ANIMT - Chapters 15-18

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ANIMT - Chapter 15. Magic Power Awakening Medicine

The one who reacted the most to Kusaka-sensei’s sudden appearance was not me, much less Futaki-kun or Kokomi, but the dog-like creature.

*Woof*

Perhaps startled by the sharp voice, the dog literally flew at great speed into the chemistry prep room. Its fur stood on end. Peering through the open door, I could see it crash into a shelf with all its might. As it rag-dolled to the floor, I couldn’t help but worry. Before I knew it, I had stepped into the room.

Upon entering, I noticed a heavy-looking cardboard box on the shelf shaking from the impact of the collision. Sure enough, gravity took hold, and it fell towards the dog underneath it.

“Look out!”

I hugged the dog tightly and rolled out of the box’s way. Barely clearing it, a dull thud echoed through the room. As I gingerly got up, I saw the contents of the cardboard box scattered at my feet. I patted my chest, knowing that I had just made it in time. There seemed to be a large amount of material. If any small animal (?) got caught beneath this, they certainly would not escape injury.

*Woof*

The rescued dog-like creature didn’t seem to be injured. In relief, I took the chance to observe the room better.

“What the hell is this… ?”

The lights weren't on, so it was pretty dark in there. And apart from the shelf, there weren’t any big objects in the room. I was relieved to see that this wasn’t a torture chamber. However, I immediately pushed such preconceived notions aside after spotting an entire wall covered with pictures and posters.

There were posters of dogs, dogs, and more dogs. Or rather, they were all pictures of dogs.

Everywhere I looked, I saw pictures of dogs and life-sized posters that seemed to be custom-made. The few non-pictures appeared to be graphs that recorded a dog’s growth.

“Is this what that demon-teacher wanted to hide… ?”

While I was too stunned to say anything else, the teacher, his usual passive expression falling off his well-defined face, burst into the room with great force.

“Are you safe! Pochitaro… !”

Pochitaro? As I tilted my head to the side, the dog in my arms barked in reply. The teacher looked at the dog, apparently named Pochitaro, and only then did his expression finally relax, seemingly out of relief. He then ran over to me and hugged… the dog.

“You’re alright! It’s okay to be naughty but to take off your magic control collar and run away… I was sickened to my stomach. Where the hell have you been? Oh, your hair is a mess! We need to comb it immediately!”

Taking Pochitaro from my hands, the teacher began to check every inch of its body. I was somewhat taken aback by his gentle, sweet voice and how he took care of Pochitaro, which was unthinkable from his usual demeanor as a teacher.

I had many questions I wanted to ask him, but I didn’t want to talk to him at all.

As I hesitated over what to do… a dull thud echoed through the room.

I looked towards the prep room entrance, where the sound came from and saw Futaki-kun, who had just kicked the wall, glaring at me, his golden eyes sharp with annoyance.

“Hey, you fucking teacher. Get off your ass and explain everything to me.”

----Today’s Futaki-kun is very reliable.

* * * *

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At first, we gathered around a desk and sat on chairs to talk, the three of us on one side and the teacher on the other, with Pochitaro panting in his arms. He really was a free-willed dog.

“Hey, first of all, what’s with this dog? How can it use magic?”

The short-tempered Futaki-kun broke the ice without any hesitation. He was visibly annoyed, but I think this was expected given the situation. It’s a miracle that he’s played along so far. He also seems to be concerned about this magical dog.

By the way, I’ve already told the teacher how we ended up here. I wondered if he would be angry with Pochitaro, but he said, “I can’t help what’s happened done. It’s my fault for putting a loose collar on him,” he said, patting the fluffy head with a very gentle hand. It was a vomit-inducing sweetness. I’d like you to direct at least one-hundredth of that kindness toward me.

“I’d like to leave it there, but I don’t think you’ll be convinced unless I tell you what’s going on.”

“Of course.”

“To be honest, I also don’t want you to tell anyone else about this dog, Pochitaro, that I’ve been keeping secretly in the chemistry prep room. If I tell you everything that’s going on, can you promise to keep quiet about it?”

“I promise.”

