The Magician of Sound

Chapter 21 - Magic

Kai took this experience seriously as it would prove to be beneficial for him. After all, this was the first time he experienced something close to the real world.

With just one misstep, they got chased by a pack of wolves while being surrounded from all directions. Ayaka couldn't kill them as it might alarm the other magical beasts nearby. So, the only choice for them was to run toward the cliff so they could have a terrain advantage.

But because of one moment of carelessness, the ape tried to ambush Ayaka, which he then blocked for her. Unfortunately, because of that, it proved to be fatal as they were ambushed once again.

He was considering various things from that experience. And there was one thing that he thought about seriously. He was thinking about locating the magical beasts more accurately. Not only their location, but also their forms and power. And there was one good example of that.

But Kai also considered it from another point of view, since there would be times where he would not have a skill of that convenience.

Maybe they should have stopped and fought the wolves instead of running away. He could set up a Sound Insulation Room to fight the wolves. But a pack of wolves would usually be organized, and if they fought without any plan, it would be hard to kill them immediately.

Kai was trying to come up with more plans. Since he had finished his class, he could go home and think about this the entire day.

On the other hand, Ayaka was also devastated by the defeat. She was unsatisfied with her performance. It was indeed true that she was a good teammate at first, but when they fought the ape, she couldn't do anything, and that frustrated her.

She told him she was going to show him her skills. But eventually, it was only at a low-level battle. Meanwhile, at the high-level battle like the one against those apes, she could only do what Kai ordered her to do.

When her butler picked her up, he was puzzled by her state. She kept mumbling things like 'I could have done this,' or 'I could have done that.'

And finally, when she came home, she even forgot to greet her grandfather and immediately went to her room. As soon as she reached her room, she turned one the huge television in her room. Its use was like a tablet, but it was as big as a 30-inch television.

She usually used this to learn. She immediately researched her element, fire.

"Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the exothermic chemical of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products." She read the definition of 'fire' while mumbling, "Combustion…"

"My Fire Wing seems to use this method. It uses a small fire combustion to let me fly upward, sideways, and downward."

She found a video where a person tried to make a fire tornado. It was an experiment of fire with two glass half-cylinders.

When that person lit a fire inside a normal cylinder, it only became a normal fire where it burned the fuel normally. But when that person slightly offset the two glass half-cylinders, the fire suddenly rose and spun. The normal fire suddenly became a fire whirl.

She was mesmerized by that experiment. Not long after that, she realized that it was pretty similar to her flares. She thought for a little bit, and her eyes suddenly brightened. Her flares took the concept of this experiment.

The magic circle acted as those two half-cylinders along with her magic power to amplify her fire. That made the magic. She was surprised, since she never thought of this possibility before she heard Kai's explanation.

She only used the magic book that her grandfather gave her. And she realized that all of those skills inside that book were compiled so others could learn it easily.

That book only made her a magic user or a magic thrower, but not a magician. She didn't know why, but Kai was a true magician. He thought about the principle himself and made skills based on it. He came up with an original way of using magic.

Without notice, her grandfather came into her room.

"Hoho, what are you doing in such a rush that you even forgot about me."

Ayaka suddenly remembered that she didn't greet her grandfather like she usually did. She was too focused on this. She became a bit embarrassed.

"I… I'm sorry. I was a bit too focused on this..." she said with a red face.

"Oh, what could make you so focused that you forgot?" He looked at the screen and saw the experiment of fire with two glass half-cylinders. He was surprised to see that and asked her, "You mean this video?"

"Yeah. I just realized that magic also comes from something like this. This is actually the principle of my Flares magic… I think… And my Fire Wings skill uses the principle of combustion."

"Oh, why are you suddenly thinking about this?" he asked. He was pretty surprised to hear something like this from her, as she had never shown any interest before.

He remembered. Back then, Ayaka asked him for a magic book so she could get stronger. He gave her the magic book that she wanted and let her practice the skills in that book. He watched her grow up from there and was pretty satisfied with her progress.

But eventually, he also knew that it was only a magic book. And inside that book were skills that came from other people. And those people usually made skills because they wanted to use it to their own liking. And he himself also had a few skills that he originally made for his own purposes.

So even if Ayaka learned from there, she might not be able to use those skills to their full potential. He wanted to tell her about this after she got into a high school, since he also realized it when he was in high school.

He thought she would eventually realize that with time and experience. But surprisingly, she already had this kind of thought just a week after she enrolled. He became curious as to why she suddenly became like this, so he asked that question.

"I… I just realized how much I'm relying on the easy way. And after watching him, I realized that he makes his own skills so he can use it more efficiently." She said while recalling how Kai used his magic.

"Oh…" He frowned. He didn't know why, but Kai's figure flashed inside his mind. He suddenly said with a teasing tone, "Is it that Kai Charter?"

"Yes," Ayaka nodded innocently. She didn't realize that her grandfather was trying to tease her.

He remembered that she had a practical class today. "So was he your partner for the practical class?"

"Un," Ayaka nodded again.

"What kind of skills did he use?" He probed.

Ayaka pondered for a moment. "He can make a barrier that can prevent sounds from traveling to the outside. I think he called it 'Sound Insulation Room'. And I don't know about this, but I think he also used an improved barrier skill."

"Oh, an improved barrier?" He became a bit interested after hearing it.

"Yes. I don't know how, but he managed to block a full blow of a giant A-rank Red Ape," She voiced.

"That sounds pretty good. At the very least, I might not be so confident in blocking that, since they're well known for their explosive power," He told her.

"And the last one… I don't know what it is, but it seems to produce a deafening sound. It's like a double-edged sword. After using that skill, he suddenly bled from all orifices, and his body looked very brittle, as though it might break at any moment. But with that skill, he also killed quite a number of magical beasts," she explained.

"Uh… I can't lose to him. That's why I also need to research the skills that I can use as convenient as his magic. Well, he said that I might need to get a skill that can help with my movement, so I think I'll start with that."

Kudo Tarou was astonished to hear that. Although he already expected original skills from an unorthodox magician like him, it was beyond his imagination that he was that strong for a high-school student.

A storm might brew soon in United Asia. And somehow, he could picture it.

"Well, if you have any questions, you can ask your parents or me. What you're about to do is the first step to become a full-fledged magician. All full-fledged magicians have at least one original magic. So do your best."

"Yes, Grandfather. I'll do my best."

"But. Anyway, you seem pretty happy when you were talking about that lad, Kai Carter. It seems that the special fate of this family has come without you knowing it," he said, trying to tease her again.

When he said that, she suddenly froze. She realized that throughout today, she kept thinking about Kai doing this and that.

She was dumbfounded the moment she realized that. She looked at her grandfather with his smug face and blushed. "I… No, I don't like him that way. He is indeed a good friend and a comrade… that's right, he's just a comrade. It's nice to have him around when you're fighting monsters. Only as a comrade, all right."

She denied him, but she unconsciously praised Kai once again.

Her grandfather only looked at her with a smug smile. He didn't care whether Ayaka chose Kai or that Katsuragi brat. But considering that Kai was an unorthodox magician, it might be better if she fell in love with Kai.

He then started walking away and said, "Hoho, this old man will just watch from the sideline and wait for the good news."

"Grandfather!"