The front door opened revealing Kiru wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and blue jogging pants that hugged her figure, revealing her toned thighs. Kiru walked into the room, she said. "I didn't want to…" She saw the dozens of scratches on Reiki's face that were already healing, Kiru continued. "Interrupt your meal so." She clapped her hands twice as Kanzei appeared behind the door. Reiki moved his gaze on him and gave Kanzei a nod, Reiki said. "Hey, Kanzei-san." Kanzei turned her head to look at him and nodded, Reiki continued. "Got any cherries on you? I forgot to feed Cherry." Kanzei rummaged through the pocket on his pants, he took out a large jar of cherries and threw it at him.
Reiki caught it mid-air, he said. "Thanks." Cherry pecked the jar a couple of times with her beak, Reiki said. "I know. I know." Reiki opened the jar and placed the lid by the window as he picked one cherry from the jar and held it by the stem. Cherry let out a soft caw and ate the cherry in one go. Kiru nodded at Kanzei as he suddenly vanished, she closed the door behind her and walked toward the couch. Kiru sat on Asami's left and grabbed Asami's right hand and hugged it, Kiru said. "Did you have a good breakfast, Sami?" Arashi raised a brow while Reiki pocketed the stem, he picked up another cherry in the jar and fed it to Cherry, he said. "Sami?..." Asami placed her right elbow on Kiru's rib as she slowly added pressure as the smile on Kiru's lips immediately turned stiff. Asami had an indifferent smile on her lips, she let out a chuckle and said. "I did, be careful what you say. Not unless you have a plan in mind."
Asami stopped elbowing Kiru's ribs as she placed her hands on the spot where she was elbowed. Kiru faked a cough, she said. "Anyway, Asami. How about we have one of our chats?" Reiki thought. I can see where this conversation is going. He started making his way to the front door, while walking he said. "Thanks for having me over." After taking a few steps he suddenly stopped and felt something constrict him, Reiki thought. What the?... He casted God's Eye.
『God's Eye Has Been Activated.』
He moved his gaze downward and saw his entire body was wrapped by dense mana tendrils. Reiki tried to break it as some veins on his arms started to appear. Cherry was on his right shoulder as she continued to eat cherries from the jar as she threw the stem on the floor. Arashi crossed her arms as she put both her feet on the coffee table. Kiru continued. "If you'd like the two of them to come along, I won't mind." Asami raised a brow in interest while Arashi let out one long whistle as the two of them saw Reiki start stretching the tendrils around him by force. Kiru tilted her head sideways, she said. "Oh, I forgot." With a wave of her hand, the mana tendrils around Reiki instantly vanished. He lost his grip on the jar of cherries, he tried to catch it mid-drop. From the corner of his eye, Reiki saw Cherry turn into a streak of white as she headed toward the falling jar.
The jar suddenly disappeared mid-air as he heard Cherry behind him let out a caw. Reiki turned around and saw her eating from the jar on the floor, he said. "Cherry, let's go." He made his way toward her and picked the jar up as Cherry flew into the air and landed on his right shoulder. Reiki moved his gaze onto Arashi and Asami who were sitting on the couch, he said. "Thanks for the food." He made his way to the door and stopped when Kiri spoke, she said. "I have some high-quality monster meat." Reiki's stomach immediately let out a loud grumble as he placed a hand on it, he let out a sigh and closed the jar which made Cherry caw at him. He looked at her and rubbed the top of her head with his index finger, Reiki said. "You don't want to get fat to the point you can't fly, right?" He took out his tattered pouch from his pocket and placed the large jar inside. Reiki turned around and walked toward the three women on the couch, he said. "Is there anything you want in exchange for them, Kiru-san?"
With a sweet smile on Kiru's face, she casually waved her hand at him at dismissal and said. "Don't be so reiki, Reiki." Arashi shook her head in disapproval, she said. "Really? I never expected such a terrible joke from someone like you. He may live up to his name from time to time but-." The two of them felt the indifferent stare Reiki was giving them, he crossed his arms and said. "The next person who makes a joke about my name will-." Asami lazily waved her hand at them, she said. "Alright, kids, enough arguing. How about we have some tea to calm things down?" Kiru rummaged through her pockets and said. "Great idea, I'll even use my talisman to set the mood." She took out a talisman as it started emitting a bright light that engulfed the room.
