I know exactly how you feelPetermeter wrote:Then again, that would presumably be okay for me, being german (ah the irony with being grammar-nazi and german at the same time) and all.
Anyway, here is the long expected explanation of the incongruity you noticed:
Chapter Thirteen – Zero to Hero
The march to the principal's office is a silent one. Neither of us dares to antagonize Mr. Kanzaki further by talking or even asking a question. When I glance sideways at Shizune, she is wearing a resigned expression, as if she had already come to terms with being expelled from Yamaku.
When we enter the office, most of the chairs around the conference table are already taken. Mr. Kanzaki gives the assembly an annoyed look. “This is supposed to be a disciplinary committee. This doesn't concern the other students. Who called them here?”
Hanako tries to sink into her chair and it is obvious she would have bolted from the room if Lilly had not placed a comforting hand on her arm. Rin doesn't react to him at all and continues staring holes into the air. Emi is giving me a wink and mimes a kiss. Apparently gossip travels as fast as usual around here. Kenji is sitting near the head of the table, clearly uncomfortable with being in the room with so many women.
Takeshi looks up from his conversation with Ms. Miyagi. He looks a bit tired as if he's gotten too little sleep last night. “I did. I told them to come, because I have another topic for this meeting – one that does concern all of them.”
Mr. Kanzaki glares at Takeshi. “Can't this wait until tomorrow? This is a very serious matter, and don't think I've already forgotten your aiding them earlier.”
“I'm sorry Kozo, but I believe this is important, too. And it is something we should take into account before making any decisions regarding Ms. Hakamichi.”
Mr. Kanzaki walks to his chair at the head of the table. “Well, Takeshi, this had better be good.” He crosses his arms in front of his chest. “The audience is all yours.”
“Thank you.” He motions for us to sit down as well and waits until we have all taken our places.
“As you all know this year's magic class is exceptional both in it's size and in it's composition. All eight students have the potential to become very powerful mages, and most of them have made unbelievable progress in not even a week's time.”
“As you all know, there is one student here who is not only extraordinary but unique.” All eyes turn to Kenji, but Takeshi continues talking. “But for some time now, I have been suspecting that there is another among the students who might be unique.”
He walks over to the blackboard hanging on the wall and grabs a piece of chalk. Then he draws two short vertical lines and connects them with a longer horizontal one. “Now I know that it is not possible to accurately measure magical potential, but please humour me.”
He points at the line. “Let's say this is a scale from zero to ten, zero being a human without magical talent and ten being a council mage. Kozo, where would you put Hisao?”
Mr. Kanzaki sighs. “Takeshi, we've been over this. Hisao is a gifted student. On your scale I'd rate him a seven, maybe an eight, but from what I've seen him do in our lessons, his power is nothing out of the ordinary.”
Takeshi takes a deep breath. “What if I told you I estimate his magical potential at fourteen – give or take?”
There is a collective gasp from everyone in the room, including myself. He can't be serious. I haven't even been able to do all the exercises I've been given on my own.
Mr. Kanzaki snorts. “That's ridiculous. He's not the first student I've been teaching, and I would have noticed if he had that kind of potential.”
“I didn't expect you to just take my word for it, so I prepared something. You know that magical potential is something only Diviners can perceive. I've been trying to find a way to make it visible to other mages as well, and together with Mr. Nomiya I've found a way to turn the results of my Divination into visible light.”
He turns to the nurse. “Is it okay to use you for a first demonstration?”
The nurse nods sheepishly. “Sure.”
A few seconds later the nurse is surrounded by a soft blue glow. Takeshi marks an 'x' on the line where the two would be.
Mr. Mutou nods appreciatively. “Nice trick.”
Takeshi turns to Mr. Kanzaki. “Can we do you next, Kozo?”
“I still don't know what you're getting at, but go ahead.”
Soon Mr. Kanzaki is surrounded by a bright white light. I have to squint a bit when I look at him directly. Takeshi puts a second marker on the line approximately at nine.
Then he turns to me. “Hisao, would you mind if we tried the same with you?”
I feel a bit uncomfortable with all eyes trained on me, but I manage a nod. Takeshi and Mr. Nomiya share a glance and the next moment there is a bright flash bathing the room in brilliant light. Blinded I squeeze my eyes shut. I hear Hanako scream somewhere to my left and Misha is holding on tightly to my arm.
