On the next day, Isabelle left the dorm to resume her training. Bridget used her hologram phone alone in her room to contact her parents while Midoricha slept beside her on the bed. There, her mother, a mage, made herself comfortable, sitting in a simple but stylish living room, and appeared on the screen.

“Hey, guys.” Bridget greeted them with a wave.

“Oh wow, we got it working!” Her mom exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “Hi Bridget, how’s it going at your new school?”

“Going well so far, still trying to get the swing of things around here. How about you guys?”

“We’re doing well; your father and I are doing our best to keep our crops and house steady.”

“What’s going on?” Her mom turned at the sound of a male voice. The father, also a mage, stepped into view to inspect Bridget.

“Hey Bridget, how’s it going? And how’s school?”

“Alright, I guess.”

“Are you doing okay? Have you been studying? Making new friends?”

“Yes! Alright, Dad, you can stop with the questions.” Bridget commented, rolling her eyes, still smiling.

“Come on now; you know your father misses you.” Bridget’s mom whispered to her daughter.

“I know, but it hasn’t even been that long.”

“Well, you did call us first, didn’t you?”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“So, how are the gardens?” Bridget calmed down and asked.

“It’s going great,” Bridget’s father replied proudly. “It looks like we’ll get another good harvest this month. If the phoenixes don’t fly south and unintentionally burn our crops again...” He muttered the last sentence under his breath.

Bridget couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re not good at hiding that.”

Midoricha snuggled against the bedsheets and opened his eyes. He glanced over Bridget’s shoulders and hopped over to land on her lap.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Bridget’s body flinched as she nearly fell out of the bed. “Midori, don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry about that.”

“Oh, hey, Midoricha.” Bridget’s parents greeted him. “It’s great to see you again.”

“Yeah, same here.”

“Thanks for always caring for Bridget when we’re not there.”

“It’s no problem.”

“If you’re having a hard time, just know you’re always welcome home.” Bridget’s father told them.

“I know that already,” Bridget muttered, her face flustering. “Sheesh.”

“By the way, have you heard from Brandi or seen her anywhere?” Bridget’s mom asked.

Bridget’s smile faded as her chest tightened. “No. Why?”

“It’s been a while since we last heard from her. If you see her, could you tell her to visit? We want to know how she’s been doing.”

“...If that’s what you want.”

“Thanks, Bridget. Ok, we’ll let you go so you can return to your studies and relax.”

“Yeah, we have work to do ourselves.” Bridget’s father added. “Stay safe, you two, and we miss you.”

“We will. We’ll miss you too, goodbye.” Bridget and Midoricha said their farewells as they logged out. Bridget sighed in relief and fell back onto her bed while Midoricha floated around the room, humming a small tune.

“So, who’s Brandi? I don’t think you’ve ever told me about her before.” Midoricha asked.

Trying to muster up a response, all Bridget could think of replying with was, “I didn’t need to before.”