Jun flopped into bed with a groan, not looking forward to tomorrow. Light’s Day should be the start of her weekend, but Shiori and Inari had co-opted them for the last few months. Free time wasn’t free to her mother. If she or any of her friends and teammates had free time, it was spent training. They either met in the training hall her mother somehow took over from the school, or they would head into the Forest.

  She needed a break! She just wanted to sleep in, maybe take a walk around the city, or go to the bathhouse to relax. Thoughts of the bathhouse brought up memories of that first time she’d gone with Cecilia and Sara. It’d been awkward, embarrassing, and magical. Though they’d gone together many times since, things were never like that first time. If only she had the chance for some fun, maybe she could ask Sara…

  Jun fidgeted awkwardly. She desperately wanted to ask her about the kiss, but it never felt like the right time. Their training grew more and more intense, and even those few times where they trained with soul weapons together, they had no time to talk, only to practice. If only they had a break from it all…

  As if Jun’s thoughts of taking a break summoned her, Shiori jumped onto the bed in her cat form. Kitten, she said in greeting with her magic for the first time in months.

  Jun looked at the black for a moment, unsure what to say. It’d been so long since she’d last seen Shiori in this form, that she’d nearly forgotten this was her mother’s normal form, not the other way around. “Mother… I haven’t seen you in your cat form since…” Memories of her mad dash through the Forest the previous winter worked their way up. Blood. Clashing weapons. The screams of the dying. Twisted creatures that sought to consume everything. Jun shuddered.

  A furry head butted against hers as the sound of purring filled her ears. Turning to look at her adoptive mother, Jun watched as Shiori started to knead the mattress next to her pillow. It has been a few months, Shiori said, her projected voice sounding exhausted. I do not normally take a catkin form. Maintaining it for several months has been… draining.

  “I-I see…” Jun trailed off as Shiori finished kneading and curled up on the mattress. She sounds tired. Maybe mother will give us the day off tomorrow? Jun thought to herself hopefully. She could at least ask. “...about tomorrow…”

  Shiori looked up at her, her eyes half closed as she yawned, showing off her pearly white fangs. A day or two of rest to recover is all that is needed. Both Inari and I agree that you, Sara, and your friends have made sufficient progress to have earned a weekend off. Your friends have already been informed, and Inari is informing Sara as we speak.

  Jun’s heart leapt into her throat in excitement as she processed Shiori’s words. A couple days off from training sounded magical! Then she remembered her thoughts from just a few minutes ago, and excitement turned to anxiety. She could ask Sara out. She no longer had the excuse of training to put it off. But she was afraid to ask. What if Sara said no?

  The ghost of Sara’s lips against her cheek and her floral scent teased her. What if that was just a friendly kiss? What if it didn’t mean anything? What if—

  Jun’s thoughts were interrupted by a quiet but rapid knocking on her door. Getting up, she hurried over and opened it to find Sara standing there in her night clothes. The beautiful elf wore a sleeveless cotton camisole and panties, leaving little to the imagination as she revealed more of flawless pale skin than Jun had seen anywhere outside of the bathhouse. Looking at her beautiful roommate, she felt her ears and face heat up as her mouth went dry. Realizing she’d just been standing there staring at Sara, her thoughts went into overdrive as she tried to think of what to say. Unbidden, lines from rom-coms and tv shows in her past life came to mind. Could she say one of them? Would that be cool? Her brain desperately asked.

  Another voice in her head responded immediately. Why are you just standing there, say something! Say anything!

  “H-Hi…” she said awkwardly mentally groaning at the pathetic word.

  “Hey!” Sara smiled. “Mom told me she and Shiori are giving everyone the next couple of days off. Want to go out tomorrow?”

  Jun stared at Sara in shock. Wait, that worked?! Is she asking me out? No, a rational sounding voice in her head said. The faces of Cecilia, Gareth, Keira, Ciel, Aya, and the rest of both their teams came to mind. Shiori said all of us had time off. Maybe Sara just wants us all to hang out… “I-I guess… Will everyone be joining us?” she asked, a pit already opening up in her stomach.

  Sara’s smile faded slightly. “Everyone?” she asked, her voice less bright than it’d been. “I meant just the two of us. Do you want to hang out with me tomorrow?”

  Jun didn’t think her face could get any hotter. She was certain if someone cracked an egg on her head, it’d fry up instantly. “Yes!” she shouted, only to cringe mentally and snap her mouth shut with a click of teeth. Her blush somehow deepening, she took a breath and nodded as she exhaled. “I-I mean, yes, I’d like to…” she said more quietly.

  Sara’s smile brightened again as Jun answered. “Great! It’s a date!” Quick as a snake, Sara leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek. Her lips felt soft and cool against her hot skin. “See you in the morning,” she whispered.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Jun felt her knees go weak as Sara’s scent filled her nose and her breath tickled against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. She wanted the moment to last forever, but soon Sara pulled away.

  “I—yes. Morning. See you!” Jun said as she hurriedly closed the door as Sara giggled.

