Kyle walked home from school and made a plan for the future. He knew how he would teach words to Beth, and it would reinforce relationship points when she used the skill.

When Kyle got home though, there were three people he did not expect to see.

"Welcome home Kyle!"

"Second day of school!"

"KYLE!"

It was Paul, Kathy, and Claire. Paul was sitting on the couch next to Fred. Kathy and Elena were sitting on opposite sides of the table, and both Dave and Claire used to be on the floor. Used to be, because now Claire was making her way to Kyle like a heat sinking Fireball spell.

'This shouldn't be allowed to happen, I have been building up her tolerance for so long!' Kyle knew it could be bad in the future if Claire could not be happy without him for long periods of time, but if he used Dispel to fix the problem, it would create even more problems. It was a serious lapse of judgment to not cast Dispel when he used Resurrect.

"Oh hi, Claire." Kyle said as Claire made contact. If Kathy had not been holding her back, Claire would have done the same thing yesterday. Currently, Claire had her arms around Kyle, preventing him from leaving.

"I can't let go or you will leave again." Kyle was a little taller than Claire, and when he looked down Claire looked up with sparkling eyes.

Claire would have made a good choice for the childhood friend, but Claire was already in the 3rd stage. First stage childhood friend is the event collection stage. Do a good thing here, help out with something there, it all built up until the 2nd stage, sudden departure. For some reason, the two would separate and the feelings would build up inside the childhood friend. Third stage childhood friend, which was what Claire was at, was the reemergence stage. Coming back into their life after being gone for a long time.

For Claire though, a long time was three days. For Beth, Kyle had it all planned out. Build events by teaching her magic, separate when she goes to mage school. Reemerge when mage school is over. It was perfect.

Using Claire for any archetypal character would be immoral, and just as bad as if he had cast [Charm] from his status magic. Just because Kyle was no longer a hero did not make him no longer a human. There were certain things he would not do.

"Claire, I live here. If anyone is leaving it is you." Kyle said while trying to push Claire away.

"I guess that's right." Claire let go of Kyle and sat down on the ground with Dave. Claire did not need to be interacting with Kyle constantly, she just liked being in the same room.

Both Dave and Claire were the same age just about, but Dave was born a few months after Claire and thus not only was he overshadowed by Kyle, he would be a year behind Claire in school and other related training facilities.

"So why is everyone over here?" Kyle looked at Fred and asked him. It was not usual for Fred to be home so early, and Paul was also a guard so it was not usual for him either. In any case, Paul did not come over frequently with Kathy.

"The town was attacked by monsters and we fought with them, so we were allowed to go home for the day." The town was attacked by some low ranking dente lupos, a wolf monster.

'Dente lupos? But those come in packs of up to 20...' Kyle remembered a time fighting dente lupos on a snowy mountain. It was almost funny that he used Wolf Fang Fist to kill most of them.

"But if the town is attacked by monsters again, won't the walls be undefended?" Kyle had to make this point. He did not know how many people were in the town guard, but Fred and Paul did not look injured so they must have let out anyone who was in the immediate vicinity of the attack.

"Nah, there are plenty of those drunks that work the night shift ready to take ours during the day." Fred was openly insulting his co-workers with another coworker next to him.

"Those drunks don't care about anything. They just want a place to sleep outside of the 1st district." Paul insulted them too, but Kyle could understand not wanting to sleep in the 1st district. Thornberry wasn't even a large city and it still had its rundown section.

"Well, that's good." Kyle sat down at the table too. If both Fred and Paul could insult a group of people, and the town would remain safe, everything was fine.

"Do you want some tea, Kyle?" Elena had a pitcher of boiled water with some mystery leaves in it.

"Sure." Elena got Kyle a cup and poured him some tea and everyone continued what they were doing before he got there.

A few hours later they ate dinner and then the Droughts went home. Claire tried to make Kyle promise to come by the next day, but he was able to avoid agreeing.

"Hey mom, remember that girl who sat next to me?" Elena was with Kyle on the first day, so she certainly saw Beth.

