After crossing out the first method, I leaned back in my chair and stared at Sister Mary's notebook with a rather complicated expression. My brilliant plan had ended with my daughter flying through the sky, and somehow, the troublesome tooth was still sitting comfortably inside her mouth.
Honestly, I was beginning to wonder whether removing a dragon's tooth was even possible.
Still, I couldn't give up just yet. There were two more methods written in the notebook, and surely one of them would work without turning my daughter into a flying object again.
"All right, let's see what we have next."
I flipped the page and found another heading written in Sister Mary's familiar handwriting.
Method Two: Eat Something Hard to Knock the Tooth Loose.
"Hmm? Eat something hard?"
I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, trying to remember whether Sister Mary had ever used this particular technique on me. At first, nothing came to mind, but as I continued reading the description, a long-forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced.
My eyes widened.
"WAIT! HOW COULD I FORGET ABOUT THAT?!"
Oh, good heavens. Of course I remembered this one!
Back when I was little, Sister Mary had once given me something she proudly called Super Gum. According to her, it was supposed to help loosen a stubborn baby tooth through chewing. Naturally, being the innocent child I was, I'd trusted her completely and happily stuffed the mysterious gum into my mouth.
Unfortunately, that thing was anything but ordinary.
For some ridiculous reason, the longer I chewed, the harder it became. What started as a perfectly normal piece of gum gradually transformed into something that felt like a rubber-covered stone. By the time I realized something was wrong, my jaws were already aching from the effort.
And when I finally tried to pull the gum out...
Well, let's just say the results were unforgettable.
Instead of removing one troublesome tooth, that cursed thing had taken three of my teeth along with it! Worse, another tooth had been damaged in the process, leaving me crying my eyes out while Sister Mary desperately tried to calm me down.
Even now, remembering that horrible experience made my jaw ache.
I slowly closed the notebook.
"Nope. Absolutely not."
There was no way I was putting my daughter through something like that. Elena was already suffering from a toothache, and the last thing she needed was her foolish father giving her some mysterious gum that might make everything worse.
Besides, if ordinary rope and a rock couldn't remove her tooth, I didn't even want to imagine what kind of monstrous chewing gum would be required to accomplish the same thing.
I shook my head firmly.
"As a good father, I should never knowingly put my child through unnecessary pain. Some things simply aren't worth trying."
And with that, I picked up my pen and drew another large cross in the notebook.
Method Two: Eat Something Hard — REJECTED.
I sighed and turned to the next page, hoping that Sister Mary had written down something a little more reasonable.
And there it was.
Method Three: Visit the Dentist.
I stared at the words for several seconds.
"...Seriously?"
Of course.
Why hadn't I considered that from the beginning?
A dentist was someone who actually knew how to deal with troublesome teeth. They had proper equipment, medical knowledge, and years of experience handling situations like this. Compared to throwing rocks from balconies or chewing mysterious gum, visiting a professional was obviously the sensible choice.
Unfortunately, there was one tiny problem.
I hated dentists.
No, seriously. I absolutely hated them.
Even now, the mere thought of sitting in that enormous reclining chair made my skin crawl. The bright lights shining directly into my face, the strange instruments arranged beside the chair, and worst of all, that horrible drilling sound echoing through the room.
To me, a dental clinic had always felt less like a place of treatment and more like a torture chamber disguised as a medical facility.
I shuddered at the memory.
"Good heavens... Why does it have to be the dentist?"
Still, this wasn't about me. Elena was the one suffering, and I couldn't let my childhood fears stop me from getting her proper treatment.
I glanced toward the living room, where my daughter was sitting on the sofa watching television. Her little witch costume had already been replaced with comfortable clothes, and she was holding her swollen cheek while trying to concentrate on her favorite cartoon.
Seeing her like that made my decision much easier.
All right, Yuuta. You're a grown man now. Surely you can survive taking your daughter to the dentist.
The only question was whether Elena would agree.
After all, she had absolutely no idea what a dentist was.
I closed the notebook and called out to her.
"Elena!"
She turned her head toward me.
"Yes, Papa?"
"Sweetheart, how about we go to the dentist?"
Elena blinked.
"Dentist?"
