Getting spoiled in a woman dominating world Chapter 645: Doing nothing in the park [1]

The afternoon sun hung high above Solvyrn Academy with its warmth softened by the occasional breeze that swept through the spacious park near the main academic buildings.

Students wandered along the paved pathways in small groups, some carrying books and others simply enjoying the break between classes.

The surrounding trees gave plenty of shade, and beneath one of the larger ones, Brandon sat comfortably on a wooden bench with Eira, Dhayun, and Yverine sitting around him.

It had been quite some time since the four of them had spent an ordinary afternoon together at the academy.

With everything that had happened recently, from Brandon’s sudden disappearance to his return with an entirely new family, even something as simple as sitting in the park felt strangely refreshing.

Brandon leaned back against the bench, stretching his legs out in front of him as he tilted his head toward the branches overhead.

His long hair was loosely tied behind his head, though several strands had escaped and fallen around his face.

Dhayun sat beside him, holding a cold drink between both hands while her legs swung lazily beneath the bench.

Every now and then, she glanced at Brandon’s hair with a look that suggested she is still finding his new appearance rather entertaining.

"You know," she began, tilting her head, "I still can’t get used to seeing you like this."

Brandon turned toward her. "Like what?"

"Like that." Dhayun gestured vaguely toward his face and hair.

"You look like someone who should be teaching at the academy instead of attending it. If I didn’t know you, I’d probably call you Professor or something."

Eira, who was sitting on his other side, let out a quiet laugh. "She’s not wrong. Especially with your hair tied back like that."

Brandon raised an eyebrow. "What’s wrong with my hair?"

"Nothing," Eira replied, smiling as she reached up to tuck a loose strand behind his ear.

"I actually like it. It’s just that you look so different now. Sometimes I turn around expecting to see the Brandon I knew before, and then I see you looking like this."

Yverine, seated on the grass in front of them with her back resting against the bench, glanced over her shoulder. "I think it suits him. He looks more mature."

Dhayun immediately nodded. "Exactly! That’s the problem."

Brandon looked at her. "How is that a problem?"

"Because now I feel like I’m sitting beside someone’s handsome older brother instead of my childhood friend."

Eira laughed again, while Yverine shook her head with an amused smile.

Brandon stared at Dhayun for a moment before reaching over and lightly flicking her forehead.

"Ow!" Dhayun immediately covered the spot and turned toward him with an offended expression. "What was that for?"

"For making me sound like an old man."

"You are an old man!" she protested. "You’re literally over five hundred years old now!"

A few students walking along the nearby pathway glanced in their direction at her sudden outburst.

Eira quickly reached across Brandon and tugged Dhayun’s sleeve. "Dhayun! Lower your voice!"

Dhayun blinked before realizing what she had just shouted. Her eyes darted toward the passing students, and she immediately lowered her head behind her drink.

"...Oops."

Brandon sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Yverine couldn’t help laughing at the sight. "At this rate, the whole academy will know."

"Well, it’s not like anyone would believe me," Dhayun muttered, taking another sip.

"If someone told me a student disappeared for a week and came back five hundred years older, I’d think they were crazy."

"That’s because you are crazy," Brandon replied.

Dhayun turned toward him with a pout. "You’re being mean today."

"Only today?"

Eira covered her mouth as another laugh escaped her, while Dhayun gave Brandon a thoroughly unimpressed look.

For a while, their conversation drifted toward smaller things.

Eira mentioned how several classmates were asking about Brandon since his disappearance, and Dhayun complained about the assignments that had piled up while everyone else seemed to be busy dealing with world-changing events.

Yverine occasionally joined in, mostly to tease Dhayun whenever she exaggerated how much work she was forced to do.

Brandon listened with a faint smile, occasionally adding a comment or answering a question.

He found himself enjoying the ordinary complaints more than he expected.

After spending so long in a world where entire kingdoms could rise and fall within what felt like a few passing years, hearing Dhayun grumble about an assignment deadline was almost comforting.

At one point, Eira noticed that he had grown unusually quiet.

She turned toward him and gently rested her hand over his hand "What are you smiling about?"

Brandon glanced at her. "Nothing much."

"That doesn’t look like nothing."

He looked toward Dhayun, who was currently arguing with Yverine about whether borrowing someone’s completed assignment counted as studying, before turning back to Eira.

"I was just thinking that it’s nice being here again."

Eira’s expression softened.

"At the academy?"

"Mhm." Brandon leaned back a little further, watching the sunlight filter through the leaves.

"Sitting around, listening to you complain about classes, watching Dhayun make a fool of herself. Things like that."

"Hey!" Dhayun immediately protested.

Brandon chuckled.

Eira squeezed his hand gently. "Then we should sit like this often."

Yverine tilted her head back against the bench and smiled up at him. "Agreed. Although next time, we should bring something to eat. I’m getting hungry."

Dhayun immediately perked up. "Oh! There’s a café near the eastern training grounds. They started selling those strawberry pastries again."

Eira looked at her in disbelief. "Didn’t you eat before we came here?"

"That was lunch."

"And?"

Dhayun stared at her "...This is dessert."

Brandon burst into laughter, earning himself another indignant look from Dhayun.

As the four of them continued chatting beneath the tree, the academy carried on around them.

Students passed by, conversations drifted through the park, and the distant sound of training echoed from the practice grounds.

For Brandon, who had spent centuries wondering whether he would ever see this place again, there was something quietly wonderful about being able to sit here with them, doing absolutely nothing important.

And for the moment, that was more than enough.