“Hello, grandson. I see you’re looking rather jolly,” Grandpa Yojee commented, meeting Narias in the corridor. Narias had just left the massage room and was going to get some fresh air. Estella said she’ll need a few minutes to clean the room before she joins him outside.

“Ah, Grand... Mister Yojee, hello. I... I didn’t expect to see you there,” Narias was caught off guard by the sudden greeting.

“You make my old heart ache, grandson. What happened to ‘Grandpa Yojee’?” Estella’s grandfather sighed, showing a sad facial expression.

“Well... I thought it was rude of me to call you... grandpa, since I am not your actual grandson,” Narias admitted, feeling embarrassed.

“Now, now, don’t mind the small detail. You make this old catman happy by calling him grandpa, unless... you’re not happy about me calling you grandson?” Grandpa Yojee had that sweet, old man’s smile on his face.

“No, no. Not at all,” Narias waved his hands in front of him. “It is very sweet of you to call me grandson and... and I can certainly call you Grandpa Yojee... if that’s what you want?”

“Ahhh... that really has a nice ring to it,” Grandpa Yojee looked like he was melting when Narias called him grandpa. “By the way, do you have a minute, grandson? I’d like to talk to you about something.”

“Yes, I do. What is it you want to talk to me about, Grandpa Yojee?” Narias asked.

“Oh, good. Shall we take a walk outside then?” Grandpa Yojee suggested instead of telling him outright.

“Sure,” Narias accepted. He was going to go outside to get some fresh air anyway.

The weather outside was just perfect for a nice walk. Grandpa Yojee and Narias went to the back garden to have a peaceful walk, just the two of them. They didn’t speak for a while and Narias didn’t want to be rude to break the silence, seeing how much Grandpa Yojee was enjoying the silence as they walked.

“So, did you enjoy the deep-kneading paw massage my granddaughter gave you, grandson?” Grandpa Yojee’s finally asked, an extremely wide smile entering his mouth.

“Ah, y... yes,” Narias stuttered, averting his eyes away and scratching his cheek with a finger.

“That’s good to hear. How do your muscles feel now?” Grandpa Yojee asked in a more casual tone now.

“Huh? My muscles? Well, now that you asked, I feel great and I don’t feel any muscle pain anymore, Grandpa Yojee,” Narias answered, as if only now realizing it.

“My granddaughter must’ve done a really good job then,” Grandpa Yojee commented with a sly grin on his face.

“Y... yes, she did,” Narias blushed, averting his eyes away again.

“You have a hidden power inside of you that you can’t really control properly yet, don’t you, grandson?” Grandpa Yojee asked point blank next, making Narias almost jump.

“Huh? What? When... I mean... well...” Narias stuttered again, also becoming lost in his own words and it was too late to pretend he didn’t know what Estella’s grandfather meant by it too.

“Forgive me for being so nosy, grandson, but would you like to learn how to control it?” Grandpa Yojee asked, looking away in the distance while keeping a slow pace as he walked.

“H... how did you know, Grandpa Yojee?” Narias asked.

“Just an old man’s hunch,” Grandpa Yojee smiled warmly. “I’ve noticed something about you the moment I laid my eyes on you and that was the reason why I wanted to spar with you. I wanted to see if I was right or not. It was true that your body was tired from the training you had done yesterday, but I could tell you were holding back, or holding something inside of you to not show it to be more precise.”

“Ah, I mean...” Narias was hesitant to say anything to that.

“Hmm... Please do forgive me, grandson. It’s just an old cat’s curiosity. Forget I said anything,” Grandpa Yojee decided not to pry anymore.

“Something... happened to my body while I was trapped in the dungeon. Milenna, the school’s nurse said the condition is not harmful to my body and I do feel stronger than I used to be, but I am really hesitant to use this new power, because it puts a huge strain on my body. Must be because I still lack control of my mana,” Narias decided to open up to Grandpa Yojee.

“I see. I could help you learn how to control it,” the old cat offered.

“Really? You could, Grandpa Yojee?” A hopeful excitement jumped into Narias’s eyes.

“That being said, we don’t have much time, unfortunately. The Magic Power Games start in two weeks, don’t they?” Grandpa Yojee surprised Narias with his next observation.

“Yes. How did you know that, Grandpa Yojee?” For some reason, Narias was really surprised about it.

“My granddaughter is a teacher at your school, remember?” Grandpa Yojee chuckled, crinkling his nose, his whiskers jumping up and down.

“Ah, right,” Narias laughed, realizing how silly his question was.

“Going back to my offer...” Grandpa Yojee went back to the topic at hand.

“Yes, please,” the answer shot out of Narias’s mouth before Grandpa Yojee could finish his sentence.

“Glad to see you’re a fast decision maker, grandson. However, if I agree to train you, there is one rule you will have to follow no matter what. Do you agree to it?” Grandpa Yojee asked in a calm voice, squinting his eyes while waiting for Narias’s answer.

