"Oh right. Nova, I don't want you to keep coming here every day." I told Nova after we ate our lunch

"Can you tell me why?"

"I should, shouldn't I." I cleared my throat "Simply put, I have a feeling that I will be busy the next few days. There is a project that I am doing with a friend and then there is the house. Therefore, I don't know if I'll be able to have time for you."

"When you say "the house" you mean…"

"Yup! As you've guessed, our new home." I happily announced

"Then, that means that I will have to leave the orphanage soon…" she sighed

"But it does not mean that you won't see the people from the orphanage ever again. Specially because you may see them at the start of school."

"I guess you're right…" she sullenly said

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's just… I fear that my life will be extremely tiring once I start living with you." She sighed once more

"… Nova, are you a masochist?" I sincerely asked

"What's a masochist?"

"A person who enjoys being punished."

"Who likes being punished!?"

"There are all kinds of people." I said as I gestured "So, are you one of them?"

"No!"

"Good. Because you deserve some punishment."

"Why!?"

"For hurting my heart. Now, stay put!" I said as I got up from my seat and moved to her position. Nova jumped down from her seat and maintained her distance from me by using the table. If I walked left, she would move right and vice versa.

"Eh he. What are you going to do now~?" she said with condescending tone

"Do you feel proud of yourself?"

"Of course!"

"Well, continue to bask yourself in the glow of that accomplishment. However, I must ask, do you remember who made that table~?" I said as I pointed at the earth table

"Ah." Was she single sound that she let out of her mouth as she watched the table crumble right in front of her eyes. I used [Puppetry] to grab the cutlery before they touched the ground and put them inside my inventory.

"Now, where is your pride~?" I slowly asked

"Wait! We can talk about this! I was only joking before!" she pleaded as she backed away

"Are you saying that you were playing with my feelings?"

"I did not!"

I quickly approached, picked her up and hugged her close to me. "Nova." I slowly started "Please don't say such things to me. I may be strong in your eyes, but I also have a heart. Like everybody who's got a heart, it can be broken, so please do not say such things, even as a joke... I will always respect your decision so please answer me this question truthfully. Do you wish to be a family with me?" I could not see her face therefore I could not tell what kind of expression she was making.

Time kept flowing in that state, but no sound was heard from neither of us until finally I felt Nova's arms, although hesitatingly, hug me from her own volition for the first time ever.

"I would prefer a vocal answer."

"……… I do." Was the reply I long had awaited

I laughed.

"Why are you laughing!? I told you my feelings!"

"Sorry. It just this pretty similar to a marriage proposal."

"Except we aren't getting married."

"No. Hang on, marriage by definition is a union between two people, which is basically the same as this. But then, who is the bride and the groom?"

"We are not getting married."

"Not yet. However, we will be once we sign the papers. Wait! Does that mean that you will have to kiss me after signing them?"

"I won't kiss you."

"You're right. Daughter and mother should not kiss in the mouth, so it should be in the cheek."

"I said I will not kiss you!"

"So, you won't do it?"

"No!"

"Well, if you won't do it then, how about now?"

"I am not kissing you!"

"Just a peck."

"No!"

"You don't have that shy."

"I am not!"

While I was talking nonsense with Nova, I was using fire energy to get rid of water on my face.

"By the way."

"What is it now?"

"Your punishment." I slapped her butt once

"Hyaa! You brute!"

"Once more."

"Hyaa! Why!?"

"No name calling."

I finally put her down after giving her a good old kiss on her cheek. Nova was in a very hilarious position of holding her butt and her cheek.

"You were too shy with it that I took on the action myself."

"I did not want your kiss!"

"This girl…" I shook my head exasperatedly

"Do you want to crush those mounds again?" she threatened

"Nova. You do know that you just said something quite perverse?"

"What?"

"You wish to touch my breasts." I said as I emphasized them

"Don't distort my words!"

"I did not."

