(Yuuta POV)
Finally, Halloween had arrived, and our little family was ready to celebrate!
Well, almost ready.
I was standing in front of the bedroom mirror, wearing the Dracula costume I'd ordered a few days ago. A long black cape hung from my shoulders, its crimson lining visible whenever I moved, while a white shirt and dark waistcoat completed the outfit. I leaned closer to the mirror, baring my newly fitted vampire fangs to check whether they looked convincing.
"Hmm... Not bad. Not bad at all."
I tilted my head from side to side, examining my reflection before flashing what I believed was a terrifying vampire smile. The fangs fit surprisingly well, although I had to admit that I looked more like a handsome nobleman attending a costume party than a bloodthirsty creature of the night.
Well, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Just as I was adjusting my cape, a familiar little voice came from behind me.
"Papaaa! Papa, look!"
I turned around to find Elena rushing into the bedroom, her little feet pattering excitedly against the floor. She stopped a few steps away from me and spread her arms, bouncing on her toes as she showed off her costume.
"Papa! Look at Elena! How is Elena?"
And trust me, guys, I was not prepared for what I saw.
My little princess was wearing the most adorable witch costume imaginable. A tiny black pointed hat sat on her white hair, decorated with a violet ribbon that matched the little bow around her waist. Her dress had a fluffy skirt with purple accents, and a pair of striped stockings completed the outfit.
The moment she noticed me staring, Elena grabbed the sides of her skirt and gave me a little twirl. Her hat tilted slightly to one side, making her look even more adorable.
Oh, dear Lord.
Was this even legal?
Surely there had to be some law in this country against being this ridiculously cute. If not, someone needed to introduce one immediately, because my daughter's cuteness was becoming a serious threat to my poor heart.
"Elena..." I whispered, placing a hand against my chest. "You're too cute!"
"Hehehe! Really, Papa?"
"Really! You're the cutest little witch I've ever seen! Trust me, sweetheart, once everyone sees you tonight, they'll hand over all their candy without a second thought!"
Elena's eyes immediately sparkled at the mention of candy.
"Really?! All candy for Elena?!"
"Absolutely! No one could possibly resist a witch as adorable as you."
"Yaaaay!"
She jumped happily, her little hat wobbling with every movement. I laughed and crouched down to straighten it, making sure it wouldn't fall off once we went outside.
"There we go. Perfect! Now Papa has the cutest little witch in the world."
"Elena scary witch too!" she declared, raising her hands like claws. "Waaaah!"
"Oh no! A terrifying witch!" I pretended to tremble before pulling her into a quick hug. "Please spare this poor vampire!"
Elena burst into giggles, clearly pleased with her frightening performance.
Just then, another voice came from the bedroom doorway.
"Mortal..."
I looked up.
"How... do I look?"
And for a moment, I genuinely forgot how to breathe.
Erza was standing beneath the doorway, wearing the witch costume we'd chosen for her. Unlike Elena's adorable little outfit, Erza's dress was elegant and beautifully fitted, with a black bodice, delicate violet embroidery, and a flowing skirt that reached just above her knees. A matching witch hat rested over her long white hair, completing an appearance that left me completely speechless.
Good heavens.
How can someone be this beautiful?
I'd seen my wife wearing countless beautiful dresses before, but there was something about seeing her dressed like this that made my heart skip a beat. Perhaps it was the unfamiliar outfit, or perhaps it was simply the fact that Erza looked unexpectedly nervous about showing it to me.
She stood with one hand resting against the doorframe while the other lightly held the edge of her skirt. Her violet eyes wandered around the room before briefly meeting mine, and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other as though she couldn't decide how to stand.
It was almost as if she were posing for me without realizing it.
And somehow, that made her even more beautiful.
"Mortal..." Erza called again, her cheeks gradually turning pink. "Would you stop staring at me like some kind of pervert and answer my question?"
"O-Oh!"
I finally snapped out of my daze, rubbing my cheek with one finger as I tried to gather my thoughts.
"Well... to be honest, Erza, you look really beautiful."
For some reason, I found myself looking away before I could finish speaking. I'd planned to compliment her confidently, but now that the words were out, I was the one feeling embarrassed.
Erza blinked.