When the light subsides, I try to open my eyes cautiously, but for a few seconds more I can see nothing but bright stars. I look around the room and it seems to be the same for most people. Hanako still has her eyes tightly shut and her face buried in Lilly's sleeve. Mr. Mutou is staring at me, blinking heavily, his mouth hanging open. Only Takeshi and Mr. Nomiya seem unaffected, probably because they knew what to expect and kept their eyes shut.
Mr. Kanzaki rises from his chair and clears his throat. “Well, Takeshi, that was a very... impressive demonstration.” He walks over to the black board and picks up another piece of chalk. “So we have established Hisao's magic potential to be somewhere around here.” He puts an 'X' somewhere to the right of the rightmost line. “How is it possible that he has so much potential and is not showing any of it during our lessons?”
Takeshi smiles. “Oh, he has been showing it all the time, just not the way we expected him to. I've been talking to all the teachers, and it's really obvious if you know what to look for.”
Everyone is staring at Takeshi, a big question mark on their faces. Apparently he didn't even tell Mr. Nomiya about this.
“You see, you're wrong. Hisao's potential isn't here.” He erases the mark Mr. Kanzaki has drawn on the board. “In fact your estimate of seven is probably quite accurate.” He adds another mark, while everyone is getting more and more confused.
Ms. Miyagi speaks up. “But what we just saw...”
Takeshi holds up his hand. Then he puts the chalk on the zero line and extends the line towards the left. “That's because his potential probably starts around here.”
Mr. Kanzaki frowns, then his eyes go wide with apparent realization. He seems to be the only one in the room who understands what Takeshi is getting at, though.
“Care to explain that in a way the rest of us can wrap their tiny minds around as well?” Akane is getting more than a little impatient.
“Of course. Didn't you tell us earlier that Shizune shouldn't be able to use magic on the level she showed this afternoon?”
“She shouldn't, but what does that have to do with...” She trails off. “You mean...?”
“Exactly. Usually an Abjurer can remove or dampen the effects of magic. Hisao's talent seems to work both ways. He can also strengthen other people's magic. He is not only an Abjurer, he is an Amplifier.”
“You just made that up on the spot, didn't you?”
Takeshi shrugs. “I had to. This is absolutely unheard of, so there is no word for such a talent. Feel free to come up with a better one.”
Mr. Mutou doesn't look like he is completely convinced yet. “And what makes you think Mr. Nakai possesses such a unique talent?”
“Well, there was this discrepancy between Hisao's potential and the skills he displayed, so I asked around a bit. Do you remember what you told me about Misha destroying those two petri dishes during her first lesson? Didn't that happen just after Hisao entered the room?”
He turns to the nurse. “Do you remember when Emi tried to levitate a book and smashed it halfway through the ceiling? Rin started painting colours a few minutes after Hisao arrived to observe her lesson. Lilly was able to see through Hisao's eyes when she was just trying to mind-talk to him. I was almost certain when I saw that with my own eye.”
“And of course there is the incident with Shizune. It all adds up; I can't think of any other explanation.”
“So... What you're saying is that others can do magic better when I'm around?”
Takeshi opens his mouth but Mr. Kanzaki is faster. “If Takeshi is correct with his assumptions, then you have been using that talent only subconsciously so far. If you learn to control it, you should be able to add your strength to the magic of others at will. We don't know anything for certain though, so we will have to experiment.”
He looks at his wristwatch and rises from his chair. “This is very unexpected. I have to contact a few people. This meeting is adjourned. Takeshi, Ms. Miyagi, Mr. Mutou, please stay here for a while. All students, you are not to use magic of any kind around Hisao unsupervised until further notice. Hisao, you are excused from tomorrow's morning classes. Please report to Mr. Nomiya in the art-room instead. Ms. Hakamichi, I will leave the matter of your punishment to Ms. Aikawa. Good night everyone.”
Damn, I had hoped he would forget about Shizune. As everyone leaves the principal's office, Shizune, Misha and I quietly follow Akane to the corridor.
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Please look forward to chapter Fourteen:
Can You Feel The Love Tonight
