After the basics (swallowing, controlling digestive system) were finished, they were all assigned homework; practice quickly swallowing prey to minimize struggling.

“That was… really cool,” Cassidy said, eyebrows raised.

“Yeah,” Ellis said, wiping off a bit of saliva. “I kept getting eaten though.”

Ivan chuckled. “You got me one time,” he said. “Besides, nekos are often prey.”

Ellis shuddered. “I know,” she said softly. “My dad was eaten by a harpy…”

“…Oh,” Ivan replied. “I am sorry for teasing like that.”

“It’s okay, you didn’t know,” Ellis said, smiling.

“Why don’t we go to my house and work on homework together?” Cassidy said, smiling.

They agreed and called their parents to let them know. Ellis’ mother didn’t seem to care, but Ivan had to do a bit of negotiating. Thankfully, they’d agreed to it by the time the bus was moving.

“Thank you for being my friends,” Ivan said.

Cassidy nodded, smiling. “No problem,” she responded.