Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Motivation
Rossweise also recalled the past. "At that time, it didn't involve families; only classmates participated alone."
"Mom, what place did you get back then?" Luna asked with starry eyes.
Rossweise propped her cheek with one hand, squinted her eyes with a smile, and raised one finger.
"First place~ Mom is amazing!"
Immediately, Luna turned to Leon. "What about you, Dad?"
"Me? I didn't have a ranking."
Luna tilted her head and asked, "Why didn't you have a ranking?"
"Yeah, could it be that you didn't dare to participate?" Rossweise teased from the side.
Leon snorted coldly and replied slowly, "Because my total score was too far ahead of the second place, the academy suspected I cheated during the competition. They temporarily withheld my score and didn't include it in the official rankings."
"Did you cheat, Dad? Ouch—"
Leon flicked Luna's forehead lightly. "Of course not. Later, the academy secretly gave me a medal, but I melted it down and made a gold bracelet for your grandmother."
Rossweise raised her eyebrows. "Don't you value honor and championships? You just melted it down?"
Leon spread his hands. "Honor that can't be displayed openly isn't worth having."
Rossweise chuckled. "Your stubborn temper is just like that donkey."
Then, Rossweise looked at Noah. "So, are you planning to sign up too?"
"Uh... Although this family sports day is mostly for fun, and the scores don't count toward regular course grades, but..."
Noah hesitated, as if trying to figure out how to express herself.
"But it also has rankings, with first and second places, right?" Rossweise voiced her daughter's thoughts.
"Yes, Mom. I also want... to take first place."
Noah's obsession with being "the best" was much stronger than that of most little dragons.
This trait wasn't purely inherited from Leon or Rossweise—it was a combination of both of their competitive natures.
(Or maybe she stole Luna's share of competitiveness?)
Whatever the case, Noah's strong drive wasn't a bad thing.
Leon and Rossweise exchanged glances and nodded in unison.
They both fully supported participating in the family sports day. Besides, their determination to take first place was no weaker than Noah's.
"When does it start?" Leon asked.
"Next Saturday. The academy gave us one week to prepare."
After saying that, Noah looked at Leon. "Are you... in good health?"
On Monday, during the start of the school term, Luna's comment, "When Dad is weak, Mom is strong; when Mom is weak, Dad is strong," still lingered in Noah's mind.
She was a bit worried that Leon's body might weaken again during the sports day.
If that really happened, Noah would be more concerned about his health than their ranking.
Scores were important to her, but... his health mattered more.
Hearing this, Leon immediately patted his chest, making a firm promise. "Don't worry, sweet daughter, Dad is in great shape."
Noah asked skeptically, "Really?"
"Really. If you don't believe me, ask your mom."
To ensure Leon's physical condition remained within her control, Rossweise regularly conducted "assessments" on him.
After these assessments, Leon's regained energy would be drained by Rossweise within days.
Recently, she had been strictly adhering to this routine.
As a result, Leon's body had just recovered to a good state after three days of respite.
Rossweise smiled meaningfully. "Yes, your dad should be in great shape now."
"Oh, I see. So, you'll join me, right?"
"Of course."
"Great..."
"Can Luna participate too?" Luna clung to her sister, shaking her little hand.
"Only up to three people," Noah said, pinching her little cheek.
"Oh... okay..."
Leon noticed the drooping hair strand on his younger daughter's head, felt a pang in his heart, and patted her head. "But Luna can be our cheerleader."
Luna's eyes lit up as she looked at her dad. "Yay! Luna will be the cheerleader."
But after two seconds of cheering, Luna's big eyes filled with confusion over the unfamiliar word. "What's a cheerleader?"
Though she didn't know what it was, she believed whatever her dad said was good, so she decided to celebrate first.
Such was the logic of the little dragon girl.
Leon patiently explained, "A cheerleader is someone who cheers and encourages us. With Luna's encouragement, Dad, Mom, and Sister will definitely achieve great results."
"Wow~ Awesome! Then Luna will cheer super hard for Dad, Mom, and Sister."
"Yes, with our family working together, winning the sports day will be no problem."
