But now, all she could think was… how Emily must’ve seen this too. From his arms. From his bed. From the place Alice had always imagined herself in.
She felt like something was tearing inside her.
“Um, are you okay?”
The voice made her freeze. It was Emily.
Alice didn’t answer. Her throat felt tight. One word and she knew the tears would come.
She gave a short nod instead.
Emily, clueless as ever, smiled and handed her a glass of juice.
“I know you’re probably stressed about everything, but don’t look down, okay? Since Isaac promised to help, everything’s going to go perfectly!”
Her voice was sweet. Her intentions were good. But the timing couldn’t have been worse.
Alice tightened her grip on the glass.
Then Professor Catherine appeared behind them.
Her eyes scanned Alice for a moment before she said, “Emily, go give one to Isaac too.”
Emily nodded, cheerful as always, and left.
Professor Catherine stepped closer. She didn’t speak at first, just stood beside Alice and stared at the field.
“I know this is tough,” she finally said. “But try not to look like you’re about to cry. If you do, even Emily will figure out what’s going on.”
Alice stiffened. Her eyes darted to Catherine.
“W-what are you talking about, Professor?”
Catherine looked at her, smiling slightly. “You like Isaac, don’t you?”
Alice flinched.
She didn’t answer. She couldn’t.
“I thought so,” Professor Catherine said, almost gently. “Then why are you acting like it’s all over? You can still tell him. Our society allows polygamy. It’s not like you’ve lost your chance.”
Alice opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
“Isaac would say yes in a heartbeat if you asked. I’m sure of it.” Professor Catherine gave a short laugh.
She turned to leave, then looked back once.
“But if you keep waiting, he might lose interest.”
…
Present
Isaac wiped the sweat from his neck with a towel.
Emily approached him with a chilled drink.
“Here,” she said, handing it to him.
“Thanks,” Isaac replied, taking a long sip. The cold liquid was refreshing.
He glanced toward the ruined part of the buildings in the distance.
“I’ll head out to scavenge a table. We’ll need something basic for the stall.”
Emily tilted her head. “Isaac, you’re looking for a table to use as the shop’s stall, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then… why don’t you ask Tyr about it?”
“Tyr?”
“I think he can help.”
“You think?” Isaac asked. He paused. “Are you going off intuition?”
She nodded again, slower this time.
Isaac rubbed his chin.
“Well, he did reshape his hand when writing his evolution conditions, and he can change his size. Maybe he can do more.”
They walked together to where Tyr was resting in the shade of a tree. The small treant perked up as Isaac approached.
“This is Emily,” Isaac said. “My wife.”
Tyr’s leafy head tilted slightly, his expression—if it could be called that—turning cheerful.
He waved his viney arm like a child being introduced to a friend.
Emily had a heavy blush from being called a wife.
+0.5 AP
Isaac smiled. “Tyr, I want to ask you something. Can you grow wood and manipulate it to build things?”
Tyr nodded.
’That was… simple.’
“Okay, can you build something like a table?”
Another nod. Then Tyr tilted his head, a gesture Isaac was starting to understand. He wanted to know where to build it.
“I’ll go to the market with Tyr.” Isaac turned to Emily and the others. “We’ll be back soon.”
Emily looked a little down at being left behind, but Isaac gently patted her head before stepping away.
+0.6 AP
Isaac blinked as the notification popped up.
’Alright, she really likes the head-pat. Good to know.’
The jeep rumbled to life with Leora behind the wheel.
Tyr had miniaturized himself again to sit comfortably in the back. They drove toward the market. The streets were quieter with people taking a lunch break during this time.
Tyr stared out the window, taking in the surroundings with wide eyes.
As they reached the cleared land where Isaac’s new plot had been established, the rubble had already been moved off. A flat patch of dirt waited.
Isaac stepped out and held up a small screen. A simple image of a table hovered on it.
“Think you can make this?”
Tyr nodded without hesitation.
He crouched down and placed his palms on the soil.
From the ground, roots slithered upward like fast-growing vines. They twisted and merged, shaping into legs and a surface. A table.
Then it kept going.
More wood sprouted, forming vertical panels, then walls. A roof grew, layered with overlapping wooden leaves.
A sturdy frame shaped itself into doorways and interior walls.
One side stretched into a back room. Another went up, creating a rooftop area with railings.
A sign sprouted above the entrance, waiting for a name to be etched onto it.
Leora stood silently beside Isaac, arms crossed, watching it unfold.
Isaac looked at Tyr, blinking. “I asked for a table, but this….”
Tyr turned to him, his leafy expression proud, and pointed at the completed building.
Isaac sighed, then smiled. “Well, I guess we’re skipping the stall phase.
“Good job.”
Tyr’s expression turned bright.
They walked into the shop and opened the door—Tyr even made a working wooden hinge system.
A breeze passed through the interior.
There were three rooms, including one with shelves that could be used for storage. The wood had a natural warmth, not too polished, but smooth and solid.
“Tyr, really is an SSR character,” Isaac muttered. “He is smart, strong, have an exceptional potential, and he can build things for me too.”
“Yes, even I didn’t expect Tyr to be this capable. It makes one wonder how much he will improve when he ranks up,” Leora replied.
Tyr’s chest swelled like he’d understood their compliments.
Isaac looked up at the shop. A full store built from the earth in minutes.
“Now, we just need customers.”