a long time..." Tears welled up in his eyes, streaming down his weathered cheeks.
In a panic, Aiko moved to comfort Sai. However, Sai Ken crouched down, placing both hands upon Tatsuki's shoulders, and spoke with sincerity, "Child, you are a blessing from the heavens. Perhaps you don't fully grasp what you've accomplished, but words fail me to express my gratitude."
Tatsuki stared at Sai Ken's face, his expression briefly uncertain, before he quirked a sly grin and remarked, "Pervy Gramp, I'd love to console you, but I'd rather not be so close to someone with a peculiar taste for young boys.
Tatsuki took a few steps back and turned toward Aiko, who had fallen into a fit of silence, clearly taken aback by her sudden outburst of laughter.
Tatsuki questioned himself, wondering if he had gone too far. Gathering a bit of courage, he decided to speak to her, "Hey, are you..."
Aiko burst into laughter once more, her laughter so infectious that she knelt down as her legs surrendered to the mirth. Following her lead, Sai Ken couldn't help but join in the laughter, though tears continued to flow from his eyes.
Confused, Tatsuki asked, "What's going on here? She's laughing, and Pervy Gramp... he seems to be doing something."
Amid her laughter, Aiko commented, "A job well done. I expected no less from a clown. You truly have a talent for making people laugh. That's the perfect name for him."
Sai Ken wiped his tears from his face, finally regaining his composure, and addressed Tatsuki, his emotions clear in his face. He grabbed Tatsuki in his powerful arms, embracing him and tenderly kissing Tatsuki's cheeks as he repeated the same words, "Brat, I love you... I love you."
Tatsuki was overwhelmed, his voice quivering, and his emotional state in disarray. He pleaded, "Hey, stop, Pervy Gramp. I admit I'm trying to become part of your family, but not like this! Someone, please help me, I'm being assaulted here..."
The onlookers, either amused by the passionate love between the two old lovers or baffled by their bizarre behavior, either laughed or watched in bewilderment. After a few minutes of head bumps on Sai Ken's head by Tatsuki, Sai Ken finally calmed down and put Tatsuki down, holding his forehead in pain.
Sai Ken whispered to Tatsuki, "Child, you are a demon."
Tatsuki replied with a hint of disgust in his eyes, "No, I'm just the son of one."
Sai Ken adopted a serious expression and turned to Tatsuki, who felt a shiver down his spine, shouting, "Just try it. I swear I'll break your jaw this time."
Sai Ken spoke abruptly, "Oh, no, child, you're misreading the situation for now. I'm just curious to know what happened back in the frost region."
Tatsuki, his confusion evident, said, "Huh? Doesn't everyone know what happened? I fought, got hurt, then won, got tired, fell asleep, and woke up here."
Sai Ken was shocked and questioned, "Is he serious...?"
Tatsuki, bewildered by the attention, asked, "Why is everyone looking at me like that...?"
Sai Ken inquired, "Brat, could you tell me how you're still alive after that bloody battle?"
Tatsuki, surprised, responded, "Huh...? Did I lose blood? When and how?"
Sai Ken explained, "Well, you have a recent claw mark on your left hand."
Tatsuki, with a smile, said, "Oh, that's just a scratch I got from the lily."
Sai Ken, in disbelief and annoyance, countered, "Just a scratch? That's what you think of a claw mark from a magic beast."
Sai Ken continued sternly, "Brat, you were fortunate enough to survive that. Don't go talking big. If you want to live longer, you better learn to face reality. Showing off like that will only get you killed."
Tatsuki, puzzled, asked, "What does luck have to do with my survival?"
Sai Ken, now angry, exclaimed, "Brat, I've had enough. We all know you've got talent, but being reckless will squander it."
Tatsuki, concerned, questioned, "Hey, did I headbutt you too hard?"
Sai Ken sighed and reminded Tatsuki, "I'm saying that you barely made it out with your life. You think if you hide it, we won't notice. Your scream was proof enough that you were in serious trouble."
Tatsuki nodded and admitted, "Well, you're not incorrect."
Sai Ken inquired once more, his interest piqued, about what transpired in the Frost region. Tatsuki contemplated for a moment and then began to explain:
"When I regained consciousness, I was quite surprised to find myself still in the Frost region. The only reason for this could be Lily still being alive. So, I did what anyone else would do in such a situation. I decided to put an end to it completely with a few love taps. Just when it finally took its last breath, I could feel the vanishing mana field. However, it suddenly moved again, and the reason behind it was regeneration. Lily had the ability to regenerate parts of its body, and I was baffled."
As Tatsuki spoke, he became increasingly enthralled, his mouth drooling, and overexcited he screamed, "You are even more incredible than I perceived you to be! Then let's see how long you'll be able to take on the lashing, hahahaha."
Tatsuki continued, "Even after one relentless session of tail whipping, Lily still hasn't given up. It's slowly trying to regenerate itself." Observing this, Tatsuki remarked, "Whoa, you are determined, aren't you? Well, it's going to take a while for you to regenerate completely. So, I either have to kill you, which doesn't seem possible right now, or find a way to stop your regeneration. I'll just sleep it off until it wakes up. I'll decide what to do then."
At the examination place, Tatsuki laughed and said, "Well, there you have it. After that, I fell asleep and woke up here. Even though it's disheartening that I couldn't tame Lily, at least I managed to return, so I'll settle for that."
The other participants started murmuring among themselves, with someone asking, "Did you hear that? He was serious about having Lily as his pet."
Tatsuki swiftly responded, "Of course, my father had a panda, so why can't I have a house cat?"
This response led to more inquiries among the participants, with some wondering, "What's a panda? Does anyone know what kind of house animal that is?"
Sai Ken, on the other hand, was astounded by Tatsuki's explanation. Deep within his mind, he pondered, "He fell asleep in such a dangerous situation. This child is clearly not in the right state of mind. And a 2-tier beast being able to regenerate, does this make sense?"
Sai Ken attempted to question Tatsuki further, saying, "Brat, do you think I'll ever believe something as absurd as that...?"
Tatsuki, confused, responded, "Huh...? Did I ask you to believe me?"
Sai Ken wore an expression of slight confusion as he stood up and began to walk in circles while whispering to himself. "Wait a minute. If he's telling the truth, then the beast might be of a higher tier. But that's impossible. If the beast was actually higher than 2-tier, the brat wouldn't have survived. However, it is strange itself that a 2-tier beast came out in a mana field that was made to call for a 3-tier beast."
Sai Ken sighed as he whispered, "If people find out about it, it might lead to a catastrophic disaster... Who knows how many reckless mages will simply charge in to confirm this new development in the Frost region."
Tatsuki inquired, "Yo, Pervy Gramp, what are you mumbling about?"
The onlookers began to murmur in terror, worried about how long Tatsuki would continue to be disrespectful to the Mayor. They feared he might meet a dire consequence this time.
Sai Ken, who was unable to hear anything else in that moment, let out a sudden, thunderous shout, interrupting the murmurs.
Sai Ken declared, "Everyone..."