Every time he meditated, battling against the approaching demon, Luke managed to steady his mind and return to his previous self by the next morning.
Surely, perhaps due to experience, the second time is quicker.
However, just because he had become accustomed to such meditation did not mean that fatigue was completely absent.
Extended periods of concentration in a situation where he could not focus at all meant that even Luke would accumulate a sense of tiredness.
With this thought in mind, Luke pondered whether to brew some tea as he opened the door and descended the stairs.
The living room was empty.
Only traces remained from someone who had finished their meal and left.
Checking the dishes left in the kitchen, it seemed that the one who had eaten was likely Yerna.
There were no signs of grease on the plates and utensils.
It seemed she had urgent business to attend to since the morning.
Did she go to visit that old man he had healed yesterday?
Then what was Dayton doing? Peeking into the room, he found Dayton still fast asleep.
Luke considered waking him up but then remembered that today was Dayton’s day off and closed the door again.
Though he seemed to be waking up much later than usual, it was better to let him be.
After all, he had been so busy since yesterday morning; he probably wanted to take his time today.
He did look quite tired as well.
With such thoughts in mind, Luke opened the container of tea leaves and placed water in the kettle.
After waiting a moment, the water quickly started to boil.
-Bubble, bubble.
“Yawn…”
Luke thought as he yawned.
Why does the sound of boiling water make me feel so languid?
Or perhaps, it could be that I feel languid when I hear the sound of boiling water.
-Gurgle.
As he pondered, Luke poured the tea into a cup and set aside his thoughts.
Was it really such a productive concern that he needed to think deeply about it?
Whatever the order of events, the fact was that he felt languid now.
Luke raised the warm cup, took a sip, and looked outside.
The weather outside wasn’t particularly sunny, perhaps due to yesterday’s postponed rain.
-Hrumph.
“Yet, I can’t shake this uneasy feeling.”
Could it be because of the weather?
He felt as though he was forgetting something.
Usually, he did not forget things.
Then, suddenly…
-Stumble.
“Wait a minute.”
Come to think of it, wasn’t there a parent-teacher meeting for Third today?
“If I said it was tomorrow based on yesterday, that means it’s today!”
“Ah, this is bad!”
He had completely forgotten!
After all, he had promised to give Yerna a heads-up about Third’s meeting but had entirely blanked on it due to everything that happened yesterday!
But, Yerna was already gone.
Even if he hurried to contact her, she wasn’t answering, perhaps because she was in a rush.
Even if she received the message and returned, would they be able to make it in time for the meeting?
There was only one way left.
——
Luke immediately dashed to the bedroom and shook Dayton awake.
“Dayton! Wake up and look at me!”
Dayton glanced at Luke when he was told to look.
Luke, who had already returned to his usual self today, seemed like a vivid dream compared to how he had been the night before.
Dayton responded with a groggy mumble, raising his thumb.
“Hmm… Yeah, you look cute again today; that’s a relief. Our daughter is the best!”
After saying this, Dayton turned his back to Luke as if to signal him not to disturb him and curled up a little.
His broad back rose like a wall, leaving Luke bewildered.
Did he really just intend to look at his face and then fall back asleep?
Honestly, that possibility was high.
“…Dayton! That’s not what I meant! Hurry up and get up! It doesn’t matter if I look cute or not!”
Once again, Luke shook him awake.
Dayton, with hints of irritation in his voice, replied.
“Okay, I get it. Let me sleep today, alright? I’m too tired to play around.”
Luke understood why he was tired, but he couldn’t just let him sleep, so he shook him harder and shouted.
“No! I’m not asking you to look at me for that! There’s a serious situation! You need to attend Tenegan Academy in Yerna’s place! I was supposed to tell you yesterday, but I completely forgot!”
“What? Academy…? What’s that about all of a sudden…?”
Dayton, who had been mostly dismissive, chose to listen upon hearing the word “Academy.”
He couldn’t handle matters concerning the Academy alone anyway.
——-
A committee was convened because Third had committed violence on school grounds.
Consequently, Third needed to bring his legal guardian, which legally was Yerna.
Therefore, Yerna was supposed to attend, but she was absent today.
Thus, the duty to attend fell to her husband, who was himself…
“That’s how it came to be.”
“Yeah, so don’t worry; I’ll handle it well,” Dayton assured him.
Nodding in agreement after hearing Luke’s explanation about Third, Dayton added, “A school violence committee….”
“Ha, I heard that they hold committees even for students fighting a little; I guess it’s true.”
It felt like the world had changed a lot since his time; back then, he was too embarrassed to say where he had gotten beaten up.
Moreover, from what he heard, it didn’t seem like Third had done anything severely wrong.
The spirit to protect the weak should be praiseworthy.
However, if it could lead to expulsion, that was indeed undesirable.
Thus, Dayton agreed to help Luke.
“Yawn… Well, if that’s the case, I can help out.”
“Really? Thank you! You’ve been a huge help!”
“Can you bring me a suit? It seems I can’t just go comfortably.”
“Sure! I’ll get it right away!”
Luke dashed to the wardrobe and pulled out Dayton’s suit.
“But, Dayton. This looks a bit small.”
“Oh, that was made for my forest keeper interview; it’s bound to be tight.”
He had started building muscle to match Yerna’s preferences.
Still, he had already been quite well-built before, so it wasn’t completely unfit.
However, the pecs had developed so much since then that the buttons on the jacket wouldn’t close.
“Hmm.”
Luke made a subtle expression while watching Dayton put on the suit.
It was indeed a fitting occasion for a suit.
But seeing him dressed like that somehow gave off a rougher vibe…
“Is there no other formal wear?”
“None. How often would a forest keeper need a suit?”
“True, but…”
It might actually be better to wear the forest keeper’s uniform instead, but he decided to let that go.
Dayton was probably more accustomed to the culture and etiquette of their time than he was…
Soon, Luke watched as Dayton adjusted his outfit and worriedly asked.
“But are you really okay? You look quite tired…”
Dayton’s expression, with weariness settled under his eyes, hardly conveyed any vitality, even if said in empty words.
Even now, he felt like he was barely holding his eyelids open against exhaustion.
Yet, Dayton smiled as if to reassure Luke.
“It’s fine, man. I had the tea you made earlier, so I can hold out for a bit.”
“Well, that’s a relief, but…”
Luke felt anxious.
It was true that his tea had good effects for recovering from fatigue, but it wasn’t a complete remedy.
The original source of the tea could sustain someone on the frontline without accumulating any fatigue for a month, but the issue was that it significantly increased alertness and aggression.
There was no way he could go to a counseling session and provoke further violence.
Hence, Luke’s tea could only assist in feeling a little less tired.
Given that it did not harm health, diluting the aspects that increased aggression and warlike tendencies meant that the effects of recovering from fatigue would, of course, decrease.
Moreover, it was natural to release accumulated fatigue slowly instead of solving it with medicine.
It was certainly inappropriate to suggest a remedy that could harm a family’s health.
“It’s fine. I’ll be back soon.”
“Be safe. When you return, I’ll make sure to prepare a bath for you to relax.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Dayton put on a `let’s go` flair and stood up in front of the shoe rack.
Suddenly, he turned with a question.
“By the way, what does Third look like?”
Had he seen him before? He couldn’t remember the face.
