The next day moved way better than Arthur expected. Because of his stamina increase, Arthur was able to perform all the tasks he needed to perform and more. He finished his push-ups, squats, and jog around noon.
After that, he spent the rest of his time studying. His motivation seemed to be endless. No, it was increasing day by day at a rapid pace. He could feel the palpable improvement in his life even though he merely started 3 days ago.
If anything, Arthur was surprised that this whole time, he didn't feel the urge to draw Manga at all. Perhaps that was because he was getting his mind ready for whatever chaos would happen when he finally entered his first Manga world a month from now.
But, in reality, Arthur was already forming the initial idea he wanted to use for his first MangaVerse. It isn't a fully developed idea but he at least knew the world it's gonna be in. At first, Arthur thought of simply choosing a story that would be the easiest and least dangerous to do for him.
But, he realized the huge problem with that. First of all, if he simply made a peaceful story, he wouldn't be able to make use of his skill 'Ink Absorber' which would also hinder his growth.
Besides, Arthur had no experience in writing a slice of life or romance story, not to mention the fact that he didn't like that genre at all. Mainly because he would feel jealous of the main character in those stories that are able to get what he couldn't. Call it a pity but Arthur didn't like to see such stories.
So, his only choice was to create fantasy, action stories like he always does. Besides, if he survives these ordeals, wouldn't he be able to create the most amazing stories? That's what Arthur believed.
With that, he finished his tasks for the day around the time he received a message from Kaede. So, he changed his clothes to something more presentable before he left his apartment.
Arthur would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous but since this was his second time going to Kaede's place, he didn't feel as nervous.
"Oh, Arthur! You're here!" When he knocked on her door, he heard quick footsteps before the girl opened the door and welcomed him with a bright smile.
"Thanks for having me again today."
"Of course! We're friends, after all!" She said as she allowed him inside.
"I made sure to make completely different dishes from last time. I hope you will enjoy these too."
At the dinner table, Arthur found a larger set of dishes, each one looking more delicious than the others. Arthur blinked in surprise at the food.
"You really didn't have to go this far…" He murmured.
"Fufufu, please don't worry about it. I was just too excited so I ended up making that much. It won't be thrown away so don't hesitate."
"Well… Thank you for this. Even though I was the one who was supposed to repay you…"
However, Kaede simply patted his shoulder. "I was the one who requested it though. To be honest, I just wanted to talk to you over dinner. I had no other idea in mind other than this." Kaede added with a red face.
She seemed fidgety for some reason. Her appearance at that moment was so adorable that Arthur had a strong urge to pat her. But, he obviously didn't allow himself to do that.
"I-I see… Hahaha, I also had fun last time."
"Really?"
"Y-Yes, although I'm not accustomed to talking to… Uh, people I guess? I mean, it's not that… I just didn't have a friend before so I might've come out as awkward or weird. My apologies for that."
Arthur wanted to be honest with Kaede in case she had any misunderstanding. He did feel ashamed of the fact that he never had any friend before but that was his life and he wasn't going to try and hide from it anymore.
Arthur was Arthur. Whether people liked it or not, he was him and he will never change that.
"No! I didn't feel that way at all! You're really kind and caring, Arthur."
"T-Thanks, you're really kind too."
After that, Kaede invited Arthur to the table and the two sat down before they started eating dinner and chatting. Their topics weren't that different from last time. No, perhaps they felt more intimate than before. Both of them found the courage to ask more private questions.
"By the way, Arthur, why did you decide to live alone?" Kaede asked.
Her question made Arthur freeze for a second before he looked up. His relaxed expression became tense and his demeanor changed. If there was one topic Arthur hated talking about, it was his parents.
Kaede noticed that shift in the mood and tried to quickly retract her question. However, Arthur spoke before her.
"We had a fight and so I decided to leave. I didn't talk to them in a long time."
"..."
"I don't know how they're doing either. They didn't ask about me either."
It was true, apart from sending him money via bank, Arthur never received a call or a message from his parents. It was as if they completely abandoned him. At first, Arthur believed that wasn't the case and had hoped their relationship would fix itself sooner than later.
However, as days and weeks passed, he realized that he was simply thinking too naively. He understood that his parents simply didn't want anything to do with him at all. It hurt… Quite a bit.
Arthur used the hours of sleep he would try to get every day to cry his eyes out. He mourned the loss of the only two people he considered to be close to him. Even they decided to throw him away.
'Weren't parents supposed to forgive their children even if they screw up? Was my dream that much of a sin that they couldn't understand me or forgive me?' He asked himself countless times before and each time, he would never find an answer.
So, his sadness and depression quickly turned into numbness. He lost feelings for his parents and his heart became completely detached from people.
"I see… I'm sorry to hear that." Kaede murmured with a gloomy expression.
"Don't worry about it, hahaha, I'm not hung over it either way. I'm living my life and doing what I want so that's enough for me." Arthur shook his head.
His life was far from perfect but he at least was trying to fix it himself while still going after his goal.
"I can see that you're working hard, Arthur. Most people never try and that's way worse than simply trying and failing. I admire your courage!" Kaede smiled warmly at Arthur. Her eyes sparkled with a thousand feelings. Her face at that moment was simply breathtaking.
"..." Arthur found himself lost in her eyes for a second before he quickly averted his gaze and coughed awkwardly.
"T-Thanks. But, I still have a long way to go and many unknown factors to account for."
'Literally and figuratively.' He thought to himself.
Whatever happens by the end of this month, Arthur had already resolved himself to face it. No time for hesitation.
It was time to seriously manifest his dream into reality… Literally.
***
*One Month Later*