"Yes, you did!"

"Then, can you repeat your sentence?"

"The one where I asked if you wanted me to crush those mounds?"

"Yep."

"And how is that the same as touching?"

"You're right. It's not touching, it's groping!" I exclaimed and looked at Nova as if she was the worst

"I'm not a pervert!"

"Then, how would you crush them?"

"By… Huh… You know…" she tried to give me an answer but was unable to. Her voice became quieter and quieter until she started mumbling to herself while looking at her hands

I laughed "Just messing with you, kiddo~." I said as I patted her head

"You're the worst." She grumbled as she glared

"Am I~? Anyways, I pretty much got this afternoon free. Do you want to spend it with me, or you will you do you?"

"If I spend it with you. What will we do?"

"I don't know. You decide."

"Then can you teach me more. Not like lectures but actual stuff like spells."

"I think you may have rested enough that I restart teaching you more physical stuff. However, can I ask why? I don't have the impression of you being a studious person."

"I just want to catch up to the others."

"Or, maybe you want to impress a certain girl?" I probed

"Can you stop saying nonsense?"

"Never. In any case, let's drop the cutlery off at the inn and I'll get something for you to do."

.

.

"Let's get to learning!" I clapped my hands "And I know just what to teach you, but first, let me give you a piece of advice. The body is the basis for all techniques and it is one of main factors for claiming victory. It is for this reason why you should never undermine body's training."

"Yeah yeah. I get it." She dismissed it "Can you start already?"

"Please take my teaching to heart or else you're going to get flicked on the forehead again."

"Body training, got it!"

"Good girl~. Now, here's what you're going to do." I raised a pillar from the earth and put a rectangular block on top of it "You're going to topple this block with your soul energy. Just gather energy in your hand then shoot it. As always: don't overdo it!"

"So, I just have to topple it?"

"Yes. Stay, like, a meter away from it and topple it three times. Then, we'll move on to other stuff."

"Sounds simple enough."

"And it is simple. Whether it is easy? That is another story. Anyways, good luck. I'll be just right over there. So, call me once you need me. Ok?"

"Okay."

I walked to the spot I had indicated and created a sit from the earth there and sat on it as I watched Nova train.

'It's a bit boring to just stand by and just watch. Should I do something in parallel? Didn't I had the inscription pillar to make and the life force one, too? I guess I will do those and speed the process while at it.'

I took a gem out of the inventory, then I made two [Nodes] of life energy near my arms and a twilight [Node] in my abdomen so that they don't interfere.

'Now, what shape should I make it…? A sphere would be the safest choice, then I can just change it to my convenience… But high-tiered gems are so difficult to change their shape… Oh, well. That's future's me problem.'

Twilight came out of my back and joined together to create a big sphere in front of me, where I put the gem in. I put my hands on the only openings where only energy could flow and started feeding the gem with abandon.

"I don't get it!"

"What's up, Nova?"

"I'm trying to shoot my energy, but for some reason it's not working."

"Well, first of all, don't get mad. Try to approach the situation from a different perspective of its not working the way you want it to."

"Can you help me?" she pleaded

"What's the problem?"

"How do you do this?"

"It's hard to explain... It's mostly moving the energy to your imagination."

"I've been trying to shoot it out."

"Like throwing a rock?"

"Pretty much."

"You do know that for throwing a rock, you have to hold it first?"

"Hold it…? Ah!" she tried once more. She gathered soul energy on her palm, but she kept it in her hand. Nova then started concentrating it and finally, she shot it. Her aim needed some practice. However, she nevertheless was able to topple. "I did it!"

"Congratulations. I'm sorry that I have to pour cold water on your achievement but you still have to do it two more times."

"And it shall be done." She said with confidence and returned to training, whereas I kept watching her. As she had declared, she toppled the block two more times and returned to me in high spirits.

