Click—
Mael opened the door to Joann's office.
Inside, Lily sat on the sofa, eyes glued to the television.
"Morning, Lily," Mael said cheerfully.
"Morning, Mael," Lily replied, waving lazily without looking away from the screen.
Alright then.
Mael closed the door behind him and stepped into the room.
He walked closer and stopped behind Lily. "What are you watching?" he asked playfully.
Lily turned toward him with bright excitement, as if she had been waiting for him to ask.
"It's the popular adventure cartoon Scrubbob Cubepants! Gram-Gram and I used to watch this together all the time when I was way younger."
Fascinating…
Mael watched in quiet awe as images moved and spoke, almost as if they had souls of their own.
Although he had been in the mortal realm for two months and had seen countless human inventions, television still intrigued him.
Lost in thought, he barely noticed Lily speaking.
"Mael, do you want to watch cartoons with me?"
He snapped back to reality.
"Oh—right," Mael said. "Mrs. Joann asked me to tutor you with your studies."
"Gram-Gram?" Lily's eyes widened in shock.
Clap!
"Alright," Mael said firmly. "Please turn off the television and let's start studying."
"Awww—at least until this episode is finished," Lily pleaded.
Mael was about to refuse, but then he noticed her glossy eyes, tears threatening to spill.
"…Sigh. Fine," Mael relented. "You can finish it."
"Yay!" Lily cheered.
"Hold on," Mael added as he sat beside her. He lifted his hand and extended his pinky.
"Promise me you'll study after this, okay?"
"'Kay, I promise." Lily hooked her pinky with his.
Good.
Mael nodded quietly.
"Alright then. I'll check your mathematics workbook while you finish your show."
"'Kay!"
Mael sat on the floor across the coffee table, where a small pile of study books rested.
"There it is," he murmured, spotting the workbook from yesterday.
He flipped through the pages, the paper rustling softly.
"Okay… time to check her progress."
His eyes skimmed rapidly through the answers. To anyone watching, it might have looked like he was simply flipping pages at random.
"…Quite impressive," he muttered as he closed the book.
"She really is a fast learner."
A small smile tugged at his lips.
Several minutes later—
"That's all, folks! And remember—always wash your hands after you go outside! See you in the next episode!"
Kzzzzt—pop.
Lily let out a satisfied breath. "Okay, Mael. I'm ready to study."
Mael closed the textbook he had been reading. "Alright. Let's begin."
Lily sat down beside him on the floor. Their shoulders brushed, and she felt her face warm.
"I've made a study routine for you," Mael said.
"Study routine?" Lily tilted her head.
"Yes. It'll help you learn as efficiently as possible."
"Oh…" She paused. "So what are we learning today, Mael?"
"Science and English."
Clap—
"Let's start with science. Please flip to page sixteen."
Time passed.
The room fell silent as Lily wrote diligently in her workbook. The ticking of the clock grew louder and louder—
"Aaahhh—so boring!" Lily groaned, planting her face into the book.
"What's wrong, Lily?" Mael asked.
"Just sitting here writing all day is sooo boring," she complained.
"I thought learning was supposed to be fun!"
Fun…
Mael's gaze drifted to the television.
Then it clicked.
Children remember lessons better when learning is fun.
His eyes lit up.
"I've got it," he said, standing. "Alright—let's go outside."
"Outside?" Lily asked curiously.
"Yes," Mael replied. "You said it yourself. Learning should be fun."
He extended a hand. "Let's study science from our surroundings instead."
"O-okay!" Lily took his hand and stood up.
Mael grabbed the science textbook and headed for the door.
Click—
As he pulled it open, a figure stood blocking their way.
"And where do you think you're going?"
Lily froze instantly.
"H-Hi, Gram-Gram—"
Before she could finish, Mael stepped forward.
"Good morning, Mrs. Joann," he said politely.
"We're heading outside to do some field study for her science subject."
Joann's sharp gaze turned to Lily. "Is that true?"
"Y-yes, Gram-Gram," Lily replied timidly, hiding behind Mael.
Joann noticed the textbook tucked under his arm and let out a sigh.
"…Alright. Go have fun, you two."
She turned and entered her office.
Mael bowed. "Thank you for understanding, Mrs. Joann."
Lily bowed as well, her voice brighter than usual.
"Th-thank you, Gram-Gram!"
And with that, Mael and Lily made their way through the city.
By the time they arrived at the park, the contrast between them was clear.
Mael walked slowly, absorbed in the textbook, while Lily ran excitedly in circles nearby.
"Alright," Mael said at last, closing the book.
"Today, I'm going to teach you about the five senses. Do you know any of them?"
"Hmm…" Lily closed her eyes, thinking hard as she tried to recall what her grandmother had taught her.
"Ah! I know!" she exclaimed. "Sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing!"
"Correct," Mael said with a smile. "Very good, Lily."
Mael pointed toward a nearby tree.
"Try touching the tree, Lily."
Lily walked over and placed her hand against the bark.
"It feels rough!"
"And how about this?" Mael asked, picking up a small pebble from the ground and handing it to her.
She examined it briefly. "It feels smooth."
She already understands this, Mael thought.
Should I still continue with the basics… or move on to something more advanced?
Teaching, he realized, was harder than he had expected.
"Oh! A puppy!"
Mael turned just in time to see Lily dash toward a small dog nearby.
She crouched down and rubbed its belly happily.
"Ahhh—so soft and fluffy!"
Mael let out a quiet breath.
"…Yeah," he murmured to himself.
"I should probably wrap this up."
"Mael… Mael…" Lily called from afar.
"Hm? Yes, Lily?" Mael said as he walked toward her.
"What is that?" She pointed up toward the trees.
Mael followed her finger and spotted a small creature perched on a branch.
"I believe that is a squirrel," he said, then added, "They are classified as mammals."
"Classified?" Lily tilted her head. "Mael, what does that mean?"
"'Classified' means arranged into classes or categories."
Lily stared at him blankly.
"Ah—right." Mael snapped his fingers as he found an easier word to use. "It means groups."
"Oh." She nodded, then frowned again. "But what does mammal mean?"
Mael stood beside her. "A mammal is an animal whose babies drink milk from their mothers. They usually have fur or hair too."
Lily's eyes widened. "So… like us?"
"Yes," Mael smiled. "Humans are mammals as well."
She looked back up at the squirrel and nodded seriously. "Then it must drink milk too."
"I would imagine so," Mael said.
Finally, a topic she hadn't learned yet. This is my chance to teach her.
Mael excitedly pointed at a snail crawling across the ground.
"So, Lily, is that a mamm—"
Before he could finish, a sound rang out.
Blrrp…
Lily looked up at him. "Mael, I'm hungry. Let's eat something," she said, tugging at his T-shirt.
Mael let out a sigh. "Alright, fine. Let's eat."
With that, Lily's lesson came to a pause.