Ray’s education.
The members of the Special Selection Unit, Astral, had gathered to discuss the matter. Some suggested he should be sent to school, but Ray’s heart hadn't fully healed yet.
No one even knew what he had seen on the battlefield to make him close himself off like that. All they knew for certain was that he was still keeping the world at a distance.
Recently, however, he had become more reactive and was starting to hold brief conversations.
When missions called them away, Ray’s care was left to Lydia’s Sister or other personnel. That said, looking after him required almost no effort at all.
Despite his age, he was intelligent and remarkably self-sufficient. Lydia’s Sister had expected to have her hands full, but she quickly found there was practically nothing for her to do.
Once Lydia and the others returned from their mission, they decided to begin his education in earnest.
"Ray! How’ve you been? Doing okay?"
"...Yeah."
Lydia greeted him the moment she stepped through the door. Though he clearly lacked the energy of a typical child, she gave him a bright, beaming smile anyway.
She flopped onto the sofa to catch her breath, and immediately, Ray began briskly tidying up her gear and luggage.
"? What’s up? Why the sudden cleaning?"
"...Is that not okay?"
"No, it’s a huge help, but..."
To put it bluntly, Lydia was hopeless when it came to chores. She was a genius, yes, but her extraordinary talents were limited to magic, physical prowess, and raw intellect; she lacked the basic life skills of an average human being.
By all rights, the house should have been a mess. And yet, it was remarkably clean. Lydia had assumed her sister was responsible, but a sudden thought made her turn to Ray.
"Ray. Have you been cleaning the house?"
"...Yeah."
He gave a small, quiet nod.
Lydia spoke up, her tone gentle and reasoning.
"Ray, you don’t have to push yourself. I’ll do it... well, maybe not me, but Abby or my sister will handle it. There’s no need for you to force yourself to—"
Ray reached out, lightly pinching Lydia’s sleeve as he shook his head. He spoke in a tiny, hushed murmur.
"...I'm a burden to Master. I want to do... at least this much..."
"Ray..."
She hadn't dreamed he was thinking that way. Lydia knew he was smart—that he understood things far beyond his years—but she hadn't realized he felt like a burden. The words sent a sharp pang through her chest.
"Ray... All right! Let’s hit the bath together today!"
"...Yeah."
Lydia led him toward the bathroom. Ray seemed to have grown accustomed to bathing with the women by now; he didn't seem particularly bothered by seeing Lydia or Carol undressed.
"Wait, what? I was just about to run the water, but did you already do this, Ray?"
"...Yeah."
"I see. Thanks, Ray."
She gave his head a vigorous ruffling. Ray’s expression didn't change, but he looked just a little bit satisfied.
"...Master. I’ll... wash your back."
"You’re going to wash it for me?"
"...Yeah."
"Thanks."
Ray worked the towel across Lydia’s back with just the right amount of pressure. Lydia simply leaned into it, letting him work.
As she felt how hard he was trying to be helpful, she gazed off into the distance, lost in thought.
When they first met, her feelings had been driven mostly by sympathy. But as they spent more time together, she was beginning to understand him.
Ray was intelligent and a very good boy. In fact, he was too good. When Lydia had been his age, she’d done nothing but run wild.
Yet here was Ray, living every day with such earnestness. Whether it was out of a sense of gratitude or something else, his actions made her genuinely happy.
"Ray. I'll be around for a while. Is there anything you want to do?"
Lydia asked as they soaked in the hot water, with the small boy sitting on her lap. After a long pause, Ray gave his answer.
"I want to... play together... again..."
"I see. Is that right!!?"
Lydia gave his wet hair another thorough ruffling. For some reason, hearing that made her heart swell.
The next day, Lydia took Ray outside. They had played catch last time, so today she chose soccer.
She skillfully juggled the ball with both feet before prompting him to try.
"Ray. Keep the ball in the air like this, using both feet."
"...Yeah."
From what she’d gathered, Ray had no experience with sports. Given his natural athleticism, she was already impressed, but she wondered how he’d fare with a ball at his feet.
"...Ray. You’re sure you’ve never played soccer before?"
"? Yeah..."
Ray glanced up at her, answering while effortlessly keeping the ball in the air. He used both feet with perfect coordination, showing no sign of letting it drop.
"Ray. Which is your dominant foot?"
"...I don't know."
She’d seen him use his right hand for most things, but his feet were still a mystery. Lydia moved to stand in front of the goal she’d set up.
"Ray! Kick it as hard as you can!"
"...Yeah."
Understanding the goal, he took a short run-up and struck the ball with everything he had.
The ball drew a beautiful arc through the air before screaming into the top-right corner of the goal. It had a heavy vertical spin—a "drive shot." Lydia hadn't expected him to put that kind of movement on the ball and was left rooted to the spot.
"Wait... what? I couldn't even move?"
Lydia stood there, stunned. The placement had been perfect, but more than that, the speed was incredible. She hadn't even been able to take a step toward it.
"Ray! Again!"
"...Yeah."
With a nod, Ray moved into his next approach. Lydia refused to stay beaten; she focused all her senses on the boy.
Where would he aim? What trajectory? How much power?
She tried to read him until the very last second, but...
"Wha...!!? Your left foot...!!?"
The ball slammed into the net once more. Just as Lydia had been curious about, Ray had switched to his left foot, mirroring the perfect arc of the previous shot in the opposite direction.
Ray simply stood there, watching as Lydia stewed in her frustration. She snatched up the ball and pushed it back toward him.
"Again, Ray! But let’s... let’s change the distance and the angle this time."
"...Okay. Master."
They spent the next several hours lost in the game.
"Phew... Nothing like a good sweat."
"...Yeah."
The orange glow of the sunset washed over them. With the light fading, it was time to head back.
"Ray. Did you have a good time today?"
She took his small hand in hers. She couldn't see his expression clearly, but his voice came out a little louder than usual.
"...It was fun. I want to do it again."
He looked up, his eyes meeting hers. A wide, gentle smile spread across Lydia’s face.
"Good. Then let’s do it again soon!"
"...Yeah."
Hand in hand, the two of them walked home through the fading light of the evening.