Re: Katawa Kijo
Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2011 4:05 pm
Long hiatus, but I haven't forgotten this story.
I have currently almost finished writing chapter ten, and at the moment the plan is for about fifteen chapters altogether.
Chapter Eight – Let's Go Fly A Kite
I arrive at the track earlier than usual. A good night's sleep and no Kenji does wonders for one's punctuality. Emi is just warming up; she can't have been here for long.
When she sees me, she stops and runs over to me, her grin almost connecting her ears. “Hey Hisao! Congratulations on getting yourself a girlfriend!”
I'm taken aback for a moment. “How did you learn about that so quickly?”
Emi begins to pout. “What, not even a denial? You're making this almost too easy.” Then her grin is back like it was never gone. “Well, Rin saw Misha going into the boy's dorm yesterday before class and during lunch-break, Miki from your class told me that the both of you missed the first lesson. I didn't know anything definite, but I thought I'd just give it a shot. Turns out I was right, wasn't I?”
She pokes me in the ribs with her elbow. “So, got any juicy details to share, you bad boy?”
I feel myself turning red again. I should try not to make a habit out of this. “I have a feeling that sharing 'juicy details' with you would ensure the whole of Yamaku knows about them by this time tomorrow.” A pout again. “But there aren't any. For the most part we just talked.”
Emi looks disappointed. “What? Not even a kiss?”
“Well,...”
“Ha! I knew it! So what were you talking about?”
Now she's going a bit too far. “Emi, this is beyond curious and bordering on intrusive. What we were talking about is private, and no amount of pouting will get me to tell you about it.”
For a moment a hurt look appears on her face, but then her grin is back in a flash. “Right. Sorry, Hisao, couldn't help myself. So, are you up to a few laps?”
We start with our daily exercises. I don't manage to do more laps than yesterday, but she can't expect me to set a new record every day, can she? When I leave I realize that we didn't talk about our magic lessons at all... Well, I'll just have to ask her later...
***
Classes pass without incident. Misha and Hanako are both absent - Misha probably because of her examinations in town, and Hanako's absence is hardly unexpected. Shizune glances my way several times, but makes no attempts at communication.
During lunch-break, I head to the cafeteria to buy some rice-balls I'm not in the mood for crowds though, so I pack them in my bag and head back to class. Halfway there, I decide to make a short detour to the tea room to see how Hanako and Lilly are doing.
I knock on the door. “Please come in.” Lilly's voice.
When I enter the room, Lilly is sitting alone at the table, a boxed lunch and a cup of tea in front of her. She looks to the door. “Hisao?”
“Did you use Divination to find that out?”
She smiles. “Not really. Few people ever come here and Hanako's steps are more quiet. Do you want some tea?”
“Yes, thank you, but please continue eating. I'll just help myself, if you don't mind.”
I busy myself making some tea. When I'm done, I sit down at the table across from Lilly and unpack my rice-balls. “So where is Hanako today? She hasn't been to class this morning.”
“Oh, Ms. Miyagi said she had given her some books to read, so she's probably in some corner of the library studying. Apparently you need some theoretical background for Transmutation. So far, my training was more practical in nature.”
“So what did you do so far? Reading minds? Scrying?”
“No, mostly I just had to detect and analyse magic effects. Like seeing through Illusions and the like.”
“So it's probably much the same as my lessons, only I can't see through the Illusions unless I dissolve them first.” An idea forms in my mind, and I unpack the fourth cube from the 'homework' Mr. Kanzaki gave me yesterday. Like he said, the first three were easy, but I didn't manage to do the last one.
I place the cube on the table in front of Lilly. It is red, made from some rubbery substance and quite heavy. “Say, do you also use training cubes like this?”
Lilly pushes her lunch-box to the side and picks up the cube. For the first time I notice the ring on her slender finger, set with an amber-coloured gem. “Yes, we did use those. It's probably a common training method.”
