"Emika, do you understand the gravity of what you're saying right now?!"
I exclaimed.
"Why are you acting so surprised? There are fewer people in the world with the Shadow element compared to those with the Light element."
She's right, but still... Compared to Shadow Magic, Light Magic can do some miracles. For example, it can heal injuries.
(For context, after fighting Chrysus, I decided to find a book on Light Magic and studied it and its perks.)
There's no need to mention that it's next to impossible to dodge.
Light Magic seems to manifest much more commonly in females compared to males.
There's also the fact with Shadow Magic, manifests in around 1 in every 1,100,000,000 people since there are only 6 other known Shadow Magic users.
For Light Magic, it manifests in around 1 in every 500,000,000 people, meaning that there are around 15 people with Light Magic.
Compared to Shadow Magic, Light Magic seems more useful.
"Ho, ho."
Homura let out a satisfied laugh.
"A Shadow Magic user and a Light Magic user on my team. That makes missions together worthwhile."
She said.
"You still need to introduce yourself."
I said.
"Right, right."
Homura cleared her throat.
"I'm Kaguya Homura, the 'disowned' daughter of the Homura clan. My main elements are Flame and Wind."
"Oh, a dual elementist, you're amazing, Homura-san."
Emika complimented her.
"It's not as amazing as your Light element, Kaneko-san."
"Please call me Emika."
"Then call me Kaguya."
Why is this conversation between these two so smooth?!
I wish I didn't have trouble talking to Homura earlier.
"Hold on, I got two questions."
"Ask away."
The red-haired girl permitted me.
"Firstly, what did you mean by disowned?"
"That's an easy one. Due to my selfish behavior, my family decided that it scarred their name too much, so they disowned me. Well, in name only."
"Name only?"
Kuro repeated.
"My brother is the heir to the family now but he's still weaker than me. My parents plan for him to be the public heir and they plan for me to lead the clan from the shadows due to my power. It doesn't sit well with me though."
She explained.
"So, your parents rescinded your position as heir only to use your brother as a pawn and have you lead?"
Emika concluded.
"Pretty much."
Homura nodded.
"That's horrible."
"Yeah, that's why I don't like the plan. The reason why I created trouble for my family was to have my brother as an heir. He's never been noticed for his feats since he's always been living in my shadow. So, I wanted him to get the spotlight for himself."
Slightly extreme that she made herself lose the position of heir for her brother. But, I guess it shows her love for her brother.
"Wait, isn't that contradictory then?"
Kuro asked.
"What is?"
I questioned.
"I mean, I was only watching but I clearly remember Kaguya saying, 'All I care about is the strongest.' If your brother was being overshadowed by you, that meant you're stronger than him so why do you care?"
Homura shivered and looked away while scratching her head.
"Oh, that..."
She murmured.
"It's just something that happens every now and then. You could say it's an impulse."
That doesn't make any sense. Especially since that 'impulse' got me into a duel.
"Oh, can I ask you an additional question to the one I was going to ask?"
She nodded.
"Why did you constantly change martial arts during our duel?"
"Hm? That's the way I fight with people who are stronger than me."
"That's some annoying way to fight."
"Exactly. If I stick to one martial art style, I know I'll lose. So, to throw them off, I consistently change martial arts and it usually ends up working but you're seriously superhuman."
"Ah, I mean, we are all Streia."
I retorted.
"No, seriously. You can observe the smallest details in my next attack and you have a body that can keep up with your thoughts. That's pretty rare, even among Streia."
This praise sounds awesome.
"I used Karate, Taekwondo, Boxing, Jiu-jitsu, and Capoeira on you and you managed to either block every blow or dodge them."
What's just as superhuman is the fact that she noticed me reacting to her subtle movements. Homura's no joker herself.
"So, what was your last question, Sasaki?"
I flinched.
For some reason, someone who's not a teacher calling me by my second name sounds weird.
"Uh... Call me Shoya. It sounds more natural."
"Call me Kaguya. I don't like being called by my family name."
She should've told me something.
"Uhm, Kaguya, what's Flame Magic?"
"I can explain!"
Suddenly, Kuro's hand burst into the air. Her eyes sparkled and her nose flared as she had a smug look on her face.
Guess her childish attitude is still there. It wouldn't be right if it wasn't.
"Go ahead."
"Okay, so, Flame Magic is the superior version of Fire Magic. Unlike Fire Magic, the flames of Flame Magic cannot be snuffed unless powerful Water Magic is shot at it or the user wills it. Flame Magic is more destructive compared to Fire Magic. Some people say that a wielder of Flame Magic could destroy a whole city..."
She trailed off.
Well, I guess our squad is probably the most unique. A Shadow Magic user, a Light Magic user, a Null, and a Flame Magic + Wind Magic user.
"Now, all we need is a team name and leader."
Kaguya said.
Suddenly, Kuro and Emika turned to me. Instinctively, I looked away, avoiding eye contact.
"I-I think it should be Kaguya."
God, their eyes are piercing into me. What's wrong with them?! Why are they so intent on me becoming the leader of this group?
"I recommend Shoya."
"Mhm, so do I."
They both said, listless with a nonchalant tone, still watching me like hawks.
"Yeah, it should be Shoya, shouldn't it?"
Kaguya agreed.
"Why me?!"
"Well, you're the strongest, aren't you? Shouldn't you be the leader?"
The scarlet-haired girl said as if it was the obvious choice.
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
The two of them nodded like dolls.
"What'll the team name be?"
The girl was lost in thought.
I sighed and gave up.
"Let's make it Team Exodia..."
I told them, lazily.
Kuro and Emika cheered while Kaguya was repeating the name of the team silently to herself.
Man, peer pressure is a worldly force.