Morning Misunderstandings and Grueling Laps
"Seha, you still sleeping?"
I woke up earlier than usual to the voice calling me from outside the door. The fresh morning sunlight greeted me, but my mood was anything but refreshed.
"Haaa…."
Not only was I drowsy from rising well before my usual twelve hours of sleep, but I hadn't gotten a wink of proper rest last night either. And the reason? Everything that had happened yesterday.
Did I really show Rune two embarrassing sides of me?
First sucking on Silleia's finger like a baby, then getting misunderstood as trying to kiss her. In the end, I couldn't handle the awkward atmosphere and fled to my room like a coward.
"Morning~ Did you sleep well?"
I opened the door to Silleia greeting me with her usual bright smile. She probably had no clue how we looked to Rune yesterday. She didn't even seem to grasp the concept of skinship between lovers yet.
Showing her my embarrassment when she was blissfully oblivious would just make things weirder, so I played it cool, like nothing had happened.
"Yeah, slept great."
I didn't have the guts to meet her eyes, so I glanced away a bit, but that should come off natural enough, right?
Setting aside the innocent Silleia, who knew nothing, the real issue at hand was clearing up the misunderstanding with Rune. She was definitely convinced Silleia and I were dating. Who knew what fallout that might cause, but it sure wouldn't be good for me.
"Let's go eat quick! I'm starving!"
"Yeah, let's grab some food."
From what I'd heard yesterday, Silleia's family ate together every day if possible. As an honorary member of the household now, I couldn't skip breakfast.
On the way to the living room, I glanced toward the kitchen and saw Rune preparing the meal. The delicious aroma tickled my nose. Even at a glance, the mouthwatering dishes made my stomach growl naturally.
"I went a bit overboard since you enjoyed the food so much yesterday—is it okay?"
"No, thank you so much for this feast."
I barely held back the urge to shout Of course it's perfect! and gave her a polite reply instead.
She'd overcome the inherent blandness of vegetables with a masterful array of spices and cooking techniques. Leaving any of this behind would be an insult to manhood.
"Whoa… Seha, you're amazing."
There were definitely more side dishes than a typical breakfast, but that was no issue for me. The plates emptied in the blink of an eye. Silleia and Rune both stared in shock at how fast I devoured everything.
"You've got training with Ivelin soon, so you're stocking up on nutrients ahead of time, huh?"
"Training?"
"We talked about it at dinner yesterday, remember? Physical conditioning before heading out into the forest."
"Oh right, I forgot."
With everything that happened yesterday, it had slipped my mind. Physical training with Ivelin, magic practice with Rune.
"You already got the village tour from Silleia, right? Just be at the training field by ten."
"Got it."
A quick check of the clock: 9:10. Not tight on time, but no real margin either. With me polishing off most of the food, Rune and Silleia were finishing up too. Time to get ready and head out.
Wait, no—not yet. I still had something to say to Rune.
"About yesterday… there's something I need to explain."
"Is there a problem?"
"It's not anything special like that, just…."
Before I could finish, Silleia's voice cut in.
"Seha, how can you say that? Aren't we special to each other?"
She looked at me with genuine hurt in her eyes. It was the kind of line an innocent college girl might deliver after being used and dumped by a sleazy guy.
Rune's eyes widened too, clearly caught off guard by the flow. She stared at me.
Oh man, I'm screwed.
No matter how socially awkward I was, I couldn't make a kid cry in front of her mom. How did Silleia, who was clueless about it all, drop a bombshell like that? Was she secretly acting to mess with me?
"No, that's not what I meant. I just mean we're good friends."
"So I'm still the most precious to you, right?"
"Yeah, the most precious in the forest."
"Yay~!"
I had precious ties back on Earth and Yisul too, but qualifying it to "in the forest" kept it honest. Silleia seemed deeply touched by being called precious, bouncing around excitedly next to me.
Did that clear up Rune's misunderstanding, at least?