"What did you learn?" I asked her

"That energy is… what is the best way to say it…? Fleeting?" she looked at me for confirmation

"You are correct. Because of that fleeting property, all spells have a minimal quote on quote structure, else they would disperse before reaching their target."

"Does that apply to all types of energy?"

"Ye-" I was reminded of the energy I was researching "Apart from twilight, all energy is fleeting."

"Twilight?"

"It's this energy." I said as I pointed at it with my chin at the twilight sphere

"Wasn't it called darkness?"

"Yes. However, the name never fit because of its glow. That is why I changed it."

"Is that so."

'Now that I think about it. Since twilight is able to exist for a long time without me supporting it, that means…'

The energy that connected me to the sphere went from thick cables to a near invisible mist. 'This seems useful'

"That looks less creepy." Stated Nova

"It looked creepy?"

"Yes. Like tentacles looked like they were coming out of you."

"Does it still look creepy?"

"Not really. Anyways, are you growing a gem again?"

"Yes. A life energy one."

"And you are making it a ball?" she tilted her head

"Yes."

"Wouldn't it be better to make a different shape, so that it doesn't roll around?"

"You do have a point. I only choose this shape because I do not really have another idea."

"What's it for?"

"Our house."

"I see…"

"You also do not know what shape would be good, do you?"

"Nope." She shrugged

"The problem is that the soul energy one is shaped like a tree. Thus, making it hard to decide what to make for this one."

"The soul energy one…? You mean the one I saw you doing when I met you."

"That one."

"And you want the shape to have something related to life?"

"Pretty much."

"Then, how about the sun?"

"The sun is a sphere though…"

"The sun is a ball?"

"You did not know?"

"I did not."

"Well, you'll learn more at school. Do you have any more ideas?"

"Not really. The sun was the only thing that came to mind."

"What about another geometrical shape?" I wondered

"What does geometrical mean?"

"They are shapes like rectangles, circles-"

"-And triangles?"

"Yes. But those are the most basic forms. The ones you draw on paper. In any case, leave this for me to agonize while you go on with your training."

"Okay." She paid close attention to me

"Next, I want you to cover your body in soul energy."

"Just covering it?"

"Yes. Uniformly at that. Which means cover everything."

"Okay..." She replied confused and was about to sit on the ground. However, to not let her do that, I created a seat from the earth on which she sat and started following my instructions.

My talk with Nova did made me have an idea for the shape of the gem. For some reason when we talked about the sun and geometrical shapes, pyramids came to mind. Thus, I reshaped the twilight sphere into a pyramid with a square base and kept going.

"I think I did it." Declared Nova

"Then touch me."

"What…?" she was confused

"Are you being dirty-minded again? I cannot visible see the energy, therefore, I need you to touch me so that I can feel it."

"Oh!" she understood my intentions hence she reached over and touched my arm.

I felt around her energy and was able to notice that she was able to cover her body completely, however "It's crude, but it is okay for now. By the way, congratulations, you have learned [Soul shield]. I would clap, but I have my hands occupied."

"Really!?"

"Yes. I believe I told you before that spells are quite simple. However, that shield should be improved. Aim for something smoother and denser akin to water."

"I see." She nodded her head in understanding

"I am honestly impressed. I did not expect you to properly listen to me." I commented

"Who do you think I am?" she demanded as she put her hands on her waist

"I thought you are a child who was just taught her first spell. Well, after the inventory. It's nothing against you. When I first leaned my first spell, I was quite ecstatic."

"Doesn't that mean that I am better than you?" her expression changed into a proud one and as a result, I flicked her forehead.

"Ow!"

"Hah~." I sighed in happiness "Thank you, Nova. It has been such a long time I've done that." I put my hand back on the pyramid

"Didn't you say that your hands were occupied?"

"I am always ready to punish you."

"Do you enjoy punishing people?"

"I can't say that I enjoy punishing people. However, I can admit that I enjoy punishing you."

"… Can we get back to spell learning or something else?"

