It seemed that Shar and I were complete opposites when it came to our strengths and weaknesses.
"Don't abandon me!" Shar cried.
"My arm’s gonna fly off!"
She was clutching me so hard I thought she’d tear it out of its socket.
"I won't do that. Alright, let's try one more time, from the very beginning."
Her patience was truly incredible.
"Please."
As I continued to learn Basic Studies from Shar, things gradually began to click.
"I see, I see..."
"Do you have it now? You should at least be able to grasp the concept of Space Magic."
I felt like I finally did.
"Let's see..."
I placed my hand over my smartphone, which was sitting on the table. Activating the magic, the phone vanished in an instant.
"Hand power! I’m feeling it!"
"That's good..." Shar sighed, looking utterly exhausted.
"Wait, how do I get it back out?"
"This time, use this one."
Shar pointed to a spell formula written in her notebook. I followed the instructions and activated the magic exactly as it was laid out. In an instant, the smartphone reappeared.
"Awesome! It's real magic!"
This was the first spell I’d ever cast besides Reinforcement Magic.
"Well, this isn't the kind of magic where you have to externalize your magic power—which you're terrible at—so I figured you'd be able to manage it."
I see. That made sense.
"Thanks, teacher."
"Don't mention it... I'm just so tired."
Sorry for being such an idiot.
"Let's grab some lunch. You can order whatever you like."
"I'll pay for my own... I think I'll have this pasta."
Shar opened the menu and made her decision instantly.
"Do you want some wine?" I asked.
"I don't drink. I can't... I mean, we’re minors, aren't we?"
I thought she might be used to it since she was French, but apparently not. Well, even though I was half-French, I didn't touch the stuff either.
"I'll go with the Tatsuta-age set meal."
We placed our orders, and since the food arrived quickly, we dug in immediately.
"This is delicious," Shar noted, nodding as she ate her carbonara.
"Hey, Shar... you're a lady from the prestigious Hivert family, right? It might be a bit late to ask, but are you really okay with a family restaurant?"
I’d always pictured her eating multi-course meals at fancy, exclusive establishments.
"I'm a student, so a family restaurant is perfectly fine. Besides, the food is genuinely good."
Well, my fried chicken was pretty good too.
"It’s just that the people at the Academy don't exactly have a 'commoner' vibe."
Even Toko, whose favorite food was convenience store fried chicken, acted like some refined princess when she was there.
"Well, that might be true. It does cost a small fortune to attend the Academy, after all."
Money, huh... I wondered if the La Forge grandma had been the one paying my way.
"That's why it's surprising to see you at a place like this."
"Hmm... well, it’s true that I don't come very often. It's a bit awkward to come to these places alone."
Alone...
"What about your friends?"
"I don't have any," she stated flatly.
"Is that so?"
"I have friends from junior high back in Paris, but none in Japan. I only moved here after getting into the Magic Academy."
"What about friends at the Academy?"
"I don't have any."
She stated it definitively again.
"Uh..."
"Sigh... Tsukasa, what do the kids in Class D say about me?"
Was it really okay to tell her?
"They call you the Student Council President."
"Be honest. I'm sure they say I'm scary, or stuck-up, or a walking bundle of pride."
Well, I was pretty sure I’d heard exactly those things...
"Listen... what part of you is supposed to be scary or stuck-up?"
From where I was sitting, I didn't see it at all.
"I am the successor to the prestigious Hivert name. That is why I try not to speak much—to ensure I don't bring shame to my family."
She was saying the exact same thing as a certain someone I knew.
"And?"
"I became the Student Council President in my first year. Because of my family's influence, of course. What do you think? Don't I seem like an unpleasant person?"
Not at all. You're a kind, beautiful girl.
"Wait, so even though people are whispering and talking behind your back, you're just... not denying it?"
"That's right. Thanks to that, everyone sees me as an unpleasant elitist—the flawless Student Council President befitting the heir of the Hivert family... But on the inside, I'm just a gloomy alchemist with no real talent for magic."
Shar gave a self-deprecating smile.
"I wouldn't call you gloomy."
"My hobby is locking myself in my room and grinning while staring at chemicals. That's the definition of gloomy."
