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But my kid here sure was generous! He pushed me out there himself, saying that the teacher taught him that sharing is caring.

I didn't dare open my mouth.

Dad!

Hahaha!

I believe you mentioned before that you have two daughters?

Mhm.

Two daughters...

Herman leans lightly back in his seat.

One of them puts my mind at ease. The other, the furthest thing from it.

Heh. Although I suppose I could also say that I don't have to worry about either of them.

Haha. I never would've expected you to treat your children that way.

This was a few years back, but when the troublesome one was still going to university in Victoria, I almost never got invited to go see her.

Only once did I make the time to go over to her school to talk to her professor about how she was doing.

So imagine my surprise when I found out she'd gotten someone else to pretend to be her father for the parent-teacher conference.

Your daughter's got some serious guts.

That is one thing she'll never be short on.

I stayed there and listened in for a while. I was pretty angry at the time, but I had to admit...

That daughter of mine... The flowers grown in a greenhouse may be elegant and beautiful, but I'd rather she be the weeds that sprout up there instead.

To be able to do that proves that she indeed is my daughter. So I trust that when she's out there on her own in the world, she has the ability to overcome any obstacle.

What's more, she's a good judge of character.

You see, later on, I sent someone to contact the man she had impersonated me.

Oh? Do tell.

I ended up asking him to come work for me.

Ahahaha! As expected of you.

He must've been quite talented indeed.

...*cough* *cough*...

Oh, are you him?

You flatter me, sir.

Hahaha, what a story.

So, how are your daughters doing these days?

They're both working elsewhere now.

Mhm. Just a little longer, and I plan to kick this kid out too, so he can get a good, hard look at the real world.

I have a few old friends over in Lungmen. They're a bunch of knuckleheads, but I know that as long as they're around, nothing bad's going to happen to my boy.

It's no easy feat trying to make sure your kids turn out fine when they grow up.

I'm sure you're only here because you wanted the best for your son.

I fall far short of my wife in that respect.

A few years ago, between my young son and my sick wife, I was seriously considering scaling back the business.

She wrote dozens of letters interrogating me. Haha, if not for Rim Billiton and Great Yan being thousands of miles apart, I'm sure she would've given me an earful in person.

It's thanks to those letters that MountainDash is what it is today, and the kid and I turned out the way we are.

...You truly are a lucky man.

Herman falls silent while gazing at the waves crashing against the shore.

I hope your wife gets well soon.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

'Mr. Mayor,' hm.

Just call me Herman.

Mr. Herman... I can truly see now that you're not just a mayor, but a father as well.

Haha. You're not quite what I was expecting either, Mr. Eurill.

Hahaha...

Care for a glass?

Victoria's grapes are sanguine in color and rich in aroma.

Barrel-brewed in Gaul with a light, cedar-baked flavor.

Have a taste. I brought it from Lungmen.

—Ahh.

Silly old me. I've had so much to drink that I can't even hold my glass straight.

Haha, no point in crying over a bit of spilled wine. Happens all the time.

I'll pour you some more. As long as you don't drop the glass itself, that is.

I don't even know how long it's been since I've held out my glass like this. What if my hand shakes and I end up breaking it?

Hahaha! Don't worry, I'll hold your hand steady.

These hands of mine have conquered an entire school in tug-of-war.

...I suppose I have nothing to worry about then.

The two men raised their glasses and looked out across the scenery before them.

The sun was setting, but the surface of the ocean glimmered even more brightly than it had during the day.

Mr. Eurill.

Yes?

The wine you brought from Lungmen... It's good stuff.

It's not something that would normally make its way into Siesta, is it?

Then I trust that it'll also suit the tastes of people from other countries.

Haha. And I trust that Siestans will enjoy this wine all the same.