“El… Ras… Um-nya… Mbeu-m…”
“Na-me, you have to get up!”
“Suuuu… Just a little more… I want to sleep.”
“If you wake up this late, how are you going to go to the academy next week?”
Na-me rolled over in her blanket, turning halfway around her bed.
Seeing Na-me transformed into a giant gimbap, Professor Chun couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
Eventually, Na-me’s eyes opened halfway.
“Is it today? For the school uniform fitting?”
“Yes. Hurry up and get ready.”
“Ugh, I don’t want to go…”
“Come on now.”
The loud alarms ringing were not enough to wake Na-me from her morning slumber.
However, if left alone, she would likely sleep all day, so Professor Chun had no choice but to prop her up this morning and push her towards the washbasin.
After finishing her face wash, Na-me was asked by Professor Chun,
“What about breakfast?”
“I’ll be full just eating this.”
“Got it. Let’s head out right away.”
The potion bottle in Na-me’s hand clinked.
Watching Na-me, who takes a terrible-tasting medicine without a grimace every day, Professor Chun felt a sudden pride in her ability.
It was impressive how well she managed to take something so difficult to swallow.
As soon as she finished her breakfast, Na-me rushed towards the entrance to put on her shoes.
Of course, she didn’t forget to grab her scarf.
“It’s quite cold outside.”
“It’s still winter, you know.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay without a ride?”
“I want to walk because it’s been a while. I might forget how to stand up otherwise.”
As Na-me said, aside from going to see Laura, she hadn’t moved much from her room.
Her limbs felt so weak that it made her wonder if she could even walk properly on the way to the academy.
She definitely needed some movement, even if just a little.
The air in March was still too cold to take a deep breath in one go.
Na-me buried her face in her scarf, trying to warm up her chilled cheeks with the heat of her breath.
“Fua. Fua.”
As Na-me exhaled, the foggy air dispersed all around.
Then, Professor Chun suddenly stopped in his tracks, a great idea popping into his head.
“I’ve got a fun magic trick. Want to see?”
He pulled out the Light Transmutation Circle Inscriber from his pocket, slipped it onto his finger, and started writing the formula.
[Casting: Localized Crystallization]
A magic circle of concentric rings formed around his hand.
He carefully brought the magic circle in front of Na-me.
“Can you blow your breath again?”
There wasn’t a reason to refuse, so Na-me puffed her cheeks full of air.
“Fuhhh.”
The breath she exhaled passed through the magic circle, and as it spun, ice shards began to fall from the opposite side.
Professor Chun caught the crystal pieces beautifully just before they hit the ground.
“It’s ice flowers! What do you think? Pretty, right?”
Na-me’s usually expressionless face slowly began to brighten.
“Oooh…!”
“This is magic my mother used to make every winter when I was little. I would pester her to take me outside whenever winter came just to see it.”
Professor Chun closed his eyes, lost in the memory.
“It’s really beautiful.”
“Right?”
“You’ve maximized the freezing capacity observed in the microscopic realm by partially blocking other physical forces that interfere with the semi-liquid layer.”
“Hmm?”
“The two runes engage with the magic circle’s axes without colliding, which is truly a brilliant idea.”
“Oh, is that what you found pretty?”
Goodness.
A sigh escaped from Professor Chun’s lips.
Putting aside the lovely hexagonal ice pieces, who would have thought she’d find such interest in the magic circle?
Regardless of how lacking in emotion he considered himself, that little girl was on a whole different level of that spectrum.
Yet, Na-me’s eyes still sparkled while watching the spinning magic circle.
What if she just enjoys it?
With that, the little adventure between Professor Chun and Na-me wrapped up, and before long, they arrived at the School Uniform Store.
Ding-ding
It was a bell ringing that evoked not an AI-like voice but an analog sense of nostalgia.
“Welcome!”
“Greetings. We’re here for a school uniform fitting for a child.”
“Did you make a reservation, or are we measuring here?”
“Well, it’s our first time.”
The shop staff kindly explained to Professor Chun, who was completely clueless about children’s school uniforms.
These days, they’ve developed a system where you can measure at home and send the details, only coming in to try it on and pick it up.
“So these days, there’s no fun in trying kids’ clothes. Back in the day, we used to confirm sizes before leaving, but now since it’s so accurate, kids just take them without even trying them on.”
“Oh, is that right?”
A little lament escaped from the shop assistant.
She then immediately squatted down a bit to match her eye level with Na-me.
“Hi there! You’re here for a school uniform fitting? You’re in 1st grade now!”
“Oh, she’s actually in 2nd grade.”
Professor Chun corrected her quickly.
“So you’re in 2nd grade, but getting a new school uniform?”
“I moved to a new school, so I need to get a new uniform.”
“Schools in this area mostly have standardized uniforms, right? You must have moved quite far?”
