Chapter 5: "The Color of Jealousy"
The day after the magic tournament‚ the academy courtyard was a little more lively than usual. The topic of conversation was‚ of course‚ Louis Adel—the "Miracle of 0.2 Magic Power."
"Did you see that spark?" "I can't believe he hit the center." "Wait‚ wasn't that just luck?"
Amid the buzzing voices‚ Louis was quietly nibbling on his lunch bread in the shade of a tree. It was a slightly sweet honey bread that Selina had baked for him. It was fluffy and melted in his mouth.
(…It’s delicious. But my stomach feels heavy.)
Yesterday’s victory had certainly made him happy. However‚ the gazes from those around him felt even heavier. He wasn’t good with being the center of attention. If possible‚ he wanted to become invisible and live quietly in the corner.
"Louis!"
He heard Selina’s voice. When he turned around‚ she was running toward him with a small package in her hands.
"Here‚ take this!"
What she held out was a small hand-sewn cloth bag. Inside was a protective charm engraved with a warding rune.
"It’s a reward for yesterday. You worked really hard‚ Louis. I made this myself."
"Eh… ah‚ thank you. But…"
Louis was at a loss for words. Thoughts swirled round and round in his mind.
(Is this… maybe…? No‚ it’s not. It must be “as friends.” Selina is kind. She’s kind to everyone. This is one of those things.)
"…Why don’t you give this to Leon?"
"Huh?"
Selina’s smile froze in place. It was as if time had stopped.
"Leon is more worthy. He’s much stronger than me‚ cooler‚ and… he can protect you‚ Selina."
"…Louis‚ are you seriously saying that?"
"Yeah. Because compared to someone like me…"
"Don’t say ‘someone like me’!"
Selina’s voice rang out louder than expected. The surrounding students glanced their way. Louis hurriedly lowered his voice.
"S-Sorry… but I…"
"Enough."
Selina clutched the charm‚ spun around‚ and ran away.
(Huh…? Why is she angry? Did I say something wrong? No‚ but…)
Louis held his head. He understood that his words had hurt her. But he didn’t understand why.
(Doesn’t Selina like Leon? If so‚ it would be better to give it to him than to me…)
"…You did it again‚ huh."
A voice came from behind. It was Leon. He stood with his arms crossed‚ looking somewhat exasperated.
"Did what?"
"You still haven’t noticed Selina’s feelings?"
"Huh…?"
"Didn’t you look at her eyes? She looked so happy."
Louis fell silent. He had seen it. That smile had definitely been directed at him. But he had been afraid to believe it.
"…I thought someone like me shouldn’t misunderstand."
"It might not be a misunderstanding‚ you know."
Leon’s voice sounded somewhat lonely.
"I also… like Selina. But I can tell who she’s looking at."
"…"
"So face her properly. Don’t run away."
Louis clenched his fist. Something creaked inside his heart.
(Face her…? But what if I’m wrong? What if it really is just my misunderstanding? If I get my hopes up and get betrayed…)
"…I just want Selina to be happy. That’s all."
"Even if that makes her cry?"
At Leon’s words‚ Louis looked up. Leon was staring straight at him.
"…She was crying?"
"Who knows. That’s how it looked to me."
With that‚ Leon turned his back and walked away.
That evening‚ Louis was alone in the library. Even though he had opened a book on magic formulas‚ the words wouldn’t enter his head.
(What am I doing? I wasn’t really trying to understand Selina’s feelings. I was just scared and running away.)
He buried his face on the desk. He thought about the charm. He felt pathetic for arbitrarily denying the feelings she had put into that small cloth bag.
(But what should I do? Even if I apologize now…)
At that moment‚ the library door opened. It was Selina. Her eyes were a little red. But she was smiling.
"Louis… Can we talk for a bit?"
"Y-Yeah."
Selina sat down next to Louis. Silence flowed between them for a while.
"Sorry about earlier. For yelling."
"No‚ I’m the one who should apologize… I wasn’t really thinking about your feelings‚ Selina."
"No‚ it’s because I didn’t convey them properly either."
Selina gently placed the charm on the desk.
"I still want you to have this‚ Louis. Because I made it for you."
Louis stared at it. This time‚ he didn’t refuse. He gently picked it up and tucked it against his chest.
"Thank you… I’ll treasure it."
Selina smiled softly. Her smile looked somewhat relieved and a little shy.
