'Alright, Bo, where did we last leave off?' Michi asked.

 

'Um…' Bo closed his eyes and thought back to waaaay back when and remembered. 'You taught me [Mana Manipulation] and then we stopped!’

 

Michi grunted. ‘I got that far, huh? Well, I guess it’s time for you to learn the next step: [Mana Manipulation: Projection].’

 

‘Woah! Really? That sounds super duper cool!’

 

Bo received a gentle pat on the head for his enthusiasm. ‘It is,’ Michi agreed. ‘Now, what I want you to do is take a small bit of your mana using [Mana Manipulation] and project it out into the real world.’

 

Bo closed his eyes and looked deep inside himself, all the way down to where his core was located. It was really small now, but he was sure that once he got more Intelligence, his mana pool would super-de-duper big. Intelligence was always the way to go, after all!

 

What did Michi say to do? Bo thought absently as he watched his mana swirl around in his core. Take some mana out? Did he say a size? He probably wants me to get a big amount. Big is awesome!

 

Grinning to himself at the thought of impressing Michi, he took about half of his mana pool and tried to force it out of his body. That attempt ended in failure. He was about to complain to Michi but then paused.

 

He couldn’t be impressive if he whined! From now on, he wouldn’t whine anymore. He’d just have to try harder!

 

He grabbed hold of his mana once more and pulled with an even stronger yank, but nothing happened. Yank, yank, yank, yank-ow!

 

All that yanking had caused a small crack on his core, which in turn made Bo’s chest hurt. He was reminded of the time Lima Bean almost died because of her mana. Had his mana betrayed him, too?

 

Aghast and terribly afraid, he returned to the real world to find Michi staring at him with concern.

 

‘Michi, my mana hurt me!’ he whined, completely forgetting what he promised himself earlier.

 

‘Of course, it did,’ the fox snapped. ‘You were reckless with it and caused a Fracture!’

 

‘Huh? What’s that?’

‘It’s when an idiot isn’t careful with his mana and doesn’t use the proper way to call it out! And look, now you’re leaking!’

 

Bo hunched his shoulders and looked down at his paws. He hadn’t meant for the Fracture to happen, but he had to go and mess things up again...He’d never learn how to use magic!

 

As if sensing his internal plight, Michi sighed and rubbed his back affectionately. ‘I’m sorry, Bo. I don’t mean to yell, but messing around with mana is dangerous. If you’re not careful, you could get hurt badly.’

 

Bo looked up at him, eyes wide, and asked: ‘Like what happened to Lima Bean?’

 

“Yes, like what happened with,’ Michi swallowed with a pained look on his face before continuing, ‘with Lima Bean.’

 

‘So...can I get fixed?’

 

Michi nodded. ‘The Fracture is small, so it should heal all by itself in about an hour or two.’

 

‘Yay!’ Bo cheered, his ears shooting straight up as he clapped his paws.

 

The old fox smiled at him and scratched behind his ears in the Good Spot. Aww, that’s nice, Bo thought, leaning into Michi’s hand.

 

‘Say, Bo, how about we play a little game I used to play as a kit?’

 

‘Yeah, yeah! What’s it called, what’s it called?’

 

Michi set him down, walked over to the desk, and picked up a small wooden ball. Tossing it from paw to paw, he smirked at Bo, ‘It’s called...Get the Ball.’

 

Bo nodded, put on his game face, and tensed his hind legs, ready to [Pounce] on the old fox. Michi held out the paw that held the ball.

 

‘Ready...set…[Pounce]!’

 

Bo leaped forwards, paws out. But then Michi yanked his arm back just as he was about to grab it. All he got was a face full of fur as he landed on his bed. Snarling, he whirled around and leaped at the old fox again.

 

Michi hopped to the side once more, leaving Bo to crash into the wall. He landed haphazardly on the floor. Now, any sane grandparent would rush over to check on him to see if he was alright.