“Mr. Kanzaki gave it to me as an assignment, but I can't figure out the enchantment. I can tell it's a Transmutation, but I have no idea what the real form is and I can't remove the enchantment if I don't know.”
Lilly cup's the cube between her two hands. I guess focusing on it with her eyes is not helpful for her. I try to make out what she is doing, but all I perceive is a soft yellow glow emanating from between her hands. She continues for a few minutes, then she puts the cube down.
“I understand why you had difficulties with this. We didn't do anything like that yesterday either, but I think there are two different Transmutations on this cube. One causes it to shrink and the other forces it to stay in this shape. I think this is actually a rubber ball.”
I examine the cube again, trying to see what she saw. Now that I know what to look for, I can see the two effects overlapping on the cube. I still can't tell what either is supposed to do, but Lilly is a Diviner. She's supposed to be better at this than me. At least that's what I tell myself.
I focus on removing one of the effects first, and after a short while the cube loses its shape and becomes a sphere. From there on it doesn't take me long to dissolve the other effect as well and the rubber ball grows to more than twice its previous size.
I grin at Lilly. “Thank you, Lilly, I couldn't have done that without your help.”
“Not at all. It was an interesting challenge.”
We finish eating, all the while discussing the other exercises our respective teachers have put us up to so far. Finally the bell rings and we return to our classes.
***
When I enter the room, most of the class is already there, but Shizune's seat is also empty now. Either she's doing some student council work, or she's doing some extra lessons with Ms. Aikawa.
As I unpack my books, Mr. Kanzaki enters the room. For a moment I am confused, but then I remember that he told us he would enroll at this school as a history teacher.
He places a few books on the desk and addresses the class. “Good afternoon. This may be a bit sudden, but Mr. Uchikawa has requested a transfer to another school for personal reasons. My name is Kozo Kanzaki, and I am going to be your history teacher for the rest of the year.”
Naomi's hand shoots into the air. “Excuse me, but do you know why Mr. Uchikawa would transfer schools so suddenly?”
“Well, I am told his wife was offered a very lucrative job somewhere near Fukuoka and he found it too long a commute. Now, you will excuse me for not knowing all your names, so why don't we start by introducing ourselves...”
After ascertaining where we left off in the book, Mr. Kanzaki begins his lecture. I never met the previous teacher, because last Wednesday I spent these two hours with Misha and Shizune in the Shanghai, but still Mr. Kanzaki's way of teaching is very interesting, considering the subject is history. He always has little anecdotes to tell about the events he describes and his descriptions are so vibrant, it's almost like he has seen them with his own eyes.
After the lesson, Kanzaki leaves, telling me to meet him in his office once classes are over.
***
When I enter said office later, Mr. Kanzaki is sitting at his desk reading some documents. He looks up, noticing me. “Hello Hisao, please give me a few more minutes. I'd like to finish this before we begin.”
I look around the room. The shelves have been dusted and filled with several books since the last time I was here. I walk over and examine the titles. Most of them are historical treatises ranging from modern Japanese history to ancient China and Egypt. None of the titles mention magic at all.”
After a while he puts away the documents and motions for me to sit down.
“So, are you really a history teacher, or is that just a cover?”
“No, I'm not a teacher, but I told you before that I was a doctor. I hold a doctorate in history, though usually, I do more research than teaching. Takeshi is my assistant, that's why we were teamed up to look for new magic students at Yamaku.”
Suddenly it dawns on me, why he was able to give such vivid descriptions of historical events. With Takeshi assisting him, he probably really did see them with his own eyes.
“But we should get to work. How did you manage with your homework?”
I place the four cubes on the desk and decide to give an honest answer. “I did three on my own. Lilly helped me with the fourth one.”
“Very well. I hoped you would be able to do it on your own, but removing both Transmutations is also quite an accomplishment. Let's work on your magic perception some more.”
I spend the next half hour examining half a dozen more cubes, until something strikes my mind.
