Chapter 31: Questions and Circles
Today's lesson has passed. Everything went smoothly. After starting the morning with some tears and a bit of embarrassment, at least the problem I had has been resolved.
Once again, all the student council members gathered. Everyone has arrived and is now in the student council room. Unlike yesterday, there is an additional person today, probably another member.
"Alright, let's start again. Since we have a new member who was absent yesterday, let's reintroduce ourselves," Imelda began, as cheerful as ever, as if nothing had happened yesterday.
"Vadim, you can introduce yourself."
A confident-looking young man stepped forward. He appeared natural, and... I think he might be popular, judging by his appearance. He reminds me of Chris, I suppose.
"My name is Vadim Stevanov. I'm in class XI-B. Magician. I'm in charge of the facilities section. I look forward to working with you," he said with a high-spirited tone. Vadim extended his hand for a handshake. He was very energetic, as reflected in his expression and behavior.
I accepted his handshake. His grip felt firm, I would say.
"My name is Ishimaru Naozumi, Esper, Vice Secretary. I'm in the same class as Alysha. I look forward to working with you too."
"Of course. And you?" Vadim looked at Violet.
"Violet Edina, Magician, class XI-S. I'm the Secretary. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Nice to meet you too."
"For now, only Qiqi hasn't arrived. When I asked her yesterday, she said she would be able to join us next Monday. Her grandmother is sick and currently in the hospital. Ah, her real name is Qiao Qing."
So, that means there's only one member left that I haven't met.
"What should we discuss? Yesterday's issue?"
Everyone seemed a bit unprepared to hear Imelda's words. As for Vadim, who didn't know anything about what happened yesterday, he just looked a bit confused.
"What issue?" Vadim asked without hesitation.
"Getting to know each other better, I suppose?" Imelda answered, sounding a bit uncertain.
Why are you the one who's confused now? Weren't you the one who started the conversation openly?
"In that case, I think I should start again. After all, I was the only one asked yesterday."
I started talking to prevent the situation from getting awkward. Seeing the situation, it seems no one will ask anything. It's become a bit sensitive to ask me questions after what happened yesterday.
"Any questions?"
After I said that, someone raised a hand wanting to ask something. I was surprised. Not by the question, but by who asked it. It was Helena.
This morning she seemed burdened by asking, but now she's asking looking like her usual self. Everyone also wasn't expecting it, but I didn't feel worried like yesterday. I also noticed Vadim raised his hand, but since Helena was first, I let her ask first.
"Is there no limit to the powers you can copy?"
Alysha moved slightly as if she wanted to stop her. She didn't seem angry like yesterday, but just trying to steer away from the topic.
Just before she could speak, I stopped her and shook my head. I'm fine, is what I tried to convey. Understanding this, Alysha calmed down again.
"Uhmm... are you serious about asking this here?"
"Of course. Didn't you say so yourself? And Imelda said it's fine."
Her attitude and way of speaking returned to how they were yesterday. She seemed unaffected by the event before, with curiosity evident on her face, despite her calm expression. But to me, it seems like she's just trying to keep the flow going, just as I wanted her to do.
"Why is Imelda involved?" I looked at Imelda, and she turned her face away.
"Yesterday, when I asked Imelda's opinion, she said you'd come to see me, and I shouldn't change myself. And as she said, you did exactly what she predicted."
So part of this is because of Imelda's expectations. I can't blame her because, after all, I did it. Suddenly, I remembered the times when I was often influenced by her expectations. Whether good or bad, those expectations were quite annoying.
"Alright then... So far, there hasn't been a power I couldn't copy, so I don't know."
Helena nodded in understanding. It seems her earlier question was just to fulfill my wish for her to become herself. After that question, she went back to being thoughtful, not troubling others.
Next, I allowed Vadim to ask his question.
"Can you try sparring with me? I want to represent the Student Council for festival tomorrow."
Another battle fanatic, it seems. After yesterday with Vain, the disciplinary committee head, now it's another student council member. Hopefully, he's not stubborn.
"Why should I? I refuse." I answered him in a flat tone.
"I just want to participate in the match. I've never joined because we already had a representative before."
"To be honest, I don't care about joining either and will gladly give it to you, but I have other things to do with the tournament, so I can't just back out. I have no place to represent besides the student council."
The answer I gave was straightforward, but it was the truth. I have higher priorities with the tournament, so I can't just back down.
"Is that so? Well, maybe another time then."
He sounded a bit disappointed with my answer but responded with a laugh. Fortunately, he's not the stubborn and selfish type. After hearing my explanation, he gave up easily.
"Any other questions? Lucas?" Imelda confirmed again.
She asked Lucas, who had a serious expression, or maybe just a blank face.
"It's fine. I don't doubt your choices when selecting people."
The way he spoke sounded cool with such a confident tone. Like someone in a story who understands everything. He has the demeanor of someone authoritative.
looking to others, is also that they are still a bit reluctant to ask and just choose silence.
"Alright, now let's move on to questions for Violet. Does anyone have a question?"
Imelda looked at Violet. Several people raised their hands. Senior Shirley and... Imelda herself.
You're the one who recruited her. Why are you asking a question now?
"Shishi goes first." Imelda let Senior Shirley ask her question first.
"Thank you... Can you tell us what your magic is, Vio? My special magic is Enhancement. To make things easier if a problem arises, I keep track of the magic users in the student council."
Enhancement with other people's magic as the basis? Magic Enhancement? Just as expected from a third-year and a class S student.