"Yeah, I remember. She didn't talk much right?" Elena did not like the reaction of Beth, but Kyle was similar so she had a feeling something was going to happen.

"Yeah, well I might be coming home a little late, or they will come here because I am going to teach her how to read and write."

"Can you really do that Kyle?" Elena did not know how to read, and if she knew it was easy to teach someone she might have asked Kyle to teach her.

"Of course I can, being able to read and write is the only requirement."

"Well good for you!" Elena was proud of her son. Being a teacher at the mage school was not a bad job either.

Kyle got approval from Elena, now he just needed to hear the results from Beth's side.

POV: Beth Valheart, Thornberry 2nd District North Side

I'm so nervous, and it's not even about asking my mother, it's those two. I'm referring to my older and younger brothers. Ever since Cindy has left, Berry and Cory have become too overprotective of me. They didn't let me make any friends when Cindy left and now I don't have anyone to talk to.

But that will all be changing soon, I have my Cindy replacement. Kyle Mercer. He sits next to me at school, and he is really weird. Just the second day and he got 110 paddles from the teacher, and when the teacher finished she had forgotten about my paddles.

Cindy used to protect me from things like paddles, and she promised to teach me words but had to go to that stupid knight's academy. Well, that's okay now because Kyle is going to teach me words and I won't ever have to listen to Skora again. I still have to face forward to avoid paddles, but maybe Kyle will think of something before it comes to that....

"Mom?" I yell through the house to try and find her. She is probably in her study though. I need to find her though and ask before dad gets home.

"Beth?"

Oh good, that was her. Sounds like she is in her study.

"Mom, can you make a little extra lunch for me so I can give it to someone at school?" I hope she just says yes without asking questions.

"Why is that?"

Darn. "Well, he doesn't have any lunch when he comes in, and he says he will teach me words too, better than the teacher." At least dad isn't here.

"Oh, it's a boy? Hahaha, I just have to tell your father about this."

"No don't!"

Kyle went to school the next day with a brief outline of the day's events in his head. First, face forward and ignore everything Mrs. Skorva has to say. Second, talk with Beth about the trade. Third, listen to more about history. Fourth, eat lunch with Beth if she brought extra. Fifth, steal glances at Ms. Helen so she does not become suspicious.

Everything past that would depend on point 2 and 4. It would not be a huge detriment without extra food for lunch, but Kyle might have to get some more money now that he was out in order to buy something to eat before school.

Kyle walked to his seat and sat down. He was next to the window so only Beth was next to him, and it was some boy with short brown hair in front of him. Kyle would make other friends if he knew what to talk about. "Hey guys, so how about that mille dentium in the north sector? Oh yeah, it sure ate that farmer good". This was something adventurers would commonly talk about. It was not something school kids did though.

"Good morning Beth."

"Hi, Kyle."

Beth and Kyle exchanged greetings before Mrs. Skorva quieted everyone and started the lesson. 2 hours later and it was the first 10-minute break.

"So Beth, what did your mother say?" Kyle wanted to know, and it was the last hurdle to jump.

"She said okay, but you have to do it at my house."

"Okay sure." Kyle did not see any problem in going to Beth's house. It might even be easier than her coming to his. Kyle knew better than to let a child walk home at night, so whenever Kyle finished the lesson he would just be able to walk home himself and not walk Beth home and then walk himself home.

"Maybe you should think about that a little." Beth was indicating that coming to her house might not be the best choice though.

"No, it's fine." Kyle had no problems going to Beth's house, and he was sure he would be able to put up with whatever crazies her parents were.

"Okay, but no going back on your word okay?"

"Okay." Kyle really was fine with it, and not much could scare him. He had going hundreds of miles deep into the earth from caves where the only light source was the Flame spell, and to save mana he could only use it to light just far enough to walk blindly and the use it again. Those caves were filled with monsters that ate the flesh of men, and being off guard for even a second meant death.