  “Good night Jun,” Sara said from the other side of the door, her voice muffled, though Jun could still hear her smile in her voice.

  Dragging herself back to her bed, she plopped back down as she replayed the events of the last few minutes over and over again in her head. Everything she did. Everything she said. Oh god, I was blushing so much! She definitely noticed! Jun thought to herself.

  Stop fretting, kitten. You’ll only keep yourself, and your mother, awake. Go to sleep. You must be well rested for your date tomorrow.

  Before Jun could reply, the magical lights in her bedroom shut off, leaving her in the dark with her thoughts. Closing her eyes, Jun found herself leaning back on the training she’d gone through the past few months to still her racing thoughts. Slowly, the excess heat in her face leeched away, leaving her slightly cold in the early Spring night.

  As Jun started to drift off, she heard Shiori’s voice echo in her mind. Kitten, make sure to use protection when you mate, I am not yet ready to become a grandmother.

  It took hours for her to fall asleep.

  Shiori flicked her tail as she observed her and Inari’s daughters on their “date.”

  I can’t believe you told her that! Inari laughed, the brilliant white fox’s tail flicking with amusement.

  What’s wrong with it? Shiori sniffed. She’d heard countless human mothers throughout the ages give their daughters such advice on the eve before their first outing. Surely such advice was valuable if so many mothers gave it to their daughters.

  You really need to learn more about anatomy beyond how to kill things and what meats are best. Inari said, her mental projection dripping with smug superiority.

  Down in the street, she watched as her daughter and Sara walked hand in hand, Inari’s kit leading her kitten somewhere. While she could have simply observed through her aura senses, her own eyes and ears were more satisfying, and besides, she was meant to be resting. Keeping her aura focused and ready to protect her daughter from a distance was the opposite of rest. Eyes narrowing, she watched as their two daughters turned the corner.

  I know more than that. Shiori said, flicking her tail as she leapt between buildings. A fraction of the coiled strength in her body was more than enough to speed across the gap and several more as she raced to her next perch in time to watch the two girls walk beneath them.

  “Really?! I can’t believe you did that!” Jun gasped, raising her hand to hide her smile as she giggled at something Sara said.

  I bet you know little more than what I’ve personally taught you, you mangy cat. Inari draped her tail across Shiori’s face as she floated on a current of wind magic above her.

  Ignoring the fox’s flirtations, Shiori pushed Inari’s tail aside with her paw and reacquired her prey. They hadn’t gone very far. Despite the training they’d put the children through the past months, Sara was still in the mid-Silver range, while Jun had slowly narrowed the gap, moving to mid-Iron. Impressive progress compared to their peers, but still far from enough. If she had it her way, they would be farther along, but every method available to speed them along faster was too dangerous. Their slow progress was due to her and Inari’s influence. Manipulating events to ensure that the children did not suffer an instantly fatal wound while Inari ensured that none of them died or suffered lasting injuries drained away significant portions of the experience the universe might otherwise grant them.

  The Universal System was wise enough to know that the children survived by the grace of Shiori’s and Inari’s discrete assistance, penalizing their growth.

  Shiori banished the thoughts from her mind as she focused on the task at hand. Today, growth was unimportant. What mattered was observing her kitten’s “date” and ensuring nothing disrupted it.

  As the two girls walked past a tavern in the Central District of the city, their beauty caught the eye of a nobleman in the tavern. Shiori carefully observed him as he leered at the girls from his seat on the tavern’s balcony and caught the whispered words he gave to a pair of men. The gold and silver auras flickering around the seated man and his entourage were enough to tell Shiori that they were foes their daughters couldn’t handle in a direct fight. But they wouldn’t have one. Not today. As a trio of men reached for a door that would let them out into the alleyway behind the tavern, Shiori cast her version of her daughter’s spell. Tendrils stronger than steel wrapped around the trio’s limbs and throats, choking them of air until they passed out. Casually liberating them of their belongings, Shiori deposited the trio into a refuse pile, naked and unconscious, but alive.

  While she did that, she felt Inari go to work on the rest. A perfect illusion of the of the nobleman and his entourage covered the bar as she deftly removed the air from their lungs until they passed out. Four bodies slumped in their seats or hung limply in the air, held aloft by Inari’s magic as the fox stole their secreted valuables and money. That done, Inari’s wind magic rampaged about the second floor, destroying tables and walls and putting holes in the walls of the structure,

  The illusion of the men began to show an argument between the men breaking out, drawing the attraction of passersby below as they began to fight and destroy the tavern. With careful manipulations, the fox’s illusion played out, matching the men’s supposed action to the damage done to the tavern. After just a couple minutes, the illusion showed the men knocking each other out as they fell where their bodies lay, bruises and bloody knuckles already appearing on their bodies.

  That should give the guards enough reason to hold them for a while, Inari snickered as she moved ahead to keep up with their daughters.

  It would have been easier to kill them all, Shiori said.

  But that might disturb our daughters’ outing.

  Nothing shall be permitted to get in their way today.