"Ok. How about this? You'll release soul energy in waves in every direction."

"… Can you explain it better?"

"Have you ever seen small ripples on a pond or something along those lines?"

"Yes… I faintly remember seeing it. So, I have to do the same?"

"Yep. You'll be the center of those ripples."

"Okay." She closed her eyes and focused on her task while I stayed attentive to the pulses. She was able to do it without much trouble. They were flimsy and were not able to travel that far without dispersing.

"You can stop now."

She let out a sigh of relief "That was tough…"

"Was it?"

"Yeah. It was weird. It was like I was touching everything around me and… it was too much."

"That was a pulse spell. The [Soul pulse] spell to be exact and as you've mentioned, it lets you "touch" soul energy with yours. People normally use it in a horizontal radius to limit the information they receive, but never forget that it can go in all directions. Furthermore, the pulses travel much easier in open air than in dense mater like the earth."

"Okay…"

"One thing to note about the pulse's spells is that there are ways to hide from them or give false information. Therefore, you should not be overly reliant on them. Now that you know that, you will do the same but with Life energy."

"For the [Life pulse]?"

"Indeed."

"But before that, I have something I want to ask?"

"Go ahead."

"The [Soul pulse] can only find soul energy, right? Whereas [Life pulse] can only find life energy. Am I wrong?"

"You are not entirely correct. [Soul pulse] can find almost all energies with the exception of life energy. The theory behind that is because all those energies are originated from soul energy."

"Doesn't that mean that [Life pulse] is much worse than [Soul pulse]?"

"It depends on the situation. As you might have noticed [Soul pulse] can bring a lot of information and you can only distinguish it from the energy signature and the shape. But that also means that there can be spells that can be hidden from it, like the [Wind whisper]. Whereas [Life pulse] has much less results which allows you to differentiate signatures even further. You can even discern species from one another. Here's an illustration: [Soul pulse] is good for mapping, while [Life pulse] is excellent for hunting and foraging."

"In conclusion, [Soul pulse] if I just need pulses in general. [Life pulse] if I want to find something specific that possesses

I nodded "I only gave you the situations in which they can be useful, but that is mostly correct. Do you want me to praise you?"

"No." and she closed her eyes

"Oh…" 'I became a sad mother…'

A few moments after, I started feeling Nova's life pulses.

"Ok. That is enough for now." I said a minute after

She slowly opened her eyes while releasing a sigh of relief.

"Take a break."

"I will…" she did not refute for once on this matter

As soon as Nova relaxed, I started hearing footsteps approaching us which caused my body to stiffen unconsciously. The steps became loud enough for even Nova to have perceived them.

"Oh. Miss Craven?" The owner of the steps appeared to be the architect. Unlike when I met him in formal clothes in his office, this time he was wearing what seemed to be his work apparel.

"Good evening. To what I owe you the pleasure?" I greeted him

"Oops, I'm sorry for disturbing you. I felt pulses which caused me to be curious."

"Oh that. I was teaching my daughter some spells. I did not expect for someone to be nearby. Therefore, I would like to apologize for any inconvenience." I said as I slightly bowed my head

"No need to apologize There wasn't any inconvenience at all."

"Is that so. If I am not intruding, may I ask what you have been doing. Just to satisfy my own curiosity."

"Not at all. I have been working on your particular request the entire day. In total honesty, I might have exaggerated in the time limit for the blueprint…"

I made a seat and motioned at him to take a sit, which he accepted with a "Thank you."

"You could always discuss it with me. I want a good home, not a rushed project. Ah! I almost forgot. Nova, this mister here is the architect designing our new home and this one here is my daughter 'Well, future daughter. But who cares about details right now?', Lenova."

"Hello." Greeted Nova

"How are you doing, girl?" the architect greeted back, then he turned back to me "I thank you for your comprehension. In any case, this might be a good time to discuss the plan. That is, if you have the time."