“Mr. Kanzaki, why is it that I can see the magic in those cubes but not in other mages?”
“That is because you can see only active magic. If you look at me, you won't see anything, unless I actually use magic.” He holds out his hand and it begins to glow in a bright white light. He stares at it for a few seconds and the light fades again. “That is why it is so difficult to tell whether a potential student has magical talent or not – they have never used magic before. Only a Diviner can perceive a passive magical aura.”
“But I think this is enough theory for now. Let's go practice your talents against another mage. What kind of magic would you like to practice against?”
I don't even have to think before giving the answer: “Evocation.”
Mr. Kanzaki laughs at that. “Ah, and the reason for that wouldn't be a certain pink-haired mage, would it?” From my expression he can tell that he has hit the mark. He winks at me. “I'm sorry, but I just wouldn't be comfortable having you practice against fireballs and lightning bolts in your first lesson. We'll do something safer for now.”
***
We leave the room and I follow him to the nurse's office. When we enter, the nurse is sitting at his computer, looking at patient files. Emi is nowhere in sight. He looks up and greets us. “Hello, Hisao, Mr. Kanzaki. Welcome. Emi is in the back practising telekinesis.” He points at the drawn curtains. “Can't have patients walking in on floating equipment, can we?”
Mr. Kanzaki sits down in one of the spare chairs. “How is she doing?”
The nurse looks dejected. “Well, okay I guess. I can tell even now that she's got way more talent than me. I hope I'm not holding her back as a teacher.”
Mr. Kanzaki pats him on the shoulder. “Don't worry about that. You know as well as I do that a teacher can only do so much.” He turns to me. “With magic what matters most is the talent you have and the effort you put in. You can exercise your control, but the overall power of your magic is limited by your talent. According to Takeshi, young Miss Ibarazaki should do just fine.”
Just then the curtains are drawn back to reveal Emi, who is grinning from ear to ear. In front of her, half a dozen medical implements are spinning in a circle like a tiny ferris wheel. “Hey look, I did it! I... Oh, Hisao... Drat!”
She notices us and loses her concentration for a moment. All the floating objects clatter to the floor. A small bottle of pills shatters, scattering its contents all over the room, while a scalpel drops straight down to stick in Emi's foot. I wince for a moment until I remember that this is only her prosthetic.
“Emi, what did I tell you?” the nurse asks in an exasperated tone. “No fragile objects. No dangerous objects. And most importantly, look before you come out. What would I have done, if it hadn't been Hisao but a regular patient?”
Emi has the decency to look embarrassed as she bends down to remove the scalpel from her mechanical foot. “I'm sorry,” she whispers, but then her grin is back. “Did you see, Hisao? That was eight objects at once! Yesterday I could do no more than two. I'm making great progress, ain't I?”
Mr. Kanzaki rises from his chair grabs a plastic cup from the desk and fills it with water at the sink. “If you think you're making progress, why don't you try levitating this...”
Emi interrupts him. “Sure I can do that easily. It's not heavy or anything...”
“...without the cup,” he finishes his sentence, placing the cup back on the desk.
Emi just stares at him. “Without... You mean just the water?” She looks at the nurse questioningly.
He shrugs. “Why not? But please try it on that table over there. I'd prefer no water spills on my keyboard.”
Emi takes the cup somewhere without electrical equipment and gets to work. Almost immediately, I see a blue glow forming around the cup. Then the cup lifts a few centimetres from the ground, only to sink down again. She looks up. “It's tricky not to lift the cup as well.”
On her second try the cup starts to shake but stays on the ground. Instead the water inside rises slowly against the wall, but when it reaches the rim, it simply spills over onto the ground.
The nurse smiles. “Lifting liquids is not that simple. You have to apply force from all sides at once to keep it together.”
Twenty minutes and several refills later, Emi has managed to form a - slightly dripping - globe of water, floating steadily one metre above the ground. With some effort she gets most of it to flow back into the cup.