A girl's parents were nothing to be scared of, and Kyle was only 5. What kind of intentions could the family think he had?

"Okay." With the final agreement from Beth, they waited for the second class to start.

"Today we will be going over the accomplishments of the hero Akira."

'Good, I need to know a little more about the heroes.' Kyle had made his revenge a secondary objective.

"After saving humanity from the demons, Akira went to great lengths to preserve powerful magic and to train young mages."

'Huh, Akira mostly hoarded his own power and not really share it with others.' Kyle could remember Akira easily because they fought together most of the time. There was only so much room for people in the front lines, and magic was very powerful against demons.

"Starting in the capital of the empire, but branching out from there, Akira used his rewards from the empire to make schools were people could learn any kind of magic."

'Well, that explains not being able to learn magic on my own. I have to go to one of these schools. Doesn't apply to me though, I'm not going to pay for something I already know.' Kyle was already a master of magic. The mage school would do nothing for him.

"From then on, his schools have been built all over the empire by his descendants."

The rest of the class was more stuff about Akira, about the more famous research he did into magic and his own personal exploits. Some adventuring, some monster killing, even using massive spells to create rain over the dead lands of the disbanded demon kingdom.

Soon, the class was over and Mr. Woodworth left the classroom. Kyle looked over at Beth and saw her pull out two boxes instead of one like the other day.

"So what did you bring today?" Kyle asked as he leaned over and looked at the boxes.

"I've got two potato halves, 4 pea pods, and two leaves of kale." Beth took the lid off one box and held it at an angle where Kyle could see everything in it.

"One potato half, 2 pea pods, and a kale leaf for me?" Those were the contents of the single box and it was honestly more than he thought he would get. There was no fruit, but an entire half potato... yum.

"One box is for you." Beth held out the box for Kyle and he took it.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting this much." Kyle stared at the food inside the little wooden box and compared it to the soup he normally ate. It was a great box.

"I think it is my mother trying to lure you in," Beth said as she took the lid off her box of food.

"Huh, she sounds funny." Someone trying to lure in Kyle was a funny thought. He hadn't even done anything noteworthy in this life and people already wanted him to come to their homes.

"Well, you could say that." Beth looked at her box of food. She seemed lost in thought for a second as she looked at the inside of the box.

"So, what should I expect?"

"Expect when?" Beth looked a little confused and looked back at Kyle.

"When I come to your house." Kyle was a little surprised that Beth already forgot what they were talking about, but he kept going.

"Oh yeah. Well, I have two brothers that will probably hassle you, and dad will probably too."

"So they are all funny." Everyone was going to hassle Kyle. Kyle wondered what kind of family she came from.

"Mom and dad are, but Berry and Cory will just be annoying."

"I have a younger brother, but he isn't very annoying." Dave was not very noteworthy, and he never really did anything eventful.

"Berry goes to school here and is two years older than me, so you will meet him on the way home."

"Okay, that's good to know." Kyle needed to think of a way to handle the older brother, but he would probably talk his way out if he was stopped.

"We should eat now." Beth looked down and then at the clock. It was already several minutes into the lunch time.

"Right." Kyle agreed and they both started eating.

Lunch finished and the goddess walked in. Time stopped and did not start again until the class was over.

"So just follow me." The class had just ended and now Beth was going to show Kyle the way to her home from the school.

"Okay."

Beth lead the way with Kyle and went to the exit of the school. Outside the entrance was the regular crowd of children going home and a few others waiting for their siblings. Kyle followed Beth over to a boy a little taller than him and with hair the same color as Beth's. It was her brother, Berry.

"So, this is him?" Berry said, sticking out his chest and trying to look like a big kid.

"Berry, don't start." Beth did not want to deal with Berry's antics right now, and he would leave her alone. It had been this way since Beth's older sister Cindy left, and sometimes he even got Cory involved.

"Yeah I'm him," Kyle said, stepping up to Berry. There was a small height difference, but Kyle knew he could take him.

