Narias continued making slow but steady progress, and by his fifth day after he started his training Narias was able to finish three laps around the track before he couldn’t go any longer. In order to improve his progress, Narias started taking short breaks now and then which turned out to be invaluable to help his body keep going. He wasn’t collapsing like he did during the first few days of his training, but there’d come a point when his body couldn’t go on anymore and Narias’s next short break would become his last. The next thing he’d see would be Grandpa Yojee waking him up in the morning.

Narias was no fool. He knew someone was fixing his body while he was asleep every night. But he also knew it was impossible for a human to do this type of excruciatingly hard physical training without their body getting tired. Healing Magic existed in this world and Narias had the pleasure of being healed by Milenna’s magic a few times before, but the overnight fix his body was receiving wasn’t done with the Healing Magic however. His body and his muscles felt fine in the morning, but at the same time, Narias knew something felt different. He just couldn’t understand what.

One other thing Narias found puzzling was that he hadn’t seen Estella even once since he started his training. It was understandable in a way since Estella had classes to run at the academy and Narias would always be passed out cold sleeping by the time she got back from the school. Grandpa Yojee said Estella had extra work that was related to her schoolwork and that’s why she’d come back home late. What Grandpa Yojee didn’t tell Narias however, was that the extra work involved Estella running to and back from the academy on foot as an additional training for her. It was related to her working at the academy, so Estella’s grandfather wasn’t exactly lying when he spoke about Estella.

Huh? Am I... Baah... I must’ve passed out on the track yesterday again. Narias realized he was in his room where he’d always wake up after collapsing. It was Friday yesterday and Narias was almost certain he’d finish four laps for sure this time, but his body gave out before he reached the forest portion of the track on his fourth run.

“And I was so close yesterday too, dang it. No matter, I will certainly... ouch... tss...” Narias spoke out loud this time, vowing he’ll definitely complete four laps in one day today, but then felt stinging pain in his right arm, all the way up to his shoulder. “Aargh... My... right arm...”

Narias tried to lift his arm to take a look at it, but it wasn’t bright enough for him to see properly. It was still a very early morning and the sun was yet to start coming up.

What about my other arm... Narias spoke in his mind this time before realizing that his left arm didn’t hurt. The surprising part was, he couldn’t lift it, because he felt his left arm was being pressed down by something. It doesn’t hurt, but... huh? “Eh? E... Este- ahm?”

Narias gasped out loud but then quickly covered his mouth with his free hand to keep himself quiet. Even if the sun wasn’t up yet, it was bright enough for him to able to see Estella sleeping next to him, hugging his arm. It wasn’t the first time that Narias found a woman sleeping next to him, but it was a surprise nontheless. He simply didn’t expect to find Estella lying in his bed next to him.

Huh? Is she... Oh, I see. So, it was her all along. Narias had a quick view of his surroundings after lifting his head up and was quick to grasp why Estella was here with him. Narias had a hunch about it, but now it was all clear to him. Estella was the one who was fixing his body every night, so he could continue his training the next day. But... why is she sleeping here? Was she... huh? What? Estella...

All the previous days Narias had been woken up by Estella’s grandfather and it was much later in the morning, so Estella was already gone to the academy. Today was Saturday and they had no classes, but that wasn’t the main reason why Estella was sleeping in Narias’s bed. She looked completely exhausted. Narias moved his hand to touch Estella’s palm and felt how cramped her fingers were. Some of her fingers moved and twitched involuntarily on their own when they felt Narias’s hand being placed inside her palm.

“You were working really hard for me, weren’t you, Estella?” Narias spoke out loud this time. Estella’s cat ears twitched only once, hearing him speak to her, but she didn’t wake up. She wasn’t wearing any pajamas. In fact, she was in her casual clothes and wasn’t covered with a blanket. The only explanation Narias could come up with was that Estella had fallen asleep while she was fixing his body. It also explained why upper right part of his body was in so much pain while he felt completely fine otherwise. I don’t think I will fall asleep right now, but I’d rather not wake her up. Narias decided to go out for a walk and let Estella sleep for she definitely needed rest.

{outside at the training grounds}

“Couldn’t sleep, grandson?” Narias was met by Grandpa Yojee’s greeting as soon as he stepped out in the open.

“Grandpa Yojee? S... sorry, did I... wake you up?” Narias became worried he was too loud while exiting the house.

“Of course not. Don’t worry about it, grandson,” Grandpa Yojee waved Narias’s concern away. “So, how do you feel?”

“I... I feel good, all things considered,” Narias told him, hiding the fact some of his muscles really hurt.

“So, my granddaughter had finally reached her limit, eh?” Grandpa Yojee said, looking up in the sky while holding his hands behind his back.

“What... do you mean by that, Grandpa Yojee?” Narias asked, still keeping his act that he was totally fine.

“Humph,” Grandpa Yojee smirked, his whiskers jumping up an inch as a result of it. “Sorry for not telling you from the beginning, grandson, but the success of your training depended on how long Estella’s body would hold out. Your muscles hurt, especially on the right side of your upper body, don’t they?”