The nurse smiles. “Very good. This is a good exercise to train your control. You should practise it some more in your room tonight. For now, instead of having Hisao just watch, why don't you two train together?” He grabs a book from one of the shelves. “You levitate the book in front of you, while Hisao tries to dissolve your magic to make it drop to the floor.”
Emi grins at me. “Sounds like fun.”
She levitates the book, and I focus on the blue aura surrounding it. After a few seconds it fades and the book drops down. “Hey! Not fair! Let me try again!”
We practise for a few minutes, and Emi quickly learns how to renew her magic every time I dissolve it until finally the book wobbles up or down whenever one of us has the upper hand for a moment.
Suddenly the blue aura increases in brightness, and the book escapes from my control shooting towards the ceiling which it hits with enough force to leave a dent in its binding.
Mr. Kanzaki clears his throat. “Well, it seems you won't need to worry about this young lady's magic potential. Don't worry Hisao. That burst could have taken me by surprise as well. It takes much practice to react to such things quickly enough.”
We continue our exercises some more, until Mr. Kanzaki calls for a stop. Neither of us noticed that we overran the lesson by almost half an hour. As we say our goodbyes, he turns to me once more. “Oh, I almost forgot. I won't be able to make it for your lesson tomorrow. I scheduled an extra lesson with Mr. Setou. Please report to Ms. Miyagi in class 3-2's home-room after your classes are over. I will inform her that you will be attending her lesson tomorrow.”
After I leave the nurse's office, I head for my homeroom to see if Misha is there. When I arrive the door is locked and nobody is there. I check the cafeteria and the student council office as well, but she is nowhere to be found. Either she is still in town, or she has already gone to bed. For a moment I consider heading over to the girl's dorms, but I don't even know where her room is, and if she's really resting, I don't want to disturb her.
Instead, I head over to the library to stock up on some books and spend the evening reading in my room.
********************
Please look forward to chapter Nine:
Beauty And The Beast
I have currently almost finished writing chapter ten, and at the moment the plan is for about fifteen chapters altogether.
Chapter Eight – Let's Go Fly A Kite
I arrive at the track earlier than usual. A good night's sleep and no Kenji does wonders for one's punctuality. Emi is just warming up; she can't have been here for long.
When she sees me, she stops and runs over to me, her grin almost connecting her ears. “Hey Hisao! Congratulations on getting yourself a girlfriend!”
I'm taken aback for a moment. “How did you learn about that so quickly?”
Emi begins to pout. “What, not even a denial? You're making this almost too easy.” Then her grin is back like it was never gone. “Well, Rin saw Misha going into the boy's dorm yesterday before class and during lunch-break, Miki from your class told me that the both of you missed the first lesson. I didn't know anything definite, but I thought I'd just give it a shot. Turns out I was right, wasn't I?”
She pokes me in the ribs with her elbow. “So, got any juicy details to share, you bad boy?”
I feel myself turning red again. I should try not to make a habit out of this. “I have a feeling that sharing 'juicy details' with you would ensure the whole of Yamaku knows about them by this time tomorrow.” A pout again. “But there aren't any. For the most part we just talked.”
Emi looks disappointed. “What? Not even a kiss?”
“Well,...”
“Ha! I knew it! So what were you talking about?”
Now she's going a bit too far. “Emi, this is beyond curious and bordering on intrusive. What we were talking about is private, and no amount of pouting will get me to tell you about it.”
For a moment a hurt look appears on her face, but then her grin is back in a flash. “Right. Sorry, Hisao, couldn't help myself. So, are you up to a few laps?”
We start with our daily exercises. I don't manage to do more laps than yesterday, but she can't expect me to set a new record every day, can she? When I leave I realize that we didn't talk about our magic lessons at all... Well, I'll just have to ask her later...
