“Can you feel the heavy magic power now, Itsuki?”

“Y-Yeah. It’s the one in my stomach… right?”

“Exactly. This heavy magic power is of a higher phase.”

Higher phase? What does that even mean?

I didn’t quite understand, but it seemed like the higher the phase, the better it was. So, I focused on the heavy magic power in my body.

It’s strange, though. Now that I’m consciously aware of it, I realize that the heavy and light magic power have always been within me. I just didn’t know it until now.

It’s like how I became aware of the heat of magic power after the Makui incident.

Before you know it, you’re blind to it, but once you know, there’s no going back. It’s like learning to ride a bicycle, you struggle at first, but once you get it, you never forget.

This might sound a bit simplistic, but it’s kind of cool to think of it this way. It definitely boosts my motivation.

“The magic power you just refined, Itsuki, is at the second phase, level two. Stronger exorcists refine this heavy magic power even further, but I can’t do that yet, so I can’t teach it to you.”

“…Second phase, level two.”

Alright, I think I’m starting to get it. Normal magic power is at the first phase, level one, and the heavier magic power I just created is at the second phase, level two.

I see… I see how it works.

“Long ago, the exorcists in our country believed that if you kept refining magic power, it would become the purest essence of all things in the world. They called it Prima Materia, the ultimate pure magic power. The search for it was what they called Alchemy!”

“Alchemy!? I’ve heard of that!”

Wait, so that’s what alchemy was all about?

I always thought it was about making potions or something.

Well, I guess my understanding was pretty skewed by what I found online.

“By using that method, you extract only the heavy magic power and bring it outside your body. That’s Alchemy! It’s a very prestigious and ancient magic.”

Nina puffed out her chest with pride.

Wow, she knows so much. Nina’s really something.

Meanwhile, I barely know anything about Japanese magic… Feeling a bit down, I noticed something in Nina’s explanation that caught my attention.

“Wait, you bring the magic power outside your body?”

“Of course. You can’t complete Alchemy unless you can expel the magic power.”

“Wait, what!? You’ve been practicing expelling magic power from your body since you were three?”

“Don’t they do that in Japan?”

“No, not really. In Japan, the practice of expelling magic power from your body, which we call Thread Art, usually starts at five.”

“Huh? I guess it varies by country.”

After she said that, I realized something.

Of course, it makes sense.

Renji-san and my father always said that Rotation Art was to help us get used to controlling magic power… but that’s only half the story.

The other half is to eliminate any inconsistencies in the magic power.

Magic power is a force within the body. While the concept of it being heavy or light is more of a subjective experience, any inconsistency in it could lead to unstable spellcasting. This was something I could intuitively grasp.

And as an exorcist, such instability would be a severe disadvantage in battle.

When I fought Raikou Douji, the reason I could rely on the consistent power of Oborozuki was that my magic power was stable. If its strength had varied every time, it wouldn’t have been a reliable trump card.

And the stability was achieved through Rotation Art, which made the quality of the magic power within me uniform, like dissolving curry roux evenly in water.

Ah, so that’s why Rotation Art was so important.

The realization struck me like a bolt of lightning. It was one of those “aha” moments.

…Do elementary school kids even know what an “aha” moment is?

Lost in my trivial thoughts, I didn’t notice Nina continuing her explanation with her usual calm demeanor.

“Anyway, that’s not important right now. Itsuki, let’s continue the practice.”

“…Alright, got it.”

I nodded, focusing on the higher-phase magic power—the heavy magic power—within my body.

“Try to move it. Can you do that?”

“…Ugh.”

I let out a small groan.

I tried to move the heavy magic power, but… it wouldn’t budge. When I attempted to release it from my tanden, the moment it entered the rest of my body, it mixed with the lighter magic power, turning into a muddled mess.

“This is hard, isn’t it?”

“…Yeah. It just mixes together.”

“You’ll just have to get used to it.”

“…Okay.”

When Nina says I have to get used to it, there’s nothing I can do but sigh and keep trying. She’s right, though. There’s no shortcut for this kind of thing.

In my previous life, whenever someone talked about hard work, I’d scoff and think, “Who believes in that outdated stuff?” But in this life, I’ve learned that some things really do come down to perseverance and patience.

And when you put in the effort, sometimes, you find that you can do things you never thought possible.

So I tried again to release only the heavy magic power, but it just wouldn’t separate. I even tried wrapping it in the lighter magic power like a daifuku, but instead of staying separate, the two mixed together right away.

Unfortunately, magic power isn’t like a daifuku after all.

Just as I was pondering if there was another way, a sharp pain shot through my stomach.

Oh no, this isn’t good.

That feeling earlier wasn’t just in my head.

“Um, Nina-chan, sorry…”

“What? Are you giving up already?”

“I need to go to the bathroom…”

“Just go quickly.”

Nina looked exasperated as I hurried out of the classroom, heading towards the first-grade restroom.

Thank goodness everyone else had gone home. If I had to go in front of everyone, I might end up with the nickname “Poop Man” or something!

I slipped into the restroom and entered one of the stalls.

Nowadays, elementary schools have Western-style toilets.

Nice. Back in my day, we only had those Japanese squat toilets…

As I sat there, focusing on the pain in my stomach, an idea slowly crept into my mind.

“…”

No, I didn’t want to think about this. Seriously, this is the kind of thing that might be okay when you’re one or two years old, but trying it at six is just… wrong. It’s really wrong. But the curiosity is killing me.

What if I could release the heavy magic power while I’m… doing this?

No! No way! That’s just… no! I can’t even explain why it’s wrong, but it is!

“…Hmm.”

But I am in the bathroom, after all…

When I was still in diapers, my mom had to deal with changing me, but in the bathroom, it’s not like anyone would notice. So… maybe it’s okay?

Come to think of it, when I first started Thread Art, the magic power did initially come out from… back there.

…Maybe I should try it.

I hesitated for a moment before giving in to the idea.

And so, I became “Poop Man.”

“You’re late.”

“Sorry.”

I returned to the classroom, and Nina was waiting for me.

“Did you wash your hands properly?”

“Yeah, I washed them well.”

“Alright, let’s continue.”

Nina said as she placed her hand on my stomach.

Of course, I didn’t mention that I had managed to release the heavy magic power while in the bathroom. Not because I couldn’t tell Nina, but because my pride wouldn’t let me.

There’s no way I could share a story like that.

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