A pitch-black beast stood on all fours, looming before me.
The faint white crescent on its chest identified it as an Asian black bear.
I had watched documentaries as a kid and thought, Bears are scary, but seeing one in the flesh, my first thought was: It’s smaller than I expected.
Still, it was a bear.
The average person would have frozen in terror, bolted, or tried playing dead.
I chose none of the above.
"Bring it!"
I lowered my center of gravity and took a ready stance, glaring at the beast.
The bear reared up on its hind legs and swung a massive paw—one more than capable of killing a man—right at me.
I didn't dodge. I raised my left arm to block.
"Heavy."
The impact was greater than I’d anticipated, the force jarring my arm. Yet, my body didn't waver.
The bear seemed to reconsider and tried to back away, but it couldn't break free from me.
That was because I had its arm in an iron grip.
"Take this!"
While holding it in place, I delivered a powerful kick to its exposed abdomen. My foot sank deep into its belly.
"Gugh!"
The bear groaned and pitched forward. I caught its descending face with a rising kick.
The beast’s upper body snapped back; it tumbled onto its back and didn't move another muscle.
"Whew... So that was that, huh?"
My movements and strength were far beyond the human norm. No ordinary person could take down a bear with their bare hands.
But then, I wasn't an ordinary person.
Magic.
It's a term usually reserved for manga and games, but it exists in reality. I had used that magic—or more accurately, mana—to bolster my physical abilities and defeat the bear.
If I hadn't, that first swipe would have ended me.
"Tsukasa, did you get that boar yet...? Wait, is that a bear!?"
A voice called out from behind me. I turned to find a white-haired old man in a jinbei, staring at the carcass in shock.
"Gramps, if there were bears out here, you should've mentioned it."
I complained to my surprised grandfather.
"Bears are everywhere in the mountains of Japan. Didn't you even know that?"
I didn't. They never covered that in school.
"I’m a city kid."
"A city boy, are you?"
City boy? Well, I lived in a ward... but whatever. That didn't matter.
"I ran into it while I was looking for a boar. Can we eat this?"
I was only out here because Gramps had told me to go catch something for dinner.
"Who knows? I wouldn't risk it; it might give you a stomach ache. Let’s pass."
"So, no dinner?"
I couldn't handle that. I was sixteen and still growing.
"I suppose it can't be helped... We'll have instant curry."
"...If we had that all along, why didn't we just start with that?"
I happen to love curry, you know.
"I wanted to teach my grandson the deliciousness of wild boar. Ah well, no use crying over spilled milk. Let's head back to the hut."
I thought he should have just set a trap himself then, but my stomach was growling. I obediently followed Gramps back to the hut.
Once we returned to the cabin in the clearing, he produced some rice and the kind of instant curry packets they sell at supermarkets. The two of us dug in.
"This is good..."
It tasted better than when I ate it at home.
"Eating in the wilderness has its own charm, doesn't it? Though it would have been even better with some boar meat mixed in..."
Sure...
"Gramps, have you been living like this the whole time?"
I had run away from home for a certain reason and sought refuge with my grandfather in the mountains.
"Only about half the week. I spend the other half at my apartment in town."
You have a place in town...?
"Let me live there instead."
I could commute to the mountains from there.
"Idiot. Go home already. Makoto and Giselle are worried about you."
Makoto was my father's name, and Giselle was my mother's.
"Worried? When did you talk to them?"
"A moment ago."
As he spoke, Gramps pulled out a smartphone.
"Wait, Gramps, you have a smartphone?"
"Of course I do. I have WiFi here, too."
I checked my own phone, and sure enough, there was a signal.
"And here I thought I was leaving the secular world behind..."
"You... you really are an idiot. Are you planning on becoming some kind of mountain hermit just because you failed your high school entrance exams? If you’re going to mope, do it in your own room."
"My room doesn't have a lock... besides, the neighbors would point at me and call me the Nagase family’s shut-in NEET."