***
Classes pass without incident. Misha and Hanako are both absent - Misha probably because of her examinations in town, and Hanako's absence is hardly unexpected. Shizune glances my way several times, but makes no attempts at communication.
During lunch-break, I head to the cafeteria to buy some rice-balls I'm not in the mood for crowds though, so I pack them in my bag and head back to class. Halfway there, I decide to make a short detour to the tea room to see how Hanako and Lilly are doing.
I knock on the door. “Please come in.” Lilly's voice.
When I enter the room, Lilly is sitting alone at the table, a boxed lunch and a cup of tea in front of her. She looks to the door. “Hisao?”
“Did you use Divination to find that out?”
She smiles. “Not really. Few people ever come here and Hanako's steps are more quiet. Do you want some tea?”
“Yes, thank you, but please continue eating. I'll just help myself, if you don't mind.”
I busy myself making some tea. When I'm done, I sit down at the table across from Lilly and unpack my rice-balls. “So where is Hanako today? She hasn't been to class this morning.”
“Oh, Ms. Miyagi said she had given her some books to read, so she's probably in some corner of the library studying. Apparently you need some theoretical background for Transmutation. So far, my training was more practical in nature.”
“So what did you do so far? Reading minds? Scrying?”
“No, mostly I just had to detect and analyse magic effects. Like seeing through Illusions and the like.”
“So it's probably much the same as my lessons, only I can't see through the Illusions unless I dissolve them first.” An idea forms in my mind, and I unpack the fourth cube from the 'homework' Mr. Kanzaki gave me yesterday. Like he said, the first three were easy, but I didn't manage to do the last one.
I place the cube on the table in front of Lilly. It is red, made from some rubbery substance and quite heavy. “Say, do you also use training cubes like this?”
Lilly pushes her lunch-box to the side and picks up the cube. For the first time I notice the ring on her slender finger, set with an amber-coloured gem. “Yes, we did use those. It's probably a common training method.”
“Mr. Kanzaki gave it to me as an assignment, but I can't figure out the enchantment. I can tell it's a Transmutation, but I have no idea what the real form is and I can't remove the enchantment if I don't know.”
Lilly cup's the cube between her two hands. I guess focusing on it with her eyes is not helpful for her. I try to make out what she is doing, but all I perceive is a soft yellow glow emanating from between her hands. She continues for a few minutes, then she puts the cube down.
“I understand why you had difficulties with this. We didn't do anything like that yesterday either, but I think there are two different Transmutations on this cube. One causes it to shrink and the other forces it to stay in this shape. I think this is actually a rubber ball.”
I examine the cube again, trying to see what she saw. Now that I know what to look for, I can see the two effects overlapping on the cube. I still can't tell what either is supposed to do, but Lilly is a Diviner. She's supposed to be better at this than me. At least that's what I tell myself.
I focus on removing one of the effects first, and after a short while the cube loses its shape and becomes a sphere. From there on it doesn't take me long to dissolve the other effect as well and the rubber ball grows to more than twice its previous size.
I grin at Lilly. “Thank you, Lilly, I couldn't have done that without your help.”
“Not at all. It was an interesting challenge.”
We finish eating, all the while discussing the other exercises our respective teachers have put us up to so far. Finally the bell rings and we return to our classes.
***
When I enter the room, most of the class is already there, but Shizune's seat is also empty now. Either she's doing some student council work, or she's doing some extra lessons with Ms. Aikawa.
As I unpack my books, Mr. Kanzaki enters the room. For a moment I am confused, but then I remember that he told us he would enroll at this school as a history teacher.
He places a few books on the desk and addresses the class. “Good afternoon. This may be a bit sudden, but Mr. Uchikawa has requested a transfer to another school for personal reasons. My name is Kozo Kanzaki, and I am going to be your history teacher for the rest of the year.”
Naomi's hand shoots into the air. “Excuse me, but do you know why Mr. Uchikawa would transfer schools so suddenly?”