Her cheeks, which had already been pink, suddenly turned a much deeper shade of red. She lowered her head slightly, pretending to adjust the fabric of her dress while avoiding my gaze.
"...Thank you," she whispered.
I froze.
Wait.
What?
Did I just hear that correctly?
I slowly turned toward her, wondering whether my vampire fangs had somehow affected my hearing.
"Erza?"
"What?"
"Did you just say thank you?"
Her head immediately snapped up.
"W-What nonsense are you talking about, mortal?"
"No, no. I'm pretty sure I heard it. You said thank you!"
"Bullshit! I would never thank you for something so ridiculous!"
I stared at her for a moment before a mischievous smile spread across my face.
"Ohhh, I see what's happening here."
Erza narrowed her eyes.
"What?"
"My lovely wife is simply too embarrassed to admit that she appreciates her husband's compliments!"
"Mortal, stop saying such stupid things!"
"Hahaha! Come on, Erza. There's nothing wrong with thanking your husband once in a while. In fact, I'd be delighted to hear it again."
Erza folded her arms and turned away with an irritated huff, although the redness on her cheeks had yet to disappear.
"Enough of this foolishness! Have you forgotten that we're supposed to be going out tonight?"
"Oh, right! Of course, Halloween!"
I nodded, but I couldn't resist giving her one last teasing smile.
"Still, for the record, I definitely heard you say thank you."
Erza slowly turned her head toward me.
"Mortal."
Her voice had become dangerously cold.
"We. Are. Late."
I immediately straightened my back.
"Y-You're absolutely right, my dear wife! We shouldn't waste another second!"
I quickly turned toward Elena, who had been watching our exchange with an amused little smile.
"Right, sweetheart? Are you ready to go?"
"YES, PAPAAA!"
Elena raised both hands excitedly, nearly sending her little witch hat flying off her head.
"Halloween! Elena coming! Candy, wait for Elena!"
I laughed and caught her hat before it could fall, placing it securely back on her head. With my adorable little witch ready to collect candy and my beautiful wife still pretending she hadn't thanked me, I had a feeling tonight was going to be quite an adventure.
By the time we reached the main road, I realized that Halloween was far more serious around here than I'd imagined.
Good heavens! What happened to our peaceful neighborhood?
The entire street had transformed into something straight out of a horror movie. Glowing jack-o'-lanterns lined the sidewalks, fake skeletons hung from balconies, and enormous spiderwebs covered the entrances of several shops. Even the streetlights had been decorated with little ghosts, while spooky music played from speakers outside the stores.
And don't even get me started on the people.
Everywhere I looked, someone was wearing a costume. There were vampires, zombies, witches, skeletons, and even a few monsters I couldn't recognize. Some children were running around with pumpkin-shaped candy buckets, while others proudly showed off their costumes to their parents.
"Papaaa! Look! Look!"
Elena tugged excitedly at my hand, pointing toward a man walking past us with an enormous pumpkin head.
"Papa! Pumpkin monster!"
"Hahaha! You're right, sweetheart. That's one scary pumpkin!"
"And there! Ghost! Papa, ghost!"
She pointed toward another person wearing a white ghost costume, her little witch hat wobbling as she turned her head from one direction to another. Her eyes were practically sparkling with excitement, and honestly, I couldn't blame her. Even I hadn't expected the neighborhood to go this far with the decorations.
I glanced toward Erza, who was walking beside us in her elegant witch costume. She was looking around with an expression of mild surprise, her violet eyes occasionally following the costumed people passing by.
"Well, would you look at that?" I said with a grin. "Even the mighty White Dragon Queen seems impressed."
Erza folded her arms.
"Hmph. I simply didn't expect humans to put so much effort into decorating their streets for such a strange celebration."
"Well, to be honest, neither did I."
I looked down at Elena, who was still busy admiring a group of children dressed as little monsters.
"But since we're already here, why don't we join the fun? Let's scare some people and collect as much candy as we can!"
"YEEEES!" Elena cheered, raising her little hands. "Elena scare everyone! Elena get candy!"
And so, our first family candy hunt officially began.
Naturally, our first target was a candy shop.
Now, before anyone starts judging me, let me make one thing clear. I had absolutely nothing to do with choosing our first destination. The moment Elena spotted the colorful candy displays through the shop window, she'd practically dragged us across the sidewalk.
