It has been about 9 months now since i became friends Alfreda.

Winter passed with Anna giving birth to my little sister, Ava.

She's a beastfolk like Anna, with cat ears and a tail.

She has blue eyes like Anna but her hair and tail are slightly darker in color.

From what i managed to calculate and further explanation from Eric and Anna, there is a fifty percent chance the offspring between a beast-person and human will be of either race.

I turned 5 at the beginning of the year and Alfreda also a few months later.

She continued visiting me, wanting to spend time together.

I obliged since it didn't interfere with my training and there isn't much else to do around here.

We are currently at the lake where i'm doing my laps again.

Alfreda is sitting at the lake shore, soaking her feet in the water, enjoying the weather and watching me swim.

I lift my head out of the water and wipe the water off my face.

"you are a good swimmer."

Alfreda compliments me when i approached the lake shore to catch my breath.

"You aren't going to swim?"

Alfreda looks down at her feet and rubs her hands nervously.

"I can't swim..."

Does she think not being able to swim is embarrassing?

"Do you want to learn?"

"Yeah..."

"Okay i'll teach you."

"Really? You will? Thank you!"

Alfreda stands up and begins getting into the water when she realizes her dress is not suitable for swimming.

"Um, i don't have anything to wear for swimming..."

"Just take your dress off and get in."

Alfreda's face turns red.

"I can't do that it's too embarrassing!"

I roll my eyes.

"You can take my shirt from over there and put it on."

Alfreda sees the shirt and walks over to it. I turn around and wait for her to change.

"Okay i'm ready now."

"Walk slowly towards me and get used to the temperature. Summer hasn't really started yet so it's a little cool."

Alfreda slowly makes her way to me. The water reaches to our chests.

"Now then, let's practice putting your face underwater and holding your breath."

Alfreda nods with determination.

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes before lowering her head under the water, repeating it a few times.

"How did that feel?"

She wipes the water off her face.

"It wasn't as scary as i thought and i think it was kinda fun."

"Now let's try to open our eyes underwater."

We take deep breaths and get underwater.

I open my eyes and see Alfreda is still keeping her eyes closed.

I reach out and tap her shoulder and she slowly opens her eyes and looks at me.

I give her the okay sign and then point up and we rise from the water.

"How was that?"

"It was fun! I want to do it again!"

Alfreda gets back under the water and opens her eyes.

She sees different plants and some fishes swimming around.

After Alfreda got used to being in the water i taught her some basic movement until she was able to swim by herself.

Looks like learning to swim made Alfreda really happy as she is laughing and smiling while she swims.

Alfreda swims up to me while my mind is elsewhere and hugs me from behind.

"Thank you again Alex."

I remain silent.

Her body feels rather warm against mine in the cool water.

"let's head back before we catch a cold."

I say to her and unwrap her arms around me.

"Yeah!"

We make our way back to shore.

We dry ourselves off and i put my pants and shoes back on.

Alfreda still has my shirt so i turn to her.

She notices me and looks curiously.

"What is it Alex?"

i extend my hand towards her.

"Can i have my shirt back?"

Alfreda looks down and realizes she is still wearing my shirt which makes her blush a little.

"Ah, yes of course!"

She is about to take the shirt off but stops and looks at me again.

"Um, could your turn around for a moment?"

Alfreda asks and chuckles awkwardly.

I look elsewhere while keeping my hand extended.

She quickly takes the shirt off, hands it to me and puts her dress back on.

After rinsing my shirt dry i put it on.

"Come on, let's go."

Alfreda nods and we begin heading back.

Walking for a bit, Alfreda breaks the silence with a question.

"you know, i was wondering if you wanted to come visit my house today?"

i furrow my brow and shift my eyes towards her.

"Why?"

She is taken aback by my question and freezes momentarily.

She shakes her head to come back to her senses and skips a few steps to catch up with me.

She didn't really have a reason prepared as she was expecting a simple yes and stumbles on her words.

"Well... i... "

We are beginning to approach closer to her house and she begins panicking, trying to find a reason to keep hanging out.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"I... um..."

She inhales deep and loudly says the first thing that comes to her mind.

"I want you to meet my parents!"

SHOCK!

"HUH!?"

What the hell is she talking about!?

"We hang out so often so my parents said i can invite you to our house!"

I speed up my pace, approaching her house faster.

"No way!"

We are about to pass her house when she suddenly grabs my sleeve and tries to stop me.

"Please! I promise they're nice!"

"NO!"

My body is still tired from swimming, so lack the strength to pull away but for some reason she still has strength left because she's actually able to pull me back.

"Hnng! Just come inside for a moment! After that you can leave, please!"

"Let go!"

I try to pull my hand away but my exhaustion catches up with me, causing me to lose my footing and we both fall to the ground.

"Ow..."

She winces in pain and rubs her butt while getting back up.

I fell on my back and remain motionless as i stare at the sky above me with a blank expression and sigh in defeat.

Alfreda kneels down and her face comes into view, hovering above mine with a concerned look.

