When I got home from school, I went straight to my room. I quickly finished the homework we were given at school and then started preparing for the next day. I had learned many useful things from Caleb and Evan. They told me that when I went to the club, they would ask for a printed copy of my school schedule so my class hours could be coordinated with the training program.
They also emphasized that I should pay attention to how I addressed people inside the club and that I needed to get along well with players who were at higher levels than me. According to them, this would make things much easier within the club. After noting down a few more small but important details they mentioned, I went to dinner.
During the meal, Clara looked at me with a worried expression and asked,
"Are you going to quit your job after joining the club? Managing school, work, and the club at the same time will be exhausting."
Seeing her concern made me feel a sense of family warmth that I hadn't felt in a long time. I replied,
"I'll still go to training on weekends as usual, but on weekdays I can reduce my working days depending on the training schedule."
Clara then told me that if it became too difficult, I should quit my job, and if I ever needed money, I shouldn't hesitate to ask her. Since I believed I could adapt to this busy routine by increasing my endurance stat, I wasn't planning to quit my job for now. Besides, working allowed me to continue earning some points. Also, Sofia's birthday was coming up in a month, and I wanted to buy her a nice gift with my own money.
After dinner, I sat on one of the couches and spent some time on my phone. About half an hour later, Sofia walked past me. She didn't sit down and kept wandering around the room. When she passed by me again, I frowned, trying to understand what was going on. She was acting strangely, as if she wanted to say something.
After noticing her behavior continue for a while, I looked directly at her. When she realized I was watching, she looked surprised.
"Why have you been walking around me for a while? Do you want to say something?" I asked.
She replied in a slightly sharp tone,
"What's it to you? Can't I just walk around?"
I stayed silent, waiting for her to speak. Unable to hold it in any longer, she finally said,
"Why are you pushing yourself this hard? Doing so many things at once could hurt you in a short time."
I laughed teasingly.
"I didn't know you cared about me that much."
Her face turned red with embarrassment as she looked away.
"Hmph! Don't get the wrong idea. I just don't want Mom to get upset," she said.
Smiling lightly, I replied,
"Alright, I get why you're asking. If I feel like I'm pushing myself too hard, I'll quit my job."
She looked at me with a serious expression.
"Even if you get a little tired, you should quit. So Mom won't worry," she said before quickly walking back to her room.
My relationship with Sofia was slowly getting better. Even the fact that she was thinking about me felt nice. Then I reminded myself,
"Oh right… she wasn't thinking about me. She was saying all that for Mom."
With a big smile on my face, I went back to my room. Wanting to get a good night's sleep before going to the club the next day, I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes.