Chapter 17: A Girl You Shouldn’t Stay With for Too Long

Rҽa&d;& ;on K‍ɑｔRe​adi​&n;&g;Ċá&f;ẽ​

After going through a series of events, Sugar had somewhat made up her mind.

Magic school. Fine, let’s go.

I’ve already come into contact with the cult, and it’s inevitable that I’ll keep clashing with them. If that’s the case, then I might as well face it head-on and do what I want to do.

This decision also included thoughts about dismantling the cult and enjoying the original story, but it was more about considering the future.

It’s a prestigious school among prestigious schools. Once I graduate, I won’t have to worry about making a living. Since I’ve been reborn, isn’t it good to aim high?

I even made a promise to go with a friend.

Even if I calculate the timeline tightly, there’s still more than six years left until the original story’s events. In that time, if I can reach the third stage and study hard…

‘Studying…’

Ah. Studying.

Ahh. Ahhh.

It would be nice if, like in some other world’s magic school, an acceptance letter would fly in once I reached a certain age. But there’s nothing like that here.

In the game, the protagonist starts after already being enrolled, so I don’t know the exact details of the entrance exam, but from the descriptions, it seems to be mostly written exams.

You need to have something in your head before they can teach you anything. That’s probably the idea.

‘Tommy… Tommy knows a lot, so maybe I can ask him to help me study…’

While making plans to rely on him like that, there was also a heavy worry sitting in my heart.

We’re orphans. After leaving the orphanage, we’ll have to go somewhere and work immediately. After all, making a living is the most important thing.

We’re far from having an environment where we can focus solely on studying. And how am I supposed to afford tuition?

‘…There’s still time before we have to leave the orphanage.’

I’ll think about that later.

For now, mastering the second stage is the biggest task. If I don’t reach the third stage, I can’t even submit an application.

Being young is good for this reason. There are endless possibilities. There’s plenty of time to prepare for whatever I want to do.

So, I can definitely change the future.

It’s already changed a little, hasn’t it?

‘Contact with Louveci… Getting her to swear not to harm me is also a win.’

The ‘Apostles’ are the ones who practically lead the Shadow cult.

Among them, an Apostle who has been active for so long that she’s retired and was once part of the Sky Island declaring, “I won’t harm you,” holds significant meaning.

It’s clear that she’s a powerful figure, so not having to fight her is a big deal.

That doesn’t mean there’s no danger at all. She only said she wouldn’t harm me, but there are plenty of other things she could do.

‘…There are still plenty of enemies.’

There are other Apostles and many followers.

Louveci said the cult doesn’t do bad things, but I’m not so sure. If the original Sugar heard that, she’d probably collapse from anger.

‘Ah, but her hearing is gone.’

Oops.

Sugar, who had inadvertently killed Sugar twice, soon started her warm-up.

Anyway, it’s not enough to just think about it; I need to take action.

Today’s training to master the second stage begins.

“I’m going crazy…”

I’m literally spinning around.

A little out of it, I spin around and bump my head against the wall.

It was good to start training ambitiously, but there hasn’t been much progress.

Seeing this highly abnormal behavior, Tommy watched from a distance with a disgusted expression.

“I can feel something flowing inside me… I think I know how to move it somehow… But if I keep focusing, it suddenly becomes unclear, and I don’t know what’s what…”

Hearing this, Tommy frowned.

“If you just figure out how to move it, you’re almost done.”

“Lies… I won’t listen to the deceit of the talented…”

“No, seriously, after that, there’s not much else. It’s just about how fast, how much, how well you can control it, and how long you can maintain it.”

Tommy raised one index finger.

Through the magical power leaking from his finger, a clear, donut-shaped circle formed, visible to the naked eye.

“Like this. As naturally as breathing. Manipulating magical power itself is simple. How clearly you can make it, how long you can maintain it, depends on your skill.”

“…So, according to you, I should have been able to make a circle, whether it’s a crumpled one or a clear one, whether it lasts for 1 second or 10 seconds?”

“It might be particularly difficult to bring it out of your body. Even so, you should be able to move it freely anywhere in your body by now…”

Moving it was possible.

The problem was that it moved at a snail’s pace, and at some point, it felt like something snapped, and my concentration broke.

With no answer in sight, Sugar pressed her forehead against the wall again.

“I’m a cicada… buzz… buzz…”

It’s autumn, so the cicadas should be dead by now. But there’s still one here.

What’s the cause of this stress-induced behavior? It’s the result of anxiety and impatience about the future. I don’t know what the cult will do, and there’s been no progress.

Tommy looked at Sugar the cicada with a genuinely bewildered expression. Then, something suddenly came to mind, and he spoke up.

“…Hey. I’ve been thinking. Maybe it’s because of your magical nature.”

“You said it wasn’t before…”

“When did I say that? I just said I didn’t know. I’ve come up with a hypothesis, so listen.”

With the desperation of clutching at straws, Sugar sat down in front of Tommy. When it comes to magic, he’s like a savior.