I’d hate that. It’s too miserable.
"Then study for a year and take the exams again. Or get a job."
"Ugh... I don't want to be in the same grade as my juniors. But I don't want to be a middle school grad forever, either."
"What a selfish grandson... In the first place, why did you fail your exams?"
"My grades weren't exactly great, you know?"
Just a little bit below average.
"Makoto and Giselle said they were abysmal."
Shut up...
"That's not the point. Mom and Dad said they’d get me into a good private school, but there was no way I could keep up, and I wouldn't have passed the entrance exam anyway."
"Well..."
"So, I lowered my sights. A lot."
"So you made your safety school your primary target from the start? And then you got overconfident, did nothing, and failed even there?"
Well, yeah...
"You could put it that way."
"What an idiot... A total idiot... And to think Toko is so brilliant."
Toko was my twin sister. Since we were twins, she might technically be my older sister, but I didn't know the specifics.
"Don't bring her up. She stole all the good genes."
Especially the brains.
"Is that so? Makoto and Giselle were praising her for being a hard worker."
"Gramps... it takes talent to be a hard worker, too. I get a headache the moment I sit at a desk."
I got dizzy just looking at textbooks.
"How pathetic... And that's why you came to me?"
"Exactly. I'm going to become a magician at your place. I can even take down bears."
I’d just proven that.
"Listen to yourself... that's not being a magician; that's being a woodsman or a hunter."
"I can't use proper magic, so what choice do I have? Besides, I'm confident in my physical strength."
I had a massive amount of mana, but the only magic I could pull off was Reinforcement Magic. Anything else was too complicated for me.
"You... you were the one who said you'd live as an ordinary person because you had no talent for magic."
When I was a kid, my parents tried to teach me magic, but I couldn't make heads or tails of it and gave up almost immediately.
"Well, the 'ordinary person' route didn't work out, so I'm changing classes to Magician."
"Even though you can't even use Fire Magic?"
"I think it’s fine for there to be different paths. Everyone has their own strengths."
Yeah, definitely.
"Your only redeeming quality is your positivity. Though I suspect you’re just good at making excuses for yourself..."
"Whatever. Anyway, I’ll be in your care from now on."
"Go home."
Wait...
This was the part where he was supposed to sigh and say, "I guess it can't be helped."
"Why?"
"I understand that you want to be a magician. If that's the case, go home and tell your parents."
"But I ran away..."
April was ending, and the world was buzzing about Golden Week. My parents were off work and my sister was off school, which made the house feel stifling, so I’d left.
"You left a note saying, 'I’m going to see Gramps,' didn't you? Is that even running away?"
It counts.
"Eating dinner at home was like sitting on a bed of thorns. The other day, Dad even asked if I wanted to play catch."
How old does he think I am?
"He’s completely walking on eggshells around you."
"Exactly. That's why I need to stay here. Just until Golden Week is over."
"No, I’m actually heading overseas for work soon..."
Excuse me?
"Work? Magician work?"
"Something like that."
Hmph...
"Can I help?"
"It’s not combat, you know."
Then I’m out. I’m useless for anything else.
"Am I going to be here alone?"
"No, I told you to go home..."
"I don't want to. I have seriously nothing to do."
The other day, I caught myself watching educational TV in the middle of the day and almost started crying.
"Truly a selfish grandson... Fine. I'll figure something out for you."
"Figure what out?"
Is he going to teach me magic?
"Tsukasa... do you really want to become a magician?"
"Yeah."
"The path of a magician is harsh. It’s many times easier to live a normal life. Your father chose that path for a reason."
Dad could use magic, but he was just a regular office worker.
"It’ll be fine."
"Are you certain? You won't regret it?"
"I won't."
"I see... Then I shall give you this."
Gramps handed me a shimmering golden bracelet.
"What's this?"
"It is the key that will lead you into the world of magic."
Huh...
It looked expensive. I wondered if it would look good on me.
