Ding dong ding dong…
“Huuuh…”
“Haah…”
As the bell rang, rough sighs were heard from everywhere.
“Everyone in the 3rd Grade A Class, please raise your hands above your heads.”
As the young male teacher gave the instructions, the kids in the class obediently followed.
Shim Hyo-chan, who was the homeroom teacher for the 2nd Grade B Class last year, was now in charge of our class.
By the way, Jacqueline Carroll was assigned as the homeroom teacher for the 6th Grade A Class.
“Na-me, wasn’t this midterm exam super hard…?”
Ji-hye, who was seated diagonally in front, turned her head and pouted.
At that moment, Yuna, who was sitting far away, casually said, “It doesn’t matter; it’s all easy for Na-me, so asking is pointless.”
I just gave a smile in response.
Meanwhile, Shim Hyo-chan began collecting the ‘Magic Activation’ exam papers one by one from the back.
From the 3rd level activation of the 5 levels of magic, it’s a research discipline dealing with circuit formations.
This is also when the number of students giving up on learning magic exponentially increases.
The scope of this midterm exam required us to perfectly memorize proportional expressions and calculate the lengths and areas of various plane shapes, and sometimes even the volumes of solids.
[Name: NoName / Last modified: 38 minutes ago]
“Don’t you plan to skip a grade like Si-hoo, Na-me?”
Shim Hyo-chan asked as he checked my exam paper.
I silently nodded.
“Ugh, this is all so weird anyway.”
Si-hoo skipped to 4th grade, and he’s probably gearing up for the next subject’s exam by now.
From the 4th grade onward, there’s one more subject, so he’ll leave later than us.
“Okay, everyone, you worked hard on the exam. Enjoy your weekend!”
“Waaaaah! It’s over! Goodbye, Teacher!”
The male students who had been itching to leave burst out of the class like a shot.
“Yuna, are you going to wait a bit and leave with Si-hoo?”
“I… I should wait, right?”
“Of course, taking care of your boyfriend is definitely a girlfriend’s job. Hehe.”
“We’re not dating!”
“Then we’re outta here. Have a good time, Yuna.”
“Hey, Han Seori! You’re dead if you get caught!”
Seori teased as Yuna rolled her eyes and lunged at her.
The pure-hearted kids didn’t seem to tire of the repetitive pattern that had been ongoing for a year.
“Yuna, don’t come home too late. I’ll be cheering for you.”
“Na-me, even you…”
Excluding Yuna, who had a date scheduled, Seori, Ji-hye, Ha-ru, and I set off for downtown Gangnam.
“What’s for lunch?”
“We agreed on Ashley.”
“Aha.”
Watching the little ones up close, it seems they really love buffet places.
It could be due to their growth spurts, as they all had great appetites.
“Na-me, try this just once.”
“I’m full.”
“Already? You’ve only eaten two plates!”
I couldn’t forcefully burn calories using erosion of appetite.
I quickly finished lunch, politely declining the requests from the kids who brandished their forks.
Since wandering around with a full stomach would be tough, we went to a movie theater to watch an animation, headed to karaoke to shake off the energy we had built up, and stopped by Kyobo Bookstore for some stationery shopping.
‘Is this really a place that sells books?’
Half of the large bookstore was plastered with stationery.
Adorable keychains, character pencil cases, hundreds of types of stickers, plastic cases, letter paper, and more.
“It really suits Na-me!”
Ha-ru snuck up behind me and placed something on my head.
It was a bunny ear hat.
“Where did you find this?”
“Joogi!”
Following her finger, I glanced over to see all sorts of junk like pillows, character dolls, blankets displayed.
On the opposite side, there was also a corner dealing with electronic devices and capsule custom items.
Was this the bookstore’s struggle to survive in the cold heart of capitalism?
Seeing a cyborg that replaced all parts except the heart made me feel that way.
“Hey guys, I’m a bit tired, so I’m going to rest over there. Come find me when you’re done shopping.”
Avoiding the kids with the stamina of a Border Collie, I bought a physical book from the warm heart of the bookstore.
[Dark Street of Shops – Patrick Modiano]
[I am nothing.]
‘Why does he think he is nothing?’
As I read the first sentence, I rapidly plunged into the profound immersion and quickly skimmed through the book.
I didn’t even notice the whispers around me.
“Over there.”
“…”
“Excuse me?”
“Yeah?”
“Sorry to bother you, but may I ask for your autograph?”
When I snapped back to reality, I realized dozens of people had surrounded me.
‘Uh oh… I should have just stayed with the kids, even if it was a bit hard.’
Asking me to move was a bigger quest than I anticipated when I just wanted a breather!
“I have to leave shortly. I’ll do what I can for now.”
[Spell Activated: Coordinate Synchronization]
Please save me, Lee Ha-ru, Ma Ji-hye, Han Seori…
I enthusiastically drew the magic circle, hoping my friends would rescue me soon.
*
When I reached home, it was already 8 PM.
“Adella, I’m back.”
“You look a bit drained today.”
“Yeah. I’m going to skip exercising today since I’m tired.”
