Volume 4 Chapter 22 Break
The next day and the day after that, I continued my startup training.
"'Brahma'"
The time it took to start up, which was initially about 2 hours, had now been reduced to 5 minutes. At this rate, it was expected that the routine would probably be completed in a few days.
Once the routine was completed, it was said that Siddhi (ṛddhi) training would begin. Maintaining the startup, for now, was unnecessary if I could do the initial 5 hours of startup training, according to the plan.
So, I constantly practiced starting up and shutting down. Focus and dispersion. Training that repeated this excessively was quite exhausting.
"Mudi, let's take a break."
"Okay. Take about an hour break. I'll go relax in the city."
"To the city?"
"What time do you think it is now? It's lunchtime."
I checked the time as instructed. Noon. Even though I hadn't had breakfast, it was already lunchtime.
"Come to think of it, I haven't eaten anything for the past few days."
"You've been pushing yourself to the limit from early morning until you collapse, and it continues the next day. That's just too foolish."
Mudi chuckled teasingly. I gave him a displeased look.
"Alright, break time starts. Make sure you guys eat. It's stupid to collapse and interrupt the training."
"Understood."
After seeing off Mudi, I went to talk to Sandra.
"..."
Sandra, in her own way, seemed to be making progress with 'Samyama.' She sat cross-legged, deep in concentration with half-closed eyes. Her posture was close to an ideal meditation.
Even while having a normal conversation, Sandra seemed completely focused and unaware of her surroundings. Perhaps the completion of 'Samyama' was near. Depending on the situation, it seemed likely to be completed even today.
Was it okay to disturb her for a meal? My conscience pricked me, but in the end, I gently shook her and called out. I knew firsthand how tough it could be to concentrate too much. It's better to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
"Sandra, it's break time. Let's have lunch."
"...Mm. Let's do that."
Sandra quickly snapped out of her concentration and stood up. But then, she lost her balance and jumped into my chest.
"Oops, are you okay?"
"...My leg were numb. What a surprise."
I couldn't help but laugh.
"If you're so focused that you don't notice abnormalities in your body, completion must be near."
"Not really. I can concentrate, but I can't grasp the chakras."
Sandra rubbed her lower abdomen. Hara. While it was difficult for me to imagine the heart with modern knowledge, it wasn't as simple as just thinking of some organ when it came to the hara, as Mudi had said. It seemed complicated and difficult.
"Is your leg okay?"
"It's still tingling. I can't walk. It's numb."
"Haha, it's fine."
I carried Sandra back inside. In the living room, Ice was holding Moruru, who was sleeping peacefully, while Alex was surrounded by stacks of books, engaged in a conversation with Ice face to face.
"There are still 78 remaining enemy forces at the enemy base. They are on high alert, patrolling the fortress. Our remaining forces are 15... "
"That's right. So, what's the plan? We've already drilled the appropriate tactics up to this point."
"...'Attacker' 1 breaks through the center, concentrating the surrounding forces, and 'Thief' 6 collapses the fortress itself. The runes used are 'Bond,' 'Weak,' 'Collapse.' Mark them here, here, here, here, here, and here."
"Not bad. Let's proceed with that first. Show alternative solutions after confirming the results."
"Understood..."
Ice and Alex seemed to be discussing over a map. What stood out was that Ice had a black cloth wrapped around her eyes.
How could she point out locations on the map accurately?
"What are you two up to?"
"Oh, it's Wade. It's been a while since I saw you looking healthy. Don't worry us too much, okay? By the way, why is Sandra clinging to you?"
"My bad. Um, Sandra..."
"My legs are numb, so I'm relying on Wade."
"Haha, it's nice to see you getting along well. So, break time?"
"Yeah, it's time for lunch."
When I answered, Alex said, "Oh, right. Okay, Ice. Let's have lunch," and then raised his voice towards the ceiling.
"Prepare lunch for four people."
I noticed a paper placed next to the map on the table. It was labeled "Menu Preferences Form."
"Is this a house?"
"Yeah. I can whip up some simple dishes for you."
"I can't believe there's such a convenient feature. Astonishing."
"It's handy, right... Usually, I enjoy cooking, so I'm the one who cooks. But when I'm busy, I leave it to others."
