Two people sat across from each other on opposite sides of the bed.
The room was silent. Sensing the almost palpable awkwardness, the two Pokémon standing by the door stayed quiet as well.
"Why did this happen?" Mira muttered to herself, her expression one of despair. "Just let the world end…"
Kai gently consoled her, "Mira, it's not as bad as you think. Remember, when we were kids, we used to bathe together."
"How old are we now!?" Mira shouted fiercely, tears welling up in her eyes as she buried her face in the pillow. "Being seen by Kai…"
"I'm sorry." Although Kai hadn't expected Mira to be bathing at noon, he was willing to admit his mistake. He should have called before coming over.
Mira raised her head and looked at Kai with teary eyes. Met with his sincere expression, her face softened.
After a while, a red hue appeared on her cheeks before she asked in a low, barely audible voice, "How was it?"
"Eh?" The sudden question caught Kai off guard, and he stared at Mira, dumbfounded.
Then, a grin crept onto his lips. "Yes, it looked great. I could eat three bowls of rice with that."
"Pervert!" Mira's face turned as red as a tomato as she grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.
Kai skillfully blocked it and continued grinning at her. He realized she wasn't truly angry, just embarrassed.
Mira stood up with a huff and left the room. "Dinner's ready, pervert."
Kai smiled wryly. It seemed this nickname wouldn't change anytime soon. But what mattered most now was filling his stomach; both he and Charmander were starving.
At the dining table downstairs, Mira's mood had returned to normal. Noticing Kai eating silently, she narrowed her eyes.
"Hey, pervert. What time did you wake up this morning?"
"Around seven. Then I just had a quick breakfast before heading to the sports center for training." Kai was enjoying some stir-fried beef and sighed. "Your cooking is still the best, though. I wish I could eat it all the time."
"Eating it all the time isn't impossible," Mira said softly, avoiding eye contact.
"How?" Kai lifted his head and looked at her, a smile gracing his lips. "Will you marry me or something?"
Mira got flustered, her face turning even redder than before. "Silly, silly, silly…"
She then grabbed the rice ladle and kept filling Kai's bowl.
"That's too much!"
"You said you could eat three bowls of rice!"
"..."
An hour later, Kai and Charmander returned home with their stomachs full to the brim.
"Burp, so full," Kai said as he reached his bedroom. Although he was stuffed, he was satisfied since the food was delicious.
Charmander also let out a burp, with some embers sparking from his mouth.
Kai rested for a bit before immersing himself in books on Pokémon theory. He had already decided the other night that his afternoon would be dedicated to studying.
Charmander stood beside him, looking up with curiosity.
Kai glanced at Charmander, then picked him up and placed him on his lap before continuing with his reading.
Kai's ability to sense Pokémon emotions came from his aura power. While skills like X-ray vision required focusing his aura in his eyes, sensing emotions was a passive ability he couldn't turn off.
This was why, when he first met Charmander, he stopped the staff from using a Poké Ball to subdue him—because he could feel Charmander was scared.
At that moment, Charmander emitted a strong sense of fear, which was why he was attacking everyone around him like a hedgehog.
"This is a really handy ability." Kai's eyes took on a faint blue glow as the room started to appear blue and translucent. He glanced over at Mira's house and saw a deep blue silhouette lying on her bed. Moments later, she rolled around, holding her blanket, and then fell to the floor.
Kai: "..."
He withdrew his aura power and pretended he hadn't seen anything. He turned his attention back to his book while Charmander curled up on his lap, falling asleep.
"Tick, tick, tick——"
In the quiet study, only the ticking of the clock and the rustling of pages could be heard. Kai's mind was completely immersed in his reading.
The entrance exam for the Pokémon Trainer Department at Silverwing High School was divided into two parts: a practical exam and a written exam.
The written part evaluated a candidate's knowledge about Pokémon, while the practical part tested their ability to apply that knowledge in practice.
Kai's memorizing ability had always been above average, so he wasn't worried about that. As long as he had the correct material, he was confident he could memorize all of it in a short time. The more challenging and crucial part was the practical test—knowing about Pokémon and applying that knowledge in real life were worlds apart.
This city was never short of geniuses, and with so many of them competing for a few spots, Kai knew it was going to be really hard to get into Silverwing.
But none of that could shake Kai's determination. He said he was going to try his best, so he would try his best.
"I need to work hard," Kai smiled lightly and continued reading.
By 7 PM, he put down his book and stretched. After a full day of training and studying, he felt like he was managing well, and this schedule could work.
After dinner at Mira's house, Kai took a warm shower and went to bed early, giving himself an hour of free time.
Balancing work and life was important, so Kai opened "Crunchyroll" to watch a show. He had recently become fond of a series called "My Colleague Is the Cutest," which was about two tsundere characters trying to make the other confess their feelings first.
"The secretary is so manly," Kai murmured, his eyes fixed on the TV screen.
After watching the latest episode, he turned off the lights and went to sleep.
He dreamt of becoming a skilled trainer, leading Charizard to victories in various competitions, from local to national championships. He even dreamed of having a beautiful wife who cooked well and always asked how his day was when he returned home.
"Ding——"
The ringing of the alarm clock pulled Kai back to reality.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, indicating it was already morning.
"I couldn't see her face clearly," Kai said as he sat up, shaking his head.
Just as he was about to get up, he heard a familiar sound from the balcony. A figure skillfully climbed over and opened the door to his room. "Kai, wake up!"
Seeing the smiling Mira, Kai was surprised. "How come you're up so early?"
"Of course! A nutritious breakfast is very important for Pokémon trainers. Leave it to me, Lady Mira!" Mira posed like an angel, with Rowlet perched on top of her head.
"Bu!"
"Wife," Kai instinctively murmured.
Mira blinked in surprise. "Eh?"