Chapter 24

On December 21st, I sat with Yumina at a café, enjoying some snacks.

“She, you know. I barely ever talked to her. We didn’t really have what you’d call a real conversation—just standard greetings out of politeness. And then one day, out of the blue, she approached me on my way home.”

Yumina carefully cut her slice of cake into a bite-sized piece.

“It happened while I was talking to a friend. There she was nearby, awkwardly wandering around, glancing over occasionally, setting off all sorts of suspicious vibes. I immediately noticed. Oh! This is it! It’s happening!”

“That’s right.”

She nodded and sipped her cappuccino. Though I can’t tell much about the coffee’s flavor, this one seems to have less sourness.

“That’s right! Of course, I sent the friend I was talking to on their way and moved to a quieter spot. I casually took out my phone, pretending to look at it, while keeping all other senses on high alert. A while later, when she seemed to have gathered her courage, she approached me directly.”

Yumina took another bite of her cake.

“She began like this: ‘Um, are you Yumina?’ Yes, yes, it’s me! It’s Yumina! Who else would it be?”

“Did you answer like that?”

“No. That was just what I thought inside. Outwardly, I stayed calm and said yes. You can’t just ruin the mood from the start, right? Anyway, once I confirmed who I was, her face turned red, she hesitated, and then she blurted it out: ‘I’m going to confess to Current Sky, and I need your help!’”

Yumina put the fork in her mouth while leaning back on the couch.

“Expected, right?”

“Tell me about it. Rumors must have spread in school that if you want to confess to Current Sky, you should go through Yumina.”

“Even though that strategy has never worked, and if anything, passing through you lowers the chances of success further, right?”

“That’s true. It actually lowers the success rate. The same went for the guy I just mentioned. When he asked for help confessing, I told him we’d properly discuss it with a set appointment. Alone.”

“A date?”

“He probably didn’t realize it, but it was obviously a date. At the café, we talked about our lady and how to approach Current Sky’s preferences, and then we even went shopping to create a suitable style for him—it was definitely a date.”

“Your preferences? What kind of preferences?”

“Our lady’s taste is a bit strange, so I tailored it to match mine.”

My goodness. She shook her head side to side and bit into the cheesecake.

“Once it was on, wow, it was really my type!”

“Well, it was tailored to your type.”

“So, I casually suggested we watch a movie too. Around that time, he probably started to suspect something was off, but who knows. We watched the movie.”

Yumina pushed the cocoa and cake aside.

“When you watch a movie, it gets dark outside, and you start to feel tired. It softens you up. By this time, I thought enough was enough, so I took him to a quiet place. I held his hands gently, with the sunset at our backs, and said one thing.”

Yumina leaned forward, closer than before, taking my hand in hers. It was warm.

“What about me, Yumina? How do you feel about me instead of Current Sky?”

The scent of cocoa filled the air. Her breath smelled a bit.

“So, did it work?”

Yumina smiled and leaned back on the couch.

“Yes.”

“You’re quite talented.”

For a while, we enjoyed some snacks in silence until we finished the cake.

“But why did our dear lady call me today? Is something up?”

“If anyone heard that, they’d think I just stay at home.”

“That’s probably true.”

“What’s true?”

“You still haven’t started your winter break, so you’re going to school, aren’t you?”

“So, you called me for nothing today?”

“…No.”

She briefly avoided my gaze.

“Hmm? What’s going on?”

“It’s next week, Christmas, you know.”

“Oh.”

“I’m wondering what to get Doyugeon as a gift.”

“Hmm? A gift? You’re considering giving a gift because of Christmas?”

Yumina had a puzzled look on her face. Come to think of it, Yumina became friends with me after we entered middle school, so she might not know about this kind of tradition.

“Yes.”

“How about your parents?”

“Christmas Eve is for my parents, and I’ll give the gifts on Christmas evening. Hmm… Depending on the situation, perhaps the next day as well.”

Normally, my parents go out on a date, but if they don’t, there might not be time in the evening.

“Do you do this every year?”

“Yes.”

“How about me?”

“Yes?”

“Surely, you weren’t planning to leave me out, were you?”

“Eh…”

I hadn’t thought about that.

“Guess so. Tsk, how sad. Looks like I don’t matter in our lady’s heart.”

“It’s not that.”

“Hmm, you’re right.”

Yumina stood up from her seat.

“Let’s go shopping. You still need to buy a gift for Doyugeon, right?”

We moved to the department store. At a decent brand boutique, Yumina picked up a scarf.

“It’s winter, so how about a muffler?”

“I gave one last year.”

“Did you? I don’t remember ever seeing Doyugeon wear it.”

After recalling for a moment,

“That’s true. I don’t recall it either. I wonder why he doesn’t wear it? Maybe it’s uncomfortable for him?”

It feels warm to me, but maybe it’s different for Doyugeon.

“Well, we should buy another one then. He clearly didn’t like the last one.”

“Is that so?”

“Probably?”

We checked out various scarves by strolling through several stores. One pink scarf caught my attention. I picked it up and rubbed it with my hand. It’s soft.

“Pink… Surely, it won’t suit him.”

“That’s probably true.”

“It will definitely not suit him.”

“Maybe not that much.”

I rubbed it against my cheek. The texture feels good.

“Only because of our lady’s strange preferences, sure.”

“What’s wrong with my taste? You try it.”

Yumina took the scarf and inspected it carefully from all angles.

“This brand is well-made. This one too.”

I took it back.

“Is that so? Should I buy this one then?”

“It doesn’t match the color.”

“Yes. It wouldn’t suit Doyugeon.”