“What? Really? Wow, what’s this? Come on, let’s game! Hehe!”
Playing with the kids must have taken way more energy than I expected.
I flopped onto Adella’s bed without changing clothes.
Regardless, Adella pulled out her Nintendo and started frantically moving her fingers.
“Did you get your GED results back?”
“Of course I passed. It was just a total personality test.”
“Good, then. You should be able to enroll by May at the latest. Enjoy this moment to the fullest.”
“Hey sis, if you have time later, could you help me practice using my Aura? I’ll show you something awesome today!”
Adella managed to master how to manage her Aura in less than a day.
Considering the cases of erosion from my past life, it wasn’t that surprising, but I had thought it would take longer since this world has scarce Mana.
[Sis, I think I’ve figured out the name I want to use from now on. It’s Cheon Saetbyeol. What do you think? Isn’t it pretty? Isn’t it cute? Isn’t it lovely? Isn’t it a name I’d want to invest all my fortune in?]
[That sounds kind of cheesy.]
[Sis, I really hate you!]
I didn’t bother asking how she had learned to manage her Aura.
In the process of realizing Enlightenment, the intention of being aware of others’ gazes could cause the Aura Heart to falter.
It was just too obvious that gaining Enlightenment through stars was one of the most common methods.
When handling Aura, what’s important is permanence.
The more you use permanent materials or concepts as a medium, the stronger the Aura responds to your will.
A third-brightest planet like Venus in the sky should be pretty ordinary.
“Hey, even so, using Aura until we get to play games is a bit much.”
“It’s my choice! Why would I waste such a good thing without using it?”
Adella‘s eyes were blazing orange.
I had shown her how to increase the reaction speed of her eyes along with how to control her body, and she grasped it immediately.
Perhaps the memory of experiences in Virtual Reality still lingered in her mind, making her feel less alienated.
Or maybe she simply had amazing talent.
“I’ve got a big catch! It’s a sturgeon!”
And here she was using that talent for fishing—not even real fishing, mind you.
Suppressing the urge to lecture her, I watched as Adella danced joyously.
She was shaking her butt side to side as I asked, “What about your broadcast?”
“I finished all the homework while you were out! What do you take me for?”
“Well, then show me what you’ve got! Let’s see some of it.”
“Aura? Keep your eyes wide open and watch. Witness the greatness of Adella!”
Adella sat cross-legged.
Taking a deep breath and keeping her mouth shut, her quiet Aura Heart began to tremble.
I casually activated the Demon King’s Horn to closely observe how she handled her Aura.
‘Wow, the Aura is already organizing itself.’
A scarlet energy spiraled outward from her Aura Heart.
Seeing a consistent pattern indicated it was that much easier to control.
Feeling touched by her achievement, my lips involuntarily curled upwards.
‘I thought she was just a lazy cat—guess she’s been practicing hard behind the scenes!’
I was excited to see what Adella would do with her Aura now.
She could harden her fist or increase muscle elasticity.
If she reached a higher level, she could even regulate hormones within her body. I wondered what she would manage…
“Ugh!”
Adella let out a short moan and then scrunched up her face.
As she ground her molars, the Aura split to the left and right, almost like a magnet being pulled.
One side headed toward Adella’s head while the other spiraled toward her backside.
Now I had no idea what she was trying to do.
She was condensing her Aura, so this wasn’t about physical enhancement, nor was it a hormone boost.
Suddenly, Adella’s eyes widened.
Her irises shone orange, and her pupils elongated vertically.
Pupil?!
“E…eek…”
Adella flared her nostrils and clasped her hands together over her mouth.
“Achoo! Achoo, heh-choo!”
BANG!
“Cough.”
Three consecutive sneezes later, Adella sounded like she had caught a cold, sniffling her nose.
“Adella, you…”
Adella’s Aura wasn’t simply organized; it had taken shape, became three-dimensional, and finally proved its existence.
I rubbed my eyes repeatedly and released the Demon King’s Horn.
I could still see Adella’s Aura with my eyes.
“In the end, I’ve regained it. My body.”
Two cat ears perked up on her head, and a red tail revealed itself behind her.
I bolted upright and touched her ears.
It wasn’t some trick with toys.
It was her actual Aura taking form, so my hand passed through with ease.
Instead, I felt a warm sensation where my palm brushed against her.
“How did you…?”
In response to my question, Adella gave a sly smile and said, “It worked when I did it, didn’t it?”
The external manifestation of Aura.
A pinnacle technique only a minuscule number chosen by the heavens can perform.
Adella had skipped all preliminary stages and passed through the final gate.
*
“Through these ears, I can supposedly hear frequencies that are distinctly different, but nothing like that for now. The tail is about the same. In short, it’s just decorative,” she said.
“Even if it’s just decoration, the mere attempt to bring Aura out of your body is pretty impressive, Adella.”
“This is the first time you’ve praised me this much, sis! Is it really that hard? I’m feeling super good right now, hehe.”
“By the way, why did you sneeze?”
Adella blew her nose into a tissue and shrugged.
“I’m not sure? Do I have a cat allergy or something?”
“What kind of joke is that?”
