Chapter 4: Building Beds?

Ethan fell back against the rough, splintered walls of the warehouse that now served as White Goat Academy. Luke and Lily stood before him, one with an aura of determined nerves, the other wearing an expression that screamed this guy is useless. Ethan, on the other hand, looked completely at ease.

"Alright, kids," Ethan began, crossing his arms melodramatically. "I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?" 

Luke was hesitant. "Uh, the good news?" 

Ethan grinned. "Good choice! The good news is we've got a roof over our heads, and we're officially a school!" 

Lily raised an eyebrow. "And the bad news?"

Ethan clapped his hands together, pointing to the corner of the room where a forlorn pile of hay sat. "That's your bed." 

Lily blinked. "That's it?!"

Luke scratched the back of his head. "Teacher, I think Hay might, uh, have bugs in it." 

Ethan waved this off. "Pfft, bugs are just extra protein. Builds character!"

Lily folded her arms. "Where are you sleeping, then?"

Ethan pointed across to the other corner, where an even smaller pile of hay lay. "The penthouse suite. You're welcome to upgrade if you impress me." 

Lily's jaw dropped. "This is a scam!"

Ethan clutched his chest in mock injury. "I take offense to that! You think I like sleeping on hay? I am a man of high standards; thank you very much. Which is why I'm going to fix this whole situation—"

"Really?" Luke sounded so hopeful.

"—by going to the forest with Max to chop wood for proper beds," Ethan finished.

Lily's eyes narrowed. "And how long will that take?"

Ethan scratched his chin. "Depends. How much do you think Max can carry?"

Max, who had been leaning silently against the wall, sighed. "You're coming with me, Ethan. Don't think you can dump all the work on me."

Ethan groaned. "Ugh, fine. But only because I care about you two," he said, pointing at Luke and Lily. 

Before heading out, Ethan turned to Max, his expression unusually serious. "Hey, Max, I've been meaning to ask you something." 

Max raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" 

"Are you, like, staying here permanently, or what?" Ethan asked, gesturing vaguely around the warehouse.

Max shrugged. "I hadn't thought about it. I was just here to help you start things." 

Ethan nodded thoughtfully. "Well, if you're staying, you're officially my assistant. If not, you're still helping with the wood. Either way, you're chopping trees today." 

Max let out a soft sigh but quirked a slight smile. "Guess I'm staying, then. Someone has to keep this place from falling apart."

"Good choice," Ethan said, slapping him on the back. "Now grab that ax, my loyal assistant. The forest awaits!" 

The walk to the forest was uneventful, except for the fact that Ethan did not stop grumbling. 

"Why do trees have to be so far away? Can't they just grow closer to the warehouse?" Ethan grumbled, kicking a pebble down the path.

Because that's not how nature works," Max replied, his tone flat. 

"Well, nature is inefficient," Ethan grumbled, sidestepping over a root and nearly falling over. "Remind me to have a talk with Mother Nature later." 

They came to the edge of the forest—the trees went upwards, casting long, sinister shadows across the ground. Max handed Ethan an axe, his face unreadable. 

"Here. Start chopping," Max said.

Ethan stared at the ax as if it belonged to some alien artifact. "Chop? Me? Max, buddy, I'm more of an ideas man. You do the chopping; I'll supervise." 

Max crossed his arms, unmoved. "If you want beds, you're chopping. Stop whining and get to it."

Ethan sighed dramatically, hefting the ax with both hands. "Fine, fine. But don't blame me if the tree refuses to cooperate. It's not my fault if they're stubborn." 

He approached a tree that looked as old as time itself, its trunk thick and gnarled. Ethan squinted at it. 

"This one looks ready to fall on its own. I'm probably doing it a favor," he muttered.

He swung the ax more forcefully than he had intended. The blade bit into the trunk with a solid thunk.

To his absolute incredulity, the whole tree groaned ominously, then fell with a deafening roar, scattering birds in every direction across the sky.

Ethan blinked, lowering the ax. "Whoa."

Max stared on, a few paces away, his mouth open. "You…you just knocked that tree down in one hit." 

Ethan frowned and turned to him. "Nope, that tree was ready to fall over on its own anyway; see it, old and tired, practically begging to be retired." 

Max looked again at the completely healthy stump left behind and raised an eyebrow to Ethan. "Ethan, that tree wasn't weak. You just-

"I just gave it a little encouragement," Ethan interrupted, already walking to the next tree. "Come on, Max, stop overthinking things. We've got wood to chop." 

Max sighed. "This guy…"

Ethan picked another tree, repeating the process. Again, with a single swing, the tree fell cleanly to the ground.

"Yeah, same thing," Ethan muttered, nodding and wiping at his forehead. "Bamboo all over. This forest needs to have its maintenance done properly."

Max leaned against a boulder, his eyes watching Ethan with growing incredulity. "You're not even beginning to grasp what's going on."

"What's going on is I'm doing all the work and you're standing there looking pretty," Ethan quipped, tossing another log onto the pile. "If you're done admiring my handiwork, maybe you could carry some of this wood back?"

Max didn't reply, too busy trying to process how Ethan could swing an ax like a lumberjack possessed.

Back at the academy, Luke and Lily were waiting anxiously when Ethan and Max returned, each carrying a bundle of logs. 

"You're back!" Lily exclaimed.

"And look at all this wood," Ethan said proudly, dropping his bundle in front of her. "Behold the fruits of our labor!" 

"You mean Max's labor?" Lily asked, crossing her arms.

"Hey, I did my part!" Ethan said, faking indignation. "Chopped down trees like a pro. Max will tell you." 

Max grumbled in the affirmative, "He's not wrong, but still." 

They began to put bed frames together. As Ethan was pounding a nail into one of the planks, he suddenly stopped mid-stroke. 

"Wait a minute," he said, dropping the hammer. 

Max looked up. "What now?"

"Bedding," Ethan said. "We need mattresses, blankets, pillows—all the comfy stuff."

"Do you have any money for that?" Max asked.

Ethan grinned. "I don't need money. I've got the system. Watch this."

He opened the system interface and crossed over to the shop menu. Luxurious bedding sets filled the window. Each bedding set looked more buttery and cozy than the last. Ethan's grin spread wider as he reached out to select a set. Then this notification came up: [System Account Balance: 0 Coins.] Ethan's grin wilted. "What?" he said. "What do you mean zero coins?" [Explanation: The user needs to instruct the students on how to earn the coins.]

"Are you kidding me?!" Ethan shouted. "You're telling me I have to work for this?"

[Affirmative.]

Ethan flung his arms in the air. "This is extortion! I didn't sign up for a capitalist system!" Max, barely able to keep a straight face, said, "So what's the play now, boss?" 

Ethan groaned and plopped onto the pile of logs. "The play is pretending I never saw that notice."

They had built three makeshift beds by nightfall. The lack of mattresses was still there; however, Ethan informed the children it was all part of character building.

Ethan lay on his makeshift bed that night staring at the ceiling.

"Well, maybe this teaching thing won't be so bad," he said to himself.

Task Progress: Provide adequate accommodations for pupils. 30% Done.]

Ethan groaned. "Great. Just 70% more to go. I'll deal with it tomorrow." 

And with that, he rolled over and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a future where his academy thrived... and where he finally got to sleep on an actual bed.