Futaki-kun and Kokomi immediately agreed, and the teacher sighed deeply as if he had given up. Then, for some reason, he gave me a probing look. I didn’t understand the meaning of this gaze and could only shake my shoulders in confusion.

“Alright, I’ll tell you everything. I’m reluctant to do this, but I also owe you for saving Pochitaro from a dangerous situation… First of all, have you guys ever heard of the Magic Research Institute?”

Before I could give any response, a voice from the side said, “Oh.”

“You know of it? Kokomi.”

“Ha, yes, I do. I believe that’s the name of the specialized magic institute where my best friend had her magical aptitude tested, as I told my sister before.”

I had never heard of it before, but I remembered Kokomi’s mention of an institute with useful technology. I’m sure she referred to this one.

“That’s right. Ostensibly, it’s a private institution that conducts specialized magical research to pursue magic development. But there’s more to that place. That institution is secretly conducting inhumane research that violates our laws of magic use set by the government. One of the main research topics is the development of a potion that forcibly awakens magic power… in people with poor magical aptitude.”

“Wha… !”

I exclaimed in surprise. Futaki-kun and Kokomi’s faces were also dyed with astonishment.

“S-So, is there really such a drug?”

“After repeated experiments over a long period, something close to perfection exists. Those who take it will always be able to use magic, although the strength of the magic power gained varies depending on the medicine’s compatibility. This Pochitaro… was originally an experimental animal in a laboratory, and its magic power only appeared due to the use of that medicine.”

*Woof*

Pochitaro raised his paw cheerfully, and my eyes met his amber eyes, the same color as mine. It seems he woke up before I knew it.

While this was something entirely out of the ordinary, we had experienced this dog’s magic firsthand. We had no choice but to believe it was true after all.

“The name of the potion is magic power awakening potion. It is not yet widely available, but some are trading it for a high price. Also, it seems that they also offer the medicine for free to a small number of boys and girls who yearn for magic and are willing to consent to experimentation.”

“Does that medicine have any… side effects?”

“It’s still in the data collection stage, so I can’t say that there aren’t any. Side effects seem to vary from person to person. I think it’s a little better now, but I’ve heard rumors that in the prototype stage, the first test subjects suffered from memory loss and other mental abnormalities, and some still suffer from these aftereffects.”

I was horrified at the answer to Kokomi’s question. It was insane to distribute such a risky drug.

But why did this teacher know so much about it?

“… Why do you know so much about that lab?”

Futaki-kun, in a resentful manner, asked the exact question I was thinking. The teacher clammed up immediately before eventually muttering in a strained voice with a look of deep-seated annoyance.

“That’s because I was… originally a researcher at the institute.”

----

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ANIMT - Chapter 16. Suspicion and Declaration of War

The air in the room seemed to throb at this unexpected admission. I gathered my thoughts before finding enough courage to ask a question.

“Are you saying that you were also involved in the development of that drug?”

“Yes. However, as a mere researcher far down the pecking-pole, I was not informed of any development methods used in this medicine. I worked at a branch office, not the headquarters, and only with the institute for less than a year. Looking after animal experimentation, that was my primary duty, and I’ve kept a record of my observations of Pochitaro this whole time since.”

“Why are you a teacher here at… ?”

“I got fed up with the… lab and ran away with Pochitaro. I grew attached to him after being with him for so long. I didn’t want to leave him in that inhumane institution any longer. I hated everything about that place. The idiots who tried to get drugs for money, the people who sold those drugs without much thought. I hated them all to the point of nausea.”

There, the teacher glanced at me again, probing me with a look as if searching for something. I still couldn’t understand the meaning behind that gaze.

“That’s why I’m here as a teacher at a school hidden away deep in the mountains. I got in due to family connections. My father was an acquaintance of the principal.”

The teacher’s delicate fingertips caressed Pochitaro affectionately. His love for Pochitaro-kun seemed really deep and sincere. Well, looking at the inside of that room, it was painfully evident that his love was genuine.

Perhaps the teacher hid him in the prep room because his room in the teacher’s dormitory would frequently be cleaned. I think they needed a place like this, where only teachers were allowed.

