The morning after the hellish barrage of praise, I lay buried under my blanket, even as the morning sun rose.

On any other day, I’d be at the training grounds by now, working out like I did every day since entering the Academy. But today? Today was different. I hadn’t even bothered to get ready, much less step outside.

Why? I didn’t really have a reason. I just felt like being lazy today, so I decided to go with it. I’ve been running nonstop since setting foot in this world, right? Surely a day of doing nothing is justified.

Honestly, …