"Are you okay?"

"Grunt, yeah i'm fine."

We stare at each other for a moment.

She looks to her side and then back to me.

"Are you hungry? I think dinner might be ready soon."

I think about her question, i did get quite hungry after training.

"...but if you don't want to that's okay."

"Food? Fine then."

Alfreda smiles, satisfied with my answer.

"Yay!"

She offers me her hand to help me get up but i ignore it.

She pouts, but is happy that i agreed to come to her house.

I pat my clothes to get rid of any dirt and we walk towards her house.

Once we arrive there, she runs ahead to the front door, waiting for me eagerly.

"Come on, hurry up!"

She says while giggling.

I'm about to step past the gate when i suddenly stop.

A memory of my past life resurfaces.

I'm sitting in a cafe with Alice.

She invited me, no, more like dragged me there to talk about something.

"So Alex, we have been dating for sometime now right?"

I take a sip of my drink, slightly annoyed by being here.

"yeah, sure."

"So... i was wondering if you could come visit my parents house with me to meet them?"

I raise my eyes from my cup to look at her and set the cup down.

"Why would i do that?"

"Well, we went to meet yours so we should go meet mine next. I think it would help us bond and deepen our relationship."

"I'm not really in the mood for something like that."

"Aw, come on, please?"

She leans closer.

"Please, Alex? It would mean a lot to me."

She reaches out with her hand to hold mine across the table, pleading with her eyes like a puppy's.

The warmth of her hand travels up my arm and spreads throughout my body, causing me to tense up.

I break eye contact to look at our hands.

I quickly pull my hand away and her face shows a hint of sadness.

"sigh, when do you want us to go?"

She sighs with relief, having successfully convinced me.

"How about next week, would that be okay?"

I think for a moment about my schedule.

I have a few matches coming up soon, so training for them will take most of my time.

"I can't next week. I have matches coming up and i have to train for them."

She looks disappointed and thinks for a another date.

"What about the week after that?"

"Alice, i have to spend weeks training for these matches, i don't have the time right now."

"But you promised!"

She says rather loudly, raising from her seat and slamming her hands against the table.

A few other customers turn to look at us and she quietly sits back down.

She inhales deeply and slowly breaths out to calm herself.

We sit in silence, neither of us saying anything.

I see her looking down at her cup, holding back tears, and I slowly clench my fist.

Damn it! This is why i hesitated getting together with her.

All i just wanted to do is concentrate on training and become stronger.

I don't have time to worry about someone else's feelings.

The only reason we are together is because she insisted on it.

"Alice."

She lifts her eyes to look at me.

"Like i said, we can go meet your parents. When? I'm not sure. The matches are about four months away. Once i'm done with them, then i might have time."

She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye.

"Promise?"

She smiles at me and i hesitate.

"I... promise."

But in the end it didn't happen.

After the four months had passed i had forgotten about the meeting and Alice hadn't brought it up either.

I guess she gave up and thought of other ways for us to spend time together.

Thinking back on it i guess it must've hurt her.

Well, she knew what kind of person i am.

What did she even see in me anyway?

Someone she can fix?

She saw me train day and night.

Punching the heavy bag until my knuckles bled, sparring until no one in the gym was able to keep up with me.

I ran until my legs gave out, forcing me to crawl back to the gym.

She knew what my priorities were, my ambitions, my goals!

Everything i did, i did it to get stronger.

I ate to get stronger, i slept to get stronger, hell, i went to the bathroom to get stronger.

Every single thing played a role in making me stronger!

"Alex!"

I snap back to reality, Alfreda had called out to me from her front door.

I realize i'm panting heavily, my heart racing and my fists balled up.

"Are you coming?"

I shake my head and jog to her.

"Yeah."

She opens the door and we step inside.

I close the door behind me and a delicious scent fills my nostrils.

"Mama, i'm home!"

She calls out.

The sound of clanging dishes can be heard from an adjacent room and an elf woman appears.

"Welcome home, Alfreda."

She greets her, kneeling down and holding out her arms.

"Mama!"

Alfreda runs up to her mother to embrace her.

After hugging for a moment, the elf woman stands up and turns her attention towards me.

Like Alfreda, she has white hair but hers is longer, reaching past her shoulders.

She looks young, around mid-twenties and is about the same height as Anna.

The way she looks at me with her bright blue eyes paired with a slight blush on her cheeks suggests that she might be a kind and gentle person, i guess Alfreda must've gotten parts of her personality from her.

She is wearing a simple light brown dress with an apron over it.

Another thing that catches my eye for some reason is her rather large... breasts.

I quickly look elsewhere, hopefully she didn't catch me staring.

Overall when compared to Anna, who in Eric's words is more on the cute side, she is quite... beautiful?

"You must be Alex?" She asks with a gentle smile.

My eyes snap to look her in the eyes.

"Yes, i'm Alex."

"Nice to meet you Alex, my name is Elvina Venphine, Alfreda's mother."

"Mama, mama! Can Alex stay for dinner?"