“That’s all I have to say. I’m sorry that I got you guys involved in… I was caught off guard because he’s never removed the magic control collar and escaped on his own before. If word of Pochitaro’s existence gets out, it’s not unlikely that the institute will try to get him back. I’m sure you wouldn’t want that to happen. Please keep this to yourselves, including the background surrounding this.”

----I couldn’t immediately nod yes to the teacher, who quietly lowered his blue eyes.

No, it’s not that I couldn’t promise confidentiality. It’s not that I don’t want to promise confidentiality. It’s just that I’ve been through a lot with this teacher. However, no matter how hurtful he has been, I’m not going to try and get back at him over something that might involve the life of another living being.

----I think I understand the fragility of life a little better than others.

Instead, I had a problem that I hadn’t yet solved.

“I don’t want to divulge this to anyone. But I still have something I want to ask of you, as this might be my only chance. If you answer it, I swear to keep this a secret.”

“That’s… ”

“… Why do you hate me, teacher?”

The teacher’s eyes, outlined by his non-framed glasses, widened slightly at my direct question.

“Teacher, from the first time we met, your attitude was only different towards me, right? I can understand if I did something, but… I think you have clearly expressed your dislike of me from the first time we met. Could you please tell me the reason for this?”

The teacher contemplated for a minute or two as I cut straight to the heart of the matter.

Kokomi looked on with concern, while Futaki-kun remained sullen on the sidelines.

The teacher then looked me straight in the eye and said.

“That’s because… I suspect you used a magic power awakening potion.”

“What… ?”

“According to all currently confirmed data, all drug users have light pink hair color and amber eyes. The same color scheme as Pochitaro… and you.”

I subconsciously touched my hair. I could see a reflection of my amber eyes in the teacher’s glasses. Did this mean that the feeling that Kokomi and I shared when we first saw Pochitaro, that the dog and I were identical, was not wrong?

But how could I be a drug user?

“No, you’re not!”

Kokomi shouted on my behalf as if she couldn’t stand such an accusation.

“You’ve just learned of the existence of the laboratory, right? There’s no way she’s a user!”

“But Nobana’s magical aptitude, which would normally manifest in her first year of middle school, came out so late. She likely found out that she didn’t have any magical aptitude and learned about the potion’s existence later on. With such shallow thoughts, she must have got her hands on some and taken it. Many people have a yearning for magic, you know. Besides, your hair color and eyes are definitive proof.”

“There are very few people who have such a delayed manifestation of magical aptitude, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any! I learned that in class! Even her hair color and eye color could be a mere coincidence!”

“That’s what I thought too. It’s true that if that’s all it is, it could be that she is not a drug user. But how do you explain her magic power that hasn’t improved at all? If you get magic power from a potion, if the user is incompatible with the potion from the start, those with low magic power will stay that way. Normally, the amount of magic power will improve with training, and within a month of having aptitude, you should be able to use basic magic. However, Nobana is still unable to even use matter manipulation magic. Isn’t that because she relied on the medicine for her magic power?”

I thought back to the sarcasm he had said to me the day I had rebelled against him. As I recall, the teacher had cursed me for my low magic power, saying it was due to lack of training. Maybe those were just empty words to see how I would react.

“You deliberately pretended not to know about the laboratory, and you’re still hiding the fact that you’re a drug user… to be clear, it is not yet confirmed, but I have ongoing suspicions.”

“Oh no! My sister is not such a person… ”

I restrained Kokomi with one hand as she tried to bite the teacher with a face like she was about to cry.

I see. If you listen to what the teacher says, I am completely black. I have all the symptoms of a drug user. If I was a user, it may be inevitable that the teacher, who hated everything related to the institute, would be cold.

I know that I am not using any drugs, but I also know that the allure of such things is too great for some people. There are many things people can use to make their lives easier. However, I’ve never been a fan of magic. I would have been happier living an everyday student life in a regular high school.

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“Even if I told you that I didn’t use such a potion… you wouldn’t believe me, will you?”

“Oh. Sorry, but yes, I don’t believe you at all.”

“… The teacher’s main reason for suspecting me is that my magic power is not improving, right? If that’s the case, will your suspicions be confirmed if I raise my magic power on my own and show you just how much I can improve?”