Enhancement magic is usually used to strengthen the body and senses. For someone who can enhance magic itself, it's quite special because it involves meddling with others' magic. It's a rare opportunity to see.
"Sure, no problem! Would you like it in physical or magical form? Let me know what you prefer, and I'll be happy to help!"
"Physical form is fine."
The term "physical and magical" in this context refers to the mediums used.
The physical form is a magic circle drawn on a surface, while the magical form is a magic circle created using mana. It's a fairly simple concept. For note, Creating a Magic circle using mana is only a high-level Magician can use.
Imelda takes a paper and a pencil out of her drawer and hands them to Violet. Violet slowly begins to draw a magic circle.
Each person's magic circle is inherently different because it depends on various aspects within the magicians themselves. Adjustments in mana, mana flow, understanding, and other factors greatly influence the magic circle. Despite all of those differences, there are components and some patterns that remain consistent, regardless of who the magician is. The difference in skill of a magician lies in making their opponent unable to read the magic circle.
From what I can see, Violet's drawing is somewhat different from others. Her magic circle has more complexity and characters than most magicians. Based on my observations, this is just a regular Fireball spell.
Violet's special magic is called <Converter>. Rather than being a single spell, her Special Magic influences all the spells she possesses. Because of this, her magic circle contains more characters than those of most magicians.
"All done. This is just a regular Fireball spell," Violet says as she puts down the pencil and looks toward senior Shirley.
Senior Shirley carefully examines Violet's magic circle, tracing its flow with her finger. Her expression reveals her puzzlement, not understanding the magic circle.
"What part is this?" Senior Shirley asks, pointing around the center of the magic circle.
"Ah... that's the..." Violet begins, but I interrupt her.
"Wait!" I say sharply. Is she seriously about to explain this?
Spells consist of three main components: the entrance gate, where the mana enters; the processor, which refines the mana; and the core, where the spell is finalized.
Even if magic circles have a pattern, the core is different for every individual. The core of a spell is extremely important—if it's destroyed, most spells will explode on the spot, injuring the magician. Or the enemy could easily dismantle the spell since they'd know about the core component. It's too important to be shared with others.
"Senior Shirley, which part do you need for the enhancement?" I ask, redirecting the conversation.
"Eh? I need the gate part," Shirley replies, startled.
Senior Shirley seems a little startled. Perhaps she's surprised that I only asked for a part and not the whole thing. From her perspective, I'm an Esper, not a magician, so she might be amazed that I understand the direction of their conversation.
In magic, it's not possible to interfere with the entire magic circle because that would be like handing over the spell itself. That's why I asked, assuming not all parts were needed.
"If that's the case, this should be the gate, and the mana flows here to here."
"Is that right, Vio!?"
Senior Shirley, surprised by my hint, asks Violet for confirmation. She looks very skeptical about the clue I gave.
"That's correct…!" Violet responds with a face that also seems to be in disbelief.
With the unique magic created by the
Everyone looks at me. They all seem to be waiting for my explanation. It's strange for someone to be so knowledgeable about magic—people might think I'm odd.
"I know what you're all thinking. Since Violet was about to explain everything, so I stopped her."
"But, they're..."
"I know, but that doesn't mean you should give away everything. You need to think about yourself too," I gently scold her.
The basic trait I've understood after observing her for a few days is that Violet trusts those who help her or those close to her. Of course, that's a good thing. But that doesn't mean you should give away everything. The core of a spell has a similar shape almost across different kinds of magic, and if it's known, it's like committing suicide.
My words leave a bitter taste in my mouth because I previously shared everything with Helena, but I just swallowed it down and tried to prevent Violet from doing the same. Let me worry about it.
She looks downcast, but I know my words are for her own good.
Alysha, who is next to Violet, suddenly hugs her lightly. Violet seems surprised by the sudden embrace from Alysha.
"I don't know much about magic, but I believe what Brother said. I know what he said is for your good."
"I'm sorry..." Violet murmurs, showing that she truly regrets it.
I don't want to repeat what happened with yesterday's atmosphere, so I try to explain the situation. The distance between the members will grow distance if this keeps happening.
"I'll explain. I understand magic more than ordinary people, and I also know its composition because it's a part of my hobby."
They all seem to understand and start to grasp the situation. My hobby is studying something fantastical, and I enjoy it. You could say that when it comes to knowledge, I wouldn't lose to a magician. I'm quite confident about that.
They're still not completely satisfied with my answer, but no one asks any more questions.
Studying and practicing are indeed different, so it's not surprising that they're confused. Even if someone studies a magic circle, if they can't use magic themselves, it's like just copying scribbles without knowing right from wrong. And if a non-magician understands it, their effort must be high. I'm the second type of person.
"Sorry, is that also a core part? I didn't know about that." Senior Shirley turns to Violet and apologizes.
"No, perhaps Senior Naozumi is right. I'll be more careful next time."
I'm relieved that this didn't turn into something bad. The mood also doesn't become too heavy.
"Well, then it's my turn to ask." Imelda tries to steer the conversation in a different direction. I think that's a good idea right now.
The atmosphere lightens, and there's no tension in the air. Violet looks at Imelda and nods, agreeing to answer her question.
"How's living in the dormitory now? Have you gotten used to it?"
"Yes, I've gotten quite used to it," Violet replies with a smile while still in Alysha's embrace.
"Is that so? I'm glad to hear that... and also, is Nao treating you well?"
Imelda asks again with a smirk on her face. I know she's about to start teasing. Well, that's one of Imelda's traits.
"Don't start..." I warn her to stop. I think she's in for a bit of a lecture this time.