"Of course. I'm not doing anything right now anyway."

"Is that so?" he said questioningly as he glanced at the twilight pyramid

"Oh this. This is the gem you requested I prepared." I decided to stop the gem feeding 'although I don't think any more energy would go in' and released the gem from its prison and slowly put it down on the ground.

The pyramid-shaped gem turned out to be like the sun. It had sufficient energy inside to be bright enough to make me avert my eyes.

"I did ask you to prepare one…" 'Yes, I know. I might have exaggerated with the amount of energy.'

"Well, at least we might put it to good use and more." I covered the gem in a twilight fog to hide its light, which did not have the desired result. Apparently, when the twilight energy was too sparse, it would become transparent. Thus, I just covered it in twilight as it was a few moments ago.

"Indeed, we might… Can I ask you a question?"

"If it's about the energy you are seeing then the answer is twilight energy."

"Twilight…?" questions marks floated around his head

"Yep. And it's mostly harmless 'unless weaponized'."

"Oh. That does make me feel more comfortable."

I made a table out of twilight that glowed slightly 'for some reason I cannot suppress the glow completely' "What do you wish to discuss?"

He took out a large paper, about A2 size, which forced me to increase the table's size to hold it.

"Didn't you insinuate that you needed more time?" I asked

"I meant that I need more time to make to feel contented with my work. That does not signify that I wasn't able to do it." He announced confidently

I did a quick scan of the draft and constated "It seems you took my words to heart. It is quite an eccentric house."

Nova also gave her opinion on it "Our house is a tree?"

"Five trees to be exact." The architect corrected "I entered in contact with some people who know their stuff about trees and thankfully, it seems that someone had some seeds on a particular species. This type of tree is originated from a swamp area, therefore, around a fourth of its trunk is underground to reach the nutrients. Furthermore, they are pretty sturdy. In resume, my plan is to plant those trees in a circle, manipulate their growth so that they can be the basic house structure then we'll use it to fully construct the house." He stopped for a moment to take a breath

I took this opportunity to ask "I understand up until this point. However, the seeds are quite expensive, aren't they? Since they are the only of their kind."

"Yes, but not as much as you might be thinking. Every person who has a connection to plants, meaning alchemists, carpenters and gardeners mainly, have joined hands into creating a garden where all Obsidian plants that we brought are being procreated and maintained."

"That's cool. I did not know that. Where did they build it, though? I haven't seen anything like that."

"They are doing it a bit far from town, like 3 kilometers west. It's not a pretty sight, yet. They are working on it. Right now, they are making different kinds of environments for the plants. Well, I have faith that they will be able to achieve it. Anyway, this is the main point." He said as he pointed at the branches on the plan "As you can see, the branches on the top are crown shaped. They will act as the protection against the elements for the garden on the roof. So, what do you think?"

"I mean… It's good, but it looks weird with the branches shaped like that…" I gave my opinion

"Wait a second." Nova interrupted "The entire reason for why the house is shaped like that is because you want a garden on top of it."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Why not?" Nova could not refute my reply thus she closed her mouth with mixed feelings

The architect cleared his throat "I understand you perfectly. I had the same feeling when I sketched this draft. That is why, this is my second proposition." He took out another sheet "The premise is the same, except there will an additional tree in the middle which will change the aesthetic completely."

"That is more of a tree than the other one was." Nova noted

"Essentially." Added the architect

"But it does look better than the other one. So, I can approve it. What about you, Nova?"

"Me?"

"Yes. You're also going to live in the house. Do you have any observation you wish to add?"

"Well, there is one thing that bothers me. You said that the trees are from a swamp. Does that mean that the house will be in a swamp?"

"No, not at all. Even if some problems may appear with the trees for not living in their normal habitat, the gem that your mother has made should clear them."

"So, that is the main reason why you asked me to prepare the gem was for that." I commented

"Indeed. However, I did not lie about the other reasons for why you should do it."