 

Michi did not do that.

 

He laughed at Bo and taunted him, saying: ‘Come on, Bo. Is that the best you got? Can’t catch this old fox, now, can you?’

 

Bo stood up and shook his head to clear away the dizziness. When he was good, he glared at Michi and said: ‘Just you wait!’

 

He leaped one last time and, just as expected, Michi tried to dodge. Unexpectedly, Bo whipped his tail to the side; the momentum from that [Tail Whip] caused him to crash into the old fox.

 

‘Oh, shi-Bo!’ Michi yelped. They both went crashing to the ground, with the small leveret on top of the much larger fox. The ball went flying away from Michi.

 

Seeing his chance, Bo hopped off of Michi and ran for the ball. He stuck his neck out, preparing to grab it in his mouth, but then Michi cast a spell―Bo recognized it as [Mental Magic: Telekinesis], one that Michi used frequently―and the ball flew back into his paws.

 

‘No fair!’ Bo whined. ‘You didn’t say we could use magic! That’s cheating!’

 

‘You used a spell, too,’ Michi argued. ‘You used [Tail Whip] to crash into me!’

 

Bo blushed. ‘B-but that’s different!’

 

‘How?’

 

‘Well…Um…I don’t know…It just is!’

 

Michi shook a finger at him. ‘You just need to get the ball to win; anything goes!’

 

Fine then! Bo thought. He let out the toughest, fiercest war cry he could manage―much to Michi’s amusement―and charged the fox.

 

Michi dodged to the left, expecting Bo to run past. He forgot just how agile a hare could be, even at three weeks old.

 

Bo turned his upper body almost immediately and ran at the fox. Michi hesitated for a moment too long, just in time for Bo to ram his head into the fox’s leg.

 

‘Gah!’ he cried out, falling to the ground once more.

 

‘Haha!’ Bo cheered as he jumped on top of him. ‘Gimme the ball! I win!’

 

‘You wish, sucker,’ Michi said as he tossed the ball behind him. Before Bo could hop off again, he grabbed the leveret and tossed him towards the back wall.

 

Bo crashed onto the bookshelf, knocking off a few books which subsequently landed on top of him. When his head resurfaced, he cried out: ‘Meanie!’

 

Then he rushed Michi once more and, instead of going for the ball, tackled the fox out of spite. They wrestled on the floor, both trying to get the upper hand. Michi, of course, won that tussle and pinned Bo down on the floor.

 

Breathing heavy, he pointed down at Bo and said: ‘I win!’ And then he made a mean, bragging face, sticking out his tongue and squinting his eyes.

 

Bo couldn’t help but laugh at the expression, laughter in which Michi joined soon after. Michi had a deep and loud laugh, like whatever he’d just heard was the funniest thing in the world. It made Bo feel good whenever he told a joke.

 

But then Michi stumbled back, doubled over, and started coughing. Concerned, Bo rushed over and put a hand on Michi’s leg.

 

‘A-are you okay?’

 

Michi shooed him away. ‘I’m fine.’

 

Bo frowned at the old fox’s paw. ‘Michi, you’re bleeding!’

 

The fox hesitated, looked at his fur, and then scowled. ‘Out with you, Bo! Go find Lima Bean and tell her to take over your lesson!’

 

‘But-’

 

‘Out!’

 

Bo scampered up out of the burrow, casting a worried glance behind him. Why was he bleeding? Why did he send me out? What if something happens? Should I go back? But he might get mad at me…But what if―

 

Before he could finish that thought, he ran into someone…

 

…Only to pass right through them! He came screeching to a halt and whirled around, only to see that the person was gone.

 

He turned back around to see Lima Bean glaring at him, holding a ball of mana in one hand. ‘Bo!’ she yelled. ‘What are you doing? Can’t you see I’m trying to practice here?’

 

Bo didn’t answer, staring at the mana in her hands. ‘Lima Bean…You’re using magic?’