"Exactly, and there's a way I know to speed this up... first of all, it's better if we sit on the floor." She explained, getting up from the bed.
"Why?" Shed asked, curious.
Before answering his question, Alice sat cross-legged on the floor of the room, facing Shed.
"Sit in front of me, cross-legged, with your back to me," she urged.
Shed did as she said.
"You should know that sitting cross-legged, along with lying on your back, is one of the best positions not just for meditation, but also for what we're about to do…"
Alice did not explain to Shed why they needed to sit on the floor instead of, for example, on the bed. Shed guessed it might be because the softness of the mattress would make it harder to maintain a stable position over time.
"Take off your shirt."
Her words fluttered in Shed's mind, causing him to have irrational, silly thoughts.
"Huh?"
"Come on, don't act like a child," she said with a sharp tone. "To do what we're about to do most effectively, I need to be able to touch your back with my hands," she explained.
Shed silently took off his shirt, feeling a little embarrassed by the thoughts that had formed in his mind.
'Am I really so incapable of being alone in a room with a girl?' he wondered, shaking his head.
In fact, similar moments of foolishness happened to him even when he was alone with Ri outside of training.
'Come on, focus...' he told himself.
"Now close your eyes and start taking deep breaths, trying to relax every muscle in your body," she invited, "when you feel calm enough, try to mentally scan all the parts of your body, becoming aware of each part..."
Shed didn't need to be told twice.
After about fifteen minutes, Shed finally felt relaxed. He then mentally journeyed through every part of his body, instinctively starting from his feet and moving upward until he reached his head. At the end of this mental journey, Shed felt more in control of his body than ever.
"Done..." he said.
Alice's cold hands rested on Shed's back, but he didn't move an inch.
"You have good concentration," she admitted.
Although receiving a compliment from her was unexpected, Shed managed to maintain his focus.
"Good... now, from the point where I'm touching you, I'll introduce a little of my Ka into your body... your spirit will perceive it as dangerous and will react by pushing your Ka to move on its own to counter it... during this process, you just need to maintain your concentration, trying to feel as much as possible what is happening to you," she explained.
"Mmh..."
Shed wasn't entirely sure he understood everything she had said, but he didn't let useless thoughts discourage him and tried not to get distracted.
Suddenly, a cold sensation from her palms began to flow through Shed's back. He tried his best not to react, but this time he couldn't help it, instinctively arching his back forward.
After a moment, aware that he had failed, he slowly and somewhat fearfully turned his head toward Alice, expecting her to be furious.
To his surprise, however, she seemed calm.
"S-sorry..."
"It's okay, I didn't expect you to succeed on the first try," she said in a neutral tone. Her words pricked Shed's pride much more than any scolding would have.
"And I'm not saying that because..." She seemed on the verge of saying something kind, but as if embarrassed by her own words, she stopped abruptly.
"Anyway, get back in position, let's try again," she continued instead.
The second attempt was also a failure, and so was the third. However, on the fourth try, when that cold sensation began spreading across Shed's back, he finally managed to maintain his concentration.
Shed focused on that icy flow; it felt as though a mountain stream was making its way through his back.
The more this sensation continued, and the more it spread to other parts of his body, the more unbearable and bothersome it became for Shed.
Suddenly, Shed felt a strange warmth arise from the center of his body, spreading from his chest to the outer parts of his body. This new warmth, unlike the previous one, was gentle, soothing, and somehow familiar. A sweet warmth that, as it spread, opposed the freezing cold.
After the warmth finished battling the cold, it slowly faded away.
Shed slowly opened his eyes.
"I-incredible," he said, turning toward Alice.
What he had just experienced was, not to be dramatic, a unique experience, so extraordinary it gave him goosebumps.
"You finally did it..." she said in a neutral voice.
"What did you feel?" Alice asked.
Shed explained his experience.
"A warmth spread from the center of your body, huh? That's... surprising..."
Alice's last words seemed to come out of her mouth with difficulty.
"Could you tell me where this center of yours is?" she then asked.
Shed frowned. At first, it seemed like her question had an obvious answer, but when he thought about it, to his surprise, he realized it wasn't.
"I... I don't know..." he admitted after a moment.
She smiled.
"That's because the center you're talking about isn't a physical part of your body... the center you felt is your inner world..."
Her statement left Shed deep in thought.
"What do you mean?" he then asked.
Alice sighed.
"The center you felt isn't physically in your body because the center you're referring to is your inner world, something that isn't material, but rather... spiritual? Well, at least that would be a more accurate way to describe it, even though, as I said before, the inner world is something difficult even for me to explain... it's actually easier to sense than to explain..."
Alice paused, reflecting.
"...so really, who cares if you don't understand what that center you felt is... you'll understand it when you understand it, and you'll get there by continuing to train..." she added.
"Uh... I don't think I understood..." Shed said, scratching his head, confused.
"It's not my fault if you're an idiot," she said venomously.
"W!-uh... yeah... whatever..."
As much as he wanted to say something in response, Shed managed to hold back.
'There's no point in arguing... better focus on training...' he agreed.
The two continued the same training for another two hours. In the meantime, he became increasingly aware of that warmth that arose within him; he felt it more and more as his own.
Unfortunately, the same wasn't true for the 'center.'
"We'll continue next time..." she said, seeing Shed exhausted.
"T-thanks..." Shed's voice revealed all his tiredness.
Shed watched Alice as she headed to the door, and just as she was about to leave, she stopped on the threshold and turned toward him.
"And anyway... sorry if I'm a bit harsh sometimes... I don't always do it on purpose..."
At her admission, Shed's eyes widened in disbelief.
'I'm too tired and I'm hallucinating... or did she just apologize?'
Before he could respond, she opened the door and left.
'Maybe... maybe she's not completely a...'