"If you truly wish to become a magician, put that on and— Hey, listen to the end of my sentence!"
I had already slipped the bracelet onto my left arm.
"Eh? Was I not supposed to? Wait! It won't come off! It’s stuck! Is it cursed!?"
No matter how hard I pulled, it wouldn't budge.
"What an idiot... A complete and total idiot... And you’re supposed to be a child of the prestigious La Forge family?"
La Forge was my mother's maiden name. My sister was apparently going to become a magician of that house, so she went by Toko La Forge. She was a bit of a chuunibyou.
"Who cares about some family that sounds like a brand of chocolate or wine? What is this thing?"
"Sigh... That is a bracelet meant to make you a magician. Once it’s on, it stays on. If you were only half-hearted about this, you should have walked away. But if you truly have the resolve to be a magician, wear that bracelet and walk the path of hardship. This is the turning point of your life, Tsukasa."
"You should have said that before I put it on!"
It was already too late.
"Even if you are my grandson, I’m going to punch you..."
Sorry.
"I’ll be a magician... but what does 'making me a magician' mean? It’s just a bracelet I can’t take off."
I didn't feel any mana from it. Even I could tell that much.
"You can stay here tonight, but go home tomorrow. Then you’ll understand."
"Really?"
"Yes. There will be pain. There will be suffering. But you’ll be fine. You’re clumsy, so you might not be the most skilled, but you have that massive mana capacity. I believe no magician will ever surpass you."
You think so? I was definitely confident in my mana reserves. Not that I could control them for anything useful.
"Well, whatever. Gramps, you got a charger? I’m bored, I want to watch some videos."
It was only 6:00 PM; too early for sleep.
"Listen to me... Such a modern youth. I have a tablet if you want videos. I’ve been into anime lately myself."
You're just as modern as I am, then.
"Nn...?"
A chill woke me up. Sunlight was streaming through the hut's window; it was morning.
"Gramps, what time is it?"
I asked while huddled in my futon, but there was no reply.
"Huh?"
Gramps was an early riser, so he shouldn't still be in bed. I sat up and looked around. The hut was empty.
"9:00 AM... Did he already leave?"
I checked the time on my phone and scanned the room. I found a folded piece of paper resting on the cushion where Gramps usually sat.
"A note?"
I crawled out of the futon and picked up the paper.
[To Tsukasa: I'm heading out for work. Go home as soon as you wake up.]
It seemed he had already left.
"You could've at least woken me up..."
As I muttered that, more text materialized on the blank part of the paper.
[For the record, I did try to wake you. You're the one who said you were too tired and refused to get up.]
Spoken like a true magician...
"Sigh... Guess I’m going home."
I tossed the paper aside, got dressed, and left the hut.
After hiking down the mountain, I caught a train and eventually made it back to my local station.
What was I even going to do when I got home? Maybe I’d ask Mom to break the curse on this bracelet. Honestly, it was just getting in the way.
I stroked the golden band on my left arm and trudged toward the house. When I arrived, an unfamiliar black car was parked out front.
"Hm?"
A guest? Better not let them see the resident NEET. Maybe I should kill time somewhere else...
Just as I turned to leave, a blonde woman burst out of the front door. My mother.
"Tsukasa!"
She called my name and gestured for me to come over.
"Whaaat? Oh, I'm home."
"Where have you been!?"
Eh?
"I left a note saying I was at Gramps' place. Didn't you call him yesterday?"
"Where is your grandfather!?"
Was she even listening to me? We weren't even having the same conversation.
"He went overseas for work. That's why I came back."
"I see..."
Mom’s gaze dropped. Something was definitely wrong.
"—Excuse me. You must be Tsukasa-kun."
A man with a magnificent white beard, whom I’d never seen before, stepped out from our entranceway.
"Who’s that? A friend of yours?" I asked Mom.
"Tsukasa, just come inside for now."