Honestly, who could possibly resist such a determined little witch?
The shop itself was decorated with glowing pumpkins and hanging paper bats. Standing outside the entrance was an elderly man wearing a Frankenstein monster costume, complete with green face paint, fake stitches, and two little bolts attached to his neck.
He was handing out sweets to children who approached him, occasionally letting out a playful growl to make them laugh.
Elena stopped a short distance away and stared at him with great determination.
"Papa," she whispered, tugging at my cape.
"Hm? What is it, sweetheart?"
"Now watch! Elena scare uncle!"
I blinked before smiling.
"Oh? You're going to scare him?"
"Yes! Elena very scary witch!"
She raised her little hands, curled her fingers into claws, and took a deep breath. Then, before I could say another word, she rushed toward the old man.
"WAAAAAH!"
The elderly shopkeeper turned around just as Elena jumped in front of him, baring her tiny teeth and waving her hands.
"Scary Elena here! Waaaah!"
The old man stared at her for a moment before breaking into a warm smile.
"Oh my goodness! What an adorable little witch!"
Elena immediately puffed out her cheeks.
"Uncle! Elena not cute! Elena scary!"
"Oh, is that so?" the old man asked, playing along.
"Yes! Elena haunt you! Waaaaah!" She waved her little hands again before pointing toward the candy basket. "Give candy!"
The old man placed a hand over his chest and staggered backward dramatically.
"Oh no! What a terrifying witch! My poor heart can't take it!"
He reached into his basket and pulled out a generous handful of wrapped sweets.
"Here you go, little witch. Please spare this old man!"
Elena's eyes widened as he dropped the candy into her pumpkin-shaped bucket.
"Yay! Thank you, uncle!"
She immediately turned around and hurried back toward us, holding up her bucket like she'd just won a great battle.
"Papa! Papa, look! Elena got candy!"
"Hahaha! I saw everything, sweetheart! You were terrifying! That poor uncle didn't stand a chance."
"Elena scary!" she declared proudly, examining her newly acquired treasure.
I chuckled and gently patted her little witch hat. Meanwhile, Erza had been watching the entire exchange with an expression that suggested she was still trying to understand why a grown man would willingly surrender sweets to a child pretending to be a monster.
"Mortal," she called quietly.
"Hm? What is it, Erza?"
She glanced toward the shopkeeper before leaning slightly closer to me.
"Are we... expected to behave like Elena?"
I stared at her for a moment.
Then I realized what she meant.
Oh, dear.
Was my proud dragon queen actually worried that she'd have to jump around shouting Waaaah just to receive a few pieces of candy?
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from laughing.
"Of course not, Erza! We're adults. Why would we need to do something like that?"
Erza visibly relaxed.
"Hmph. Good. For a moment, I thought this ridiculous custom required everyone to participate."
"Although..." I added thoughtfully, rubbing my chin. "You could always try it. Who knows? A beautiful witch like you might receive even more candy than Elena."
Erza slowly turned toward me.
"...Mortal."
"Come on, just imagine it! The mighty White Dragon Queen raising her hands and shouting, 'Waaaah! Give me candy!'"
Before I could finish laughing, Erza gave me a sharp smack on the arm.
"Stupid mortal! Do you seriously expect me to embarrass myself for a few pieces of candy?"
"Ouch! Hahaha! I'm kidding, Erza! I'm kidding!"
"Hmph. You'd better be."
She folded her arms and turned away, although I could still see the faint embarrassment on her cheeks.
Honestly, teasing my wife was becoming a dangerous hobby.
Fortunately, Elena was far too busy counting her candy to notice that her father had nearly gotten himself into trouble again.
"Papa! Elena want more candy!"
I looked down at my little witch, who was holding her pumpkin bucket with both hands and staring at the other decorated shops with unmistakable determination.
"More candy, huh?"
"Yes! Lots and lots!"
I smiled and adjusted my vampire cape before taking her little hand.
"Well then, my princess, shall we continue our candy hunt?"
"YEEEES!"
Elena raised her bucket triumphantly, her little witch hat bouncing as she started walking. Erza followed beside us, still pretending that she wasn't enjoying herself, although I noticed her looking curiously at the decorations outside the next shop.
And so, with our first successful candy collection behind us, the three of us continued down the lively street in search of our next target.
To be continued...