“Well, that and I’m going to Sephiron Academy.”
“Wow, Sephiron Academy? And you’re a transfer student? You’re a really smart kid, aren’t you?”
The shop assistant’s voice grew louder.
It was no surprise since students at Sephiron Academy were highly sought after in the area.
If you were to ask most parents whether elementary school really mattered, you could expect an outraged response.
Six years supported by a foundation of magic education was more than enough time to create a gap with others.
Moreover, progressing steadily through elementary school was generally easier than passing the fierce entrance exams for middle and high school.
And building connections with other parents at the academy was another reason to be proud.
However, for an academy that hadn’t taken transfer students in recent years, Na-me’s qualification to attend must surely mean she’s something special.
“She’s definitely an exceptional child. Once Na-me goes to the academy, the whole school will turn upside down.”
Professor Chun spoke proudly.
What could he say?
Even when compared to his own university students, she was no less impressive.
Na-me tugged on Professor Chun’s sleeve, indicating it was time to get measured, and he surrendered to her urging and gave the shop assistant a nod.
“Well, please take good care of her! She can be a bit shy, so just bear with her if she’s quiet.”
“Ha-ha, sure thing! Okay, Na-me, would you come over here? We’ll hang your outerwear for now.”
While Na-me busied herself arranging her clothes, the shop assistant went to fetch a measuring tape.
“Alright, now spread your arms out for a moment.”
Seeing a child obediently following her instructions made the shop assistant beam with joy.
“I’m sorry for mistaking you for a 1st grader earlier.”
“It’s fine, I don’t mind.”
“Our little lady is going to grow up beautifully! I’ve been tailoring for 20 years. I can tell just by looking!”
To that remark, it was true that although Na-me was smaller than her peers, her limbs were longer, and her head was also proportionately small, making her fit for a child model.
However, what caught the shop assistant’s attention was Na-me’s long hair.
“Your hair is really long! Do you not cut it on purpose?”
Typically, hair that grows beyond a certain length becomes split due to insufficient nourishment reaching the very ends.
Yet, Na-me’s hair was neither dry nor damaged; it shimmered from her scalp to the tips, piquing her curiosity.
“I’m scared of scissors. I cut it myself.”
“Aha.”
Na-me replied in a subdued tone.
There are certainly kids who are scared of hair salons.
There are many reasons, but it’s usually from being ticklish or being afraid of scissors.
While she measured the length of Na-me’s sleeves, Na-me’s hands unexpectedly moved up toward her head.
Suddenly, as Na-me patted her head, the shop assistant raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“Is something the matter?”
“No…”
But all she felt was the texture of her hair. She continued effortlessly helping with the remaining measurements as if nothing happened.
*
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Nothing much. Let’s just go home.”
I patted my head once more with a scrambled expression.
Right, I don’t have any horns on this body.
Memories flashed back to when I had been through all sorts of troubles because of that one horn in my past life.
I would wake up at dawn to grind my horn with a metal file so that no one could notice.
In fact, once I left the academy, I had gotten lazy and let it go.
More often than not, I stayed cooped up in my research lab at the Magic Tower, and whenever I met someone, I could just hide it with magic for a while.
During the war, people didn’t care if the stranger walking down the road was human or demon, so there was really no need to hide.
Once hated so much, I’ve grown somewhat fond of that horn; it now felt like I missed it a bit, seeing as I don’t have it anymore.
For demons, horns serve various purposes.
In daily life, they weren’t much use, but when calculating magic, they served as a boost, and they even helped detect abnormal mana streams.
I had lived long without them, so I didn’t find it too inconvenient.
Maybe it’s similar to not having a calculator for a test?
Still, allowing a sharp object near my head was a bit daunting.
It’s a deceitful job to trust a hairdresser with slicing off hair.
Getting into a vulnerable position with your arms confined by a salon cape makes it worse, and sitting in an awkward chair where you can’t even turn around adds to the tension.
The hairdresser stands right behind the customer, wielding sharp scissors at a dangerously close distance.
Whenever they set their mind to it, it wouldn’t be hard for them to cut a throat with those scissors.
Personally, I thought it was a perilous endeavor to entrust one’s life to someone else.
Of course, with hair, I could always just sharpen my fingers with aura and cut it myself.
After quite an exhausting outing, I was delighted to arrive home.
Even before stepping inside, the heated floor could already be felt warming my soles.
“We’ll pick up the uniforms this Friday.”
“Professor Chun, could I ask you for a favor?”
“Sure! What do you need?”
“Tomorrow is Laura’s birthday. I was wondering if I could invite her over?”
“Of course! You’re always welcome. But what will you do for fun at home?”
“Um, that over there.”
Na-me pointed to a capsule.
“Laura loves magic, you see.”