Leaning forward on the desk, I stared at the teacher.

“If only you were capable of such a thing.”

The teacher sniffed and turned his contempt towards me. I could see him gradually returning to his usual attitude, the one he used in private with me.

I need to prove my innocence and get him to apologize for everything he has done to me.

… So I took a gamble.

“Fine. I will now improve my magic power by myself and show my power to the teacher… In about three weeks from now, in the mock magic battle.”

Kokomi was upset at my sudden suggestion, “Oh, sister?”

I’m indeed a dropout, and I’m not sure if I can improve my magic power so quickly. However, the battle would be the perfect stage to demonstrate my ability. More importantly, thanks to my training with Kokomi, my magic power has been improving, albeit slowly and slightly. I’m sure I can prove that I’m not relying on some drug for my magic.

“… Alright. If you can show me what you can do, and even win one of your matches, then I’ll change my mind. I will even bow my head and apologize.”

“Yes, sir, you will have to apologize. Also, in the unlikely event that I make it to the upper rankings, I’ll ask you to do one thing for me as an apology for everything you’ve done.”

“Ranked? You?”

The teacher gave a blatantly ridiculous sneer.

The teams that scored the highest points in the magic simulation match would get ranked to indicate their strength. Only the top ten teams were given this honor. Everyone on a team that made it into the rankings earned a high grade, which became the goal everyone aimed for. If the times weren’t this trying, I wouldn’t even try to reach such a level.

I softly looked at Futaki-kun. I’m sure you’ll be more willing to participate if you know what was at stake. To make it into the rankings, I needed his help as a partner. He came to the training building due to my letter, so I would like to believe that he intends to compete with me.

“What do you think, teacher?”

It may be a bit forceful, but in these negotiations, the one who takes the initiative wins… or so my best friend Kae-chan once said.

The teacher scratched his head, silver locks of hair falling out of place as a result, before observing me deeply.

“… Just for the record, what is your wish?”

“Please show me last month’s list of permitted magic-users.”

“The list of permitted users… ?”

He quizzically raised his eyebrows.

“Why would you want to see something like that?”

“… Hey, I just wanted to check something.”

“Hm, I’m not sure, but okay. It’s not something that students aren’t allowed to see. Besides, it’s probably impossible for you to earn a rank anyway.”

The teacher, who had entirely returned to his usual attitude, held Pochitaro carefully and stood up, signaling that the conversation was over. I also called out to Kokomi, who cringed at the teacher’s display of arrogance, and Futaki-kun, who was busy thinking about something.

Before leaving, though, I turned around and dropped my final words on Kusaka-sensei.

“… Please be prepared, teacher.”

With the will of a weed that has just six months left to live, I’ll show you what I am capable of.

----

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ANIMT - Chapter 17. Quiet: A Tiger’s Melancholy (Futaki Kitora’s Side Story)

Futaki Kitora lay on the asphalt on the multi-purpose building’s rooftop, taking a nap in the warm sunshine. It was almost time for afternoon classes to begin, but Kitora skipped them as a matter of course, like a real delinquent.

This area was considered Kitora’s territory, and no one visited, no matter the weather. Typically, in this quiet, unpopulated space, he would immediately fall asleep if he closed his eyes. But lately, some things flashed through his mind, and his rest was disturbed as a result.

“…”

People who have too much time on their hands inevitably think about things that have happened to them.

One of the presences was persistent in its attempts at invading his thoughts…

It was the girl who flung a branch at him about a week ago and cursed at him. She was a depressing woman who was always on the defensive, forced to deal with the circumstances she has made for herself. It’s not that I don’t like her, but I simply don’t like the way she looks at me.

In the past, Kitora had always worn a stern expression and he also couldn’t help giving off an air of intimidation due to the size of his body, which was larger than most. However, he saw himself as someone with a neat, albeit but unattractive image, so others were often frightened of him for no reason. Not only that, but they also called him cocky just because of his eyes, which often got him into trouble. Because of his short temper and because he hated anything bothersome, he crushed all such people. It was a natural progression for him to become a tyrant.

He had no friends and associated with no one.