Alchemy, huh... Or rather, she sounded like a suspicious witch.
"Well, when you put it like that, it does sound a bit dark... What about the La Forge girl? I heard you two get along like cats and dogs."
Since the topic had come up, I decided to ask.
"We're the same age, so it's probably inevitable, but I feel like our paths crossed at the worst possible time. She is the genius of the La Forge family. She was born with something entirely different from me."
"You think so?"
I thought Shar was pretty impressive in her own right.
"Her magic power is one thing, but her technical skill is overwhelmingly superior. She’s a monster who mastered advanced magic only a year after becoming a mage. And what’s worst of all is that the La Forge and Hivert families have a deep-seated enmity. Because of my position, I can absolutely never acknowledge Toko... It’s exhausting."
I didn't really know what to say to that. It was true that Toko was talented; she’d been picking up simple spells since we were kids, and her grades were always good.
But that girl was also a total idiot.
"Why are you so normal with me, then? You talked to me like a regular person when you were showing me around."
"...I wonder why? Maybe it's because you didn't know anything about our world, or perhaps... it's your per—character?"
She almost said "perpetual idiocy," didn't she?
"Well, it's true I don't really know much about those old families."
Even though I was technically involved, the La Forge family just felt like my grandparents' place in the countryside. France was way too far away for me to care about old grudges.
"Tell me, are you a child of a prestigious family too?"
"I guess so. I'm not really interested in it, though."
Apparently, the Nagase name carried some weight as well. The La Forge side went without saying.
"You're not interested?"
"I've got my hands full just dealing with my own problems."
Like the bracelet, for instance.
"Well, I suppose that's true..."
Shar turned her head and gazed out the window. Her profile really was stunning.
"Hey, Shar... teach me again sometime. I really want to master Dispel, no matter what."
"Hmm... and why is that? I've been curious for a while why someone like you, who hates studying and doesn't seem that interested in magic, is so fixated on Dispel."
Shar asked the question while still looking away.
"I'll tell you if you tell me the real reason you're in Japan."
I could tell from the atmosphere that it was probably something she didn't want to talk about.
"Then I won't ask. As for the studying... fine, I'll help. In exchange, you have to keep teaching me martial arts."
"Do you really need martial arts, Shar?"
"I do. I want to become even a little bit stronger, and I think it's good for my health, too."
It was probably better for fitness than just walking.
"Well, it is a decent health method."
A bit like Tai Chi, I suppose.
"It's a deal, then. Now, shall we resume the studying you hate so much?"
Shar pushed her empty dishes aside and pulled out her textbook.
"Yeah..."
"Next is yesterday's Curse Studies."
"Yeah..."
My head was already starting to throb.
We continued to study until we were both completely drained, finally parting ways in the evening.
When I got home and stepped into the living room, my mother was cooking and my father was working on his laptop. Toko was there too, fiddling with her phone while half-watching TV. The whole family was present.
First, I walked over to Toko and silently smacked her on the head.
"Ow! What was that for!? Why did you hit me!?"
As I thought, this was all her fault.
"Reflect on your life choices."
"On what!? Dad! Big brother is bullying me!" Toko wailed to our father.
"Tsukasa, try to get along," my father chided without looking up from his computer.
"Dad, you got a second?" I ignored the lecture and walked over to him.
"What is it?" My father stopped typing and turned toward me.
"Give me a thousand yen every week. I'm going to the family restaurant to study."
"Is it really for studying?"
In response to his skepticism, I pulled my smartphone from my pocket and stored it using Space Magic.
"I was taught how to do this today."
"...I see."
My father nodded with a solemn expression after seeing the spell. A moment later, he looked toward the kitchen, his face filled with shock.
"Eh? What? Wait..."
Following his gaze, I saw my mother looking at me with tears streaming down her face.
"Tsukasa... the boy who has nothing but raw magic power and not a shred of actual magical sense... used Space Magic..."
Did she have to go that far?
"A beautiful mage taught me," I added.
"Is that so... I'm sure she must be a wonderful, pure-hearted young lady."
She’s actually the heir to the Hivert family you hate so much, though.