Reiki looked around and noticed he was sitting on an elegantly made white metal chair. Asami was on the opposite side of the round table in front of him with Arashi on his left and Kiru on the right. They were surrounded by some grasslands with a large crystal clear pond behind Kiru that had some live fish swimming around. Kiru took out her pouch from her pocket and started taking out cutlery, an entire tea set, a box of tea leaves that were made out of wood, and a mini-burner similar to what Asami took out. Kiru neatly set up the table as she passed everyone a teacup with a coaster paired with a silver stirring spoon. Reiko thought. I need one of these talismans, a pocketable interrogation room sounds good. Kiru turned the stove on as she placed the tea kettle on top, and opened the wooden box of tea leaves.
Kiru used the silver spoon on her coaster and placed five spoonfuls in the kettle, she said. "Hopefully, you two won't mind my choice of tea leaves. I picked something subtly sweet this time." A cold smirk formed on Arashi's lips, she said. "There's a total of four of us." Kiru glanced at her from the corner of her eye, she said. "I doubt you even know proper tea-drinking etiquette, let alone serving." Arashi clenched her right hand into a fist, she said. "How about you take that tea box and shove it up your-..." Arashi glanced around and noticed Reiki was looking at her while Asami had a faint smile forming on her lips. Kiru had a mocking smile on her lips, she said. "Feel free to finish your sentence." Arashi let out a scoff as she crossed her arms and glared at Kiru. Kiru let out a chuckle as she lowered the flame of the mini-burner, she said. "How about you little brother? What would you like to snack on?" With a wave of her hand, a large bowl of pistachio and cashews appeared near Reiki on the table. He thought. Isn't that.
The smile on Kiru's lips grew, she said. "I figured this was yours, but I am getting off-topic. Little brother, what would you like? I will give you the monster meat but tell big sis your preferred snack? Sandwiches, biscuits, cookies-." Arashi let out a cold chuckle, she said. "Lil bro doesn't have much of a sweet tooth." Kiru ignored her and continued. "Sandwiches it is then." She clapped her hand as the table was filled with ceramic plates with a trim of purple on the edges. In the middle of the round table was a three-tiered stand with a variety of sandwiches. Asami picked up one with the crust cut off and took a bite while Kiru looked at Reiki and continued. "I apologize for inviting this brute over, little brother." From the corner of his eye, he saw Arashi clench her fist even tighter as her joints let out cracking sounds.
Kiru turned the flame even lower as she picked up the tea kettle and poured Asami, Reiki's, and her cup with tea. Kiru placed the kettle back on the mini-burner while Arashi's eyes started to turn gold. Reiki picked up the kettle and poured tea into Arashi's cup, he said. "And the reason for this tea time is?" He placed the kettle back on the mini-burner while Asami took a sip from her cup. Arashi let out a quick exhale filled with frustration as she downed her cup of tea in one go and started going for the sandwiches. Reiki picked up a handful of nuts and ate them while Kiru had a big smile on her face, she said. "I only wanted to know my little brother better." Reiki ate a handful of nuts in one go, be thought. This is going to be a long day. Asami took a sip from her teacup and picked up another sandwich with her other hand. Arashi already ate half of the sandwiches as she wiped the corner of her lips with the back of her hand.
Reiki picked up his teacup and took a sip, he said. "What is it, Kiru-san?" Kiru waved her hand in dismissal, she said. "No need to be in a hurry, little brother. Let's take our time and have a nice long chat." Arashi let out a chuckle dripping with disdain while Asami kept to herself. Reiki glanced at Asami from the corner of his eye, he thought. You played a hand on this, didn't you… Asami pretended to not notice his glance that was piercing through her as she enjoyed her hot cup of tea. Reiki let out a long tired sigh, he stood up from his seat and said. "... Fine… Let's talk…" Arashi let out a long sigh as she pushed her seat back and tried to place both her feet on the table. Kiru waved her hand as the chair Arashi sat on moved backward as her feet missed the table, she said. "Mind your manners." Reiki grabbed another handful of nuts while Arashi glared daggers at Kiru which she ignored.
Reiki raised his empty hand which made Arashi stop her glaring as she moved her chair closer to the table. Arashi stole the large bowl of nuts from him as she ate them by the handful. Reiki moved the handful of nuts near his mouth, he said. "What do you want to talk about?" Asami raised a brow in surprise while Kiru was slightly caught off guard which made Arashi smile as she ate another handful of nuts. Kiru smiled and said. "I wanted to learn more about my little brother." With a straight expression on his face and without missing a beat, Reiki said. "I'm ten, I go to the infamous trash academy and currently trying my best to learn magic. How about you?" Arashi was holding a handful of nuts as she smirked at Kiru while Reiki took back the large bowl from her hands. Kiru placed down her cup of tea and put it on top of the coaster, she ran her index finger on the rim of the cup. Kiru said. "Me? I'm just another mage who's trying to aim for the top of magic."
She stopped running her finger on the rim of the cup and pointed at him, Kiru said. "That's all." Reiki nodded at her, he said. "Is tea time over now?" Asami's lips formed into a faint smile as she saw the hint of struggle in Kiru's eyes. Arashi watched everything unfold while continuing to eat most of the sandwiches on the three-layered tier. Kiru maintained her smile, she said. "Nope, I usually take my time to enjoy the atmosphere." Reiki was about to say something but was interrupted by Asami, she said. "Alright, that's enough. The two of you will never stop, how about having a proper conversation?" Arashi glared at Asami with narrowed eyes which she ignored. Reiki ruffled his unkempt hair, messing it up even more. He said. "How much do you know?" Kiu smiled with confidence while Arashi and Asami listened to their conversation with interest.
Kiru picked up her cup of tea, she said. "It's an open book." Arashi furrowed her brows in confusion while Asami's eyes slightly narrowed, she thought. She saw his stats… Asami glanced at him from the corner of her eye as her pupils faintly glowed. He placed the large bowl of nuts on the table, Reiki crossed his arms and said. "How many?" A faint frown formed on Asami's lips which she quickly hid by taking a sip of tea. Arashi's lips slowly turned into a frown while Kiru pretended to think, she said. "Me included, a total of 32 would see." Reiki thought. So she didn't use a unique spell to see my stats… He stared at the light brown liquid in his teacup as a few seconds of silence passed. Reiki looked up to Kiru and said. "And these two?"
Kiru lightly shook her head sideways, she said. "No, they don't have the spell." Arashi's frown became more prominent, she said. "Hey! There are two other people here!" Reiki stared at Kiru with a piercing faze which made her slightly straighten her sitting posture subconsciously. He said. "And how can you?" A proud smile formed on Kiru's lips, she sniffed her cup of tea and casually said. "It's just a growth spell." Reiki thought. So this world has those... Kiru took a sip of her tea and waited for his reaction while Arashi reached out and started violently pinching his abdomen.
[System: User has received 81 Damage.]
[System: User has received 99 Damage.]
[System: User has received 72 Damage.]
With a cold smile on her lips, Arashi said. "Hey, Reiki. Explain yourself." Kiru placed down her cup of tea back on the coaster, she pretended to pout. Kiru said. "Here I am revealing a spell countries would fight for and-." Reiki ignored Arashi's pinching and interrupted Kiru, he said. "How many of them?" Kiru tilted her head sideways, she said. "In the entire world, there are only ten of them and most of the entire population can't learn them."
[System: User has received 198 Damage.]
Arashi started slowly pulling his skin, Reiki turned his head to face her and said. "That hurts, Arashi-san." With a cold smile on her lips, Arashi said. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I interrupt your conversation with her?" Arashi stopped pinching him and let go of the skin she was pulling. Arashi let out a scoff, she said. "What are the two of you talking about? How about sharing it with the rest of the group?" Reiki shrugged his shoulders, he said. "Just something we agreed on." He glanced at Kiru from the corner of his eyes and saw the sweet smile on her lips. Before Arashi could say anything Asami interrupted her, she said. "Tora, sit." Arashi pointed at Kiru, she was on the verge of shouting. Arashi said. "You're taking her side?! She's keeping something from us!" She slightly leaned closer to Asami and continued. "That girl probably has something on Reiki, which explains the code they're speaking."
