Su Hong dashed out of his bedroom in two quick strides. Sure enough, Lia’s door stood wide open—a fire blazed inside.

“C-careful!”

Lia stumbled down the hallway, clutching a wooden bucket of water. Su Hong hastily stepped aside. Though the bucket didn’t look large, it weighed nearly twenty kilograms. Lia’s Spirit Card training emphasized speed and finesse, not strength or stamina.

Just as Su Hong moved to help, Lia frantically rocked the bucket back and forth, gathering momentum.

“Heave—ho!”

Water flew out—but so did the bucket, slipping from her hands. It arced gracefully and landed on the bed with a *thump*.

Grandpa Lia came running. “Put it out?”

His words died the moment he saw it: the blazing bed, and the full bucket standing upright atop the flames.

Silence fell. Su Hong and Lia exchanged a glance. Lia’s eyes glistened, on the verge of tears.

“Hah…”

Su Hong sighed, pressing his fingers to his eyes. He took a deep breath and crouched low.

Before Lia or her grandfather could react—*whoosh!*—Su Hong shot forward.

He spun, lifted a leg, and kicked the bucket over just before the flames could catch his pajamas. He leaped back in one fluid motion. Water gushed out with a sharp *hiss*. Flames vanished. Only steam rose.

Grandpa Lia stared, dumbfounded. “After only a few days training with Lia… this skill? So going to Spirit Card Academy together next year isn’t just talk?”

“Amazing… Su Hong, why didn’t you show this during practice? Were you really a powerful Spirit Cardmaster before? Even with lost memories… does your body still remember?” Lia whispered, awestruck. The move was swift, seamless—his pajamas untouched. She knew she couldn’t have done better. And honestly? Fresh out of the shower, wrapped only in a towel, she *couldn’t* have moved like that.

“Maybe I just perform better under pressure,” Su Hong shrugged.

It wasn’t about past glory. Combat suited everyone differently. Strength hadn’t mattered before—but now, it did.

Still… why had Lia’s bed caught fire?

Lia clutched the towel wrapped tightly above her chest, eyes sad. The quilt was ash. The mattress bore blackened holes. Unusable.

“Lia, was anything important burned?”

“Nothing on the bed… but my clo— Wait?”

Her clothes weren’t burned—they hung neatly nearby.

A hint of relief softened her expression. She let out a quiet sigh.

To others, a trivial accident. To Su Hong, a red flag.

Fires don’t start alone. And clothes don’t move themselves.

His gaze snapped toward the culprit.

“Oh dear, the bed’s ruined! What to do~? Ah! Su Hong’s room has a double bed, right? Lia, you’ll just have to share. I’ll retire now—hohoho~ *cough*.”

Grandpa Lia shot Su Hong a quick wink and hopped away.

“Hey—wait!”

Su Hong lunged into the hall, grabbing the old man’s collar before he reached his door.

“What’s this about *now*?”

“Hoh, sharp kid,” Grandpa Lia whispered fast. “Plenty chase Lia in town. You? The only one I approve of—by hundreds. I’m helping. Preventing ‘accidents.’ Claim your spot first. Even if you fail the Spirit Card Academy entrance exam, Lia’s still yours. No thanks needed—go!”

Before Su Hong could reply, the door *slammed* shut.

Leaving him standing alone in the hallway, utterly dumbfounded.