The only person willing to associate with him was his cousin, whom he treated like an older brother. He was three years his senior, but Kitora could rely on him completely. The gentle voice he used when calling him, his affectionate head pats, and above all else, he loved the warm, sunny eyes that clearly reflected his image. He saw Kitora for who he truly was. As long as he had his brother, Kitora didn’t care if no one else understood him. His brother was the center, and only resident, of his world.

However, during Kitora’s first year of middle school, he was betrayed by his brother shortly after the first signs of his magical aptitude blossomed. One day, he woke up to find that his hair, which had been jet-black, was dyed bright red, and his eyes had changed to a golden color reminiscent of a lion’s.

The best word to describe Kitora’s feelings at this time was despair.

When his brother was young, he was involved in an incident involving magic. Ever since he felt antipathy towards magic. He didn’t dislike it, hate was the better descriptor.

His brother, who usually wore a gentle smile, changed drastically when encountering any magic-user. Involuntarily, his demeanor would morph into that of someone looking down on a lowly worm.

Kitora was afraid that his brother would hate him after discovering that he had magical aptitude. But at the same time, he held a small amount of hope that his brother would accept him for who he was regardless.

But reality was ruthless. Standing in front of Kitora, whose hair and eyes had changed color, his brother stared down at him with a look of hatred beyond any other he had seen before.

In an all too familiar fashion, his brother brushed away Kitora’s hand as he tried to approach and screamed not to touch him. Kitora could no longer see himself in his brother’s eyes. As he watched his brother leave, Kitora realized that from here on out, the only emotions he would see in people’s eyes were that of awe, disgust, and fear.

He never saw his brother again and spent the rest of his middle school life in solitude before entering Sakuranomiya High School of Magic. And on the very first day of high school, after everyone else had already formed groups, the homeroom teacher called him and paired him with the girl in question.

Kitora rolled onto his back, looking at the endless blue sky. After reminiscing about his past, his mind involuntarily moved on to that girl.

The first time they met, the girl had been terrified, darting her gaze this way and that, but never making eye contact with him. He remembered how completely deflated she was and how her shoulders shook at his every move, something that left him terribly depressed.

Of course, he didn’t want to remember her name, even if she was his partner. Whenever he saw the girl, he would call her a bitch and scorn her at every opportunity. Every time he did this, he noticed that the girl had a very hurt look on her face, but it didn’t matter in the slightest to Kitora. Even after three months of being a pair, the girl and her eyes still couldn’t communicate properly.

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In his latest interaction with her, the girl’s dirt-stained face was disgraceful and her light pink hair was a mess. Her mouth, which used to stammer all the time, moved as it pleased, and she hurled her thoughts at Kitora before finally running away without even giving him a chance to react.

However, the girl’s expression at that time, her dirty appearance, and the eyes that stared at him… were something that Kitora could not forget.

Since then, from time to time, thoughts about the girl came to mind and interfered with his rest. It had finally reached a breaking point for Kitora.

I’m not sure what the girl’s name was. I think she mentioned it at the end.

In a half-hearted slumber, Kitora searched his memory vaguely.

‘Sumire… Nazuna… Yomogi… Banana… Mugwort… ’

The frustration began to boil over again since he couldn’t find a good match. If he could find half of her name, he should quickly find the other half.

“… Ah?”

His thoughts were interrupted by a paper plane, and with no progress on finding the name, he figured he might as well investigate what it was. He saw his name written on it, so he opened the paper without hesitation.

“… What is this?”

Looking through the contents, Kitora frowned grandly.

First of all, the writing was terrible. It was a request to come to the training building, but it read like a letter from a stalker. No, even a stalker would write more coherently and convincingly than this.

But that wasn’t what caught Kitora’s attention.

‘Nobana… Mitsuba’

“Oh, so that was her name. Yeah, I remember now.”

After that much was clear, he put the letter away. He had no intention of just accepting the summons. It was true that no matter how good his grades were, skipping the second mock battle was not a good idea. Kitora was a yankee who was very good at calculating credits, after all. However, there was no reason why he needed to participate as a pair. If it was possible in principle to participate as an individual, participating as an individual would be enough.

Kitora was about to tear up the paper and scatter it in the wind, however…

“… ”

Reading over it again, Kitora ended up shoving the paper straight into his pants pocket.