“Well, I am told his wife was offered a very lucrative job somewhere near Fukuoka and he found it too long a commute. Now, you will excuse me for not knowing all your names, so why don't we start by introducing ourselves...”
After ascertaining where we left off in the book, Mr. Kanzaki begins his lecture. I never met the previous teacher, because last Wednesday I spent these two hours with Misha and Shizune in the Shanghai, but still Mr. Kanzaki's way of teaching is very interesting, considering the subject is history. He always has little anecdotes to tell about the events he describes and his descriptions are so vibrant, it's almost like he has seen them with his own eyes.
After the lesson, Kanzaki leaves, telling me to meet him in his office once classes are over.
***
When I enter said office later, Mr. Kanzaki is sitting at his desk reading some documents. He looks up, noticing me. “Hello Hisao, please give me a few more minutes. I'd like to finish this before we begin.”
I look around the room. The shelves have been dusted and filled with several books since the last time I was here. I walk over and examine the titles. Most of them are historical treatises ranging from modern Japanese history to ancient China and Egypt. None of the titles mention magic at all.”
After a while he puts away the documents and motions for me to sit down.
“So, are you really a history teacher, or is that just a cover?”
“No, I'm not a teacher, but I told you before that I was a doctor. I hold a doctorate in history, though usually, I do more research than teaching. Takeshi is my assistant, that's why we were teamed up to look for new magic students at Yamaku.”
Suddenly it dawns on me, why he was able to give such vivid descriptions of historical events. With Takeshi assisting him, he probably really did see them with his own eyes.
“But we should get to work. How did you manage with your homework?”
I place the four cubes on the desk and decide to give an honest answer. “I did three on my own. Lilly helped me with the fourth one.”
“Very well. I hoped you would be able to do it on your own, but removing both Transmutations is also quite an accomplishment. Let's work on your magic perception some more.”
I spend the next half hour examining half a dozen more cubes, until something strikes my mind.
“Mr. Kanzaki, why is it that I can see the magic in those cubes but not in other mages?”
“That is because you can see only active magic. If you look at me, you won't see anything, unless I actually use magic.” He holds out his hand and it begins to glow in a bright white light. He stares at it for a few seconds and the light fades again. “That is why it is so difficult to tell whether a potential student has magical talent or not – they have never used magic before. Only a Diviner can perceive a passive magical aura.”
“But I think this is enough theory for now. Let's go practice your talents against another mage. What kind of magic would you like to practice against?”
I don't even have to think before giving the answer: “Evocation.”
Mr. Kanzaki laughs at that. “Ah, and the reason for that wouldn't be a certain pink-haired mage, would it?” From my expression he can tell that he has hit the mark. He winks at me. “I'm sorry, but I just wouldn't be comfortable having you practice against fireballs and lightning bolts in your first lesson. We'll do something safer for now.”
***
We leave the room and I follow him to the nurse's office. When we enter, the nurse is sitting at his computer, looking at patient files. Emi is nowhere in sight. He looks up and greets us. “Hello, Hisao, Mr. Kanzaki. Welcome. Emi is in the back practising telekinesis.” He points at the drawn curtains. “Can't have patients walking in on floating equipment, can we?”
Mr. Kanzaki sits down in one of the spare chairs. “How is she doing?”
The nurse looks dejected. “Well, okay I guess. I can tell even now that she's got way more talent than me. I hope I'm not holding her back as a teacher.”
Mr. Kanzaki pats him on the shoulder. “Don't worry about that. You know as well as I do that a teacher can only do so much.” He turns to me. “With magic what matters most is the talent you have and the effort you put in. You can exercise your control, but the overall power of your magic is limited by your talent. According to Takeshi, young Miss Ibarazaki should do just fine.”
Just then the curtains are drawn back to reveal Emi, who is grinning from ear to ear. In front of her, half a dozen medical implements are spinning in a circle like a tiny ferris wheel. “Hey look, I did it! I... Oh, Hisao... Drat!”
