“…Sensei, I did it.”

I exhaled deeply and slumped back into my chair after saying those words.

The resonance between the baseball and the apple—finally, I succeeded just after noon, as the clock ticked closer to 1 PM.

“L-let’s take a lunch break!” Shirayuki-sensei exclaimed.

“…Yeah. Where do we eat?” I asked.

“We’ll be eating in the cafeteria,” she replied.

…Now, this feels like a proper camp.

After nodding at her, I deactivated the Silveit thread and stood up.

“The cafeteria’s on the first floor?” I confirmed.

“Y-yes. Let’s go together!” Shirayuki-sensei said, leading the way as I followed her out of the classroom.

After focusing so intently for so long, my throat was parched. I was eager to get some water.

“I-I heard rumors, but Itsuki-kun, you have an impressive amount of magical power, don’t you?” she remarked.

“I’m a Seventh Rank,” I replied.

“That makes sense… Normally, people can’t maintain Silveit for as long as you did,” she noted.

I hadn’t really thought about it, but now that she mentioned it, maintaining Silveit for three hours of trial and error was no small feat.

It’s only possible because of the training I did to increase my magic power. Effort really does pay off in unexpected ways.

But then again, I probably should have realized that as an adult in my past life, not just now.

“Sensei, how much magical power do you have?” I asked, curious.

“M-me? I’m a Second Rank, just normal… Haha…” she said, chuckling nervously.

Seeing her awkward smile, I couldn’t help but ask the question that had been on my mind.

“So why did you choose to learn Resonance, Sensei?” I asked.

“Huh?” She blinked, surprised.

“I mean, why didn’t you just focus on regular magic like most exorcists? Why take on something like Resonance too?” I clarified.

“Well…”

She looked straight ahead as we walked, gathering her thoughts before continuing.

“I guess… I thought that someone as ordinary as me might become a little bit special.”

“…?”

Her reply left me both understanding and confused at the same time, and I tilted my head.

Before I could ask for more details, we arrived at the cafeteria, and the opportunity slipped away.

The cafeteria was set up as a self-serve buffet with dishes laid out in advance. However, since we were late, most of the food was already gone. There wasn’t a single other exorcist in the room either.

The cafeteria clock showed 12:50, and outside, I could see my father and the exorcist trainees lined up on the field. They seemed to have already finished their lunch.

While I was spacing out, staring out the window, Shirayuki-sensei handed me a tray.

“Itsuki-kun, here’s your tray.”

“Oh, thank you!”

Wait, not a tray—it’s a tray here, not a platter…

I took the tray and started loading it with food, only to realize a problem.

The cafeteria was designed for middle schoolers, and the serving counter was set way too high for me. That meant I had to stretch or tiptoe to reach the food.

So, I decided to use Silveit to grab the dishes and food I wanted. This is where Silveit really comes in handy.

As I stretched my threads to collect the food, I noticed Shirayuki-sensei watching me intently.

“You’re really skilled with that, Itsuki-kun,” she commented.

“R-really?” I asked, a bit surprised.

“Yes. I can’t control Silveit as smoothly as you do,” she admitted.

Though I had only extended about three threads, which seemed pretty standard to me, I still felt a bit proud to be complimented.

Once we both gathered our meals, we sat down at a table across from each other. My tray had two hamburgers, some sausages, cold miso soup, and rice. I wondered if using magic to heat up the miso soup would get me in trouble.

Probably not.

I dipped a Silveit thread into the miso soup and activated Elemental Shift: Fire, using just enough heat to warm it gently. Soon, steam began to rise from the bowl.

“W-wait, did you just warm up the miso soup with magic?” Shirayuki-sensei asked, looking at me mid-bite.

“U-uh, was that not okay…?” I asked, bracing myself for a scolding.

Instead, she handed me her miso soup, bowing slightly.

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“C-could you warm mine up too, please?”

“S-sure.”

Relieved, I used the same method to warm her soup. It was an easy task.

With a satisfied look, Shirayuki-sensei returned the bowl to her tray, then hesitantly offered her rice as well.

“A-and… maybe the rice too?”

“Of course.”

I took her rice bowl, realizing I hadn’t warmed my own yet.

Hmm… maybe I could try Resonance here.

With that thought, I connected Silveit threads to both my rice and hers. As I focused on establishing a resonance, I began heating my rice. Sure enough, hers warmed up at the same time.

“Wait, did you use Resonance?” she asked, wide-eyed.

“Y-yeah. I figured I might as well try it,” I admitted as I handed her the warmed rice.

Shirayuki-sensei gazed at the bowl in amazement, muttering softly.

“…Incredible. You’ve already mastered it. You got the basics down in just ten minutes, and now you’re doing practical applications after only three hours.”

She continued to stare at the rice bowl, adding,

“Itsuki-kun… are you a genius?”

“N-no way. It’s all thanks to your teaching, Sensei.”

I quickly denied her statement.

I’m not talented. I’ve just worked hard because I don’t want to die.

And besides, the only reason I managed it in three hours was because Shirayuki-sensei had been guiding me the entire time.

Still, upon hearing my words, Shirayuki-sensei raised her head with a shy smile.

“R-really? I’m glad to hear that. Staying up all night to prepare these lesson notes was worth it.”

She blushed slightly, looking both proud and embarrassed.

So, she pulled an all-nighter to prepare this lesson? That’s pretty… studious of her.

Wait…

I glanced over at Shirayuki-sensei.

She was small, young, and had a cute, youthful appearance. She could easily be mistaken for a high schooler—maybe even a middle schooler.

But could it be that she actually is that young?

No, judging from what my father and Renji-san said, Shirayuki-sensei is a fully-fledged exorcist.

That means she’s an adult… right? At least high school graduate…?

Just how old is Shirayuki-sensei?

“Aren’t you going to eat, Itsuki-kun?” she asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Y-yeah, I will,” I replied, quickly reaching for my miso soup.

No way I was going to ask a lady her age. That would be rude. Instead, I focused on my meal.

“Oh, by the way, Itsuki-kun, I have some errands to run after lunch for about an hour, so you’ll need to study on your own for a bit. Is that okay?”

“Sure, but what kind of errands?” I asked.

Shirayuki-sensei smiled gently.

“I have to attend to the treatment of an exorcist child.”

I nodded in understanding.

Ah, of course. That’s the real reason she’s here at the camp.

“Is it for Aya-chan?” I asked.

“Yes, the daughter of the Shimotsuki family… Wait, you know her!?”

“Y-yeah, she’s a friend,” I replied.

Hearing this, Shirayuki-sensei paused for a moment, thinking, before speaking again.

“If you already know, then… would you like to observe the session, Itsuki-kun?”

“Huh? Is that okay?”

“Yes. This will be a good chance to see how Resonance is used in practice. Watch closely and learn.”

Shirayuki-sensei gave me a serious look as she said this.

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