That night‚ Louis was looking at the charm on his bed.
The stitching on the small cloth bag was a little crooked‚ with threads sticking out here and there.
(…You’re clumsy‚ Selina. But it’s warm.)
He gently closed his eyes. A feeling slowly spread through his chest. It was probably—
"…Jealousy‚ huh."
He was surprised at himself. Every time he saw Leon talking with Selina‚ his chest would stir. It wasn’t inferiority. It wasn’t envy.
(I like Selina.)
He was finally able to admit it.
And so‚ the relationship between the three of them began to change little by little.
Chapter 6: "Encounter with the Old Sage"
The academy courtyard was bathed in the afternoon sunlight. Sunlight filtering through the trees drew patterns on the lawn‚ and the wind rustled the leaves like turning pages.
Louis Adel had just come out of the library as if escaping.
(…It’s impossible. No matter how I think about it‚ that equation has contradictions. The magic power channels are intersecting‚ so how is it a stable formula? Who wrote this?)
He snapped the grimoire shut. The cover had "Advanced Magic Theory" written in gold letters. The contents‚ however‚ were not dancing—they had come swinging at him.
(Maybe my brain really has its limits…)
It was while he was thinking that.
"You there‚ gazing at the sky‚ eh?"
A voice suddenly came from behind.
Louis jumped and turned around.
There stood an old man wearing a tattered robe. His hair was silver‚ and his eyes seemed to gaze far into the distance. A small bell like a wind chime dangled from the tip of his staff.
"Um… who are you?"
"I am Zeno Graphar. I was once called the 'Seventh Sage.' Now I am merely a traveler‚ searching for vessels of magic as the wind takes me."
(Seventh Sage…? Wait‚ that legendary one? No way‚ someone dressed in rags like this couldn’t be such a great person…)
"Your magic power is scarce‚ I see."
"Eh‚ ah‚ yes… My magic index is 0.2."
"Hmm. The vessel looks small‚ but it resembles the sky. Its limits cannot be seen."
"Huh?"
Zeno sat down on the lawn as boldly as if it were a throne.
"Magic is not power. It is structure. It is flow. It is not incantation‚ but intent. You already understand that."
"…I’m just calculating. Organizing the structure of magic formulas with numbers…"
"That is the vessel of a 'Creator.'"
Louis was speechless. A Creator. Not one who uses magic‚ but one who creates it. He had never heard such words before.
"Your magic is not an imitation of someone else. It is not someone else’s theory. It is your own 'world.' A poem of magic woven with numbers."
(A poem… My magic is a poem? No‚ no‚ my notebook is full of equations with zero poetic elements.)
"Fufu‚ you doubt it. That’s fine. Young people grow by doubting. Belief can come last."
Zeno lightly waved his staff. A magic formula appeared in the air. Its complex structure spread out like a flower.
"This is a spell I created when I was young. The structure is beautiful‚ but the flow is rigid. How would you fix it?"
"Eh‚ um… This part has magic power clogged‚ so disperse it with a reflection formula… and if you shift the angle here by 3 degrees‚ the flow will become smoother…"
Louis was unconsciously moving his fingers. He overlaid numbers onto the formula in the air.
Zeno narrowed his eyes and nodded.
"Just as I thought. You are a vessel of the 'Creator side.'"
"But… I have no magic power‚ I can’t fight‚ and I’m not cool like Selina or Leon…"
"Hmm. What is 'coolness'?"
"Huh?"
"I once sought 'coolness' and caused my magic to run wild. I tried to show off my power and gain fame. As a result‚ I lost my comrades."
Zeno’s voice was quiet like the wind.
"You use magic for someone else. That is what coolness is."
Louis felt a warmth spreading in his chest.
(I use it for someone… for Selina’s smile. To catch up to Leon’s back. …Is that cool?)
"Why are you telling me all this‚ Sir Zeno?"
"The wind told me. 'The vessel resembles the sky.' Leave words for the one whose limits cannot be seen."
Zeno stood up. The wind rustled his robe.
"I shall continue my journey. I look forward to the day you create magic."
"Eh‚ you’re leaving already?"
"Yes. I live as the wind takes me. If I stop‚ I rot."
Louis hurriedly took out his notebook.
"At least give me some hint…!"
Zeno laughed.
