A couple of hours later, about three hours, a sharp knock on Nova's door emerged. He had fallen asleep again, as if experiencing some jet lag, with all the kittens resting on him. He swiftly, but carefully, moved all the kittens, without disturbing them too much, back into the box. Then, sharply got up, stretching himself, cracking a couple of bones.
He looked around to see the apartment empty, but Talia told him the furniture would arrive either the next day, which was today, or a week from now. So, he half-expected the furniture and half-expected Talia to pop out of the door.
Talia had been a huge help; she also decided to bring them food until he found a job, to support both him and the kittens.
Another sharp knock on the door emerged.
He finally opened the door to see two white guys in a uniform, which was brown uniforms, who looked like they were going to move the furniture. He told them to come in, and they started to move the furniture.
He took the box and went over to the kitchen, seeing how effectively they were moving everything. Both of them, or at least one of them, looked awakened. And as they were moving, a familiar face crept in with a smile.
"Talia," Nova said in excitement, as it meant she had probably brought food, since his broke ass couldn't afford anything. "How are you?" He had to be polite to get the food.
"Good." She said, her voice enthusiastic. Then, excitingly: "I've been good. I rented a couple more apartments yesterday, and then tried to buy a lottery ticket and won. It's like ever since I met you, all of my luck has finally resurfaced. So, I have to thank you for that."
"Oh, that's nice. I see all the furniture is moving in. So, I have to thank you for your kindness."
"Oh, don't mention it. You're flattering me too much." She said, laughing, as the guys kept moving the furniture, ignoring the lot. Then, he remembered something and said, in an urgent manner: "I know you don't have a phone, but you know the American Guild that I was talking about."
He nodded his head.
She continued: "Well, they are deciding to hold a tournament for everyone who isn't awakened, but has the potential to be. And if they awaken, the guild will offer them an F-rank badge, and as you do the quest that the guild assigns, you can earn some serious money from that. So, I wanted you to know, if you are looking to earn a lot of money, while also trying out to join the guild, here's your chance."
Nova thought about it for a whole minute. His face looked like a Greek philosopher, deep in thought. He loved the idea that he could start earning money while just being on Earth for a week, but then he realized the tournament would be hard, since everyone would be at their best, and there would be many people he would have to go through. Which meant he needed to train until the day of the tournament.
"When is this tournament, exactly?" he asked her, in his curious tone, calculating everything.
"The tournament is supposed to be..." She glanced at her phone, checked the news, then added, "It's on August 20th; two weeks from now."
"I see," he said, calculating the amount of training he needed to reach the next level in his fragile mortal body. "I'll start training from tomorrow onwards. Five to ten hours a day, every day. Then, I will study."
"Study…?" She was confused about what he meant by study, as there wasn't any written exam for trying out for the guild.
"Yes, to get accustomed to this realm. I have to study." He said seriously.
She was thinking it was sarcasm, but no, she saw the serious look on his face, and was dumbfounded by the way he talked, as if he were from a far-off planet.
"Okay… well, I have brought you some food. So, you can eat that and feed the kittens first, then get back to your training and… studying."
She placed the box of food on the kitchen island, then waved at him as she ran off urgently, realizing the time and that she was late for a meeting.
Nova waved as Talia rushed off. He stood in the kitchen for a moment, listening to the fading sound of her footsteps in the hallway, then turned his attention to the box of food on the kitchen island.
Curious and hungry, he opened it to find a generous spread: rice, roasted vegetables, some seasoned chicken, and even a small dessert tucked into the corner. A soft smile rubbed his face. He hadn't tasted proper food since he arrived, and his stomach was rumbling at its arrival.
He took a seat on the bare floor, crossed his legs, and began to eat slowly, savoring each bite like it was a luxury. The food was warm and comforting, grounding him after the whirlwind of a day he was having. The kittens mewed softly from their box, stirring awake at the scent.
Nova chuckled. "Alright, alright. You eat too."
He took out the smaller container Talia had included, likely just for them, and carefully distributed the soft food into a shallow dish. The kittens climbed over one another, noses twitching, as they dove in with tiny, greedy mouths.
"Little monsters," he said affectionately, watching them eat with the focus of soldiers preparing for war.
About thirty minutes passed in calm silence. The movers had continued their work undisturbed, navigating the narrow hallway and open space with practiced efficiency. One of them, a tall man with a neatly shaved head, gave Nova a polite nod each time he passed by with a chair or a small table. The other, younger and stockier, had headphones in and moved with the rhythm of music only he could hear.
Eventually, the last piece, a small couch, was eased into place by the living room window. One of the movers wiped sweat from his brow and gave Nova a thumbs-up.
"That's all of it," he said. "You're set."
They gave a short wave, grabbed their equipment, and left without formality. Nova locked the door behind them, then turned around and took in the space.
It was no longer just an empty apartment. The furniture wasn't fancy, but it gave the place shape, personality. There was a worn-in charm to it, like the place had finally exhaled and settled into being a home. A place to rest. A place to prepare.
He glanced down at the kittens, now curled into a pile of satisfied fluff, then looked out the window, toward the horizon.
Two weeks. All he had were two weeks to prepare and prove himself.