I wrapped the scarf around Yumina. It looks nice.

“It’s a Christmas gift.”

Yumina’s expression was somewhere between confusion and being upset. Though I don’t know why she’s upset, her reaction is rather cute.

*

The magic book used to be bothersome due to its Schrödinger ghost possession issues, but despite this, the interest in it hasn’t disappeared. There’s a certain attachment because it serves as a research notebook, and although it’s rarely used nowadays, it can function as a magic power tank in emergencies, not to mention that as a magic book, it fits the style. Carrying it around gives the feeling of being a wizard.

However, today’s reason for sitting at the desk isn’t entirely due to the things mentioned above. It goes back to the time when I encountered the phenomenon of fantasy and tried to research the fundamental approach to magic circles.

These days, magic circles are no longer as rare as when I first obtained the magic book. Like the circle Schrödinger used to transform into a cat or the B-class wand-type items that use magic circles, they’re not entirely unseen but not to the point of invisibility. With the magic record skill, one can view them anytime.

However, such magic circles are incredibly complex and difficult, making them impossible for me to replicate. In this sense, the simple magic circle from the magic book could be considered an excellent teaching material.

Even though it’s simple in structure, I’ve been looking into it since the early days of the fantasy phenomenon, but I still can’t use it. So simple might be a bit of a misnomer. I can’t even figure out why it doesn’t work even if I copy the shape with magical power.

Still, I think I’ve found a breakthrough this time. Blood. Blood. When Schrödinger used the magic circle to transform into a cat, he clearly made the circle with blood. He wouldn’t tell me, but since the person didn’t deny it, it’s a highly probable scenario. Moreover, the method is essentially the same as what I’ve been trying with magical energy, just using a different material, so it’s worth attempting.

This is quite an interesting discovery. Except for one factor.

I pressed around the pricked finger. A tingling, warm pain came as droplets of blood fell into the cup. The fallen blood droplets caused slight ripples in the cup.

Ugh… this isn’t good for mental health. No, more importantly, my finger hurts. Is this safe? I weigh only 41kg, so I can’t even donate blood. Is it fine taking this much blood? What if I collapse? If I go to the hospital due to excessive magic research, Mom will laugh… No, I’ll be scolded first, right? Ugh, neither is desirable.

The droplets continued to fall, filling the cup. Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation. I don’t even know if it was truly a sensation or just imagined it. The meaning of this is uncertain, but one thing is clear: drawing blood has to stop. It isn’t good for mental health.

I used a healing spell. The bleeding stopped. I should wash my hands and have a cup of coffee.

After washing my hands and sitting back down with a cappuccino, I noticed the cup with blood. The effort I went through and it couldn’t even fill a small cup. Hmm. It’s strangely disappointing.

After finishing the coffee, I straightened my posture. Now that the blood is ready, it’s time to create a magic circle.

I got out an ordinary notebook with a similar shape to the magic book. I focused my spirit and drew the blood using magical power. I started replicating the magic circle from the magic book onto the notebook. Thanks to the practice with system healing magic, this level of magical control has become possible.

The blood began to slowly take the form of a magic circle. Finally, when the shape was perfectly copied, a change occurred. The blood transformed into magical power and formed a complete magic circle.

Suddenly, I felt dizzy and nauseous, became very tired, and experienced a sense of unreality. My vision swayed for a moment.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying face-down on the desk. What happened?

I stood up and inspected my surroundings. The ordinary notebook had turned into a magical book with the magic circle attached. Creating it was successful.

It looks like the remaining blood from the cup spilled when I fell on the desk. The traces seem fresh, so I must have been out for only a short while.

I pressed my temples for a bit. Normally, this should be the time to sleep. Am I just tired? Hmm, but it’s not entirely that. I can’t figure it out. Stretching after getting off the chair, I can’t detect any particular abnormality. Though I can’t pinpoint anything bad, I feel strangely uneasy.

I think making magic circles with blood should stop. It feels off and unsettling, like Schrödinger.

Besides, the B-class wand can create a magic circle properly without blood. Following Schrödinger’s method was probably a mistake. The B-class wand’s method may be too complex and intertwined with unknown factors to replicate immediately, but still.

I wiped the blood and tidied up the desk. Feeling sleepy, I was about to lie down when a knock came. I opened the door with magic.

“Is our daughter asleep?”

It’s Mom.

“Not yet. I’m going to welcome Christmas before sleeping.”

I yawned. The comforter is nice and warm.

“You always say that, but you end up falling asleep before. Every year, I prepare a grand dinner, but it’s always disappointing when you sleep through it.”

“Lies. According to Dad, we never had anything more than a cake, ages ago. And today, we only have a cake too. If I focus, I can tell all this with magic, Mom.”

“Magic? Does that mean I can’t joke with you about the stars anymore every Christmas? One of life’s simple joys is gone.”

“Mom, you’re exaggerating!”

“Anyway, since our daughter insists on not sleeping, I believe you. Keep it up!”

“Thank you. Let’s do it!”

I sent Mom back to her room.

When I closed my eyes for a bit and opened them again, it was already past 5 a.m.

This is definitely a side effect of using the magic circle. There’s no doubt about it.

Though it started with Schrödinger’s method, it’s clear it’s a mistake. Despite the complexity of the B-class wand’s method, it’s still worth pursuing further.

After cleaning up the blood and tidying up the desk, I decided to get into bed.

When I closed my eyes for a moment, only to open them again, the sun was rising, and it was already 5 in the morning.

This is clearly a side effect from using the magic circle. There’s no doubt about it.

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