She notices us and loses her concentration for a moment. All the floating objects clatter to the floor. A small bottle of pills shatters, scattering its contents all over the room, while a scalpel drops straight down to stick in Emi's foot. I wince for a moment until I remember that this is only her prosthetic.
“Emi, what did I tell you?” the nurse asks in an exasperated tone. “No fragile objects. No dangerous objects. And most importantly, look before you come out. What would I have done, if it hadn't been Hisao but a regular patient?”
Emi has the decency to look embarrassed as she bends down to remove the scalpel from her mechanical foot. “I'm sorry,” she whispers, but then her grin is back. “Did you see, Hisao? That was eight objects at once! Yesterday I could do no more than two. I'm making great progress, ain't I?”
Mr. Kanzaki rises from his chair grabs a plastic cup from the desk and fills it with water at the sink. “If you think you're making progress, why don't you try levitating this...”
Emi interrupts him. “Sure I can do that easily. It's not heavy or anything...”
“...without the cup,” he finishes his sentence, placing the cup back on the desk.
Emi just stares at him. “Without... You mean just the water?” She looks at the nurse questioningly.
He shrugs. “Why not? But please try it on that table over there. I'd prefer no water spills on my keyboard.”
Emi takes the cup somewhere without electrical equipment and gets to work. Almost immediately, I see a blue glow forming around the cup. Then the cup lifts a few centimetres from the ground, only to sink down again. She looks up. “It's tricky not to lift the cup as well.”
On her second try the cup starts to shake but stays on the ground. Instead the water inside rises slowly against the wall, but when it reaches the rim, it simply spills over onto the ground.
The nurse smiles. “Lifting liquids is not that simple. You have to apply force from all sides at once to keep it together.”
Twenty minutes and several refills later, Emi has managed to form a - slightly dripping - globe of water, floating steadily one metre above the ground. With some effort she gets most of it to flow back into the cup.
The nurse smiles. “Very good. This is a good exercise to train your control. You should practise it some more in your room tonight. For now, instead of having Hisao just watch, why don't you two train together?” He grabs a book from one of the shelves. “You levitate the book in front of you, while Hisao tries to dissolve your magic to make it drop to the floor.”
Emi grins at me. “Sounds like fun.”
She levitates the book, and I focus on the blue aura surrounding it. After a few seconds it fades and the book drops down. “Hey! Not fair! Let me try again!”
We practise for a few minutes, and Emi quickly learns how to renew her magic every time I dissolve it until finally the book wobbles up or down whenever one of us has the upper hand for a moment.
Suddenly the blue aura increases in brightness, and the book escapes from my control shooting towards the ceiling which it hits with enough force to leave a dent in its binding.
Mr. Kanzaki clears his throat. “Well, it seems you won't need to worry about this young lady's magic potential. Don't worry Hisao. That burst could have taken me by surprise as well. It takes much practice to react to such things quickly enough.”
We continue our exercises some more, until Mr. Kanzaki calls for a stop. Neither of us noticed that we overran the lesson by almost half an hour. As we say our goodbyes, he turns to me once more. “Oh, I almost forgot. I won't be able to make it for your lesson tomorrow. I scheduled an extra lesson with Mr. Setou. Please report to Ms. Miyagi in class 3-2's home-room after your classes are over. I will inform her that you will be attending her lesson tomorrow.”
After I leave the nurse's office, I head for my homeroom to see if Misha is there. When I arrive the door is locked and nobody is there. I check the cafeteria and the student council office as well, but she is nowhere to be found. Either she is still in town, or she has already gone to bed. For a moment I consider heading over to the girl's dorms, but I don't even know where her room is, and if she's really resting, I don't want to disturb her.
Instead, I head over to the library to stock up on some books and spend the evening reading in my room.
********************
Please look forward to chapter Nine:
Beauty And The Beast