"I'm not complaining. Nova, do you have anything else you wish to say?"

"Other than it is a pretty weird house to live in, not really."

"Because it is shaped like a tree?"

"Yup."

"But, Nova. This house is quite mild compared to actual weird houses."

"Is it, though?"

"Why not hear it from the expert?" I said as I addressed the architect

"Me? Well, I would put this house in the middle of the odd category for houses from a design and materials used perspective."

"Seriously?" Nova was surprised by his low assessment. I was a bit amazed too, but for the opposite reason.

"It depends on the perspective, girl. We are living in a pretty interesting era. If you asked me a decade earlier and I would say that buildings like these are a dream inside a dream. Now, they are a possibility if you have the money for it."

"Why were they not possible before?"

"They were simpler times." He said with a faraway look "Back then, there were only a couple spells for soul and life energy and in retrospect, crafting was humbler. But then… let's just say that creativity exploded. New elements were found which gave birth to new spells. Inscriptions were invented that allowed mythical weapons to exist or just make life easier by creating tools such as the oven or the fridge. Alchemists went from healers to potion creators that granted superior strength and other amazing effects. The more people found, the bolder they became which made them travel to new horizons and the process repeated itself over and over again…" he ended with a sigh "Oh, I'm sorry for having you listen to an old's man rambling."

"Not at all." I told him "It is pretty interesting to hear your perspective on the events that happened these years. Also, I want my daughter to learn them."

"Is that so. Oh, yeah. You do belong to that generation, don't you?"

"I indeed do."

"So, a lot has happened?" asked Nova

"It did. And in total honesty, it was a scary witnessing the world I knew change so radically."

"It was?"

"Yes. However, it was also exiting learning of new possibilities. Anyways, back on the topic of the house. Are you happy with this blueprint?"

"I am satisfied with it." I answered

"Me too, I guess." Added Nova

"But there is one thing that bothers me." I started "I feel like the price's range that you mentioned before does not correspond to the price of the house."

"That is correct. My price contained the gem included which I did not expect you to just make it and the location of the land. Since you are willing to invest in this house, I believe that choosing a good location for it was in order."

"And this location is far from town?"

"Around 200 meters away from here. Right now, it is a hill with overgrown flora." 'So that is why he came from there'

"So, the price entails the cleaning of the terrain."

"And the construction of the sewers."

"Oh! I forgot about that… Well, is there anything else I should know?"

"Yes." He took out another blueprint "This is the basement floor. If my calculations are correct, it will a rather open area. I don't have much planned for this floor, the only thing I believe it would be good is to put the life gem here."

"So, the basement is more of an area for storage or anything else I wish to do."

"Pretty much."

"Wouldn't it be better to put the gem on the ceiling since it is so bright and have it act as a light?"

"That is not a bad idea. However, to completely light this area, at least three gems comparable to that one would be needed."

"That is no problem."

"And that is about it for the basement. Next is the first floor." He took out a blueprint "Kitchen, living room, dining room, a small bathroom, an entrance area and there is also a hidden compartment for cleaning equipment. Those are the things I have planned, as you can see."

"And those blank spaces?"

"Because the house is large. There is some space leftover in this floor, so I decided to leave the decision up to you. Do you want to increase the size of the current living areas or do you want to add something else?"

"I don't know… What about you Nova?"

"I don't know. What about the compartment for the cleaning equipment? Does it have enough space for an automatic washer and a drier?"

"I decided to have those on the second floor near the bathroom."

"There is a second bathroom?" she questioned

"Yes. However, this one is much more complete in the sense of being more spacious and the bath being there. Hang on." He put another blueprint on the table "The second floor contains the bedrooms, the bathroom with an area adjacent to it for the automatic washer and the drier and some empty rooms with which you can use it for whatever are your needs are."

"In the end, the house is too large, huh." I commented

"Indeed. Normally I would have some propositions to these kinds of situations…"

"But you didn't have the time?"

