Chapter 275 - 274: Boss Crawford: My Life Is Complete

With every step Luna took forward, Nolan Crawford’s eyes shone a little brighter.

’She’s here! She’s here! She’s come to take me to the mountains and the seas! She’s come to bring me the hope and faith of my entire life!!!’

"AWOOO~" ’Hurry up and pick a pup! It’s a clearance giveaway! Everything’s free, no money down! The more you take, the more we’ll throw in!’

Luna came forward, gently bit Nolan Crawford’s pant leg, and began to pull him along.

"Luna, are you really going to give me one of your pups?"

A mix of shock and delight on his face, Nolan Crawford let her drag him along, making sure to keep a tight grip on his waistband.

Luna gave his pant leg a friendly pat with her paw.

"AWOO!" ’Enough with the chatter! Take your pick! Better yet, take them all! All pups in the house today are on Princess Lyra’s tab!’

Fenix: ’...So you gave birth to all of them on your own, huh? Can’t I, the one responsible for planting the seeds, get some credit?!’

Nolan Crawford crouched down and carefully scooped up the only gray-and-white pup, the one that had a slightly goofy, husky-like look.

As he cradled the pup, a look of fatherly affection instantly filled Nolan Crawford’s eyes. Even his voice softened into baby talk,

"Hey, little guy, how would you like to come home with me? I’ll let you eat and drink like a king—pork knuckles for every meal!"

Leo Grant, who had been crouching beside him and petting a pup, froze. He silently picked up the little white wolf he was with by the scruff of its neck, stood up, and shuffled a few feet away.

’A child’s early education must be carefully managed. You can’t force different social circles to mix; you don’t want to drag down the IQ of my new baby.’

Luna: ’...What is that supposed to mean?! My mother told me I’m no dud, so my pups can’t be either! Not a single one of them!!’

’Yip~’ ’Uh, who are you, pal?! Getting so handsy on our first meeting is a little out of line, don’t you think?’

The little wolf pup looked blankly at the big oaf who had snatched it up. ’Why am I suddenly smelling the faint scent of an ancient kinsman on him?’

"Oh, is that a yes? Then Daddy will take you home in a few days, okay? From now on, your name will be Haha, how about that?"

A goofy, doting grin spread across Nolan Crawford’s face. In that moment, he felt his life was complete.

’Starting today! I have my own furball!’

’I, Nolan Crawford, will never again have to suck up to the Leogryph!’

’Never again will I have to beg it to let me pet it! It can let me or not—I don’t care anymore!’

Leogryph: ’...As if I ever wanted to play with you in the first place, you moron!’

?ヽ(`Д′)?┻━┻

Everyone’s lips twitched, trying to hold back their thoughts. ’Oh, for fuck’s sake! Who is this guy who’s so terrible at naming things?’

’Besides, this thing is a wolf! Not a damn husky!’

’Even if it does look a little similar, you don’t have to go that far, do you?!’

Out of the corner of his eye, Leo Grant saw a large, brown figure walk in through the doorway. He subtly nudged Yvonne Lowell’s hand, signaling for her to look.

The two exchanged a look, and Yvonne Lowell instantly understood what he meant.

A mischievous glint appeared in Yvonne Lowell’s eyes. ’This guy is so wicked!’

’But I want to do it too, hehehe...’

Yvonne Lowell shot a meaningful look at Nina Jennings and the others, whose backs were to the door. The brother-sister duo caught on instantly and pulled the two oblivious ones, including Wayne Lynch, to the side.

When they had found their footing in their new spot and looked over, they saw a brown bear lumbering past the exact place they had just been standing.

Nina Jennings stealthily gave the pair a thumbs-up. ’When it comes to pulling dirty tricks, this couple is unbeatable!’

’No wonder us working stiffs hate working for companies run by a couple. Isn’t this a perfect cautionary tale?’

Big Bear had just woken up from a nap in the combat arena, enjoying the free air conditioning, and was planning to head to the cafeteria for some afternoon tea.

But halfway there, he thought he caught the scent of that deadbeat mom who abandoned her kids to go gallivanting, so he followed his nose.

When he got to the dorm entrance, he saw—wow, so many people! And quite a few new faces, too.

’Looks like no one can resist the power of cute baby animals, huh?’

’In that case, I wanna play with the cubs too. I’ll let that deadbeat mom off the hook for now. I’ll definitely teach her a lesson later!’

Meanwhile, Nolan Crawford was still crouching on the ground, chattering endlessly to his new son, Haha.

"Haha, when Daddy gets back, I’ll buy you pretty clothes to wear, okay? A whole room full of pretty clothes! I’ll get you a big gold chain and big sunglasses, too!

You’re Nolan Crawford’s son, you can’t look shabby, can you? When you’re all dressed up in your new clothes, Daddy will take you out to cruise the streets. I guarantee you’ll be the coolest cub on the block!

I’ll get you a big house! And meat—you can eat whatever meat you want. All you can eat, I promise! I’ll make sure you grow up big, fat, and healthy! Then we’ll find you a little wifey and you can have a whole litter of your own pups..."

Haha: ’...Please remember, I am a recently weaned minor!’

Nolan Crawford suddenly felt a warm sensation on his neck, as if someone were breathing on it. He shifted to the side.

"Don’t get so close, you’ll scare my son! We’re having a private father-son chat, what do you want? There are still a few others on the floor, go play with them."

The few people behind him had to think of every sad and tragic thing that had ever happened to them in their lives just to keep from bursting out laughing.

Nina Jennings was squeezing Silas Lynch’s hand so hard that if not for his sleeve, her nails would have dug right into his flesh.

Silas Lynch grimaced in pain but didn’t dare to cry out.

In that moment, among everyone present, he was probably the only one who could empathize with Nolan Crawford.

Big Bear stared at this new face he’d never seen before, growing indignant.

’Why won’t he let me play with the cub?! Newbies really are clueless! Doesn’t even know who’s the top dog around here!’

Big Bear shuffled closer to him. The more he was told not to play, the more he wanted to!

’Who isn’t a rebellious little bear at heart?!’

Nolan Crawford raised a hand and shoved the source of the heat aside, saying with an impatient tone,

"Ian Lynch, get the hell away from me! Are you ever going to quit it?"

Ian Lynch: ’...Thanks a lot. For thinking of me first.’

Nolan Crawford suddenly sensed something was wrong. ’Since when did Ian Lynch get so hairy?!’

Disbelieving, he felt it again. And again.

’Hiss... this doesn’t feel like the Leogryph. Besides, Luna and her mate are right in my line of sight.’

’Could it be...’

Nolan Crawford’s neck turned stiffly to the side. His vision was filled with a field of brown fur.

His gaze slowly traveled upward until he was looking Big Bear straight in the eye.

Man and bear, their four eyes locked. Big Bear suddenly split its jaws in a grin and let out a roar.

"ROAR!" ’Had your fill of touching? Feels pretty good, right? I just took a bath yesterday.’

"HOLY SHIT!!!"

The shock sent Nolan Crawford falling right onto his butt on the floor. In his panic, Haha slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground with a THUD.

Haha: ’Right, right, right. A father’s love is like a mountain... a mountain that’s currently having a landslide, is it?! If nobody wants me, maybe I should just retreat from society and go live in the deep mountains?’