"Itsuki, let's stop here for today."
"Huh?"
"I need to go home now."
When I checked the time, it was 4:30 PM. For an adult, this might seem too early, but for a first-grader, it was the usual curfew.
In the end, I couldn't manage to move the second-phase, level two magic power out of my body. It was tough. I remembered that it also took me a whole month of practice before I could finally master Thread Arts. Maybe I'm just not good at expelling magic power from my body.
On the other hand, internal magic manipulation, like Rotation Arts and the refinement of magic power, came naturally to me—I picked them up in less than an hour. Maybe those are my strengths.
I see... I'm starting to understand my strengths and weaknesses.
"Nina-chan, thank you for teaching me magic today."
"Well, it was part of our deal."
"Oh, right. You helped me out, so what's your request? You said you had something you wanted."
When I asked her, she furrowed her brows, thinking it over for a moment.
"No, not now. I'll tell you my request after you've fully learned Alchemy."
"Okay, that makes sense."
Nina-chan slung her backpack over her shoulders and then, looking a bit shy, she added,
"Itsuki..."
"Yeah?"
"...See you tomorrow."
"Yeah! See you tomorrow!"
Was this the first time Nina-chan responded to my farewell? Wow, it felt like we'd gotten closer. Like we were actual friends.
As I watched Nina-chan leave the classroom, I suddenly realized something: I could walk her to the school gate.
"Oh, Nina-chan! Wait up! I'm heading out too!"
Grabbing my backpack, I ran after her. When I got to the hallway, I saw Nina-chan waiting at the end, giving me a look that said, "Hurry up!" She really is kind.
So, we walked down the stairs together, chatting along the way. After changing our shoes in the shoe locker and stepping out into the schoolyard, I asked her,
"Nina-chan, where do you live?"
"Over that way. It's about a 20-minute walk."
She pointed in a direction completely opposite to where my house was. Hmm, so we wouldn't be able to walk to and from school together.
"What about you, Itsuki?"
"I live that way."
I pointed in the direction of my house, and Nina-chan murmured, "Opposite direction." I nodded in agreement.
As we were about to exit through the school gate, we noticed a man standing there.
How old could he be? He looked like he was in his 40s.
His greasy hair was messily scattered, and a thin, unpleasant smile was plastered across his face as he stared intently at the school.
Ignoring the monster's words, I stepped in front of Nina-chan to shield her.
I refined my magic power once again.
In that moment, the heavy magic power settled in my stomach while the light magic power flowed to the tips of my fingers. I wove the light magic into threads and unleashed them as blades.
—Whoosh!
The sharp sound of the air being sliced rang out as the threads cut off the monster's third arm from its chest.
'Ouch!'
Dark, sluggish fluid oozed from the monster's severed arm as it toppled over.
Just as I suspected.
Magic created with light magic power is faster.
From what I could tell, it's about 1.3 to 1.5 times faster than usual. I thought the attack might lose some of its power, but judging by how it sliced through the monster, it should be more than enough to handle third-phase creatures.
The only issue is that, without the stabilizing effects of Rotation Arts, the power of the magic is inconsistent. But I got an idea during that last strike.
Might as well try it.
"Nina-chan, calm down. It's okay."
I heard Nina-chan take a deep breath behind me.
'But I just wanted to play...!'
The monster's stomach suddenly split open, revealing rows of dirty, brown teeth.
Liar. You were planning to eat us.
My motto in this life is to strike first.
Before they can get you, get them.
I refined my magic power once more.
As the refined magic gathered in my right hand, I attempted to use Rotation Arts on my right hand alone.
"...Yep, just as I thought."
The light magic power in my hand evened out.
Just as I expected. Rotation Arts isn't limited to the whole body. You can use it on just a specific part. Unveil more tales at m_vl-em|p-yr
By combining magic refinement and Rotation Arts, I achieved something like a quick draw—a rapid-fire magic shot.
It's like a perfect blend of East and West.
While I mused on this, I wove the light magic into Silveit threads, which then wrapped around the monster, binding it tightly. With a quick elemental transformation into blades, the monster was sliced into pieces, falling to the ground.
The monster, unable to speak, disintegrated into a black mist, disappearing from this world.
After ensuring it was gone, I turned to Nina-chan.
"Nina-chan, are you okay...? Do you need to go to the nurse's office?"
"No... I'm fine. I'm fine..."
Even though she said that, Nina-chan's face was still pale. I couldn't just leave her like this, nor could I let her go home alone.
...I guess I'll have to walk her home.