Narias waited a moment for Grandpa Yojee to let him know what that rule was, but Estella’s grandfather stayed silent for some reason. Narias was about to ask about it, but Grandpa Yojee turned away and started walking again, looking around and enjoying the scenery in the garden.

Grandpa Yojee didn’t tell me what the rule was, so... should I ask him about it or... Huh? Wait, don’t tell me the training already started? Narias grasped the situation when he noticed Grandpa Yojee’s sly smile when the old cat glanced at Narias before turning away the next second.

“Yes, I will,” Narias answered.

“Good,” Grandpa Yojee was pleased to hear Narias caught on. “I’ll ask my granddaughter to prepare a room for you and we’ll start early tomorrow morning.”

“A room for me? But...” Narias became confused after hearing it.

“Of course. I can’t help you train if you’re not here, now can I grandson?” Grandpa Yojee asked him with another sly grin.

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“Yes, but... I have classes...” Narias had a knot tie itself in his stomach when he thought he’d miss his classes.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, grandson. I’ll have my granddaughter take care of it. I’m sure she’ll be able to come up with an excuse why you’re staying with her for a few days,” Grandpa Yojee tried to make it sound it was no big deal.

“Staying together with Miss Alifur?” Narias exclaimed, his ears catching mild red.

“Of course. It would be weird if people at your school thought you were staying with some scrawny, old cat-man, wouldn’t it?” Grandpa Yojee argued.

“Yes, but...” Narias knew there was some truth in what Grandpa Yojee said, but it also made him feel uncomfortable too.

“We still have some time until dinner. How about you tell me about what kind of training you usually do, grandson?” Granpa Yojee changed the topic, acting like everything was already agreed.

“My training? Yes, sure,” changing the topic helped Narias forget the intricacies of him skipping school in order to train under Estella’s grandfather, or the thought that he’d be living together with Estella under one roof.

{some time later in the evening}

“What? Narias will be staying with us for the next two weeks?” Estella exclaimed in surprise when her grandfather delivered the news at the dinner table. All four of them sat down to eat together and Estella thought Narias would be leaving after that.

“Isn’t that wonderful, dear?” Grandma Fuuji was happy to hear it, but from how she said it, it could’ve been she already knew something like that would happen already.

“But what about his studies? He has classes are starting tomorrow,” Estella argued.

“I’m sure you can make a good case for why my grandson is staying at our house.” Grandpa Yojee waved her argument away like it was nothing. “Just say you’re giving him massage therapy, or something along those lines.”

“M... massage therapy?” Estella’s face was painted in red all of a sudden while her cat ears shot up. “H... hey, quit joking like that, grandpa.”

“But I’m not. My grandson asked me to help him train and I just couldn’t refuse him.” Grandpa Yojee made it sound he had no choice there.

“You are so kind hearted, you, soft ball of fur,” Grandma Fuuji rubbed her face against her husband’s cheek.

“Why thank you, my sweetest,” Grandpa Yojee welcomed it openly.

“Will you two cut it out? Tch...” Estella scolded her grandparents before turning to Narias. “Are you sure about this, Narias?”

“Yes. I really need help with the training, because... because of the upcoming Magic Power Games,” Narias said, pausing before revealing the reason behind it. “Our student club building is being renovated right now, so we don’t have access to it. Besides, the others will be training on their own as well. Ileena will be training together with Belinda. Flavia said Instructor Dreknor agreed to supervise her training after the classes and Growly will be training at home for the most part. I love going to school and I feel bad about missing the classes, but I can’t let the opportunity to be trained by your grandfather slip by. It’s... really important.”

“I understand that Narias, but...” Estella said, dropping her head down with a sigh.

“Speaking of training, someone’s been neglecting theirs recently,” Grandpa Yojee said, taking a sip from his cup, enjoying whatever he was drinking.

“Eh?” Estella became tense all of a sudden.

“You even started taking coaches to go to school instead of running,” Grandpa Yojee went on the offensive.

“I... That’s because...” Estella wanted to explain herself, but nothing seemed to come to her mind right this moment.

“I was wondering why you’ve become so clumsy lately. You’ve put on some weight too,” Granpa Yojee’s words stabbed Estella right where it hurt.

“Whaaa... No, I didn’t!” Estella protested, burning from embarrassment.

“You shouldn’t eat so many sweets, dear,” Grandma Fuuji wasn’t exactly scolding Estella, but she was.

“I... I only had some, because... it was Narias who brought it,” Estella tried to explain herself.

“And what about the desserts you ate at Wilfred’s cake shop two days ago?” Grandpa Yojee words hit Estella under her ribcage.

“How... do you know that?” Estella couldn’t believe she was caught cakehanded.

“I’m so disappointed in you, granddaughter,” Grandpa Yojee put the last nail in the coffin, piercing Estella with his eyes.