She tilted her little head, looking completely confused by the unfamiliar word.
Oh, right.
Of course she wouldn't know.
Despite being four years old, Elena still had plenty to learn about the human world. As far as I knew, she'd never visited a dentist before, which meant I had the rather unfortunate responsibility of introducing her to the wonderful world of dental treatment.
I cleared my throat and tried to explain it as simply as possible.
"Well, sweetheart, a dentist is a special kind of doctor who takes care of people's teeth. If your tooth hurts, the dentist can examine it and help make the pain go away. And if it really needs to come out, the dentist knows how to remove it safely."
Elena's eyes immediately widened.
"Really?!"
"Of course!"
She looked genuinely amazed, as though I'd just told her about some legendary hero capable of defeating an impossible enemy.
"What kind of human is dentist, Papa?"
"Hm?"
"Elena tooth very strong! Papa throw rock, but tooth no come out!"
I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
"Ah... Yes. About that..."
Elena raised her little hands excitedly.
"Then dentist human super strong?! Stronger than Papa?!"
I stared at her.
Good heavens.
What exactly was this child imagining?
For all I knew, she was picturing some enormous muscular human who could rip dragon teeth out with his bare hands. Considering everything she'd witnessed earlier, I supposed that wasn't an entirely unreasonable conclusion.
Still, I wasn't about to explain the horrifying details of dental instruments to a four-year-old who was already suffering from a toothache.
"Well, not exactly, sweetheart. Dentists don't need to be stronger than Papa. They just know a lot more about teeth."
Elena thought about that for a moment before nodding seriously.
"Ohhh! Dentist smart human!"
"Exactly!"
"Then Elena want meet dentist!"
I blinked.
That was surprisingly easy.
I'd been preparing myself for a lengthy argument, perhaps even a few tears, but my daughter seemed genuinely excited about meeting this mysterious tooth expert.
Well, who was I to complain?
Sometimes, it's better to just go with the flow.
I stood up and stretched my arms before walking toward the cupboard. After putting Sister Mary's notebook away, I grabbed my favorite coat and slipped it over my shoulders. Then I reached for my usual author's hat, placing it comfortably on my head.
There we go.
Now I looked like a responsible father taking his daughter to a medical appointment.
At least, I hoped I did.
I returned to the living room, where Elena was waiting beside the sofa, and gave her a confident smile.
"All right, my little princess! Are you ready?"
Elena immediately jumped to her feet.
"Yes, Papa!"
"Then let's go meet the dentist!"
"Yay! Dentist!"
She hurried toward me, but after only a few steps, her cheerful expression suddenly crumpled. Elena stopped walking and pressed her little palm against her swollen cheek, letting out a miserable whimper.
"Ouch..."
I immediately crouched beside her.
"Elena? Sweetheart, what happened?"
She looked up at me with teary eyes.
"Papa... Elena tooth hurting again..."
My heart sank at the sight. For all her excitement about meeting the dentist, she was still in pain, and there was nothing funny about watching my little girl suffer.
I gently brushed the white hair away from her face before lifting her into my arms.
"All right, sweetheart. No more waiting. Let's get that tooth checked."
Elena wrapped her little arms around my neck and rested her aching cheek against my shoulder.
"Okay, Papa..."
I held her a little closer as I headed toward the door. Hopefully, the dentist would be able to help her quickly, and with any luck, I wouldn't embarrass myself the moment I heard that dreadful drilling sound.
But wait a minute!
Before we continue, let me ask you something, dear readers.
I know you're probably expecting to follow our entire journey to the dentist. You know, watching me get Elena ready, leaving the apartment, walking down the street, and eventually arriving at the clinic.
But come on! Wouldn't that be a little boring?
And as your considerate author, I simply cannot allow my precious readers to suffer through unnecessary scenes.
So, how about we skip that part?
Come on, everyone! Say it with me!
"SKIP!"
Hmm? What's that? I couldn't hear you!
Elena, who was still resting in my arms, suddenly raised her little hand.
"Papa! Skip!"
"Hahaha! That's right, sweetheart! Now, everyone, one more time!"
"SKIIIIIP!"
Oh, yeah!
And just like that, we skipped the entire journey.
Now, where were we?
