As Emilia left, she calmed down and sighed, muttering, "Why did I say that? Now it'll be even more difficult to befriend Rei. But he's way too annoying! I'm a genius mage, yet he still called me a 3rd-grade magician."
Suddenly, she saw Hanna, who smirked knowingly. "Having difficulty? I thought so."
Emilia narrowed her eyes. "Not now, Hanna. I'm already very pissed off."
However, Hanna ignored the warning and said, "Don't worry. I came to help you. After all, if you succeed, it'll help me too. Go to the right—you'll find Rei's friends there. They might be able to help you."
Emilia was surprised by Hanna's unexpected support. She blinked and said, "Thank you."
As directed, she walked in that direction. After a short while, she heard a question. "Who are you?"
She turned to see a red-haired boy standing confidently next to a flustered one who seemed to avoid her gaze. "I'm Emilia. And who are you two?"
The red-haired boy grinned. "I'm Kaiser, and this here is Luster. What are you doing here?"
Emilia sighed. "I'm just sulking. There's a boy I need to befriend, but I can't seem to get through to him."
Kaiser raised an eyebrow knowingly. "You must be talking about Rei, right? He does hate girls."
Emilia's eyes widened. "You know, Rei?"
Kaiser laughed. "What do you mean by 'know'? We're his friends, right, Luster?"
Luster, still a little flustered, stammered, "Y-yes."
Emilia's face brightened slightly. "Can you help me? I need to befriend Rei."
Kaiser crossed his arms confidently. "I was going to suggest the same thing. I want to help him too. Don't worry—leave everything to us."
Kaiser and Luster headed to Rei's room. Kaiser knocked lightly and called out, "Hey, Rei! We made a new game!"
Rei opened the door, eyeing them skeptically. "What is it?"
Kaiser smirked, holding up a small wooden stick. "It's simple. It's called the shadow game You have to move just like me and copy the symbols I will be making at the same time I would finish making it. If you would not be able to do it, you would lose."
Rei said, "Wow, it's an interesting game."
Kaiser stopped Rei and said, "However, there is a catch. I am a little low on money, so how about we keep a punishment after the game?"
Rei considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, sure, then let's play."
Rei and Kaiser started playing. Kaiser turned and made a sign, but Rei made the same sign. Kaiser thought, "Rei is very intelligent; it would be very difficult to stop him, but I have a plan" Kaiser spun and made a sign Rei quickly immitated him and Kaiser started doing the same spin and making the same sign for 6 times at a very quick speed then suddenly he started changing the signs and speed himself up and Rei immitated all of it but due to spinning so much Rei head was aching and at the 9th sign Rei messed up and Kaiser won.
Rei's head was still spinning as he sat down and said, "Don't ask for too much money, okay?"
Kaiser's grin grew wider. "Who said I would ask for money? I tell you to work with your teacher for a week."
Rei's jaw dropped. "What? No! I can't do that. I bet you planned this from the start!"
Kaiser laughed heartily. "That's why it's a punishment game. Now you have to do it, or else you'll look bad!"
Rei gritted his teeth, glaring at Kaiser. "Fine, but I'll only start tomorrow."
Kaiser clapped his hands. "Good enough!"
Kaiser grinned at Rei, his eyes sparkling with mischief and a hint of triumph. He glanced at Luster, who shifted nervously but remained silent, clearly not as comfortable with the plan.
Meanwhile, Emilia had been watching the exchange with keen interest. Her earlier frustration seemed to melt away as she observed their dynamic. She stepped closer, her crystal wand glinting as she crossed her arms.
"Well, it seems we have a plan. I'll leave Rei in your capable hands, boys," she said, her tone tinged with mock surrender.
She offered a small smile, though there was still a tightness to it, revealing that Rei's earlier rejection still stung. Her gaze turned thoughtful as she addressed him directly.
"Remember, Rei, I'm not your enemy. I'm here to help you in my own way. Just… think about what Kaiser and Luster have to say. They only want the best for you."
With that, she turned and left, her footsteps echoing softly down the hallway, leaving the three boys alone.
Kaiser watched her retreat before turning back to Rei with a shrug. "Don't worry about her, dude. We'll get you through this. Trust us, okay?"
Rei shot him a glare. "You're the one who put me through this."
Kaiser just grinned cheekily in response, clearly pleased with himself.
The next day, Emilia took Rei to the backyard. However, despite her attempts to appear friendly, Rei remained as tense and wary as if he were facing an enemy. Emilia was puzzled, unsure of what she could teach him. She was a mage, and Rei was a spirit artist—someone who cut through magic with weapons.
She then remembered Thomas's words: Just show him magic. Deciding to focus on that, she cleared her throat and announced, "Okay, then. Let's start with rock magic."
Rei stayed on his guard, watching her with suspicion. Emilia sighed, resigned to his resistance, and began reciting an incantation.
"Oh, earth, grace me with your power. Turn into strength and charge with unyielding ferocity—Rock Bullet!"
A glowing orb of energy formed at the tip of her wand, quickly condensing into a solid rock bullet. It shot forward with impressive speed, slamming into a large boulder and shattering it into smaller fragments.
Emilia turned to Rei, a hint of a smirk playing on her lips, clearly expecting him to be impressed.
"See, Rei? That's rock magic. I can teach you to harness the power of earth and stone, to shape it to your will. It's a vital skill for any mage to have."
She paused, studying his reaction. However, his expression remained cold and unimpressed, and his body language screamed reluctance.
Her smirk faltered, replaced by a look of quiet determination. Stepping closer to him, she extended her wand, pointing toward the remains of the boulder.
"Now, your turn. Go ahead. Try to cut through it with your spirit arts. Show me what you've got, Rei."
Her eyes narrowed as she watched him, a mix of curiosity and resolve glinting in their depths. Even though he clearly had no interest in learning from her, Emilia refused to back down. She could sense the potential for an intriguing challenge in the tension between his abilities and her own approach to magic.
Rei imagined a rock bigger than Emilia's previous rock emerging from the ground. Rei tried to concentrate on how he could lift the rock, using two vacuums by taking away all the air from the rock's sides. However, the rock turned to dust on the first attempt. The second attempt, the third attempt, and so on all ended in failures. Frustrated but not giving up, Rei continued until it was late evening.
As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the backyard, Emilia watched Rei's frustrated attempts with a mix of patience and growing curiosity. She noticed Rei's determination, even as his efforts to lift the rock using only his spirit arts proved futile, the heavy stone crumbling under the vacuum he tried to create.
Finally, as the last light of day faded and the first stars began to peek out in the darkening sky, Emilia gently touched Rei's shoulder, startling him out of his concentration. "Rei, stop for tonight. You've pushed yourself hard, and you need rest."
She looked at him, her earlier frustration replaced by a newfound respect and understanding. "I see now why Thomas wanted you to learn magic. Your spirit arts are... unique. But they're also draining, aren't they? That's why mages use incantations and wands — to focus and direct our power without exhausting ourselves."
Emilia sighed softly, squeezing his shoulder slightly. "Get some sleep, Rei. We'll pick this up again tomorrow. And don't worry — we'll figure out a way for you to use your abilities together with the magic I can teach you."