"Th-then, let's begin right away! First, Itsuki-kun, I'd like you to try the Silveit resonance I just showed you. Just like with Kaijutsu or Shijutsu, if you can't use this, you won't be able to perform Resonance at all. It's the foundation!"
"How do I do it?"
"First, you wrap the Silveit threads around each other. Like this."
As Shirayuki-sensei said that, she demonstrated by wrapping her Silveit threads together.
It looked a lot like someone doing cat's cradle.
"And then, you match the frequency of the threads."
"H-hold on, Sensei!"
I raised my hand to stop her.
"What is it?"
"How exactly do I match the frequency?"
"Um... by feel...?"
The answer I got was more of a gut-feeling approach, something I hadn't expected when I asked how to match the frequencies.
That can't be right.
"J-just give it a try, Itsuki-kun! You won't understand it until you actually do it!"
"...Is that really true?"
I questioned her, but Sensei nodded energetically.
"For example, Itsuki-kun, you've had music classes at elementary school, right?"
I nodded in silence.
I was curious about how music class was related to Resonance, but Sensei continued with a smile.
"When you sing in a choir during music class, have you ever felt your voice harmonize with others? Like it was resonating?"
"...Yes, I've felt that before."
I hadn't experienced that in this life yet, but I did in my past life.
That said, the last time I had that experience was during a high school chorus competition.
"It's the same idea. It's hard to explain with words, but once you do it, you'll understand."
I see.
Now that I think about it, the feeling of voices resonating is definitely something hard to put into words. But once you've experienced it, it's clear. So if Silveit resonance is similar, then I won't get it until I try it.
...Alright, let's give it a shot.
Without wasting any time, I conjured Silveit threads in both hands and overlapped them. But... nothing. I didn't feel any change. The threads were just tangled together.
"I-Itsuki-kun. How's it going? Did you manage it?"
"...No, Sensei. It's just two threads tangled together."
When I said that, Shirayuki-sensei smiled brightly.
"That's perfectly fine! If you can tell they're just tangled, it means you can recognize when they're not resonating. And if you can do that, it means you'll be able to sense when they are resonating in the future. Have confidence! I'm sure you'll get it, Itsuki-kun!"
Still, I continued.
"I think I might have done it."
"Wha!? B-but it hasn't even been ten minutes yet..."
She glanced at the clock, which read 9:45.
"Well, actually, I've done something similar with another type of magic..."
"I-I see. That makes sense...?"
Although she seemed to agree at first, her words trailed off, and she tilted her head in confusion.
But honestly, it wasn't like I had learned it in just ten minutes.
It was all thanks to the training I had done with Nina-chan using Fairy Magic.
...It's important to practice a variety of magic.
As I reflected on that, Shirayuki-sensei pulled out another model apple and a real apple from her bag.
"If the resonance really worked, then it should work the same way it did when I demonstrated it earlier. Try to break the apples in the same way I did."
Following her instructions, I produced Silveit threads again, wrapping them around the model and real apples.
Once the threads were wrapped, I extended them and intertwined them.
But it didn't work—they just tangled together.
However, when I wrapped the threads around the apples, I felt a slight shift, like the Silveit threads wobbled. It seemed I had failed because of that.
I undid the threads and tried again.
This time, after wrapping the threads around the apples and intertwining them, I felt that same buzzing sensation in my hands.
It felt just like before when I had succeeded.
I severed the threads, and as they broke, they shimmered faintly in rainbow colors.
"...How's it looking?"
"I'll give it a try."
Answering Shirayuki-sensei's concerned question briefly, I looked down at the apples. Then, focusing on one of them, I cast a spell.
I used a Aspect Change: Blade to slice clean through one of the apples. As I did, the model apple was also cut in the exact same spot.
With a soft slicing sound, both apples were perfectly halved.
"...I did it."
"You... you really did it..."
Both Shirayuki-sensei and I said the same thing at the same time.
I had done it.
It had worked.
I stared at the apples, still slightly doubting the result. But no matter how many times I looked, both the real and model apples had been sliced in the exact same way.
The foundation of Resonance had been successfully achieved.