Today, Mio practiced controlling water and fire elements, combining them to create ice and melt it. She's gotten quite good at managing both elements simultaneously, making today's training session smooth.
After our session, I offered to walk Mio home, even though she initially declined. It was getting dark, and I didn't want to be an irresponsible teacher, leaving her to walk alone.
I followed her for over three hours, realizing her house was much further than our meeting spot. The guilt of imagining Mio walking home alone every day started to weigh on me.
"Hey, Mio," I called out.
"What is it?" she replied.
"I thought your house was near that bridge," I said, confused.
"Oh, I never told you, did I?" she said, a bit sheepishly.
"What?" I asked.
"The reason why I was under the bridge that Sunday, three months ago. Why a kid like me wasn't having fun on a Sunday. You wanna know?"
"Can you tell me?" I asked, intrigued.
"I ran away," she replied, looking exhausted.
I was curious, but I knew I shouldn't pry further. So I stayed silent, accompanying Mio until she reached home safely.
Her smile as she waved goodbye was so beautiful. It made me feel like I wanted to protect her like my own child.
"Mio," I called out, stopping her as she turned to leave.
"What is it, Will?" she asked, turning back to me.
"Starting tomorrow, you don't have to go to the bridge anymore. I won't come to meet you there either."
"Huh? Why? Are you breaking your promise to me? Why? I-I'll break my promise to you too if you do that!" she protested, her voice laced with anxiety.
I smiled at her reaction, noticing a hint of hesitation in her words. She's a kind girl, after all.
"Every week, I'll visit your house," I said.
"Huh?" she responded, surprised.
"So, be excited when you wake up on Sundays. I might knock on your door sooner than you think," I said, my voice light and playful.
She looked shocked at first, but then her smile slowly widened. She ran toward me and hugged me, thanking me repeatedly.
I didn't understand why she was so grateful. I didn't know what she'd been through, and it wasn't my place to solve her problems. But I knew what I wanted to do, be there for her as she grows up, protect her like a little sister.
Maybe it was more like a father's desire to protect his child, to see them grow into adulthood. But there was one thing I was certain about, I wanted to protect her smile.
I didn't need a noble reason for doing this. I simply wanted to do it because I knew her.
More than anything, I saw a reflection of my own past in Mio's innocent smile. I didn't want her to lose herself, the way I had lost myself.
After making my promise to Mio, I returned home. Maria, however, was furious.
"Why are you so late!?" she demanded.
"Part-time job..." I mumbled, trying to avoid her wrath.
"Ha? Do you think I'm your mother and father who someone you can fool?" she scoffed.
"Oi! You're being too harsh!" I protested, a bit annoyed.
"It doesn't matter. Dad's not home, and Mom said she won't be back for five days," she said, her tone unyielding.
"Ha? Mom's not back? Five days? Are you serious?" I asked, surprised.
"Yeah, so don't worry about your suspicious part-time job," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
It seemed this situation had caught my mother's attention more than I expected. She normally wouldn't help for more than a day or half a day.
I had anticipated this possibility from the beginning, especially since I'd learned about the Rift Monsters infiltrating human territory.
Even though they were just rats, some creatures from the Rift possessed their own intelligence. Their intellect could be considered on par with humans. This is why Rift Monsters hesitate to enter human territory, and vice versa.
The Rift is a massive continent whose size remains unknown. Even NASA couldn't identify it from space due to various reasons. Gravity within the Rift is significantly different from other areas.
"Oi! Can you hear me?" Maria snapped, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah, I just forgot to tell you about it today," I lied, hoping to avoid further interrogation.
I wasn't listening to all of Maria's nagging. My mind was consumed by worry about my mother's situation.
Days passed quickly, and before I knew it, six days had gone by.
My first week of high school was over, and Sunday arrived.
As promised, I went to Mio's house and spoke to her parents. They seemed happy with my training plans, but for some reason, they forbade us from practicing in Mio's room.
Perhaps they were afraid I would damage their furniture. I decided to take Mio around her neighborhood to find a suitable training spot - somewhere hidden, rarely visited, and safe.
We ended up forgetting our original intention and spent the whole day exploring. Hours later, I remembered, and we settled on practicing in Mio's backyard.
I had hoped to find a better spot, but I was running out of time, and I didn't want to damage her family's furniture with our sometimes-brutal training. I didn't want to get on their bad side.
Finally, we started training at 11 am. After an hour, Mio's father was still at work, while her mother brought us snacks as we rested.
Today's training focused on controlling air and water elements. I wanted to see if Mio could create artificial rain clouds with her abilities. But she couldn't quite manage it yet.
It was understandable, though. Learning to create explosives using fire and water elements took over three weeks. It would be suspicious if Mio mastered her new abilities that quickly.
"Ugh... It's so tiring using two elements at once," Mio groaned while eating snacks from her mom.
"Of course it's tiring. You need to focus intensely. Controlling two elements isn't easy. Be proud of your amazing brain," I said, trying to encourage her.
"Ehehe, I'm smart, right?" she said, beaming. But then her smile faded, and she said, "But for some reason, I can never get perfect scores on school tests."
"Really? Do you study?" I asked.
"No," she replied, her voice flat.
"Why not?"
"Playing is more fun," she said with a shrug.
I smiled and said, "Well, what else can you expect from a kid who doesn't study?"
"What's that supposed to mean? You're making fun of me, aren't you?" she said, her eyes narrowing.
"What did you expect from a kid who doesn't study?" I repeated, my tone playful.
"You really are making fun of me right now! What do you want from me? Why?" she exclaimed, her voice rising.
"Intelligence created arrogance, arrogance created laziness, laziness created ignorance. When someone is in that stage, the only thing that can make them realize their mistake is just their own failure," I said, my voice serious.
"What are you talking about? You're so weird now, Will!" she said, her tone confused.
"I'm just saying you don't understand everything in the world yet. Studying is boring, but being ignorant is scarier than not playing games," I said, trying to make my point clear.
"Are you telling me to study?" she asked, a hint of defiance in her voice.
"Yeah, for yourself, for your future," I said, my voice softening.
"But... I never have time to study," she said, her voice weakening. Her face also softened, the frown lines fading. She was still able to take in what I was saying.
"You don't lack time to study, you choose not to have time. That's why you convince yourself that you don't have time," I explained, my voice calm and steady.
"...," she stared at me, her eyes wide with surprise. She understood immediately and couldn't respond.
To be honest, I didn't want to force her. A kid her age should be prioritizing playtime with friends. But if she had time to train her esper abilities with me, she should be able to find time for studying too.
I knew that studying subjects you don't enjoy is a struggle.
So, I gently guided her, saying, "Hey, Mio, do you want to know how to develop your esper abilities without my help? You can even create many other things with your powers."
Her eyes, which had been thoughtful, focused on me, full of curiosity. Her smile widened as she quickly asked, "How?"
"There's a subject that's very useful for esper who can control elements. It's even more useful for extraordinaires like you and me. This subject is also the foundation for some of the abilities I've taught you."
"What's it called?" she asked, her voice full of anticipation.
Without hesitation, with pride and confidence in my voice, I replied, "Science."