I didn't get it, but Mom—who usually smiled through everything—was dead serious. I followed her inside.
"Put your things away and come to the living room."
"Sure."
I went upstairs, passing my sister, Toko, who was standing in the hallway with a worried expression. She had shoulder-length black hair and looked entirely Japanese, despite the La Forge name.
"Yo."
"Onii-chan, did you do something?" Toko asked.
"No idea. I just got back from Gramps' place. Who’s the old guy? Do you know him?"
"That’s the principal of the Magic Academy."
Magic Academy? What was that?
"I have no idea what you're talking about..."
"Tsukasa! Hurry up and get down here!" Mom’s voice echoed from downstairs.
"What is it, seriously... Toko, just toss my bag in my room."
I handed her the bag, went back downstairs, and entered the living room. At the table sat Mom, the mysterious old man, and even my father.
"What? I wanted to take a bath," I complained as I sat down.
"Tsukasa-kun, let us start with introductions. I am Gustav Lindenberg, the principal of the Magic Academy."
The old man bowed slightly.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Tsukasa Nagase... But what's the Magic Academy?"
The principal looked at me with an expression of pure shock.
"Have you not told him?" he asked, looking at my parents.
"Since Tsukasa had no intention of becoming a magician..."
"He never showed much interest in his studies..."
Dad and Mom answered awkwardly.
"I see..."
I was completely lost.
"Oh, by the way, I decided to become a magician after all."
"Pardon?"
"You did?"
My parents stared at me.
"I don't have anything else to do."
"I-I see..."
"Even though you said you absolutely hated the idea..."
People change, okay?
"So, what is this Magic Academy? I've never heard of it."
"Tsukasa-kun, you are aware that magicians exist in this world, yes?" Gustav asked.
"Of course. My parents and sister are magicians... Oh wait, Dad wasn't one, right?"
"In a broad sense, I am a magician," Dad clarified.
"Well, I don't really get the details, but I know they exist. I can use Reinforcement Magic myself."
"I see... Then this will be simple. As you know, magic exists, and there are those who wield it. Magicians who escaped the witch hunts of the past scattered across the globe and have survived to this day."
Witch hunts? News to me.
"And?"
"To escape those hunts, the magicians of old created a world within a different dimension."
A different dimension?
"What does that even mean?"
"They created a separate world and migrated there. Magicians live there to this day, and naturally, they have schools to teach their craft. That is the Magic Academy."
"So you're the principal of that school, Gustav-san?"
"I am."
Huh.
"I had no idea."
"That is surprising, given that your sister, Toko-san, attends that very academy."
Wait, what?
But then I remembered Toko had recognized him immediately.
"I didn't know... Why didn't anyone tell me?" I looked at my parents.
"Well, because you... uh..."
"It’s just..."
Right. Because I’d failed my exams and was moping around as a NEET. In that stifling atmosphere, they could hardly talk about my twin sister’s fancy magic school.
"Sorry..."
The air in the room grew heavy.
"Um, did I say something wrong?" the principal asked, looking at our slumped forms.
"N-No... Anyway, Principal, what do you need? Should I go get my sister?"
Why was I even here? Toko was probably the one who caused whatever problem this was.
"My business is with you. Tsukasa-kun, you were with Kiyoshi-sama... your grandfather, weren't you?"
"Yeah. I was at his place in the mountains until yesterday."
"Where is he now?"
"He said he was going overseas for work. He was gone by the time I woke up this morning. That's why I came home."
"I see..." Gustav stroked his long beard, deep in thought.
"Is something wrong?"
"Hmm... Did your grandfather tell you anything?"
"We talked about a lot of things. Mostly about how I'm an idiot."
"Did he mention anything about a bracelet?"
A bracelet?
"You mean this?" I rolled up my sleeve, revealing the golden band.
"............Phew."
"Oh no..."
"It can't be..."
The three adults stared at my wrist, then simultaneously looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
Wait, what?