“Ah, y... yeah. How did you... know, Grandpa Yojee?” Narias felt embarrassed for trying to hide it.

“I can tell by your body’s posture, even if you try to fake it,” Grandpa Yojee smiled. “I know your body had reached its limit too.”

“But... but I feel good enough. I don’t think my body has reached its limit yet and I know I can still keep going. I am certain that I can finish all four laps today,” Narias insisted.

“You body had reached its limit at the end of the second day of your training, grandson. I am certain you are smart enough to realize that. If it wasn’t for Estella successfully treating your muscles, you would’ve been writhing in pain long time ago,” Grandpa Yojee said in a serious voice.

“Ah, yes, probably,” Narias had to admit Grandpa Yojee was right, not that he didn’t know it was true. “If I may ask, Grandpa Yojee, what did Estella do to help my body feel better?”

“Deep-Kneading Paw Massage,” Grandpa Yojee said. “It’s a form of massage that helps to repair muscle tissues, so they regenerate at a much more rapid rate. However, the massage itself can’t be done just by anyone. The person needs to have extensive knowledge about the body and body’s muscle structure, and when doing the massage, they have to know how, where and when, yes, even when to apply the pressure to certain muscle spots, as tiny as they may be, in order to help the muscles restore themselves. If done right, the result and muscle healing is instantaneous, but it takes a toll on the person who is doing the massage, however. The person must stay focused and alert from the beginning until the last tap of their finger, and they have to be very precise too or the massage might fail. It puts a huge strain on the masseur or masseuse’s body as a result too and that’s why it cannot be done just by anyone. Or done multiple times in a row for that matter.”

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

“Wow, I didn’t know that. But Estella will be fine, won’t she?” Narias became worried about her after hearing all that Grandpa Yojee had said.

“It makes me happy to hear you being worried about my granddaughter, grandson,” Grandpa Yojee sounded pleased.

“Ah, well, yeah...” Narias said, his face catching a blush.

“She’ll be fine, however, now that she won’t be able to do the Deep-Kneading Paw Massage, your current training is over,” Grandpa Yojee informed him.

“What? But... I can still keep going. Please, I’ll be careful and... and I’ll take longer breaks, and...” Narias was literally begging for Grandpa Yojee to let him continue the training.

“Now, now, I never said we are stopping your training altogether. We’ll just have to... change it a little bit,” Grandpa Yojee said, pleased to know Narias wanted to keep going.

“Oh, ok,” Narias became relaxed.

“You see, grandson, this type of training isn’t exactly suitable for someone with a weak physique. Usually, only full beast-humans would be able to endure it, and even then, only those races that are very nimble and flexible. You being able to last for so long was thanks to my granddaughter helping you get back on your feet. Well, that and one other thing...” Grandpa Yojee made a pause. “I believe it was in part of that hidden power you have acquired, but haven’t mastered yet. Which brings me to my next point, I now know for certain what your hidden power is and what you need to do if you want to learn how to control it.”

“Really? You do? What do I need to do, Grandpa Yojee?” Narias flared up like a firework upon hearing Grandpa Yojee say that.

“Hold your toes, grandson,” Grandpa Yojee laughed, raising his paw in front of him. “First things first, why don’t you come with me back to the house?”

“Yes, Grandpa Yojee,” Narias followed Grandpa Yojee, itching to find out what Estella’s grandfather had in store for him.

“Here you go, grandson,” Grandpa Yojee passed a small stack of papers to Narias once they were back in the house.

“What are these?” Narias asked, extending his hand.

“Oh, just some letters from some ladies that Estella had brought back yesterday,” Grandpa Yojee crinkled his nose.

“Huh? Letters? Wait... are those...” Narias picked them up and instantly recognized his girlfriends’ handwriting. “These are... from Ileena and Flavia, and...”

“Why don’t you take some time to read them for the time being, grandson? My lovely wife is preparing breakfast right now and it will be ready in a short while. Let’s eat and then we’ll do some special training I just thought of. Better prepare yourself, because you’ll be sweating a lot today,” Grandpa Yojee said offering a cheeky smile before walking away.

“Thank you, Grandpa Yojee,” Narias said, opening the letter from Ileena first.

Receiving letters from his girlfriends reminded Narias how much he missed them. Narias was so absorbed with his training that he couldn’t think about anything else, and when his body gave out, he’d pass out without remembering how it happened.

The first letter he read was from Ileena. First thing she wrote was to ask if Narias was getting enough rest. Out of all of his girlfriends, Ileena knew best how intense Narias was when it came to his training. In addition to express her worry, Ileena also wrote what their club members were up to. As expected, everyone was training for the upcoming Magic Power Games, but mostly in their own ways. Ileena hinted that she was working on mastering a new spell that Belinda Salroze was helping her with, but she didn’t say what the spell actually was which also made Narias become curious to find out what it was.

