The Last Magic Chapter 17

# 17 Takahashi

I never liked studying since I was a kid, and from middle school on, I couldn't understand the lessons at all and couldn't keep up. What I'm bad at, I'm bad at, and I hate being forced to do things.

To begin with, I never liked the idea of working hard at something. I was often late or absent, caused problems several times, and my conduct grades were the worst. But I got into a high school that had unfilled enrollment quotas, so I could pass just by writing my name. Even that kind of high school became too much of a hassle to attend, so I quit right away. My educational background is high school dropout.

My parents were similar, so I never got scolded.

"You can live without studying. But if you're not going to school, then work."

That was the attitude.

At first I worked part-time at convenience stores and supermarkets, but wherever I went, I was scolded for being "irresponsible." So I never lasted long anywhere and kept moving around. Right after my 18th birthday, I started working at a cabaret club immediately.

I'm young, and I thought I could get by being casual at a cabaret, but it wasn't that easy. Customers would come to me just because I was young, but the people who became number one were genuinely putting in effort - their conversation skills and attentiveness were incredible.

(Do I have to work hard wherever I go?)

I thought that, but if I didn't buckle down here, I'd have to go to even worse places like soaplands. I learned the customer service techniques of the senior girls by watching and imitating, became good at matching customers' conversations, and somehow managed to continue the cabaret work.

I had boyfriends on and off, got pregnant before turning 20, but the guy ran away. I went back to my parents' house and have my mother look after the child.

It's not like I'm unhappy. I have money, work has become enjoyable, and the kid is surprisingly cute. My own mother was similar, so if this counts as unhappy, then I would have been unhappy since childhood.

Life works out somehow, so it's not something to get all fired up and work hard for.

The customers at the club bring up all kinds of topics, but most of them are things I don't know about. But if I said "I don't know" all the time, it wouldn't be good for business. Even when I don't know something, I pretend to be interested, draw out their stories, and let them talk pleasantly - that's also a trick for catching customers.

The customers come to the club because they want to talk with women.

Even cabaret hostesses go to host clubs and pay high prices to have someone listen to them, so I guess humans want to pay money to have people listen to their stories.

I understand that feeling too, but it's kind of a sad story.

One day, I was assigned to an arrogant customer's table.

Most customers who come to the club are arrogant, but this customer was wearing an expensive-looking suit, had smart-looking glasses, and was a bit unlikeable but handsome. Everything he wore looked obviously high-end, so he probably had a high social status too.

Our club, with its gold and black interior design, is about middle-rank in Kabukicho, and we get all kinds of customers, so occasionally customers like this come in. If he became a regular, he might become a big spender.

"Do you girls watch magic videos? They're popular now, right?"

The customer brought up the topic in a casual tone.

Magic videos are indeed popular. They're getting about as much attention as K-POP was a while back. The combination of spell-like songs and flashy magic makes them look impressive.

"I watch them a lot. They're beautiful and kind of healing."

I gave an appropriate response and waited for the customer's reaction. I have to change my approach depending on whether they react positively or negatively.

"I see."

The customer looked a bit pleased. He probably likes them. And he's satisfied that he might have something in common with us.

"Actually, I can use magic too."

The glasses-wearing customer whispered conspiratorially with a smug look on his face.

"Really?! That's amazing!"

I put my hand to my mouth and gave an exaggerated reaction. When customers act like they want something kept secret, their true feelings are usually the opposite - they want it spread around indirectly.

"Hey, hey, don't be so loud."

Even while saying that, he didn't look entirely displeased. How transparent.

"Can you use magic like in the videos?"

I lowered my voice a bit and gave him the words he wanted to hear.

"Of course I can. Let me tell you, I've been at this longer than those young people making videos."

(That's obvious just from looking at you. You're not that young either.)

Of course I don't say that. I'm lying about my age too.

"Eh? That's amazing. Well then, show me a little magic."

"You don't get it. Real sorcerers don't show their magic so easily. Today's young people are stupid, so they don't understand that. Magic is magic because it's kept secret."

The glasses guy said this in an unpleasant way.

Whatever. Even though you're saying that, you brought up the topic because you want to show off your magic, right?

"Ah, so magic really is difficult. It's not something you can just show people easily. That's disappointing... But just a little, just a little bit would be okay, right? Just the tip?"

If I backed down completely here, it would make the glasses guy feel bad, so I had to act interested and lead the conversation toward getting him to use magic. Honestly it's annoying, but this is work too.

"What do you mean 'just the tip'? That's dirty. Cabaret hostesses have no class."

The glasses guy laughed happily. You're the one with no class for understanding that reference.

"Can't be helped. Fine, I'll do just the tip for you."

Saying that, the glasses guy's eyes became serious and he began chanting magic.

True to his word, while the spell lacked flashiness, it had a classical gravitas like an orchestra, drawing the attention of the surrounding customers and hostesses.

Like an orchestra conductor, he incorporated gestures and movements, keeping everyone engaged for quite a long time without boring them.

Then, pointing his hand toward an empty glass on the table, he spoke strong final words.

Suddenly, a fairly large round ice cube appeared in the glass.

It was impressive. I gained a little respect for the glasses guy.

"Ooh!"

Sounds of admiration came from around us. Hostesses, customers, and even the black-suited staff were impressed and applauded.

The glasses guy waved his hand in response, magnanimously acknowledging them, and sank back into the sofa.

"How was that? Pretty good, right?"

Saying that, he picked up the glass with the magic ice, so I immediately poured whiskey into it.

The glasses guy drank the liquor in one gulp and let out a satisfied breath.