"Ask the wind for hints. Your numbers read the wind. The wind carries the world. In other words‚ you—"
"Can change the world?"
"Fufu‚ those are Selina’s words. She is a good girl. She will be the one who lights stars in your 'sky.'"
With that‚ Zeno began walking. The sound of the bell melted into the wind.
Louis watched his back for a while.
(I am a vessel of the Creator side…? Really? But Sir Zeno said my limits can’t be seen.)
He opened his notebook. There‚ Zeno’s magic formula had been reconstructed by Louis’s hand.
(My magic is not an imitation of someone else. It is my own 'world.')
And for the first time‚ he gave his magic a name.
"…Wind Recitation Style (Fūei-shiki)."
A poem of the wind woven with numbers.
It was the beginning of a magic no one yet knew.
Chapter 7: "To the Sealed Ruins"
"I thought practical training would be more like… a picnic in the grasslands?"
Louis grumbled quietly at the entrance to the ruins. Before him were moss-covered stone stairs. The air was chilly and carried an atmosphere that screamed “something’s going to appear.”
"We don’t use magic theory on picnics‚ do we?" Selina laughed. As usual‚ she was cheerful‚ and the staff slung over her shoulder swayed lightly.
"I welcome it. Places like this are exactly where a knight can show his worth."
Leon carried his sword on his back and walked ahead confidently. Looking at his back‚ Louis sighed inwardly.
(Leon always looks like a painting… whether in ruins‚ in town‚ or in the classroom. Standing next to Selina looks so natural.)
The purpose of the practical training was to investigate the sealing structures of ancient magic. Students were divided into groups to explore inside the ruins and record traces of magic.
Louis‚ Selina‚ and Leon naturally ended up in the same group. Teacher Miria had said “the balance is good‚” but Louis thought “it makes my heart unstable.”
The interior of the ruins was more complex than expected. The passages intertwined‚ and remnants of magic power drifted through the air. Ancient characters were carved into the walls‚ and traces of magic circles remained here and there.
"The Sealing Chamber should be ahead. Let’s proceed carefully."
Leon led the way. Selina walked behind him‚ and Louis brought up the rear. Physically‚ the three were close‚ but the emotional distance between them was subtly shifting.
(I just said something like that to Selina recently… She’s probably still bothered by the charm thing. I really was an idiot.)
Suddenly‚ the floor of the passage sank.
"Kyaa!"
"Selina!"
"Watch out!"
The floor collapsed‚ and Selina and Leon fell. Louis instinctively reached out‚ but he couldn’t reach them—
The two fell to the lower passage.
"Louis! Are you okay!?"
Selina’s voice echoed from below. Louis knelt at the edge of the collapsed floor and desperately called back.
"I’m fine! Are you two… not hurt?"
"Yeah‚ we’re just covered in dust but okay! But we can’t get back up…"
"The passage has collapsed. We’re completely cut off."
Leon’s voice was calm‚ but Louis could hear the anxiety in it.
(What do I do…? At this rate‚ the two of them will be trapped deeper in the ruins. Contact the teacher? No‚ communication is blocked by magic interference. Then…)
Louis stared at the structure of the collapsed passage. The placement of the stones‚ the flow of magic power‚ the meaning of the ancient characters—everything was converting into formulas inside his head.
(This ruin is the type that changes structure with magic power. Then it can be reconstructed. I have little magic power‚ but if I minimize the channels…)
He opened his notebook and began calculating. His fingers flew across the page. A magic formula emerged.
"Louis‚ what are you doing?"
Selina’s voice sounded worried.
"I’m reconstructing the passage. If the calculations are correct‚ even with 0.2 magic power I can 'fold' the passage and connect it."
"Fold… the passage?"
"Yeah. By reconfiguring the spatial magic channels‚ I can shorten the physical distance. In theory it’s possible. Though this will be my first time trying it."
"First time!?"
"But I have to do it. If you and Leon are trapped‚ I have to move."
He deployed the magic formula. The space shook. The sound of stones creaking echoed‚ and the far end of the passage slowly began to transform.
"…Amazing. The passage is moving…!"
Selina’s voice was filled with amazement. Leon was also looking up from below.
"Louis‚ you… are really 'creating' magic‚ aren’t you?"
"I wouldn’t call it creating… I’m just tweaking it a bit with numbers."
"That’s what creation is."
The passage connected. Louis descended toward the two like building a bridge over the collapsed floor.