"Yes." He said a bit ashamed

"Oh, well. Then, let's brainstorm for a bit." And to further increase the efficiency, I put the life pyramid gem inside my inventory and started feeding another. "Before that, can we see the rest of the blueprints first?"

"Of course." He took out another blueprint "The top floor slash roof. I may have gone a bit too far with this area… Mostly open area for the garden. The only structures are the one adjacent to the stairs for the storage of gardening tools, the tree in the middle and the fake lake."

"There is a fake lake?"

"Yes."

"That won't be a problem?"

"Not really. If you look at this." He pointed at the first blueprint. The one where it showed the house from the side. "You see the third floor is big in the sense of verticality. The reason for that is to be able to hold the garden but also to hide the structures inside. For example, the fake lake will be completely isolated from the rest. Furthermore, just in case of rain, there are multiple drains on the bottom and on the walking level."

"I see. So, you have pretty much thought about everything."

"In that regard, yes. However, because of that I do not have an idea for that empty space…"

"Why not just leave it empty then." Nova commented

"You mean just leave as a room in case we need it."

"Yeah."

"That is okay by me." I gave it a positive response

"And on the second floor?"

"The same, I guess."

"I see. Although it doesn't suit my character, that is indeed the best option. Okay, I think that is all I needed to discuss with you."

"I feel that my tree inscription pillar will be too much from an aesthetic viewpoint. Perhaps I should make something else…"

"If so, then could you have something that can be more centered in the house."

"What about a climbing plant on the center tree?"

"Can you actually do something like that?" he asked

With the ever-molding twilight I could do any shape I wanted with no problems "Yes."

"I see… Then, I guess we're done here."

"What's next?"

"Next, I'll contact Trevor and since he already gathered a team, it should be a lot faster. Although, I will need to talk with some people from the garden with experience in growing these trees and see if they can participate in the project. After that, we will discuss the details for the contract and after you sign it, we can begin the construction."

"Is that so. I thank you in advance for your work." I said as I bowed my head

"It is my pleasure. Well, I should get going." He saved his blueprints in his inventory

"Wait. Aren't you going to need this?" I said as I pointed to the pyramid

"Hmm~. Bring the gems at the time for signing the contract. That way we'll be able to give them to the person in charge of growing the trees."

"Okay."

"Goodbye." He said

"Goodbye." I parroted him

"Bye." Greeted Nova

I watched his back getting farther from us then I addressed Nova "Well, I expected to do this tomorrow. Is there anything you want to do now?"

"I don't know… I'm feeling lazy right now." She crossed her arms and laid down on them on the table

"So am I. Do you think you caught up to your peers?"

"What?" she was confused

"Did you forget why we started training?"

"Was that why?"

"What you did think it was for?"

"I believed it was for making me stronger for the sake of withstanding your bear hugs."

I looked at her to check if she was serious. The answer I received was a tongue stuck out of her mouth.

"Since when can you mess with me~?" I asked as I pocked her cheek

"Since I decided~."

"Is that so. However, I would like to have your answer to my question?"

"I think I did."

"Good. So, we can stop with the intensive training."

"No more training?"

"Nope, no more intensive training. You'll still train, though."

"For my future or something."

"It seems that you get it."

"Although, I don't really want to fight…"

"I said this before, but you don't have to. Furthermore, increasing your knowledge and control of energy will give you work opportunities. Which brings a question, do you know what you want to do for the future?"

"Not really…"

"Oh, well. Let's leave those questions for the future then. For now." I slowly dispelled the table to warn her of its disappearance and made my seat longer "Come here." I said as I patted the seat

She obliged and laid her head on my lap without me mentioning.

"Today has been a tiring day..." she commented

"There is nothing more to do today, so just relax."

"I would have done that without you even mentioning it."

I put the second pyramid in my inventory and started making a third on the side while I focused on patting Nova's hair.