Aoi-chan wanted to take her golem magic to the next level, and Kuro's name had been brought up as a possible mentor. Since Aoi-chan already knew her, she was a natural choice for advice.
I figured I would mention it to Kuro when I saw her later that evening...
"Actually, Kaito-san, don't you probably have a book from Kuro-san already?"
"Huh? A book?"
"Yeah. Among the books Kuro-san has written, there were definitely some about golems."
"...Now that you mention it, she did give me a mountain of them."
The books Alice was talking about weren't the Complete Food Tour Guide I had received from Kuro before. After I told Kuro how much I enjoyed that guide and how helpful it had been, she mentioned she had written plenty of others and gave them to me—about five hundred of them, in fact.
Many of them were dense, difficult volumes on magic theory that were completely over my head, so I hadn't really touched them... but I did remember seeing something about golems in the pile.
I searched through my Magic Box as Alice suggested and found a series of books titled Understanding Golem Magic. There were three volumes: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
"Is it these?"
"Ah, that's them. I think there were a couple of books on Magical Dolls too, but for now, those will do for Golem Magic."
After checking with Alice again, I handed the books to Aoi-chan, who was watching me with eyes full of anticipation.
"Here you go, Aoi-chan."
"Y-Yes! Thank you so much! I'll put them to good use!"
"Kuro-san’s books are actually quite rare. They don't really circulate much on the open market."
Aoi-chan accepted the books with a beaming smile and immediately dove into one of them—the one labeled "Advanced."
As expected of her, she went straight for the deep end without a second thought.
After reading for a few moments, Aoi-chan let out a mutter in a trembling voice.
"...Amazing. As expected of Chrome-sama... How could anyone devise such incredible, beautiful magic formulas?"
Watching Aoi-chan whisper with a look of pure awe, Hina-chan and I shared a glance before peeking over her shoulder.
Neither of us understood a thing. There were incredibly complex magic formulas drawn on the pages accompanied by detailed explanations, but it was far too advanced for me to grasp.
"...Hina-chan, do you get it?"
"...Not at all. Can magic formulas even be 'beautiful'?"
As Hina-chan and I tilted our heads in confusion, Aoi-chan closed the book, turned back to us, and explained.
"Um, it's easier to imagine if you think of it like a painting or a song. Even if you use the same paints or the same musical score, the result is night and day between a master and an amateur. The formulas written here are so meticulously calculated and constructed... they're practically works of art!"
"I-I see... So, Aoi-chan, can you actually use those?"
"...Absolutely not. If I tried a formula this complex right now, it would just blow up in my face. Plus, I don't have anywhere near enough magic power for it."
As a side note, a magic formula is like drawing a picture using magic power. If you memorize the pattern and draw it accurately, the spell activates, so the more complex it is, the harder it is to pull off.
Of course, it’s all for naught if you don't have the mana to fuel it, but...
"But they're fantastic references! I skimmed the Beginner and Intermediate volumes too, and they're written in a way that lets you level up step-by-step. They're incredible books!"
"I-Is that so? Well, good luck then."
"Yes! Kaito-san, thank you so much! I'll do my best to master everything in here and become a top-tier Golem Mage!"
Her passion for golem magic was intense. Aoi-chan was a serious hard worker, so I wouldn't be surprised if she mastered the Beginner volume sooner rather than later.
I couldn't help but feel like the gap in combat power between me and my juniors was widening at a frightening pace, but she looked happy, so I supposed it was fine.
While I was lost in thought, I felt a slight tug on my sleeve. I turned to find Hina-chan looking at me with a strangely solemn expression.
"...Hina-chan?"
"Kaito-senpai... um, are there any books on Physical Enhancement Magic?"
"I might find some if I look, but... are you sure?"
"Please. I'm not much for studying, but even I hate being the only one left behind!"
"...U-Understood."
Perhaps her athlete’s blood was boiling. Regardless, it seemed Hina-chan had also found her motivation. Seeing my juniors striving to grow stronger made me feel a slight sting to my pride as their senior.
"...Hey, Alice."
"What's up?"
"If I said I wanted to become stronger than those two, what would you say?"
"...By any 'humane' method? It’d be pretty tough."
"Do I really have that little talent?"
"Well... I mean, you're at least stronger than a slime, right?"
"..."
Dear Mother, Father—While I'm thrilled to see my juniors growing, I'm also mourning my own lack of combat potential. Also, I've heard this from several people now, but why... why is the benchmark always a slime?
Maman: "I believe my beloved child is already more than perfect exactly as he is... however, if it is my child's wish, I cannot fail to answer. Now, then—Hmph!?"
Natural God: "I cannot allow that."
Maman: "Why not? With our power, we could grant my child the strength of the absolute strongest this very second."
Natural God: "Don't you think there is a certain 'cuteness' in his current state that we must protect?"
Maman: "!?"
Natural God: "It would be simple to grant Kaito-san supreme power. However, if we do that, Kaito-san will no longer need our help as much as he does now. Don't you see?"
Maman: "...It seems I was mistaken. You have my thanks, Shallow Vernal. I was nearly on the verge of destroying one of my child's greatest charms."
Me-o: "...Good grief."