"Delicious."

He was probably drunk on the atmosphere rather than the alcohol.

"You really were an amazing sorcerer. At first I thought you might be the president of an IT company."

I praise him for now. Compliments are free.

"I make about the same amount of money."

"Really?!"

I was genuinely surprised to learn that sorcerers can be quite profitable.

"If you do it seriously, you can make that much. Without resorting to videos."

The glasses guy said this as if venting his frustration. Apparently he didn't much like the young sorcerers doing video streaming.

"Eh? Then why are the people streaming magic videos doing such things?"

"They're attention seekers. Hopeless bunch. They'll disappear eventually anyway. sorcerers should live inconspicuously."

"Maybe because they're young they don't understand magic well. Not everyone can be as skilled as you, sir."

I don't really care, so I just smile and give appropriate responses.

"No, it's that kid's influence."

"That kid?"

"Nagumo Sakurako. You know her, right?"

Nagumo Sakurako. She's called the sorcerer currently having the most influence on the world. She's world-famous, so few people wouldn't know her.

──She was also my classmate in first year of middle school──

"Of course I know her. Why is it Nagumo-san's fault?"

My voice might have gotten a bit tense.

"Because she spread those flashy magic videos, young people started copying her one after another. That's what ruined everything. I suffered because of it too."

"Why did you suffer, sir?"

"She's my junior from university. She started video streaming after I graduated, and because of that I often got snide comments from the higher-ups saying 'It's because your teaching was inadequate.' Total collateral damage."

The glasses guy's tone was getting rougher, probably because the alcohol was kicking in.

"What kind of person was Nagumo-san?"

"A rigid type. The mystery research club wasn't a place to study magic, but to make connections as a sorcerer, but she just kept studying magic by herself. She was an air-headed, annoying person who couldn't read the room. But she had some kind of charm that drew people to her, so the alumni were lenient with her, which was troubling. I wanted to tell her 'This isn't that kind of place!'"

The glasses guy had deep wrinkles between his eyebrows. He must have had a lot of pent-up frustration.

I also remembered middle school days.

She certainly couldn't read the room. Even in the classroom, she was always reading magic books, with a face that said "I'm different from you people."

When we said "Cast a spell," she'd refuse saying "I don't want to." She was an inflexible, no-fun person. And she'd talk happily with Shiba when she occasionally came around, discussing "what kind of sorcerer I want to become" and future dreams. It was annoying.

"So because I couldn't stop her back then, she got carried away and now acts like she's the representative of all sorcerers. What a nuisance. She's not the representative of sorcerers. She's more like a destroyer of tradition. Do you know? Nagumo even makes videos of her own training. Like she's appealing 'Look how hard I'm working.' There's no need for that kind of effort. She should just do it alone by herself. It's annoying when people like her exist."

The glasses guy said this as if spitting out the words.

I totally get how he feels. I didn't like her either, so I even hid her magic books sometimes. I did little acts of harassment here and there. But,

"...Shut up."

"Huh?"

"Shut up! What do you know about her?! She's the type who studied magic during every break! She kept working so damn hard continuously, and sure she was an annoying person, sure she was an eyesore, but there was nothing fake about her effort. I hated it, hated it so much I couldn't stand it, didn't even want her in my sight, but that was the truth about her. It made me so angry I couldn't stand it, but you're her senior, right? You can use magic too, right? Why don't you try to understand her?! She kept working hard continuously, and she's still working hard now, and sure I hate her, but you should understand her!"

Saying that, I threw the water from my glass at the glasses guy.

Oh no... I did it.

The junior hostess sitting with us is completely shocked. I'm fired, fired.

But whatever. I feel refreshed.

The black-suited staff approached wondering what happened, and I tried to stand up from my seat. But,

"Wait a minute, were you acquainted with Nagumo?"

The glasses guy called out to me, not even caring that his clothes were wet.

"...Classmates in first year of middle school."

"Were you close friends?"

"Not at all. I bullied her."

The glasses guy grinned.

"Sir, are you alright? I'll change the hostess right away..."

A black-suited staff member interrupted, trying to wipe the glasses guy's clothes with a towel. He shot me a scary look that said I should get out of there.

"It's fine. No problem. Keep the hostess as she is. The clothes don't matter either. I'll borrow the towel though."

Saying that, the glasses guy just took the towel from the staff member.

"I just let my tongue slip a bit, so please don't punish her."

The staff member looked puzzled, but since there was no problem, he backed off.

The surroundings had been buzzing, but soon returned to their own conversations. After all, this is a place where you're charged by time. They can't be bothered with unnecessary things.

"...Why did you say that?"

To my question as I remained standing, the glasses guy laughed.

"Well, I thought we were kindred spirits. Like I said before, I hated Nagumo too. She was serious, hardworking, and talented, and when she entered university, she should have fit in with everyone else, but she acted all aloof. But you know."

The glasses guy downed his drink in one gulp.

"She's right. That's how sorcerers should be, is what she keeps throwing in our faces. Just because we don't like it doesn't mean we can destroy it, right? So even though I hate her, I protected her. I pulled strings so the other alumni wouldn't say unnecessary things. It's okay for me to badmouth her, but I didn't like it when other people complained about her."

What? He's the same as me. Nagumo is irritating and I hate her, but still, I didn't want anyone else to deny her righteousness.

"Well, sit down. Let's complain about Nagumo together. There's no one more suitable for this than you."

The glasses guy's name was Kikuchi. He had apparently been the club president when Nagumo was a university freshman. After that, Kikuchi became my regular customer, and we became companions who complained about Nagumo every time she achieved something.