Kotori regretted ever thinking that she would be able to make good relationships with the new count.
The day he arrived should've already signaled to her it was a doomed prospect from the beginning.
It should've also signaled to her she should have not gotten involved at all with that man.
Thinking back to the day already filled her with feelings of disgust.
It was a normal village visit, about a month after the announcement that the old count was going on a journey.
Kotori had been with her father when that... man arrived.
He came in a lascivious carriage and he was accompanied by a small retinue of followers and guards. It was very obvious that he had quite a bit of money. When he stepped out of the carriage Kotori got a good look on his face. The new count had a blocky head with equally square and angular features and a light smatter of stubble on his jaw. He was young around 20 years of age, which was no surprise considering he was the grandson of the old count, but what did surprise her was how he reacted to coming to the village.
"What boonies! I can't believe this is really where the gramps holes up." He spat on the ground. "Do I seriously have to manage this place for a year?"
"Derkin-Sama you promised your father that you would stay here and help watch the village." a nearby attendant reminded him.
"Pfft, That doesn't mean I have to like it." he scoffed then pointed to a villager, "You there! grab me a drink."
The villager jumped in surprise
"Uhhh, Who are you," The startled villager asked
"Your new count of course! Don't tell me this town is filled with imbeciles." He grumbled
"Now get me a drink!"
"Yes sir!" the frightened villager scrambled off and ran off to get the man a drink
This commotion was starting to cause a crowd of curious onlookers. Although, everybody seemed to give the man a wide berth on account of his obviously abrasive personality.
"What? Do you peasants have something to ask of me?" he barked
Everybody who was watching the scene instantly looked away began to disperse. No one wanted to catch the ire of the irritable man who had disrupted their gentle struggling village ecosystem.
Kotori was led away by her father, who also did not want to get caught in the crossfire.
As they walked away there heard the man howl.
"This is water! Give me alcohol you nit!"
Kotori felt sorry for the villager. There were few people who brewed alcohol in this village and nobody sold it. It was made from the surplus of the rice harvest and since rice surpluses were rare it was only taken out during special occasions.
She wasn't sure if that man had any wine, but she prayed that he did. There was no telling how badly it would go for the villager if he wasn't able to deliver wine to the new Count.
That night, after getting back home, she re-evaluated methods to gain karma. The initial plan of getting inroads on the new count was doomed but the main idea of gaining tons of followers and having them do the work for her was still on the table. She just had to think of what she was going to do to achieve that goal.
The next few days were once again the monotony of farm work and learning the flute. She was just getting the hang of the magical flute technique and found out from her father that imbuing the flute with mana could actually have effects on the people that hear the melody. When her father played he was using a very light version of it which gave a feeling of happiness to those who listened.
She had begun to learn the technique and although she was not at the level of her father's genius she was still able to make melodies that could have similar, albeit weaker, effects. She now often played with her father during the nights and they made a great duo.
Kotori was getting to enjoy her new family, Although she wasn't particularly close to her mother or brother. She was very close to her new father. Even if he wasn't her original Father, she knew he cared for her deeply and she greatly appreciated the gentleness to which he treated her. And the one-on-one lesson had allowed them to bond quite a bit.
"Kotori your hand posture is slipping again"
"Yes papa" Kotori adjusted the grip on the flute and began her Melody again.
She was still practicing her mana melodies. But since her mana reserves were not very big she just played the regular melody and would only start to infuse them with mana towards the end of her practice session.
Her father listen to her tune and smiled
"There you go, much better."
Kotori was filled with a sense of pride. Her father rarely complimented her and this one of the rare occasions.
"Try a mana melody"
Her father encouraged her to begin playing again
"Kotori once again lifted the small reed flute to her mouth and began a small tune. She started with a small trickle of mana and began the simple song her father taught her yesterday
[Hmm? How did it go again]
Kotori had forgotten the melody, which was no surprise, considering she only learned it yesterday. Deciding to improvise a bit, she let her instinct do the work, and then suddenly she felt an abnormal outpouring of mana come out of her, a flow which caught her by surprise and she wasn't able to suppress in time.
Just before her vision went dark she heard a voice
"Potential Skill Acquired [Mana Musician]!"
Then she lost consciousness.
.
.
.
Kotori felt a small thing rubbing her face, when she opened her eyes she saw Shu nuzzling her cheek
"Kotori! Wake up!"
Kotori now noticed a very concerned father looking over her.
Rubbing her eyes, she began to stand up and then immediately staggered as a wave of dizziness and fatigue washed over her.
Her father caught her and supported her.
"Are you alright?" he asked
"I think, I just feel really tired" she replied
Her father sighed
"That's mana exhaustion, it happens when you use too much mana."
"How is that possible? I was just playing the melody you told me yesterday!"
Her father smiled wearily
"Kotori, didn't I tell you to not get overeager with your mana usage"
Kotori protested.
"But I wasn't overusing my mana!"
Indeed, while the performer of a mana-infused song could strengthen the effect of the song by infusing it with more mana. The complexity and nature of the melody would limit the maximum amount of mana that could be infused. The song Kotori played was a very simple song and even though her mana reserves were meager it would've been impossible for her to have overexerted herself.
Not that her father would know that. Since only Kotori knew how much mana she had.
[Sato Hikki perspective]
Sato Hikki looked at his cute daughter and simply chided her.
"Kotori I understand you want to play like daddy but you have to take it slow."
He saw the way Kotori looked at him and knew she was overexerting herself to try and match him.
"Don't worry you'll be able to play like me one day if you work hard"
His daughter protested once again
"I really wasn't overexerting myself! Why won't you believe me!"
He gave her a knowing smile and decided to drop the issues
"It's fine Kotori-chan. It's papa's fault for not watching you more carefully"
[Kotori's Perspective]
Kotori furrowed her brow. It was obvious her father didn't believe her, but she didn't know how to convince him that she wasn't trying to overexert herself. But it seemed he had dropped the issue and seeing as the conversation was going nowhere she decided that she would drop the issues as well.
Her father then told her that they would be going home early today, which was rare. He also offered her a piggyback ride. It seems he was trying to take it easy with her after she had collapsed from mana exhaustion.
While riding her father's sturdy back, the voice that echoed in the back of her head before she blacked out gnawing at her thoughts. She quickly checked her status screen to see if anything had changed. And what she saw shocked her.
Sato Kotori
Race: [Human] Age: 5
HP: 11
Mana: 7 (+3)!
Agility: 6
Strength: 4
Defense: 2
Karma: -99,999,977 (+22)!
Skills: [Mana Musician] (potential)!
Traits: [Spirit Seer]
There was a new skill. She ignored the mana and karma numbers since those were a natural result of her karma testing and mana expenditure usage. Moreover, what she was really interested in was this new [Mana Musician] skill. She was even more confused as to what the "potential" attached to it meant.
If she had to guess, it probably means something like having the "chance" to acquire the [Mana Musician] skill. Though, she wasn't exactly sure what that would entail.
That night when they got home her father made Kotori sit out of that night's music session. Her father didn't want to risk her overexerting herself again.
Except for that night, she waited for the soft snores of her father and the rest of the family before sneaking out to play her flute.
Despite her best efforts that night she was unable to remove the "potential" from the [Mana Musician] skill. Even when she played to the absolute limit of her mana pool. To the point where her vision would darken nothing changed in the status.
Kotori decided that night that she would continue to sneak out to investigate this matter further.