There was no deeper meaning to his action. He just didn’t want to throw it away right at that moment. He could toss it in the trash later.

He was at a slight loss with what to do with it. For some reason, he felt like he could sleep better this time.

But even after deciding on this, Kitora continued to wander around in front of a trash can. He stopped from time to time but never took the paper airplane out of his pocket. On top of that, when class ended, he would usually go back to his dormitory as soon as possible. However, he decided to hang around the school buildings that day for some reason or another. He rationalized this action internally as an act of boredom.

He decided to nap on a tree near the training building entrance, only waking up when the sky had turned madder red. Still, in a dazed state, he soon found himself on the stairs leading to the training building’s second floor.

“What am I doing?”

Unable to understand his actions but somehow unwilling to turn back, Kitora kept moving forward.

“I’m only checking it out because she summoned me.”

This was just a whim.

As he ascended the stairs, a piece of paper with the girl’s name written on it sat firmly in his pocket.

----

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ANIMT - Chapter 18. Grim Propects

On the morning of the day after my declaration to the teacher, I headed to the training building an hour earlier than usual and started my magic training alone.

To put it bluntly, I was really sleepy, but it couldn’t be helped since I was such a failure at magic, and if I wanted to get ranked, I needed to start training like a madman.

I only had about three weeks left until the magic mock-battle.

My highest priorities were: training in the morning, training in the day, training in the afternoon, and training in the evenings. Yes, nothing but training!

After my talk with Kusaka-sensei yesterday, I went to the staff room to obtain permission to use magic. I remember he was quite surprised.

Kokomi said, “I’ll go with you!” But I didn’t want to disturb her to get up so early, so I politely declined. Maybe that’s why Kokomi came later at the usual time and said, “I woke up early to make this!” She handed me some lemons soaked in honey. She looks like a baseball team’s manager. I mean, you ended up getting waking early, after all, didn’t you, Kokomi?

After eating the unusually delicious lemons and finishing my morning training, it was time for lunch.

For lunch, chopsticks in my right hand, a textbook in my left hand. I couldn’t forget that there was also an end-of-semester test before the magic mock-battle.

Sine, cosine, and tangent on rice. Suihei Liebe and Asaki Yumeishi as a meat side-dish.

I was accompanied by my lunch companion, Kokomi, who had skipped several grades through middle school but was somehow able to keep up with both her and my studies, as usual. However, she always brushed off any comment I made on that with something like, “I’ve had a tutor since I was a child.” She is as smart as she is strong with magic,

I think God should be a little fairer when allocating our stats.

Of course, I can’t afford to let my training and studying distract me from my regular classes.

I may look charming when I doze off in class, but I couldn’t afford to make any blunders that would lower my class participation grades, especially in Kusaka-sensei’s class. I’m not sure if it’s because of his attitude or because of the way he ruthlessly attacks me, but either way, my least favorite subject is chemistry by far.

I had chemistry class today, and because of yesterday’s incident, I got through the class feeling very awkward. The teacher didn’t make any noticeable contact with me, but once our eyes met, he said something like, “Well, why don’t you try harder?” I don’t know if I’m just paranoid, but I think he looked at me like I was an idiot.

Paranoia or not, it made me more determined to fight with my all.

----Time flew by at such a furious pace that before I knew it, the school day had ended.

“I’m sorry, sister!”

Kokomi shook her golden hair and bowed her head vigorously.

“If it’s committee work, there’s nothing you can do.”

“No! Just keep training, and I’ll be there! I promise!”

“No, no, don’t force yourself… ”

Kokomi is a member of the library committee, and it seems that today she’s on duty to organize the bookshelves after school, something which happens once a month. Of course, the committee takes precedence over my training, so while we would typically head to the training building together, today, we had to part ways in front of the classroom.

I heard that organizing the bookshelves was quite hard work, so I think it’s okay for her to take a break from training today. Well, if she had permission to use magic, she could probably finish organizing the bookshelves in an instant.

“Well then, good luck with the committee work. I’ll do my best to train too.”

I waved goodbye at Kokomi and started to walk towards the training building. But Kokomi seemed to have something more to say and stopped me, “Oh, and, uh, sister!”