She turns towards me again.

"Of course. Both of you come to the kitchen, dinner is almost ready."

Together with Alfreda, we follow her mother to the kitchen and sit on the dinner table while Elvina resumes stirring the pot.

"Mama, where is papa?"

"On his way from work most likely."

"Oh, and it's good to finally meet you Alex, Alfreda talks about you quite often."

"Mama!"

Embarrassed, Alfreda interrupts her and Elvina chuckles.

"Uh-huh... is that so?"

I respond to this revelation, not sure what to make of it.

What has she been saying about me?

Elvina takes out three bowls and fills them with her cooking.

She sets the bowls on the table and i see she cooked soup.

It has potatoes in it and some other vegetables.

Oddly i don't see any meat, which i would prefer considering my training and the nutrition required by it, but i remain silent.

It tastes good enough without it, do elves even eat meat?

"Mm, so good!"

Alfreda declares.

Elvina smiles at her and pats her head, then looks at me.

"Is the food to your liking, Alex?"

"Yeah, it's good."

I decide not to mention the lack of meat, the atmosphere already feels awkward for me because i didn't even want to come here in the first place.

"I'm glad to hear that."

She sees i finished my bowl and stands up, takes it and gives me a second serving.

"Here, have some bread with it."

She gives me a few slices of bread and one for Alfreda too.

I won't deny that i'm quite hungry but sharing a meal with Alfreda and her mom, despite their warm and gentle demeanor, is starting to feel rather overwhelming.

Taking a deep breath, i push past my discomfort, making sure not to show it and i take a slice of bread she gave me.

I dip the bread into the hot soup and hold it there for a moment to let the soup soak in.

I take a bite of the soaked bread and i'm surprised by the taste.

Despite being simple bread, combining it with the soup enhances the taste greatly.

"Mm!?"

An audible sound escapes from me suddenly.

The tension i felt until now quickly fades as i dip the bread again and take another bite.

Alfreda and Elvina fade from my mind for a moment as i continue devouring the soup and bread.

Elvina chuckles when she sees my enthusiasm, glad that i'm enjoying her cooking and she turns back to her own bowl.

It doesn't take long for me to lean back on my chair with my hands on my stomach.

I must have eaten at least 5 bowls of soup and a whole loaf of bread.

Elvina takes our bowls and cleans them in the sink while humming.

I reposition myself in my seat and lean against the table with my belly full when Elvina speaks up.

"Oh, that reminds me, papa told me this morning that there is a event tomorrow in Luton."

Alfreda's eyes light up and she looks at her excitedly.

"Oh! Can i go mama?"

"Sure sweetie."

Alfreda turns to me.

"Do you want to come with me Alex?"

I think for a moment. I don't have much else to do apart from training in the morning, so I'm free.

"Yeah, i can come."

"Yay!"

She celebrates.

With dinner concluded Alfreda escorts me to the front door.

"I'll come to your house tomorrow and we can go to Luton together."

She informs me.

"Yeah."

I open the front door and step outside.

She waves me goodbye and heads back inside.

I walk towards the gate when i see someone walk through it into the yard.

I take a quick look at the person and see that he's a man with short white hair, so I quickly deduce he's Alfreda's father.

Like Elvina mentioned earlier during dinner, he must've come back from work and judging from the direction he walked, i assume his workplace is in Luton.

He looks to be same height as Elvina with a slender build.

I keep my eyes forward as i pass him and approach the gate when he turns around and speaks up.

"You must be Alex, correct?"

I stop in my tracks and face him.

"Yeah. Alfreda invited me for dinner and now i'm heading back home."

He takes a few steps closer to me and offers a handshake.

"I am Finriel Venphine, Alfreda's father."

I look at his hand and then elsewhere, ignoring it.

He pulls his hand back and chuckles awkwardly.

"It was nice of Alfreda to invite you. Was the food to your liking?"

"Yeah it was good, could've used some meat though."

"Well i'm relieved you still enjoyed it. We'll have some meat for you when you next come to visit us."

We stand there for a moment.

"Well, i'll leave you to it. Travel home safely."

I don't bother responding and resume walking towards the gate and to the main road.

Finriel watches me walk away for a moment and rubs his head.

"Alfreda sure has befriended an interesting boy."

The sun is starting to set and i reflect on what happened today as i walk.

It was never my intention to go so far as to visit Alfreda's house, let alone have dinner with her and her mother.

I should've refused her invitation for dinner but her persistence coupled with my hunger convinced me.

This may have unintentionally caused me and Alfreda to become closer as "friends".

Going to Luton together with her tomorrow will most likely increase this effect even more, which i don't intend to happen.

I guess i have to remain her friend until she finds a new one.

When that happens i will slowly distance myself from her until she forgets about me and i can focus my full attention on training.

But because i'm still so young and we live close by, it will be difficult to completely avoid her.

Damn, relationships sure are hard to understand, which i really didn't have in the old world so it was easy being alone.

Well, tomorrow will bring a new set of challenges, which i must overcome in order to get stronger.