"Hey listen, I don't like you hanging around my little sister." Berry was a bully. He did not have muscles or anything that made him qualified for that role though.

'You're 7, get over yourself.' Kyle could not help but think so as the 7-year-old acted tough.

"Oh, well I'll just be on my way then. It's okay Beth you can just go home." Kyle winked at Beth and hoped she would pick up.

"No, Berry you should go away." It was a failure, Beth did not pick up on it.

"I'm here to walk you home Beth. Let's get going before more loser boys show up."

"I can walk home without you, let's run Kyle." Beth grabbed Kyle's hand and they ran past Berry.

They tried to run, but Berry had a whole two years on them. That was 40% of their life. He was too fast. When they were in the crowd of children being released from school, Berry's speed was not such a big factor, but just a little into the street of the 3rd district and Berry caught up.

"Gotcha-" but before Berry could catch them, Kyle cast a spell.

'[Slow]'

It made opponents move much slower and fighting someone almost impossible, not to mention giving chase.

"Let's hurry!" Kyle yelled as urged Beth to go faster.

Kyle and Beth were able to make it to the Valheart home before the spell wore off and Berry caught up. Beth was a little out of breath, but the 2nd district area where Beth lived was not far from the 3rd district.

The Valheart home was two stories high and made from cob. The walls were thick and it had few windows. In front of the house was a stone wall and gate, and separating that from the house was a large yard.

Kyle walked with Beth down the stone paved path and up to the large wooden door. It was Beth's home, so she opened the door and let Kyle in.

"Just ignore them if they make any trouble." Beth said as Kyle followed her in. He could not see anything that would cause him trouble, except several glass classes with very expensive looking women's dresses. They were large and frilly, and it looked like they would cost many thousands of coins.

"Well Heelloooooooo." A man spoke in a voice that could have been used for singing, and Kyle looked in it's direction. There was a man standing in a doorway to Kyle's left, wearing fancy looking clothes. He had long blond hair and could have been a prince if he was a little ruder.

"Uh, hello." Kyle was a little put back, but he greeted the man anyways.

"Looks like we have a talker. Sarrrraaaaahhhhhh!" The man made a comment on Kyle and then called someone named Sarah.

"Is he here Reginald?" The woman who came from a door on the right was a beauty. She was just the right height, just the right size, just the right everything. Long blonde hair, plump other things, a true model woman.

The woman called Sarah spoke a name, so it was probably the man who just yelled her name. She came forward and looked at Beth and the Kyle.

"Is this the cutie who will teach you to read and write?"

'Who's a cutie? Me?' Kyle was called a lot of things, but recently cutie was not one of those things. Kyle was blushing like a little girl.

'Wait what am I doing? I'm 30 years old.' Kyle realized how dumb it was for him to be blushing at being called a cutie.

"Uh, yes. My name is Kyle Mercer." Kyle introduced himself to the Valhearts and stood next to Beth, just past the doorway. Beth had not said anything yet as if she was waiting for her parents to finish.

"Well, I'm Reginald, Beth's father."

"And I'm Sarah, Beth's mother."

"Now that the introductions are done, let's go, Kyle." Beth dragged Kyle up the stairs and left her mother and father behind. From the top of the stairs, Kyle could still hear the two of them talking.

"Already taking him to her room, what a shame."

"We didn't even get to mention the dress."

While Kyle was being shown the way to Beth's room, he could help but think about Beth's parents.

'How could Berry be so different?' Berry had the opposite reaction to Beth making friends than her parents had.

"So you are going to teach me how to read and write? Better than the old hag?" Beth asked as she walked into her room and shut the door. It was a standard girly room. Frilly little bed, stuffed toys, fancy pillows. The walls were painted purple though.

"Yeah, but does this room have a lock?" Beth looked at Kyle confusingly. She did not know how a long was important to learning to read and write.

"Okay, lock the door and then I will tell you. This is my secret method."

"Okay." Beth took a few steps towards the door and locked it, then turned back to look at Kyle.

"Okay Beth, what do you know about magic?"