"Just as calculated."
He smiled a little bashfully. Selina smiled back with moist eyes.
"Thank you‚ Louis. …You were really cool."
"Eh‚ no‚ someone like me…"
"Don’t say ‘someone like me’!"
Selina tightly grasped his hand. Leon slightly lowered his gaze.
(Louis has a talent I don’t. I can only protect. But—)
"Louis‚ I’ll walk in front next time. With your magic‚ I feel like I can become even stronger."
"Eh… yeah. Then I’ll calculate from the back."
The three began walking side by side. Deeper into the ruins‚ toward the Sealing Chamber.
Bonds were slowly beginning to sprout behind them.
And so‚ the story advanced another step.
Chapter 8: "An Unfunny Love Story"
The academy after school was quieter than usual. Footsteps echoing in the hallway were sparse‚ and every time the setting sun shone through the windows‚ long shadows stretched across the floor.
Louis closed his magic formula notebook in the corner of the library. He should have been drowning in a sea of numbers‚ but today he just couldn’t concentrate.
(The reconstruction in the ruins went well. Selina smiled too. Leon said “That’s amazing.” But…)
Something murky was swirling deep in his heart. It wasn’t a sense of accomplishment or pride. It was closer to discomfort.
(Is it okay for me to stand next to Selina? Leon suits her much better. He’s a knight‚ strong‚ cool…)
At that moment‚ the library door opened. It was Leon. His uniform sleeves were rolled up‚ as if he had just finished maintaining his sword.
"Louis‚ got a minute?"
"Yeah… what’s up?"
Leon slightly lowered his eyes before sitting across from him at the desk. He carried a serious atmosphere different from his usual refreshing demeanor.
"…I might like Selina."
Louis’s thoughts stopped for a moment.
(Eh? What did he just say?)
"I can’t say I fully ‘like’ her yet. But her smile‚ the way she tries hard… I want to protect her."
"I see…"
Louis smiled. Only his mouth; his eyes weren’t smiling.
(Of course. It’s natural for Leon to like Selina. She’s so kind‚ bright‚ and treats everyone equally…)
"Louis‚ what do you… think?"
"Me? I… I’ll cheer you on. I think you can make Selina happy‚ Leon."
"…Are you serious?"
"Yeah. Because compared to someone like me…"
"Don’t say ‘someone like me.’"
Leon’s voice grew slightly stronger. But Louis pretended not to notice.
(I can’t say that I like Selina. If I wish for her happiness‚ I should step back.)
"…Thank you. If you say that‚ then I’ll… try a little harder."
Leon stood up‚ lightly patted his shoulder‚ and left.
Selina had overheard that conversation from the shadows of the hallway.
She had just happened to pass by. But Leon’s voice coming through the gap in the door stopped her feet.
(Leon… likes me?)
Her heart raced. But more than that‚ Louis’s words pierced her.
"I’ll… cheer you on."
(…Why? Why would you say something like that? I… toward Louis…)
Selina quietly left the hallway. Making sure no one could see her‚ she sat down on the landing of the stairs.
Tears spilled from her eyes.
(My feelings aren’t reaching him. Louis thinks I belong to Leon. But that’s wrong…)
She pressed a handkerchief to her eyes and cried out in her heart.
(I like Louis. For so‚ so long…)
That night‚ Louis opened his notebook in his room at the inn.
But the numbers wouldn’t enter his head.
(I wonder how Selina feels about Leon. Was it wrong to say I’d cheer him on?)
He looked out the window. Stars were twinkling. The wind rustled the curtains.
(Sir Zeno said‚ “The vessel resembles the sky.” Is my vessel empty? Maybe I don’t even have room to like someone.)
But deep in his heart‚ Selina’s smile floated up. The warmth when she held his hand in the ruins.
(…I like Selina. But I don’t know if I have the right to say it.)
The next morning‚ Selina had applied a slightly heavier blush to hide the swelling around her eyes.
"Good morning‚ Louis."
"G-Good morning… Selina."
"I heard you talked with Leon yesterday?"
"Eh‚ yeah. Just a little."
"…I see."
Selina smiled. But her smile was somewhat awkward.
Louis noticed it but couldn’t say anything.
(Maybe I made Selina cry. But what should I have done?)
The distance between the three grew a little farther again.
And so‚ the unfunny love story quietly began.
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