After buying some snacks at the supermarket, Luo Yu and Ranni rode Torrent back home.
Once they returned, it was immediately Ranni's gaming time.
Luo Yu, meanwhile, finished his homework first before joining her.
The two of them sat side by side in front of their computers, each playing the games they enjoyed. Occasionally they would exchange a few casual remarks.
Back in the Lands Between, a scene like this would have been unimaginable.
By eleven o'clock, Luo Yu went to take a shower. When he returned, he pulled Ranni—who was still eager to continue her ranked matches in Street Fighter—back to the bedroom to prepare for sleep.
Looking at Ranni, who had changed into her pajamas and looked stunning beneath the warm glow of the lights, Luo Yu asked softly,
"Anywhere you want to go tomorrow?"
Ranni shook her head.
"I don't particularly want to go out. Do you have somewhere in mind, my king? I was thinking of asking Miko Yotsuya to come over again so I can continue guiding her magic training."
"Alright, then we'll stay home tomorrow," Luo Yu replied. "The day after tomorrow we can go out for a walk. You seem quite interested in books, so we can visit the library in Chiba City and check out some bookstores. We can buy anything you like. As for those presences that followed Miko Yotsuya, we'll investigate them on Sunday as well."
That immediately caught Ranni's interest, and she nodded in agreement.
Leaning against Luo Yu's chest, Ranni extended her hand toward him.
"My king, shall we rest now… or?"
"Is that even a question?"
"Just as I thought," Ranni said calmly. "You pulled me into the bedroom this quickly, and it certainly wasn't just to sleep."
Luo Yu smiled before cupping Ranni's face and kissing her deeply.
Saturday — 7:00 AM
Luo Yu slowly opened his eyes.
Ranni was still sleeping peacefully in his arms.
Her pajamas had long since been tossed onto the floor the night before.
Although her body was technically that of a puppet, holding her felt no different from holding a human. Her skin was warm and soft, comfortable beyond words.
Gently brushing his fingers across Ranni's cheek, Luo Yu couldn't help but smile.
After a short while, Ranni stirred awake from his touch.
She caught the hand resting on her face and spoke softly.
"Good morning, my king."
"Good morning, my princess."
After exchanging greetings, Luo Yu asked,
"Do you want to get up, or sleep a little longer?"
Ranni's hand slid downward briefly before she gave a small squeeze and said calmly,
"We should get up. If you keep staring at me like that, I won't be able to fall back asleep anyway."
"Then let's get up."
Luo Yu sat up and began getting dressed. Ranni pulled on her pajamas and said casually,
"My king, it seems you truly should consider finding a few more queens. I alone cannot properly resolve… certain matters."
Stretching lazily, Luo Yu sighed.
"Could it be because things have become relaxed? Back in the Lands Between we were constantly surrounded by danger, but now that things are peaceful, these thoughts are appearing more often?"
When he was in the Lands Between, he truly hadn't thought about such things so frequently.
Or perhaps holding Ranni every night was making him think too much.
Yes… he had even dreamed about it while sleeping.
After moving his body a bit, Luo Yu said,
"After breakfast, Ranni, help me check just to make sure nothing else is going on."
Ranni slipped on her slippers and replied confidently,
"I believe it is simply the result of long-term suppression rebounding. There is no need to worry."
"I think so too, but we should still check."
After breakfast, Ranni used her magic to carefully examine Luo Yu and confirmed that there were no problems.
Putting away the Carian Regal Scepter, she looked at him.
"See? I was correct, my king."
Luo Yu shrugged helplessly.
"Looks like you were right. It should settle down after some time."
Just as he finished speaking, the doorbell rang.
Miko Yotsuya had arrived.
Opening the door to let her in, Luo Yu said with a smile,
"You're pretty early. Did you head out the moment you saw my message?"
Miko Yotsuya nodded.
"Yes. I usually wake up early anyway. When I saw Miss Ranni's message, I came right away."
Her entire demeanor was filled with excitement and energy.
After greeting Ranni, Miko Yotsuya began telling them what had happened the previous night.
After returning home, she had gathered her courage and finally spoken properly with her father, who had become a bound spirit.
At first he was surprised, but he was extremely happy to talk with his daughter. After their heartfelt conversation, the knot in his heart was finally untied, and he peacefully departed.
As for the enormous spirit that resembled a monstrous dog and had been following her father—
After glancing once at Miko Yotsuya, it simply disappeared without saying anything.
Recalling the scene, Miko Yotsuya said,
"If that giant spirit hadn't eaten the two smaller evil spirits that wandered into the house, I don't think I would've had the courage to talk openly with my father."
Luo Yu smiled.
"I have to admit, you're quite brave. Fortunately, everything turned out well."
Miko Yotsuya nodded repeatedly, pulling out her Astrologer's Staff with determination.
"From now on, I'll protect my mother and my little brother. I'll train hard in magic!"
Ranni nodded approvingly.
"That is admirable resolve. Then come upstairs with me."
Following Ranni upstairs, Miko Yotsuya returned to the same empty room where she had trained the previous day.
Looking at Ranni eagerly, she said,
"I practiced a lot by myself at home last night. I even meditated for several hours. My Glintstone Pebble is much faster now!"
Ranni nodded.
She condensed magical power into a semi-transparent barrier in front of them.
"Very well. Cast your spell at this."
Soon, a Glintstone Pebble shot out from Miko Yotsuya's staff, trailing sparkling starlight as it struck the barrier.
Ranni raised an eyebrow slightly.
"It seems you truly worked hard. Both the power and speed have improved. Practice a few more times, and then I will teach you another spell."
Ten minutes later, Ranni began teaching Miko Yotsuya her second basic spell—
Glintstone Arc.
Among the fundamental spells of the Carian Magic Academy, Glintstone Pebble was a single-target spell.
Glintstone Arc, however, was an area attack.
For novice sorcerers, it was the only area-of-effect spell available at the beginner level.
Naturally, learning Glintstone Arc was significantly more difficult than Glintstone Pebble.
The key was condensing magical power into a thin, curved arc, increasing both the spell's lethality and its attack range.
Half an hour passed.
Despite practicing continuously, Miko Yotsuya had only begun to make slight progress. The spell could barely take shape, but it was still far from successful.
While guiding her in adjusting the flow and compression of her magical power, Ranni continued observing her closely.
When Miko Yotsuya's magical power was nearly exhausted, Ranni raised her hand.
"That is enough. Take a rest and recover your magical power."
Miko Yotsuya immediately sat down and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"This spell is really difficult…"