Lin Ao returned to the Manor. It was already evening.
As soon as he got out of the car at the entrance, Lisa, the maid, hurried over to greet him.
"Is Sasaki Nozomi still training?"
Before leaving, Lin Ao had told her to keep an eye on Sasaki Nozomi and make sure she wasn't slacking off.
"Miss Sasaki has been practicing all day and barely rested. Before you left, she kept saying she'd finish practicing and then go shopping, but she's still in the practice room now."
Lisa pressed her lips together with a smile. Before Lin Ao left, Sasaki Nozomi had boldly claimed she'd be done in no time. But it seemed she'd wound up eating her words and had kept her head down, practicing in silence, stubbornly trying to prove herself right.
"Really?"
Lin Ao smiled along with her and headed to the practice room.
Sasaki Nozomi stood in the middle of the room with her eyes closed, seriously holding a pose. It looked a little strange, but this was what the Mystic Maiden Heart Sutra required of a beginner.
"Lisa, go prepare dinner. Miss Sasaki and I will join you in a bit."
Lin Ao sent Lisa to prepare dinner, then sat down nearby and watched Sasaki Nozomi practice.
He had originally thought Sasaki Nozomi would take advantage of his absence to go out and have fun.
He hadn't expected her to work hard all day without slacking off. Her movements had improved considerably, and her mind was calm enough, too.
If she kept this up, it looked like she wouldn't need a week to master the basics.
Half an hour later, Sasaki Nozomi let out a breath of stale air and slowly opened her eyes. She saw Lin Ao dozing off nearby.
She made no sound.