Ice said with a smile as she removed her blindfold.
"So, um, right? We have tomatoes and eggs in the pantry, so maybe we could make Strappazzada or something like that."
Upon Ice's suggestion, I nodded.
"Yeah, that sounds good."
Strappazzada is a scrambled egg dish made with plenty of tomatoes. It's something you'd eat for breakfast, but since we're tired, a light meal like this is fine.
I glanced at everyone's expressions and then looked at Moruru's sleeping face. She was sleeping soundly. Maybe it's better to let her sleep rather than disturb her.
"What about Moruru? Does she eat anything other than raw meat?"
"Hmm... She eats anything, really... If I had to say, she tends to want to try things she hasn't eaten before."
"I see. Well, she's had Strappazzada before, so I guess it's fine this time."
I noted down four servings of Strappazzada on the menu request form. The paper then unraveled and disappeared into thin air.
After a short wait, I heard the sound of sizzling coming from the kitchen. As I tried to peek in out of curiosity, Sandra stopped me.
"It's one of the rules of the house. You shouldn't peek when someone is doing housework."
"Huh, there's a rule like that?"
"When the cooking is done, a bell will ring. Then you can go pick it up, and the food will be served on plates."
"This house is really efficient... I had no idea."
I knew the house had considerable strength from creating whirlpools in the pool, but I didn't realize it was this convenient. However, breaking the rules unknowingly could be a problem. I decided to refrain from making requests on my own.
Just as I was thinking that, the bell rang. I got up and went to the kitchen, where four servings of Strappazzada were neatly arranged on a tray.
"Wow!"
"Wade, you look so happy. How cute."
I was touched, and Sandra patted me on the head. Feeling embarrassed, I responded a bit curtly, "I'll just carry it for now."
"Mmm..."
Sandra followed me with a dissatisfied expression. She was rubbing her head against me in a way that was both affectionate and aggressive.
"Hehe, Sandra-chan is like a cat."
"Meow."
"Alright, Sandra, please sit down."
"Wade, you're blushing and acting tsundere."
"Don't call me a tsundere."
And so, the four of us gathered to have a light meal, chatting about each other's recent activities.
"Oh, so Ice, you have decided to focus more on a support role in battles."
"Yeah... Alex-san thought the strategist role suited me."
"This, Ice has high cognitive abilities, quick thinking, and good memory. It's still a work in progress, so I can't say much, but it's probably going to be amazing."
Alex proudly mentioned, indicating it was quite significant. I felt happy as if it were my own achievement and chuckled, saying, "That's Ice for you."
"N-no! Wade-kun is amazing too! I asked Sandra-chan, and she said you have started learning magic already from Mudi-san."
"Oh... well, it's a start. But I'm not exactly casting flashy magic yet, so I still have a long way to go."
"By the way, your humility hits me hard, Wade."
While taking a spoonful of food, Sandra said. She maintained her usual expressionless face but seemed slightly displeased.
Raising an eyebrow, I retorted,
"I think Sandra has a solid foundation. My gut feeling says you could make progress today."
"That's not true. I could have done this much even yesterday afternoon. Mudi said it gets harder from here."
"Really... I guess it's about understanding what 'Hara' means."
Ice and Alex watched our conversation with blinking eyes.
"It's clear there's a difference in progress between the two of you."
"You both are having a complicated conversation, huh?"
"Sorry for leaving you out."
I briefly explain what Yoga are, as well as what 'Samyama' is. It involves focusing on different parts of the body. It seems like something amazing can be achieved, but it may take a long time to get there.
"So, Sandra is facing a wall, huh?"
"And what's with the Hara (lower abdomen)?"
Sandra is holding her cheeks with both hands. Her expressions are vivid except for her face.
"Where exactly is it...?"
"Here."
Touching the lower abdomen. Ice briefly tilts her head, widens her eyes, blushes slightly, and then looks at me. Why are Sandra and Ice both looking at me?
"Um, well... that might not be the correct understanding, but..."
Ice whispers something to Sandra. Sandra says things like "Hmm, I see. Permission granted." I look at Alex, and we both shrug in confusion.
"Well, let's try it as soon as we finish eating."
"Good luck...!"
Sandra declares, Ice cheers. I don't understand anything and tilt my head while eating eggs.
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