Rune glanced over, lightly covering her mouth with a meaningful smile.
"Shouldn't you be heading out soon, Seha?"
"Yeah, I'll get ready quick."
Time had flown by. Hopefully that sorted things with Rune? I grabbed my stuff and headed to the training field.
"Phew, hope I'm not late."
About ten minutes of walking, and the training field came into view. Ivelin stood there in the distance, arms crossed, waiting. His expression looked irritated, so I hurried over cautiously.
"Human, you're late."
"Huh?"
Did I mishear the time?
Checking the clock just in case: 9:54. Not super early, but comfortably on time.
I gave Ivelin a puzzled look, and he started explaining.
"When you have an appointment with an elder, it's common courtesy to arrive thirty minutes early and wait. Or do humans lack even such basic etiquette?"
Sigh… off to a bad start already.
I'd sensed it yesterday in the forest, but this elf was a total boomer. From lording his seniority over junior elves to his black-and-white view of elves versus humans. Silleia had mentioned there were elders she didn't care for, and maybe Ivelin was one of them.
"Start with three warm-up laps around the field."
"Huh?"
"Don't 'huh' me. Use that breath to take one more step."
I scanned the area to gauge the field's perimeter.
This full lap looks killer. One round is at least a kilometer—three would be over four. Am I gonna collapse?
No choice but to do it. He didn't seem to be joking.
I started jogging the field, sneaking glances at him. About three-quarters of a lap in, I was already gasping. Ivelin matched my pace beside me, barking pointers.
"Your feet are slowing. Match my speed now."
"Don't let your arms dangle—keep loose fists swinging past your ribs."
"Breathe like you're drawing mana into your body and spreading it throughout."
Too focused on running to fully process his advice, one word jumped out that I couldn't ignore.
"Mana?"
"Yes. Hold the mana energy within your body. But like a typical human, your sense for it is still immature. Try not rejecting my mana for a moment."
My stamina was hitting its limit, breathing ragged, but I barely sensed the ambient mana. Right below my heart, a clear vibration pulsed. If I had to compare, it felt like a dantian from wuxia novels or a magic circle in fantasy worlds.
A small but definite mana wave churning inside me. Surrendering to the sensation, my body felt noticeably better.
"How does taking in mana feel? Any mage worth their salt should master basic mana manipulation."
"Hmm… like my body's a bit easier to move?"
"Not even the confidence to lift a heavy rock with ease?"
"Not quite that much…."
Unhappy with my answer, Ivelin's tone grew even gruffer. But I couldn't lie—exaggerate, and he'd ramp up the training accordingly.
"What about this? Doesn't it feel like your body and mana are one?"
He kept manipulating the mana in me, probing until I was satisfied. But the sensation never really changed for me.
In the end, the warm-up wrapped without me grasping mana breathing at all.
"Take a short break."
Stopping the run, my legs gave out, and I sprawled on the field.
That last lap was more walking than running, honestly.
I wanted to rest, but he'd insisted on no stopping until the end, so I'd gritted my teeth through it. Ivelin looked at my starfished form with a hint of pity. He rummaged in his bag and handed me a canteen.
"Here, take this. It's what elves often drink after training."
Too exhausted to reply, I reached out and took it.
Up close, it's not a canteen—it's a huge shell filled with drink.
Thinking how even these little things showed the elves' eco-friendliness, I chugged it down.
"Wait, that's precious—don't waste it!"
"Huh?"
"Never mind, just drink."
Ivelin, usually so composed, looked flustered as he tried to stop me. He eyed the now-empty shell with regret, clicked his tongue briefly, and spoke again.
"Feel recovered?"
"Yeah, the muscle pain's pretty much gone."
"It wasn't prepared specially for you—just happened to have it in my bag. Don't get grateful."
This guy's just a tsundere, isn't he?
I clamped down hard to keep that thought from slipping out—he'd probably explode if he heard.