“I’m sorry, ok?! I was nervous about Narias coming over and I couldn’t help it! I knew you two would try pull all kinds of stunts during his visit and I was afraid you’ll scare him off, and he’d think my grandparents were some old, crazy people! If anything, it was your fault for making me feel so anxious! I like him and I want us to be together, and if you two end up becoming the reason we can’t... Huh? Hey, don’t act like I’m not here or you can’t hear me!” Estella was lashing out at her grandparents, but then noticed them becoming very quiet, ignoring her and focusing on their food all of a sudden which just made her even more mad.

“Yes, yes, we can hear you loud and clear, Estella. So, what was it you were saying about Narias?” Grandpa Yojee used Narias name instead of calling him his grandson this time for some reason.

“Tss... aargh... I SAID that I like him as a guy and I want us to be together!” Estella stated loudly while panting heavily in frustration.

“Yes, that’s what I heard the first time too. Did you hear it too, my sweetest?” Grandpa Yojee turned to his wife.

“Yes, of course. Isn’t that just wonderful, my dear? Our granddaughter has finally admitted she’s in love,” Grandma Fuuji had the sweetest smile on her face.

“Well, grandson, I’d say your question had been answered. I’d definitely drink to that,” Grandpa Yojee smiled before having a drink from his small glass, emptying it to the fullest.

“Wait... what?” Estella tensed, her body becoming as stiff as a statue. She sank her face into her palms after dropping her head down. “N... no... You... didn’t...”

“You know dear, having some cake now and then is not that bad. You should be more lenient to your own granddaughter, darling,” Grandma Fuuji spoke to her husband.

“Humph... I think you might be right, my love. I shouldn’t be so harsh on my granddaughter just because she ate a piece of cake. That reminds me, we still have some sweets left from what our grandson has brought us, don’t we?” Grandpa Yojee spoke back thoughtfully.

“Yes, I think we still have some,” Grandma Fuuji confirmed before standing up. “How about I go get some for you, dear?”

“I think I would like to go together with you, just in case you can’t find it,” Grandpa Yojee stood up to go too.

“You just don’t trust me, do you?” Grandma Fuuji put on an act as if she was offended by her husband’s offer to help find the sweets.

“But of course I trust you. I simply want to keep you company,” the old cat insisted, hugging his wife’s tail with his own as they were walking out.

“You just can’t keep your tail to yourself, can you, you, naughty old coot,” was the last thing Estella and Narias heard Grandma Fuuji say before both Estella’s grandparents were gone.

The room became very quiet the next moment, with Estella still burying her face in her hands. When nobody spoke a few short minutes, Estella finally lowered her hands, placing them on her knees, but she still kept her eyes closed. From the looks of it, she was so embarrassed she couldn’t even look towards where Narias was sitting.

“I... Ex... excuse me, but...” Estella tried to speak, but the words got stuck in her mouth. She tried speaking again, but when she couldn’t say what she wanted to say she leaned forward and was about to stand up to leave, but felt a hand being placed on her own from above which also stopped her from getting up. Estella opened her eyes and saw Narias’s hand placed on hers. She turned and saw Narias looking at her with the kindest smile on his face.

“I like you too, Estella,” he said, looking directly in her eyes.

“You... like me too?” Estella was looking back at him.

“Yes. You see, I... I always thought you were very attractive, because... because of your ears and tail, but after the incident at the infirmary at the beginning of my school year when... you know... when I called you by the name you didn’t like, I never allowed myself to think of you as anything other than a teacher at the academy,” Narias confessed to her.

“The name I didn’t... Huh? Oh, I... I’m... really sorry, I...” Estella covered her mouth with one hand. “I’m so, so sorry. I was... I’m really sorry, it had nothing to do with you and... I feel so bad about it now that you reminded me...”

“Ah, hey, it’s ok. I don’t feel mad or anything. I shouldn’t have been so rude in the first place. You were my teacher and... and you still are, so I shouldn’t have called you... that name,” Narias didn’t want to say it out loud, afraid Estella might get upset about it.

“Catwoman,” Estella said it for him. “It’s fine. I... I don’t mind you calling me a catwoman. I mean, your other girlfriends have nicknames too.”

“My other... oh, yeah. I’m sorry, yeah, I have... other girlfriends,” Narias became embarrassed when Estella reminded him of his other girlfriends.

“Hah, you really look adorable when you blush like that. I honestly feel envious of Belinda, or... the others,” Estella said, turning her palm face up to take Narias hand inside hers before interlocking their fingers together.

“Would you like to be my girlfriend, Estella?” Narias asked, forcing her to look directly in his eyes. “Of course, I understand this sounds very unfair towards you and I have very little to offer as a man, but... I know I will regret it later if I don’t ask it now. Worst case scenario, I’ll still be your student and we can still see each other during your classes.”

“You are really the worst, you know,” Estella said, closing her eyes and squeezing Narias’s hand tighter. “Agreed. You will still be my student and I will still be your teacher at the academy... but as soon you step through my home’s doorstep, you become the grandson to my grandparents and that makes us family too.”

“Agreed,” Narias said, pulling Estella closer to him with her wrapping her arms around his neck and then they kissed.