Next was Flavia’s letter. Her handwriting easily expressed her personality, because she was all over the place with her words. Flavia was mentioning she was missing Narias every other paragraph and was promising she’d cook him the best meal she had ever cooked when he finally comes back. Emilia’s letter was refreshing and full of longing to see Narias again. That put a smile and an added flush on Narias face. But his blush was quickly changed into a burning embarrassment when Narias opened Flamiris’ letter. She was blaming him for disappearing like that without telling her and declared that Narias was now owing her big time, including an overnight stay at his or her place with all the benefits attached to it. She even signed her letter with her Queen of Fury nickname to make a point. Narias certainly knew what she meant by it.

I’ll definitely need to take them out before the Magic Power Games start. Maybe all of us could go somewhere to have some fun? Narias tried to think of something, but nothing came to mind at the time. Maybe I’ll ask them about it when I come back. Right, I think it’s time for me to go to the dining room now.

“Good morning, dear grandson,” Grandma Fuuji greeted Narias after he showed up.

“Good morning, Grandma Fuuji,” Narias greeted her back.

“I see, you’re feeling well enough. That’s good. Come, you need to eat,” Grandma Fuuji invited.

“Thank you,” Narias sat down. “Oh, what about Estella? Isn’t she coming to eat too?”

“She’s still resting and will eat later. Now then, let’s eat,” Grandpa Yojee was the first one to start putting food on his plate.

The breakfast was much lighter compared to the previous ones during the week. Grandpa Yojee explained that it wouldn’t be good to overeat considering the type of training they will be doing today, but he made sure that Narias would take his time to eat without rushing. He said they wouldn’t start the training until later in the day because Grandpa Yojee needed to prepare for it.

{some time later}

“Please enter, grandson,” Grandpa Yojee invited for Narias to go in first.

“Huh? Is this... sauna?” Narias stared at the room filled with steam while standing in the doorway.

“Saw-na? Now that’s an interesting name,” Grandpa Yojee chuckled, holding on to his chin. “Definitely makes it easier to say than a Hot Springs Steam Room.”

“Ah, sorry,” Narias said, rubbing the back of his head.

“Let’s not stand here or else the steam runs away,” Grandpa Yojee said before entering the room.

“Yes, Grandpa Yojee,” Narias followed him.

The room wasn’t too big, but was wasn’t too small either. It was about twenty by twenty feet in size, give or take. The walls and the floor were all made out of wood and so were the built in seats going across the left side of the room from where you enter it. The steam was coming out from several holes inside the wall at the far end of the room, which was more than enough to fill the room and make it hot.

“Come on, hop on the top seat, grandson, and let’s see who can hold out longer,” Grandpa Yojee threw in a challenge at Narias.

“Who can... Ah, ok,” Narias said, carefully climbing on the third and top seat.

“Aaah... now that hits the spot,” Grandpa Yojee said, melting in his seat. “All you have to do is relax and enjoy the steam now.”

“So... what will be today’s training, Grandpa Yojee?” Narias asked after maybe fifteen minutes of sitting there quietly.

“What do you mean, grandson. We’re right in the middle of it,” Grandpa Yojee said, droplets of his sweat chasing each other down his whiskers.

“What? This is... today’s training?” Narias gasped in disbelief.

“Of course. This is the best way to recuperate your tired muscles. What was it you called it again? Saw-na?” Grandpa Yojee tried to remember.

“Sau-na, Grandpa Yojee,” Narias corrected him.

“Sau-na? Hmph... I think I like Saw-na better,” Grandpa Yojee laughed. “It will saw your tiredness away, ahahaha!”

“Ah, haha,” Narias joined with a laugh.

“That’s right, let me show you something, grandson,” Grandpa Yojee hopped down from his seat, sweat splashing from his fur when he landed on the floor. He walked to the end of the lowest seat and opened a lid. There was a built-in box under it. “You need to keep yourself hydrated while staying here. Here, catch.” Grandpa Yojee threw a bottle with water towards Narias.

“Thank you. Wow, it’s cold!” Narias exclaimed when he caught the bottle.

“Great, isn’t it? Hot steam and a cold drink. What could be better? Ahhh...” Grandpa Yojee had a drink from his bottle. “Make sure you drink enough, so you don’t overheat. There’s plenty... Oh, dang it! I knew I had forgotten something.”

“What’s wrong, Grandpa Yojee?” Narias asked.

“It seems like I’ll need to refill the water. There are only two bottles left and that won’t be enough. Why don’t you wait here while I go get some more, grandson?” Grandpa Yojee said.

“Right, ok,” said Narias.

“I shouldn’t take long. Enjoy the Saw-na in the meantime. Ahaha,” Grandpa Yojee laughed, clearly enjoying the new name for the Hot Spring Steam Room.

Grandpa Yojee is really fun to hang out with. Narias thought to himself after he was left alone. Phew, the steam’s really intense up here. Maybe I’ll go one step down.

The moment Narias stepped down, the doors to the sauna opened and a person walked in.

“Welcome back, Grandpa... huh? Estella?” As not surprising as it should’ve been, Narias was still surprised to see Estella and not her grandfather enter the steam room.

“Hi, Narias,” she said, holding several bottles with water in her arms, her body being covered only with a single white towel.