Asami glanced at Kiru from the corner of her eye while Arashi turned her head to glare at her. Kiru responded at them with a smile and slightly tilted her head sideways. Arashi spoke through gritted teeth, she said. "Wipe that smirk off your face you-!" She stopped herself and glanced at Reiki who was eating nuts by the handful. Asami rolled her eyes at her and said. "Arashi, you can stop now. I can always ask Kiru what she knows and pass it on to you." Asami thought. Though chances are I'm going to keep a few things for myself. Arashi tried to slam her hand on the table while Kiru pointed at the area she was aiming at. Arashi's hand slammed onto a visible square of mana that had a similar texture to jelly as it absorbed the impact. Arashi crossed her arms and said. "Fine, have it your way." Asami placed her cup of tea on the coaster as she tried to pick one of the dozen sandwiches left on the three multi-layer stand.
Reiki already finished the large bowl of nuts as he picked up his cup of tea and took a sip, he let out a burp and said. "Excuse me. What are the other nine spells?" Kiru picked up the tea kettle and refilled all four cups of tea, she said. "I don't recommend learning any of them, it takes too long to strengthen one. You'd be better off learning a decent tier two spell instead or if you're willing to fork off some cash a second-hand third-tier scroll." Reiki stared at the stream of liquid coming out from the kettle that went into his cup, he thought. She has no reason to lie since she's trying to bury the hatchet… Reiki looked up to Kiru and said. "Is it worth it to learn all the spells you come across?" A small smile formed on Kiru's lips, she stared at the liquid in her teacup and said. "No, the human brain can only store so much information and spells take up a lot of space. If you do this you'll be a prime candidate for a spell puppet."
Reiki furrowed his brow, he said. "Spell puppet?" Arashi was about to say something but was interrupted by Asami, she said. "It's people who've learned too many spells and turned… Stupid… They've lost all basic functions and can't take care of themselves. A certain clan use said, people in battle and supply them with mana so they can cast spells. They only actively search for someone if an individual has a… Unique spell." Reiki felt something land on his right shoulder and turned his head to look. He saw Cherry who was pecking something in her wing, Reiki turned his head and saw a half-empty jar of cherries and a handful of stems. He said. "Give me a minute. Cherry, can you get off my shoulder? I need to clean up." Cherry flapped her wings and landed on the metal backrest of the chair. Reiki quickly made his way to the jar of cherries while a serious expression subconsciously formed on his face, he thought. Learning too many spells would also be detrimental by forgetting them… I guess those are early signs for being a puppet…
He took out his tattered pouch along with some stems from his pocket and placed the jar of cherries in the pouch. Reiki pocketed the pouch and grabbed the small pile of cherry stems with both his hands, he walked back to the table and said. "Can you send me outside-." Kiru snapped her finger as a flame appeared above his hands. Reiki stared at the flame floating above the palm of his hands while the pile of cherry stems visibly burned into ashes, he thought. Nice control, didn't even smell ash. Cherry flew into the air and landed on Reiki's right shoulder, he sat on his seat and said. "Thanks." Kiru flashed him a small smile, she said. "It was a small gesture." Asami took a sip of her cup of tea as she enjoyed the scenery while Arashi lifted his right leg and placed it on the left shin of Reiki's foot.
[System: User has received 120 Damage.]
Arashi had an indifferent expression on her face as she slowly applied more pressure.
[System: User has received 132 Damage.]
[System: User has received 119 Damage.]
Asami placed her teacup on the coaster, she said. "How about we change the topic? Talking about puppets during tea in such a lovely environment is a waste." Kiru reached out and picked up a sandwich, she said. "Sure, I apologize about the magic talk. It's a working habit." Reiki tried to move his left leg away but Arashi only added more strength to it.
[System: User has received 189 Damage.]
[System: User has received 205 Damage.]
Asami reached out for one of the last few sandwiches and said. "Tora, that's enough." Arashi quickly moved her foot away, with a straight face she said. "I have no idea why you said that." Reiki looked up to the blue skies that didn't have a sun, he thought. Onee-chan should have left the window in my room unlocked for me. He heard a female voice saying. "... Eiki!... Reiki!" He snapped back to his senses and moved his gaze back to the girls, he said. "What is it?"
The front door opened revealing Kiru wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and blue jogging pants that hugged her figure, revealing her toned thighs. Kiru walked into the room, she said. "I didn't want to…" She saw the dozens of scratches on Reiki's face that were already healing, Kiru continued. "Interrupt your meal so." She clapped her hands twice as Kanzei appeared behind the door. Reiki moved his gaze on him and gave Kanzei a nod, Reiki said. "Hey, Kanzei-san." Kanzei turned her head to look at him and nodded, Reiki continued. "Got any cherries on you? I forgot to feed Cherry." Kanzei rummaged through the pocket on his pants, he took out a large jar of cherries and threw it at him.
