Monday after school.

While practicing Alchemy with Nina-chan in the empty classroom, the conversation naturally shifted to what we did over the weekend.

When I mentioned going to exorcise a monster at a middle school in the middle of the night, Nina-chan got curious, asking for more and more details. Eventually, the conversation reached the part about how people were turned into cubes, and she recoiled in shock.

“It’s unbelievable how you can talk about that so casually, Itsuki.”

“Well… it was pretty dark, so I didn’t see much.”

I shrugged, but deep down, I understood why Nina-chan was so put off. Honestly, if our roles were reversed, I’d probably have the same reaction.

Still, to me, the sight didn’t seem real. Despite being in this world for six years, my previous life felt more significant. It’s probably because, mentally, I haven’t fully adjusted to this life yet.

Turning people into cubes? It was surreal, almost dreamlike, and while it would probably leave an ordinary person scarred for life, I couldn’t help but feel detached from it all. It was like watching something unfold from behind a glass, almost as if I was merely an observer and not a participant.

But, enough of this grim exorcist talk—

“So, Nina-chan, what did you do over the weekend?”

“I went shopping with my mom.”

“Huh? I thought your mom was busy with work?”

She had mentioned that last week, right?

“She was, but she finished early. Another exorcist dealt with her monster for her.”

“Oh, that happens? Where did you guys go shopping?”

“Ginza! It was my first time there!”

…Ginza? At her age?

As I silently reeled in surprise, Nina-chan continued to speak, excitement clear in her voice.

“We went to buy clothes. There were so many people in Tokyo; it felt overwhelming.”

I nodded, trying to digest the idea of a six-year-old shopping in Ginza. But, realizing where my thoughts were headed, I quickly shook my head to refocus.

I need to stop thinking about money whenever I hear about things like this.

“And we found this really cute dress—”

As Nina-chan excitedly recounted her shopping trip with her mom, I couldn’t help but find it endearing. Despite any issues she might have with her mom, it was obvious she was thrilled to have spent the day together. Her usual reserved demeanor had been replaced by an almost giddy energy.

It was nice to see her like this, even if the whole situation felt way out of my depth. After all, when I was her age in my previous life, I’d never set foot in a place like Ginza. Heck, I didn’t even think about going somewhere that fancy until I was much older.

As I listened to her happy chatter, I felt a soft touch on my stomach.

“…Anyway, enough about that. Let’s focus on magic practice now.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Alright, Itsuki, concentrate on your core.”

I took a deep breath, preparing to hone my senses after the weekend break from training.

I deactivated Rotation Arts, allowing my magic to develop inconsistencies. Then, I worked on distinguishing the heavy magic from the light magic.

The heavy magic sank deep into my dantian, while the lighter magic spread throughout my body.

“Try releasing it.”

“Okay…”

I nodded and attempted to push the magic out. But as soon as it moved, it mingled with the lighter magic in my body.

What I was left with was the same regular magic as before.

Nope, not working.

“How’d it go? Did you manage?”

“No… it’s not happening.”

Shaking my head, I could feel my disappointment. Nina-chan, however, seemed just as puzzled.

“Itsuki, aren’t you a Seventh Phase King?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

I had been thinking about how the previous phase was called Queen, and now the Seventh Phase was King. It seemed obvious, but the names still felt a bit odd. What was the origin? Chess, maybe?

But then Nina-chan said something that threw me off completely.

“Maybe you can’t perform Alchemy because your magic is too strong?”

“WHAT?!”

I couldn’t help but blurt that out.

Is that even possible?

“I don’t know. There’s only ever been one Seventh Phase King in the history of my country. No one’s ever seen one in person…”

Hearing that, all I could do was nod in uncertainty.

I’d always assumed having a lot of magic was advantageous, but perhaps it wasn’t that simple after all.

No precedents meant I had to figure things out on my own. However, Alchemy was a skill—a technique. In theory, it should be achievable regardless of the amount of magic, right?

I was starting to feel confused, but I couldn’t deny the facts. I was still unable to perform Alchemy.

Maybe I needed a different approach.

Just as I was about to voice that thought, Nina-chan raised her hand.

“Hey, Itsuki. Let’s take a break.”

“A break? But we just started practicing.”

“It’s fine. We need a break!”

Before I could say anything more, she turned on her heel and started walking out of the classroom, leaving me standing there, baffled.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“The bathroom!”

Ah. My bad.

Once again, I felt a pang of frustration at my own lack of awareness. With nothing else to do, I wandered over to the window and looked out at the schoolyard.

Some older kids were having PE, playing soccer on the field.

I had nothing better to do, so I decided to watch the game while waiting for Nina-chan.

The players were too far away for me to see clearly, so I cast Sight Enhancement to focus in. Instantly, the scene became clearer, almost like I was peering through binoculars.

One of the boys, who seemed pretty skilled, dodged a tackle and dribbled up the field. Just as he was about to make his way past another player, he was tripped, tumbling to the ground.

Oof. That looked like it hurt.

As I winced, a whistle blew, and the game paused.

The teacher and a few other kids rushed over to check on the boy.

It was an everyday scene, something you could witness at any school.

A student nearby helped the fallen boy to his feet. His knee was scraped, a small trickle of blood visible. No surprise, considering how hard he’d fallen.

After the teacher spoke briefly to the group, the injured boy and another student who had been sitting out started walking toward the school building—probably heading for the nurse’s office.

Just then, I heard footsteps behind me.

“I’m back, Itsuki. What were you looking at?”

“Soccer.”

“Soccer?”

Nina-chan came up beside me, her gaze following mine out to the field.

The whistle blew again, signaling the restart of the match. I figured it was time to refocus and resume practice, so I dropped the Sight Enhancement and turned away from the window.

“Alright, enough watching. Let’s get back to training.”

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

I nodded, facing forward once again.

“Hey, Nina-chan.”

“What is it?”

“I want to try something new.”

“…What?”

Watching the game earlier had given me an idea—an inspiration of sorts.

When I saw the boy scrape his knee, I had unconsciously thought about how to heal the injury with magic. I instinctively began calculating the steps for casting healing spells, considering how to mend the damaged blood vessels and skin.

It got me thinking about blood vessels.

“Let me give it a shot.”

I took the light magic surrounding my dantian and used Silveit to thread it throughout my body, weaving it through me like a network of veins—magical veins.

Then, I directed the heavy magic from my core toward my hands.

“How about now?”

I asked Nina-chan nervously, hoping for some kind of positive response.

She checked the flow of magic coming from my hands, her expression serious.

Then, she suddenly let go of my hand and beamed at me, eyes lighting up.

“Perfect! Absolutely perfect! Now your Alchemy is complete!”

Breathing a sigh of relief, I smiled back at her.

However, even though I was relieved, I couldn’t shake a lingering concern.

It took too long to get the magic out.

At this rate, I’d never be able to use it in actual combat.

I need to work on my speed and make it automatic—just like I had with Rotation Arts and Thread Arts. It had to become second nature.

While I was lost in thought, the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

It’s already that late, huh? We could keep practicing, but if we started something new now, we’d barely have half an hour before Nina-chan had to head home. It would feel too rushed.

Still, now that I’d learned Alchemy, I was curious about Condensation Magic.

But I didn’t want to keep going over to Nina-chan’s house all the time.

Then, an idea struck me.

Yes! That’s it!

“Hey, Nina-chan!”

“Huh? What is it?”

Nina-chan tilted her head curiously, caught off guard by my sudden excitement. I took a deep breath, feeling a little nervous, but determined.

“Why don’t you come over to my house today?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep