“Not again!” I yelled, bolting upright from my new bed, my voice eg through the quiet room. My hand shot up to my throat instinctively, as if cheg for some phantom injury, but everythi intact. I let out a shaky breath, trying to steady my rag heart. The room around me was still, too still.Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down, gripping the bightly in my p. “It was just a dream... just a dream,” I whispered to no one in particur, though the pounding of my heart refused to settle as quickly as I’d hoped.Meanwhile, I sed the dimly lit room, and my eyes nded on Catherine. She was sitting in a chair beside my bed, her head resting on the edge of the mattress. She was dressed in soft, pastel pajamas, aeady, quiet breaths suggested she’d been there for a while, long enough to drift off into sleep.It seemed like she was so exhausted that my earlier outburst hadn’t disturbed her slumber. I let out a quiet sigh, my gaze shifting to a pte of steamiable soup resting on the small table beside my bed. The aroma wafted gently, inviting and warm, despite the chaotic state of my mind. o the pte was a small note.I picked it up, expeg some kind of written message—not that I could read it—but instead, I was greeted by a simple, hand-drawn illustration: a pyful fox happily dev a bowl of soup, its tiny paws clutg the edges of the bowl as if it were the greatest treasure in the world.A faint smile tugged at my lips. The childlike sketch was undeniably Catherine’s handiwork. Though it cked words, it carried a clear message: Eat and feel better.I quietly lifted the bowl of steamiable soup from the table and begaing, sav the warm, hearty fvor. Each spoonful felt like a soothing balm, calming the chaos in my mind. As I bit into the st tender piece of potato, I heard a soft rustle.Catheriirred, her head lifting groggily from the edge of the bed. She rubbed her eyes, blinking slowly as she looked at me.“Ah, sorry. Was I too loud?” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.“Good evening… I didn’t realize I was… sleepy.” Catherine mumbled, her voice heavy with drowsiness as she let out a soft yawn. Her red hair was slightly disheveled, framing her fa a messy halo. She stretched her arms zily before resting her on her hand, her gaze fixed on me. “What did you do today?”“Catherine…” I muttered, and before I realized it, I hugged her in a fsh.Catherine froze for a moment as I suddenly embraced her. Her body tensed, and I could feel her stiffeh my arms, but she didn’t pull away. The warmth of her presence, despite the awkwardness, was oddly f.“Uh… what’s this about?” she asked, her voice a little softer than usual, though still ced with fusion.I didn’t have an answer—no words came. I just held on, needing a moment to ground myself. Her familiar st filled my sehe ohat I hadn't realized I missed. Maybe I was just overwhelmed, or maybe it was something deeper than that. Either way, I stayed silent.I could feel her tense against me, her protective instincts kig in. Her hands curled into fists at her sides, a fiery look in her eyes that could melt steel. The iy in her voice—filled with a desire for retribution—wasn't something I expected.

  “Was it the merts? Did they do anything to you?” Catherine's eyes fred with anger, a fire burning in them as she leaned forward, her fists ched tightly. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they taste what Vekmor’s Wrath feels like,” she spat, her words dripping with venom as she ched her teeth.I pulled back slightly, surprised by her iy. "Catheri’s not them. It’s not anyone else," I said softly, my voice breaking as I tried to make sense of the whirlwind inside me. "I just… I’m just tired."Catheriayed silent for a moment, just watg me with those intense, yet strangely f eyes. She didn’t push me, but I could feel her gaze probing, uanding, and somehow, it made me feel even more exposed."It's okay to be tired," she said gently, her voice both soothing and reassuring. "But you’re not alone in this, okay? You don’t have to bear everything on your own. If you o, talk to me. I’m here for you."I sighed and reted the events, my voice low. “Well, first, I was chased by skeletons in the forest. Then, there was this flower that trapped me, and I ended up running away from someone who was actually trying to help. I don’t know… I just couldn’t hahe pliments he gave me, and I ended up pushing him away.”Catherine's expression softened slightly as I expined, her fiery determination dimming, though the never left her eyes. She pced a hand on her , thinking carefully."Skeletons and flowers... That's definitely a strange day," she said, her voice a little gentler now. She paused, clearly trying to piece everything together, and I could see the flicker of uainty in her gaze, as though she was calg how serious this situation was—or whether I was just making it sound worse than it really was.Catherine furrowed her brow, her expression turning serious. “A skeleton... That shouldn’t be possible. I pced an Aegis Wardstone on the heart of the forest and the vilge. There shouldn’t be any hostile low-level monsters below level 40 appearing here. All the monsters around should be harmless.”I blinked in fusion, trying to process what Catherine said. “Aegis Wardstone?” I repeated, furrowing my own brow.Catherine’s expression grew more thoughtful. “The wardstones are supposed to prevent any hostile creatures from getting too close, especially low-level ones like skeletons,” she said, more to herself than to me. “Something’s nht. There must be some kind of interference.”She stood up from the bed, her gaze turning distant as she seemed lost in thought. “I’ll o check the wardstones again. If they’ve been tampered with…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “We o be careful. This isn’t just a random enter anymore.”I hesitated for a moment, trying to piece together my thoughts. "Well, I mean... What if the skeleton wasn’t really attag me? Maybe it was just... following me, to get my attention?" I offered, irely vinced myself. "If it wasn't truly hostile, maybe the wardstone wouldn't have noticed it."“That doesn’t make sense,” she murmured to herself. “Undead are by their very nature hostile. They’re the remnants of something dead, driven by something—usually a curse or dark magic—that makes them violent. There’s no way a skeleton could be non-hostile, especially not ohat chased you.”I could see the wheels turning in Catherine’s mind as she processed what I said. Her gaze drifted toward the window, her arms crossed as she pondered.“I’ll check the Aegis Wardstone first thing in the m,” Catherine said, stifling a yawn. “But for now, I o get some rest.” She gave me a tired smile before she stretched and stood up from her chair. “What will you do, Mashiro? I read somewhere from the library in Thalradia that fox girls are noal, and sometimes active during the day,” she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

  I shifted unfortably, irely sure how to respond. “Um... don’t worry about me,” I said, trying to brush off her . “I’ll just... sleep again, I guess.”I gazed out the window, the moonlight casting a soft glow on the world outside. It was already midnight. I must have slept from the afternoon until now, a habit I used to fall int summer vacation. Back then, I’d hole myself up in my room for hours, losing track of time as I mindlessly pyed gacha games, the outside world feeling distant and irrelevant.“Is that so...” Catherine’s voice was soft, her eyes lingering on my fox ears as she spoke. “I know I said I’d take you as my apprentice, and I want to teach you things like magic, but…” She hesitated, a gentle frown tugging at her lips. “I don’t want to force you to live like a human.”I smiled slightly, hearing her mention teag me magic. It was a kind offer, but I wished I could tell her how much I wao stop being human. The thought of log myself away in a quiet room, with nothing to worry about except my gacha pull, was so much more appealing than any social iion or responsibility. I longed for the simplicity of that life — no questions, no expectations, just me and my games."I just stay awake during the night to teach you stuff," Catherine said, her voice a mix of determination and care. She seemed to be trying to work out a solution, her eyes soft as she looked at me.“I’m fine, really,” I smiled, trying to reassure her as I y my head down on the bed, the soft warmth of the b ing around me. “Goodnight.”Catherine paused at the door, her expression softening before she said with a faint smile, “Okay, then. Goodnight, my apprentice.” She gave a small nod ahe room, the door clig shut behind her.