Ah, yes.
Outside the dentist's clinic.
And just like that, we arrived outside the dental clinic.
I stood on the sidewalk, staring at the building in front of me with a rather complicated expression. Honestly, whoever owned this clinic seriously needed to reconsider their marketing strategy. If the goal was to convince frightened patients that dental treatment was perfectly safe, then decorating the entrance with an enormous open mouth and a giant model of a dental drill was probably the worst decision imaginable.
Seriously, what kind of person looked at that thing and thought, *Yes! This will definitely attract more customers!*
The massive display hung directly above the entrance, showing a row of enormous white teeth with a mechanical drill positioned dangerously close to one of them. From where I stood, it looked less like a medical advertisement and more like a warning about what awaited anyone foolish enough to enter.
I swallowed.
"Good heavens... This place looks terrifying."
Elena, meanwhile, was standing beside me, holding my hand as she stared at the enormous mouth with wide eyes. Unlike her unfortunate father, she seemed more curious than frightened.
"Papa! Big mouth!"
"Hahaha... Yes, sweetheart. A very big mouth."
"Papa! Look! Big teeth!"
"I can see that, Elena."
She pointed excitedly toward the giant drill.
"And that? What that, Papa?"
I followed her finger and immediately regretted it.
"Ah... That's just something dentists use, sweetheart."
"Ohhh!"
Elena nodded thoughtfully, apparently satisfied with my explanation. I wished I could share her enthusiasm, but the longer I stared at the display, the more unpleasant memories from my childhood began resurfacing.
And then, just when I was considering whether we should find another clinic—
BRRRRRRRRR!
A sharp drilling sound echoed from somewhere inside the building.
I froze.
That sound.
That horrible, unmistakable sound!
Before I could recover, a frightened cry followed it.
"AAAAAAH!"
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"SHIT!"
My hand instinctively flew toward my mouth as I stared at the clinic entrance. I knew perfectly well that dental drills were ordinary medical instruments, but hearing that noise followed by someone's scream was enough to make every tooth in my mouth ache.
Oh, God. I can practically feel that pain.
I glanced down at Elena, who was still looking at the building with innocent curiosity. Her little cheek remained swollen, and every now and then, she pressed her hand against it whenever the pain returned.
Seeing her like that made my chest tighten.
I knew she needed treatment. Of course I did. But the thought of watching my adorable little daughter sitting in that chair, crying while some stranger worked inside her mouth, was almost unbearable.
I crouched beside her and gently held her shoulders.
"Elena, sweetheart..."
"Hm? Papa?"
I hesitated before looking toward the clinic again.
"Listen, how about we... go back home for a little while?"
Elena tilted her head.
"Home?"
"Y-Yeah! Maybe we can find another dentist. Somewhere a little less... terrifying."
I tried to smile reassuringly, although I wasn't entirely sure whether I was trying to convince Elena or myself.
After all, I could face demons and monsters without much hesitation, but the moment someone mentioned a dental drill, my courage seemed to disappear completely.
Honestly, how pathetic was that?
I sighed and rubbed my forehead.
"Maybe we should just—"
"Papa!"
I blinked.
"Hm?"
My daughter was no longer standing in front of me.
I turned around and found Elena already near the clinic entrance, one little hand resting against the glass door. She looked back at me with sparkling eyes and waved enthusiastically.
"Papa! Come!"
I stared at her.
"Elena?! When did you get over there?"
"Papa! Let's go inside! Elena want see dentist!"
She pointed toward the entrance with a determined expression, apparently completely unconcerned about the terrifying sounds coming from within.
I slowly stood up.
Good heavens.
Here I was, a grown man trying to find an excuse to escape, while my four-year-old daughter was practically dragging me toward the very place I feared.
And the worst part?
She was the one with the toothache!
I looked toward the sky and released a helpless sigh.
"Dear God... I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen in there."
Elena waved again.
"Papa! Hurry!"
"Yes, yes! I'm coming, sweetheart!"
I adjusted my coat and reluctantly walked toward the entrance. As Elena eagerly waited for me, I couldn't help offering one final, silent prayer.
Please, God. Protect my little girl.
And if possible... please protect her foolish father too.
To be continued...