Noa came back with some news during her break.

“A family sports day?”

After dinner, the family of four sat around the dining table discussing this topic.

Noa nodded. “Yeah, the academy is organizing a family sports day. They said it’s a new type of initiative.”

“Hah, our family’s really been lucky, huh? First, they introduced a new interview process when we joined, calling it an innovation, and now this family sports day,” Leon grumbled from the side.

Leon was reminded of some kindergartens back in the Empire.

They had this habit of dragging parents into completing tasks with their children under the guise of “homework,” which was really just the teachers not wanting to put in more effort themselves, pushing the responsibilities onto the parents instead.

If you refused, they’d blame you for not cooperating with your child’s education.

If you complied, you ended up doing the teacher’s share of the work.

That’s why Leon’s master never sent him to kindergarten back then.

Supposedly, it was because Leon was already a bit older and unsuitable for kindergarten, and also because “the family was too poor, so we better save up and prep directly for Dragon Slayer Academy.”

It wasn’t until much later that Leon realized—the real reason was simply that his master, the old geezer, wanted to avoid dealing with any kindergarten-related hassle.

“A sports day, huh? When I was at Saint Hiss Academy, I participated in one too,” Roswitha recalled.

“Though, back then, it didn’t involve families. It was just us students on our own.”

“What place did you get, Mom?” Muen asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Roswitha rested her chin on one hand, smiling as she raised a single finger.

“First place, of course.”

“Mom, you’re amazing!”

Muen then turned to Leon, wide-eyed. “What about you, Dad?”

“Me? I didn’t get ranked.”

Head tilted, Muen asked, “Why not?”

“Yeah,” Roswitha chimed in mischievously, “Was it because you didn’t dare to compete?”

Leon snorted softly, speaking slowly, “It’s because my final score was so far ahead of the second-place contestant that the academy suspected I cheated. They temporarily withheld my result, and it wasn’t included in the public rankings.”

“Then, did you actually cheat, Dad?” Muen leaned closer, curious—only to get a light flick on her forehead from Leon.

“Of course not. Later, the academy secretly sent me a medal as compensation. I melted it down and made a gold bracelet for your grandma.”

Roswitha raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you always value honor and winning? You just melted it down, just like that?”

Leon shrugged. “Glory that can’t be displayed openly is no glory at all.”

Roswitha chuckled lightly. “Your stubbornness is as bad as a mule’s.”

Then she turned toward Noa. “So, does this mean you’re planning to sign us up?”

“Um... Even though this family sports day is more about entertainment and doesn’t affect course grades...” Noa hesitated, as if searching for the right words.

“But it still has rankings, and there’s a first place, right?” Roswitha completed her daughter’s thought.

“Yes, Mom. I also want... to take first place.”

Noa’s obsession with being the best was far stronger than that of an average young dragon.

This trait wasn’t solely inherited from Leon, nor was it solely from Roswitha—

It was the combined, amplified competitive streak from both of these two notoriously stubborn individuals.

(Or maybe she stole Muen’s share of competitiveness as well?)

No matter the reason, Noa’s intense drive for success wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Leon and Roswitha exchanged a knowing glance and nodded in tacit agreement.

They were both very supportive of joining this family sports day. Besides, their own obsession with first place wasn’t any weaker than Noa’s.

“When does it start?” Leon asked.

“Next Saturday. The academy has given us a week to prepare.”

With that, Noa looked at Leon. “Are you... feeling okay?”

Noa still hadn’t forgotten Muen’s comment on the first day of school: “When Dad’s weak, Mom’s strong; when Mom’s weak, Dad’s strong.”

She was a bit worried that Leon’s physical condition might falter during the sports day.

If it did, while it could impact their chances of winning, Noa was ultimately more concerned about Leon’s health.

As much as she cared about winning,

His well-being mattered more.

Hearing this, Leon patted his chest confidently. “Don’t worry, sweetie. Your old man is in excellent shape.”

“Really?” Noa asked skeptically.

“Really. If you don’t believe me, ask your mom.”

To ensure that Leon’s physical condition remained manageable, Roswitha routinely conducted “evaluations” on him.

Afterward, whatever strength Leon had managed to regain over a few days would inevitably be siphoned away by Roswitha.

She’d been consistent with this routine lately. The results? Remarkable.

By now, it had been a full three days since Leon’s last “evaluation,” and his body had just recovered to a decently healthy state.

Roswitha smiled knowingly. “Yes, your dad’s body should be in great shape right now.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear. So, you’ll be able to join me during the sports day, right?”

“Of course.”

“Hmm...”

“What about Muen?” Muen asked, grabbing her sister’s hand and shaking it.

“It’s limited to three participants.” Noa reached out to pinch her younger sister’s cheek.

“Oh... okay...”

Seeing Muen’s little tuft of hair droop like a withering flower, Leon had an idea. He gently patted her head. “But you can be part of the cheer squad, Muen.”

Muen’s eyes lit up. She turned to Leon excitedly. “Yay! I’ll be part of the cheer squad!”

