After greeting me, Flare-san’s subordinate used what looked like space-time magic to conjure a massive crate. I assumed this was what Flare-san had been waiting for.
"Anego, here it is."
"Ah, thanks for the trouble. Good work. I’ll take it from here."
Flare-san hoisted the enormous box—it was easily several meters wide—as effortlessly as if she were picking up a small parcel. A moment later, the box flashed with light and vanished. It didn’t look like she’d tucked it into a Magic Box; she had likely teleported it somewhere else.
Next, she produced a large barrel and set it down in front of her subordinate.
"Share this with the others."
"Thank you very much! I’ll enjoy every drop! Well then, if you'll excuse me!"
After giving me a quick bow, the subordinate’s body began to glow, and she transformed into a massive dragon. She stowed the barrel away using space magic and took to the skies.
"Sorry about that, Comrade. I didn't mean to keep you waiting."
"No, don’t worry about it."
"I’d requested a few things from some subordinates who are particularly good at craftsmanship. I thought it would take a bit more time, but it seems they finished ahead of schedule."
"Was that the big box from just now? Is it some kind of training equipment?"
"You’re not entirely wrong, but it’s probably not what you’re picturing. If you’re interested, want to take a look? It’s a bit of a detour, but I plan to drop it off in a room on the way to my private quarters."
"I’m not really sure what to expect, but if it’s okay with you, I’d love to."
Curious about the contents of the crate, I nodded and followed her. We walked down a fairly wide corridor for a while until she stopped in front of a pair of heavy, imposing double doors. This was evidently the place.
"That’s quite a door."
"It’s nothing special. Eingana suggested that having plenty of space would be best, so I simply set aside a larger room. Well, let’s head inside."
"Right... Oh, wow... I see. So this is a music practice room."
As soon as we stepped inside, the meaning of Flare-san’s words became clear. The room was filled with various guitars and other musical Magic Tools, and there was even a raised area that looked like a stage.
That’s when I remembered the band I’d seen back in the Hydra Kingdom—the one made up of Flare-san, Eingana-san, and Fafnir-san.
This was clearly their rehearsal space, and the box from earlier must have contained gear for the band. So, while it was technically for "training," it certainly wasn't the martial kind I’d imagined.
"Come to think of it, you did a live performance back in the Hydra Kingdom... Dragon Soul, right?"
"Hmm? Did you actually come to see us? I must still be inexperienced if I failed to notice a Comrade in the crowd..."
"Ah—no, that’s... a bit complicated. Anyway, the stuff in that box is for your band activities?"
I had indeed seen her perform, but that was while I was touring the festival with Shiro-san... which meant it had happened in a different dimension. It made sense that she didn’t realize I was there. Explaining all that would take far too long, so I decided to change the subject.
"Yes. They’re Magic Tools to Adjust Sound Resonance. You install them in the four corners of the room. Regardless of the catalyst, once I decide to set my hand to something, my way is to give it my all. I don’t intend to be half-hearted about music, either... I’m going to train with everything I’ve got to reach even greater heights."
"Haha, I see. That’s very you, Flare-san. But you really did look cool up on stage. I don’t know the first thing about playing an instrument, but seeing you guys makes me kind of want to try it myself."
"Heh, is that so? Well, if you ever feel like it, just let me know. I can teach you the basics if you just want to play for fun. I think it would be quite enjoyable to perform with you, Comrade."
"That sounds great. I’d love to if the opportunity ever comes up."
To be honest, I’d actually admired guitarists back when I was in high school. But between buying an instrument and learning chords, the barrier to entry felt too high, so I never followed through.
...But guitars exist in this world too, and now I have plenty of money and time. Maybe it really would be fun to give it a shot.
Serious-senpai: "Oops, looks like a strange new flag just stood up."
???: "But you know, Kaito-san is actually quite suited for music. He has good ears, and since he has Sympathy Magic, he can even pour his emotions into the sound. I feel like he could do something pretty amazing if he put his mind to it..."