“Is something still wrong?”

“Oh, no, it’s about… Futaki-san… ”

As if it was too hard to say, Kokomi paused after his name.

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After Futaki-kun had left the chemistry room yesterday, he had disappeared before we knew it. I hadn’t been able to apologize for anything, including the fact that he ended up getting involved with the dog incident, and of course, I hadn’t found a chance to make an appointment for today. Since then, I haven’t seen any trace of him, so I guess I’m wondering if he’s going to come to training today.

Even yesterday, due to the dog fiasco, we weren’t able to practice magic in pairs… I think I might have missed the best opportunity to practice with him.

If it really were a whim yesterday, there is no guarantee that he would come again today. In fact, after hearing such a disturbing story, he might not want anything to do with me.

However, I didn’t burden Kokomi with my worries and smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“He came here after reading my letter, so I’m sure he’ll come again today.”

“Well, is that so?”

“Yes, yes. Besides, Futaki-kun seemed to be a more understanding person than I thought after talking to him. Even if he doesn’t show up today, he might show up tomorrow. If he doesn’t show up for more than three days, I’ll run all over the school this time to find him and ask him to join us. Don’t worry!”

“If that’s what sister says… ”

Even the anxious Kokomi seemed to have finally been reassured by my repeated mantra of ‘don’t worry.’

Checking the school’s clock tower from the classroom window, I could see that it was almost time for the committee meeting to start. I urged her to hurry up and go.

As she left, she said, “Please don’t overdo it!” It’s just like her to leave a message like that.

I took her words to heart and hurried towards the training building myself, as I didn’t want to hurt myself from overworking.

* * * *

“Go!”

I shouted while standing in the same training room as yesterday. In the middle of the large, empty space, a mop lay haphazardly on the floor. Well, I had brought it from the cleaning supplies closet and placed it there.

I can use movement magic to move the mop, but what I’m trying to learn is matter manipulation magic.

As the name implies, this is a higher grade of magic than movement magic and allows you to manipulate matter as you see fit. Movement magic only moves things, but this magic can make things move in complex ways. If you learn it, you can make your mop sweep automatically.

This beginner’s magic is also very versatile, and if you can manipulate it to the point where you can make it move in more detailed ways, it can be a mighty weapon in a match. It’s for the sake of obtaining such a weapon that I dedicated the effort to learn this basic spell.

The mop’s handle shook, but there were no signs of it moving to begin cleaning.

“I wonder why… I’m doing exactly what I learned in class… ”

I had tired myself from the exertion and could only hang my head while cringing. I wondered if it was because of my low magic power after all. I thought I had improved a bit recently, but it seemed that the barrier to learning new magic remained very sturdy.

Sighing, I decided to take a break. I used my movement magic to pull over a sports drink that I had lying around and crouched down against the wall.

I’m good at this kind of magic, though… As I thought, it’s different when you try on your own. There was no one to ask for advice, and there wasn’t anybody I could seek encouragement from like Kokomi normally would. My self-confidence steadily decreased. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was even possible for me to win a single match, much less earn a rank. My already weakened self-esteem began to collapse under the weight of these thoughts.

It was usual for me to be all alone a few days ago, but now I feel so lonely without anyone by my side.

I glanced at the door of the room.

I had been training in solitude for a little over an hour now. Since I was only allowed to use magic for two hours today, I didn’t have much time left.

Looking at the door with no sign of anyone coming in, I almost sighed again… but managed to swallow it in time.

Forcing that dog-obsessed teacher with glasses bow to me had become my fever dream. I couldn’t afford to give up so early!

Besides, I needed to get ranked, and that was something I had to do no matter what.

“Good!”

I slapped my cheeks to get my energy back up and stood up with vigor. It would be a shame to spend my precious training time being a slacker.

With that in mind, I faced the mop once more when I heard a clatter and saw the door slowly open.

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TL Note: Mald Frogs Club tries to capture the intent of the author when translating these chapters. This is not a literal translation and we can not guarantee the accuracy of it. We re-structure sentences to improve the flow and if we spot what appears to be an obvious error, we fix it as we go.