“First, your magical power. It has a unique nature.”

“Yeah…”

“It has the property of blending into any magical power. If your power is less than the opponent’s, it blends into theirs; if it’s more, it consumes theirs. Simply put, it wants to merge with everything.”

“Yeah…”

It’s good to have it explained clearly. Hearing someone else describe the nature of my magical power felt strange.

“Because you have such magical power, maybe you’re influenced by your surroundings.”

“Influenced by surroundings?”

“Every natural thing in this world has magical power. Including humans, everyone influences and is influenced by each other, even if weakly. With that as the background. What did you say happens when you fail?”

“While moving the magical power, it suddenly feels like something snaps, and my concentration breaks…”

“That’s exactly the phenomenon caused by being influenced by the magical power of natural things.”

Seeing Sugar tilt her head in confusion, Tommy continued.

“To put it roughly, there are multiple streams of water flowing around you. Among them, you know exactly which one is yours. That’s the first stage. But when you try to control it, your focus gets scattered by the other streams around you, and it doesn’t work properly. That’s why you can’t reach the second stage.”

“But wouldn’t other mages be in the same situation? Natural objects and people influence each other. Everyone must have many streams around them.”

“Your magical power is much more susceptible to influence than others. Think of it as other streams trying to mix with yours. Others don’t have that problem. You need to focus solely on your own, but it keeps trying to mix, which makes it difficult.”

“Hmm…”

It made sense, and I found myself agreeing.

But the biggest problem remained.

“…So, what do I do now?”

“…”

Silence hung in the air.

“If what you’re saying is true, I can only master the second stage if there’s no external influence. Is that even possible?”

“There are places where magical power is blocked…”

“But we can’t go there, right? Or we can’t use them? Or is it just a place where ordinary people would die if they went?”

The lack of response was answer enough.

Sugar, sitting comfortably, rolled her head around, trying to muster some energy. This little friend had explained so much; I had to do something.

I wasn’t sure if it was feasible, but the fact that there was an answer made me feel more motivated.

‘It’s not like there’s no solution at all.’

I’m fundamentally optimistic. Even in situations where there seems to be no answer, my will flickers but then reignites, and I pull myself together.

“Hmm… So, if I go somewhere without people, would it be easier?”

“It’s also important that there are no natural objects.”

“Then a place made entirely of artificial structures? …Ah!”

Something suddenly came to mind.

A place without people, made entirely of artificial structures.

“What… What is it?”

“Do you have time tonight?”

“…Suddenly?”

Tommy flinched at the unexpected question.

“I thought of a good place.”

Her grin was downright sinister, and I had a bad feeling about it.

“I’m so excited.”

“In a way, I’m excited too…”

The textile factory at night.

Two children sneaked into an old factory near the slums, taking advantage of the time when the workers had left.

It was the perfect place—no people and minimal natural elements.

If they got caught by the security at the main entrance, it would be over, so they decided to sneak in through a second-floor window.

“…Why am I doing this?”

Tommy was the one who agreed to this, but upon reflection, he wondered if he really needed to follow along.

“Why? It’s fun. Going on an adventure with a friend at night. When we grow up, it’ll all be memories.”

Whispering as they climbed up stealthily.

“Whoa, security’s coming.”

They immediately crouched down at the sight of a shadow inside the window.

“…”

“…”

“Are they gone?”

The shadow moved to the opposite side. Phew. Sugar let out a sigh of relief and sat on the second-floor railing.

“Hurry up…! The security’s gone now…!”

“Why are you so fast…”

Tommy, clinging to the wall, made a leap and grabbed the railing. It was a jump that defied normal physical laws.

“Oh… Second stage…”

Magical manipulation. The resulting physical enhancement. I felt a surge of desire to catch up quickly.

Once safely on the second floor, the two began checking for any open windows.

“They’re all closed. Don’t they ventilate?”

“They must lock everything up tight. It’s surrounded by poor kids.”

“Hmm… No choice.”

Sugar pulled out a hammer from behind her back. She had clearly been waiting for this moment.

“Hey…! Are you crazy?”

“Hehe. I borrowed it from the orphanage storage.”

“Who asked about that? What are you planning to do by breaking the window…!”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“…”

Evil deeds are often committed for simple, trivial reasons. That’s just how the world works.

Tommy wrapped the window thinly with his magical power, and Sugar smashed the lock area with the hammer.

The magical power acted as a protective barrier, so there was no loud noise, and the glass fragments didn’t scatter everywhere.

It was a clean job.

“Nice.”

Sugar reached in, unlocked the latch, and pushed the window open. Then, she slipped her small body inside and entered the factory.

“…”

Tommy was speechless at the smooth series of actions.

Of course, he was also involved, but somehow, he just had nothing to say.

“Tommy, come in quickly. The security might come back.”

Quietly following Sugar, he slipped into the building.

No matter how he thought about it, this was a girl he shouldn’t stay with for too long.