When I asked that, Mister Hilos approached me and held my shoulders, looking dead serious into my eyes.

“...Hey, kiddo, are you sure he’s the right person to ask?”

I tilted my head ever so slightly and nodded, “Yeah?”

Why is he asking me this? Of course, I was sure! Who better to ask than the person I look up to? I mean… seeing how he’s happy with The Saint and being lovey-dovey….

“...Kiddo, are you sure? About love? This guy? Whatever you’re asking, he’s probably not going to be so useful. I sense a complicated reason behind your request. But seriously… this ain’t the guy. His love was like a walk in the park since both of them fell in love at first sight… I really doubt his ways would apply.”

…is that so?

“...Hilos, I’m here, you know?” Brother Al complained and pulled Mister Hilos away from me. “Well… Aska, you wanted some advice, right?”

“Yeah…” I hesitantly replied after hearing Mister Hilos’s small rant….

And with that, I began to tell them about my circumstance.

“...And so… Julia is a bit clingy to me… and I think I’ve developed feelings for Hilda,” I said, looking around to make sure there’s only us.

‘Hmm,’ Mister Hilos hummed, “So I was right. That’s quite a complicated situation, isn’t it? Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions, but it sounds like this Julia girly has stopped trying to run away from her feelings now that her mask’s broken.”

…He’s maybe right… she’s not running from me and showering me with affection. But…

“I don’t see her that way—that’s why… I can’t accept her feelings…” I said, gritting my teeth.

“...Is that really the case?” Mister Hilos asked. “To me, it sounds like you’re only saying that to restrain yourself.”

…I’m only saying it to restrain myself? As if to convince myself…? Was that why I felt relieved when she didn’t seem interested in brother Al in that way?

But…

“...She’s my sister….” I muttered.

“That so?” Mister Hilos questioned, looking at me, “I don’t sense that you’ve got similar mana, so it’s fine, isn't it?”

….that may be right… but….

“...You shouldn’t overthink,” brother Al suddenly said and patted me on the shoulder. “Not only is it complicated enough that you’re girls, but sibling as well….”

…..Does he really think that I’m a girl?

…Even Mister Hilos is glaring at him with disbelief.

“Brat, you ‘do’ realise that kiddo’s a boy, right?”

“...That so? My apologies,” brother Al said, clearing his throat. “Ahem… well, that’s one less complicated matter,” he later said, scratching his cheek.

…Was that his attempt at a joke? I’m pretty sure he knew I was a guy when he first saw me. But… that did help a little.

“Pfts… Ahaha, maybe you’re right….” I

““......””

“...Anyways, the thing is. You’re not certain about your feelings. But… there’s no need to rush, is there? As for Miss Hilda… I’m unsure whether you’ve fallen for her or if it was a deeper psychological influence at play, but… for now, just don’t think too much about it.” Brother Al said as he ruffled my hair.

It felt somewhat affectionate… he’s acting more like a brother than I am… isn’t he?

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

…He’s right… maybe I’m just overcomplicating things….?

— :::: —

After eating breakfast, we gathered in a room similar to those of seminars. And brother Al started to hand out thick books…

And as I skimmed through some of the pages, I realised it was handwritten and looked like someone's notes. They were clean and easy to read, and surprisingly simple.

….I know this handwriting…..

It was the same handwriting I saw in brother Al’s book, which meant that he wrote all this…. As I looked around, the people around me seemed confused as well.

“Well then, now that the books have been distributed, you’ll study the contents and write a report. Simple, right?” Brother Al said as he pulled down a whiteboard.

He’d given us an assignment….

The contents are as follows: we’ll study the book's contents and write a report about whatever subject catches our interest.

And as for the goal… it was to make sure we’d be able to apply this in practice.

Let’s see….

A spell is an alteration of reality, and the catalyst is mana. Affinity/elemental magic is the most common magic there is. Phenomena produced by one's own mana… and mana is the energy which is unique to the individual.

But…. in that case, what’s the difference between a ‘spell’ and elemental manipulation?

So… a spell is a magical phenomenon given a name. A name makes it more precise and helps the mind recognise a specific way to use mana for that specific magical phenomenon… making it more stable and consistent?

When something is classed as a spell, it reacts with the mana in the atmosphere, increasing output and efficiency.

Ugh… all of this is a little confusing… I don’t really understand the difference. In short, do spells interfere with mana outside my own? And elemental manipulation is the affinity one has with a certain type of magic?

Then… there are so many ways to conduct and activate a spell or, rather… reality alteration. Magic circles, runes, instructions, prayers, spirits, sacrifice…. The list goes on…

…What? On a note, here it says, “Magic is akin to different languages and has different uses depending on the case. The universal one is affinity, which is akin to body language.”

…Yeah, I guess that analogy helps…. A little.

Knowing and directing how mana flows is crucial for successful spell activation. Affinity magic does that based on the user's knowledge or imagination.

…I feel like this magic rabbit hole goes pretty deep… like, there’s sacrificial magic? Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like, offering something to gain something. In this case, a spell activation….

Hmm… spirits? Didn’t Mister Hilos say he’s one?

And as I was in deep thought, Hilda tugged my sleeve.

“Aska, did you find anything interesting?” she curiously asked, tilting her head.

Remembering brother Al’s words from this morning, her actions didn’t pull on my heartstrings as much, but… she sure is cute….

Still… I concluded that I’d take my time to get to know her better. As for Julia… she made eye contact with me and turned her head straight away…..

I’ll have to face her feelings head-on. No more running. Stop seeing her as a little sister and see her as a girl… if my feelings are the same, then… I’ll go back to treating her as my sister.

“Aska?” Hilda called my name, seeming a little concerned.

“Huh? Oh, Hilda… sorry about that, it‘s… this book is fascinating, it’s fairly easy to understand…” I honestly expressed.

Hilda smiled and nodded as well. “Mm-hmm!” she happily agrees. “The thing I found most interesting was Instruction magic. It’s described to be used in the daily magi-tech we use! Isn’t it a lot like the electronics we have back home?”

…She’s right… I was more stuck on affinity magic…. She sure found it exciting, huh?

“You’re right,” I commented and softly smiled.

“Uuaw,” Isak muttered with a somewhat disgusted look….

“What’s wrong, Isak?” I asked, since… it looked like his head was steaming.

He looked at me, and his face was dreaded, “Dude, have you seen the monster and beast descriptions in the book? Those are some vile and twisted beings…” he said, hugging himself and shivering.

I chuckled.

“Ahahah… we already knew that first hand… don’t we?”

I mean… that mimic sure did leave a psychological scar on me….

“Yeah… I guess, but there’s this one that invades the body, and—”

“Okay, okay! I don’t wanna hear!” I cried.

And later, bother Al told us that his supervisors had organised instructors and plans for us to get jobs and our own living space.

To be honest… I was a little saddened when brother Al announced this, but… I suppose it’s about time we entered this society.