10: Rin When we became second-year students, Sakurako and Kurosaki-senpai began to be whispered about as having a "master-disciple relationship as sorcerers," and they became famous throughout the school. It was understandable. While Kurosaki-senpai wasn't flashy, she was a beautiful woman with well-arranged features, and Sakurako, now a high school student, had also become quite eye-catching as the sharpness in her expression had softened somewhat. The way those two carried themselves was so refined it didn't seem like they were high school students, and everyone thought they weren't the type of people you could easily approach. Their academic performance was also impeccable, and the teachers had begun giving them special treatment. Of course, I continued to interact with Sakurako normally, but when I did, I was now seen by those around me as someone who "couldn't read the room." Since we were high school students, nothing particularly strange happe...

09 Kurosaki Natsuki 2 After taking off my coat and draping my scarf over the back of the chair, I pulled out my magic book from my bag. These kinds of books are passed down through each sorcerer’s family, and from what I’ve heard, their contents are all fairly similar. They’re probably like inherited family recipes, but for magic. “Well then, let’s begin.” As I announced this, Sakurako quietly closed her own magic book and straightened her posture. “Yes.” We started with the incantation.  Since it’s akin to singing, finding a suitable place can be surprisingly difficult—but at this time, the clubroom was empty, so it wasn’t an issue. I steadied my breathing and began chanting the spell slowly, softly, letting it blend into the natural sounds around us—like the babbling of a stream or leaves rustling in the wind. Gradually, the indistinct murmurs solidified into clear words. Spells only take effect when their purity is high. The concept of “purity” here is hard to explain, but I sup...

08 Kurosaki Natsuki (1) A sorcerer’s morning starts early. By 5 a.m., before sunrise, I wake up and grab the phone resting by my pillow to reply to messages from friends that came in overnight. Once that’s done, I let my body adjust to the morning air before finally leaving my bed and brushing my teeth to fully awaken my senses. Brushing my teeth first thing isn’t some sorcerer’s doctrine—it’s just something I heard was good for my health on TV. I make a habit of adopting anything that seems beneficial. Figuring out what enhances my magic is all trial and error. In fairy tales, sorcerers—often imagined as witches—are usually depicted stirring a bubbling, sinister purple brew in a giant cauldron late at night. But I don’t engage in such domestic activities. Modern sorcerers are, in their own way, quite contemporary. The most important thing is maintaining physical and mental health—a principle shared by both academics and athletics. I make sure to sleep by 10 p.m. at the latest, getting...

07 Rin In first and second year, Sakurako and I were in different classes, but in third year, we finally ended up in the same one. Sakurako had gained the ability to use magic back in first year, but she rarely showed it off in front of anyone except me. That made it feel special—something I could quietly brag about—but it was also something her grandmother had taught her. Apparently, using magic too often in front of people wasn’t a good idea. If she wanted to make magic her profession, she couldn’t just perform it casually. She had to add value to it—basically, make it seem rare and precious. So, Sakurako only used magic in public during special circumstances, like when her magic book was stolen. Any other time, no matter how much people begged,  "No." she’d flat-out refuse. I wished she’d phrase it a little nicer, but that was just Sakurako being Sakurako. As for me, I was doing decently well in basketball club. By third year, I’d even been made captain, so I was having fu...

06 Sato 2 That book was something Nagumo-san always carefully kept in her bag, and it was unthinkable that she would drop it or lose it. It was probably the work of Takahashi-san's group, who had arbitrarily made Nagumo-san their enemy. That was obvious to everyone. Takahashi-san and her friends were the type who couldn't study well, were needlessly aggressive, and always spoke ill of someone as if taking out their frustrations. Even when Nagumo-san realized her book was missing, she maintained her composure on the surface, silently searched the area around her, and then reported it to the homeroom teacher. During the after-school homeroom, the teacher asked everyone about the book's whereabouts, but Takahashi-san said something that was almost like a confession: "Isn't it her fault for bringing something unrelated to school?" She said this while sneering with her companions. The teacher seemed to want to say something, but couldn't suspect students withou...

05 Sato 1 The middle school I attended had students coming mainly from two areas. Most lived in apartments or maisonette-style houses near Shin-Urayasu Station, while the smaller group of students lived in apartments on a slightly distant landfill site. Actually, the area I lived in was also originally reclaimed land, and between our neighborhood and the newer landfill where the minority students lived, there was an old embankment—remnants of the past—stretching like train tracks, creating a clear boundary. The middle school had been built for our area, so it was a bit far for those from the landfill side to commute. In short, this school wasn’t theirs. I’d heard that in a few years, a new middle school would be built on their side, so the people from the landfill felt like outsiders. If they hadn’t come here, we could’ve kept the same social circles we had in elementary school. After the entrance ceremony, I stepped into my new classroom and glanced around at my new classmates. This w...

04: Rin After graduating from elementary school, Sakurako and I ended up attending the same middle school. Just because we went to the same elementary school doesn't mean it's a given that we'd go to the same middle school. In the apartment complex towers standing in rows on this reclaimed land full of pampas grass, many of the parents who live there are highly conscious people. They send their children to cram schools from elementary school age, constantly scheming to get them into prep schools at the first opportunity. In fact, there were plenty of classmates who took middle school entrance exams and went to private schools. Sure, if you could get into an affiliated school like Waseda or Keio from middle school, life would probably be easier. But fortunately, my parents never said "go to cram school," and since I wasn't that interested in studying anyway, I ended up going to a regular public middle school. However, since Sakurako was quite good at studying, ...

03 Kato In fifth grade, there were two oddballs in my class—Shiba Rin and Nagumo Sakurako. When you hear "oddballs," you might imagine someone who wears short sleeves and shorts even in winter, someone who memorizes the capitals of every country, or someone who’s freakishly good at drawing—just slightly unusual people. But these two weren’t like that. They had such distinct personalities, they could’ve stepped right out of an anime or manga. Shiba always tied her hair back in a single ponytail, a straightforward girl straight out of a shounen manga. She was ridiculously athletic, cheerful, and good at talking—basically the center of the class. But she was also strong-willed and quick to throw hands (though only with guys). Still, her impulsiveness wasn’t just about fighting. If she thought something was right, she’d do it immediately. If she thought something was wrong, she’d never do it. Because of that, she had this… reliability about her. For example, class duties were alw...