But her excitement didn’t last more than two seconds before confusion clouded her big, round eyes. “What’s ‘cheer squad’?”

Even though she didn’t know what it was, if Dad said it, it had to be something good. Might as well pop the champagne and celebrate first, right?

↑

That’s exactly how this little dragon girl thought.

Leon patiently explained, “A cheer squad is responsible for cheering and encouraging. With Muen’s support, your mom, Noa, and I will definitely do well.”

“Wow, that’s great! I’ll make sure to cheer really loudly for you three!”

“Yeah, with our whole family putting in the effort, winning this sports day will be a breeze.”

“But the academy hasn’t told us yet what the events will be.” Noa furrowed her brow. “Mom, do you have any idea?”

Roswitha thought for a moment and nodded. “When I participated back then, it included the Dragon Clan Endurance Triathlon, races, high jumps, long jumps—those kinds of things. But since they’re now emphasizing ‘family,’ the events are probably adjusted accordingly, don’t you think?”

“Sounds plausible,” Noa mused.

Roswitha continued, “Since the academy gave us a week to prepare, we should not only practice basic athletic skills but also work on developing teamwork and synergy. How does that sound?”

Teamwork training.

That reminded Leon of the late nights he and Roswitha had spent doing compatibility tests when preparing for Noa’s entrance exam.

In all honesty, though humans and dragons were natural enemies, these two squabbling spouses had an exceptionally high level of synergy.

The fact that they had managed to ace the completely unexpected interview round back then with the highest score was proof enough.

Because of this, both Leon and Roswitha felt quite confident about the upcoming family sports day.

“Sounds good to me,” Leon agreed.

“I’m fine with it too, Mom.”

“Good, then we’ll start tomorrow. Let’s all rest well tonight.”

“Okay~”

Noa and Muen hopped off their chairs, holding hands as they left the dining room.

Roswitha stretched lazily, resting her chin on one hand as she looked at Leon with an amused smile.

“You know, by my calculations, tonight’s your turn to come to my room, isn’t it?”

Leon rolled his eyes at her. “Can’t you think about anything besides teasing me? You’re the one who said we need to start training tomorrow, and you’re already denying me the chance to recover a little.”

“Hmph, you make it sound so reasonable. Looks like you finally found a good excuse to take a break for once.”

Leon spread his hands helplessly. “Miss Dragon, surely you don’t want your daughter to miss out on first place at the sports day, do you?”

Roswitha sneered. “Cut the chatter. Fine, I’ll give you tonight off. But you’d better train hard over these next few days! Got it?”

“Don’t worry, I will.”

“Don’t underestimate it. A Dragon Clan sports day is not as simple as you might think,” Roswitha warned.

Leon smirked confidently. “Well, Dragon Slayers aren’t as simple as you might think either.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight.”

The couple bid each other farewell and went to their respective rooms.

---

The next morning, before the two little ones had even woken up, Leon and Roswitha were already at the track for a warm-up.

Roswitha, as always, wore her sleek, minimalistic athletic outfit, her long legs perfectly accentuated.

She had the figure of a walking mannequin; everything she wore looked good.

“Since the kids aren’t awake yet, how about we run a couple of laps to warm up?” Roswitha suggested.

“Sounds good.”

Without further delay, the couple started jogging on the track, one behind the other.

At the beginning, Leon managed to keep up with Roswitha’s pace, but as the laps added up, his stamina started to give out.

Though Leon’s physical condition had recovered to a relatively healthy state, a few laps left him short of breath and gasping for air.

In the end, he collapsed onto the grass, lying flat on his back.

Leon closed his eyes, the sunlight bathing his face and faintly illuminating the blood vessels beneath his eyelids.

But in the next moment, someone stepped over him, blocking out the sun.

Leon opened his eyes, greeted by the sight of silvery hair swaying gently in front of him.

“What’s this? Already worn out?” Roswitha teased. “It’s not like I made you pull an all-nighter doing homework last night.”

"Don't talk nonsense, I'm just taking a break."

"Tch, I think what you lack is motivation."

Roswitha squatted down, wrapping her arms around her legs, chin resting on her knees, and her tail curling around the tips of her shoes. "How about I give you some?"

"Give me what? Motivation? No need, helping Noa get good grades is motivation enough," he replied.

Roswitha squinted and smiled, "The more, the merrier. And I bet you won't refuse my offer."

Leon was intrigued. "Alright then, let's hear it."

Roswitha crooked her finger at him, gesturing him to come closer.

Leon leaned in, filled with suspicion.

Roswitha cupped her hand around Leon's ear and whispered, "If you can win first place, I'll give you a week's vacation."

Leon was overjoyed. "Really?"

Roswitha nodded. "Really."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Leon sprang up from the ground like a carp flipping in water. He threw off his jacket and resumed jogging.

Under the dual "stimulus" of his wife and daughter, Leon's hunger for victory had never been this intense!

"The champion of the school sports meet will definitely be ours!"