"But the academy hasn't told us what the events are yet," Noah said. "Mom, do you know?"
Rossweise nodded. "When I participated back then, it included the dragon endurance triathlon, running, high jump, and long jump. But since this time they added 'family' to the sports day, the events will probably change accordingly."
"That makes sense," Noah said thoughtfully.
Rossweise considered for a moment and added, "Since the academy gave us a week to prepare, we should not only practice basic events but also focus on building teamwork and doing some coordination training. What do you think?"
Coordination training reminded Leon of the sleepless nights he and Rossweise spent doing teamwork exercises for Noah's entrance exam.
Despite their constant squabbles, these two mismatched partners had surprisingly high coordination.
Their top score in the unprepared interview was proof of their teamwork.
So, they felt confident about the family sports day.
"I think it's a good idea," Leon said.
"I'm okay with it too, Mom."
"Great. Let's start tomorrow. Get a good night's rest tonight."
"Okay~"
Noah and Luna jumped off their chairs, holding hands as they left the dining room.
Rossweise stretched, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at Leon with an amused smile.
"If we calculate the days, it seems tonight is your turn to come to my room, isn't it?"
Leon rolled his eyes. "Can't you think about anything other than getting back at me? You said yourself that we're starting training tomorrow. Can't I rest and recover my strength?"
"Hmph, you're really good at finding excuses to take a break."
Leon spread his hands. "Dragon lady, don't you want our daughter to win at the sports day?"
Rossweise sneered, "Stop being cheeky. Since you won't be coming to my room these few days, you'd better work on building your strength. Got it?"
"I would've done it even without you telling me."
"Don't underestimate it. Our dragon sports day isn't as easy as you think." Rossweise warned.
Leon smiled confidently. "We dragon slayers aren't as simple as you think either."
"Alright, see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight."
The couple said goodbye and returned to their rooms.
———
The next morning, before the two little ones had woken up, Leon and Rossweise were already at the practice field's track, doing warm-up preparations.
Rossweise was still in that neat and simple sports outfit, with a pair of long legs showcasing their curves.
She had a typical clothes-rack figure, looking good in anything she wore.
"The kids haven't woken up yet. Shall we run two laps to warm up?" Rossweise suggested.
"Sure, let's do it."
The couple immediately got started, jogging on the track one after another.
At first, Leon could keep up with Rossweise's pace, but as the laps increased, his stamina gradually couldn't keep up.
Although Leon's body had recovered to a relatively healthy level, after a few laps, he was still panting heavily.
He supported his knees, gasping for air in large breaths.
Finally, he lay directly on the grass.
Leon closed his eyes, the sunlight shining on his face, faintly allowing him to see the blood vessels under his eyelids.
But in the next second, someone stood next to him, blocking the sunlight.
Leon opened his eyes, a head of dazzling silver hair swayed gently in front of him.
"What, are you done already?" Rossweise teased. "I didn't make you stay up all night doing homework last night."
"Don't talk nonsense, I'm just resting."
"Tsk, I think you're just lacking motivation."
Rossweise squatted down, wrapping her arms around her legs, resting her chin on her knees, her tail curling around her shoe tips. "How about I give you some?"
"Give me what? Motivation? No need. Helping Noah achieve good results is already plenty of motivation."
Rossweise squinted her eyes with a smile. "The more, the merrier. Besides, I believe you definitely won't refuse my proposal."
Leon was intrigued. "Let's hear it."
Rossweise beckoned him over with her finger.
Leon suspiciously leaned closer.
Rossweise cupped Leon's ear with her hand and whispered, "If you get first place, I'll give you a week off."
Leon was overjoyed. "Really?"
Rossweise nodded. "Really."
The moment the words fell, Leon sprung up from the ground like a carp, threw off his jacket, and started jogging again.
Under the dual "stimulus" of his daughter and wife, someone's desire for the championship had never been stronger.
"The champion of the school sports meet will definitely belong to our family."
.
.
.
After the warm-up phase ended, Leon sat on the bench to rest.
Rossweise walked toward him with her hands in the pockets of her sports jacket.
The ponytail at the back of her head swayed, appearing lively and playful.
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