Reiki caught it mid-air, he said. "Thanks." Cherry pecked the jar a couple of times with her beak, Reiki said. "I know. I know." Reiki opened the jar and placed the lid by the window as he picked one cherry from the jar and held it by the stem. Cherry let out a soft caw and ate the cherry in one go. Kiru nodded at Kanzei as he suddenly vanished, she closed the door behind her and walked toward the couch. Kiru sat on Asami's left and grabbed Asami's right hand and hugged it, Kiru said. "Did you have a good breakfast, Sami?" Arashi raised a brow while Reiki pocketed the stem, he picked up another cherry in the jar and fed it to Cherry, he said. "Sami?..." Asami placed her right elbow on Kiru's rib as she slowly added pressure as the smile on Kiru's lips immediately turned stiff. Asami had an indifferent smile on her lips, she let out a chuckle and said. "I did, be careful what you say. Not unless you have a plan in mind."
Asami stopped elbowing Kiru's ribs as she placed her hands on the spot where she was elbowed. Kiru faked a cough, she said. "Anyway, Asami. How about we have one of our chats?" Reiki thought. I can see where this conversation is going. He started making his way to the front door, while walking he said. "Thanks for having me over." After taking a few steps he suddenly stopped and felt something constrict him, Reiki thought. What the?... He casted God's Eye.
『God's Eye Has Been Activated.』
He moved his gaze downward and saw his entire body was wrapped by dense mana tendrils. Reiki tried to break it as some veins on his arms started to appear. Cherry was on his right shoulder as she continued to eat cherries from the jar as she threw the stem on the floor. Arashi crossed her arms as she put both her feet on the coffee table. Kiru continued. "If you'd like the two of them to come along, I won't mind." Asami raised a brow in interest while Arashi let out one long whistle as the two of them saw Reiki start stretching the tendrils around him by force. Kiru tilted her head sideways, she said. "Oh, I forgot." With a wave of her hand, the mana tendrils around Reiki instantly vanished. He lost his grip on the jar of cherries, he tried to catch it mid-drop. From the corner of his eye, Reiki saw Cherry turn into a streak of white as she headed toward the falling jar.
The jar suddenly disappeared mid-air as he heard Cherry behind him let out a caw. Reiki turned around and saw her eating from the jar on the floor, he said. "Cherry, let's go." He made his way toward her and picked the jar up as Cherry flew into the air and landed on his right shoulder. Reiki moved his gaze onto Arashi and Asami who were sitting on the couch, he said. "Thanks for the food." He made his way to the door and stopped when Kiri spoke, she said. "I have some high-quality monster meat." Reiki's stomach immediately let out a loud grumble as he placed a hand on it, he let out a sigh and closed the jar which made Cherry caw at him. He looked at her and rubbed the top of her head with his index finger, Reiki said. "You don't want to get fat to the point you can't fly, right?" He took out his tattered pouch from his pocket and placed the large jar inside. Reiki turned around and walked toward the three women on the couch, he said. "Is there anything you want in exchange for them, Kiru-san?"
With a sweet smile on Kiru's face, she casually waved her hand at him at dismissal and said. "Don't be so reiki, Reiki." Arashi shook her head in disapproval, she said. "Really? I never expected such a terrible joke from someone like you. He may live up to his name from time to time but-." The two of them felt the indifferent stare Reiki was giving them, he crossed his arms and said. "The next person who makes a joke about my name will-." Asami lazily waved her hand at them, she said. "Alright, kids, enough arguing. How about we have some tea to calm things down?" Kiru rummaged through her pockets and said. "Great idea, I'll even use my talisman to set the mood." She took out a talisman as it started emitting a bright light that engulfed the room.
Reiki looked around and noticed he was sitting on an elegantly made white metal chair. Asami was on the opposite side of the round table in front of him with Arashi on his left and Kiru on the right. They were surrounded by some grasslands with a large crystal clear pond behind Kiru that had some live fish swimming around. Kiru took out her pouch from her pocket and started taking out cutlery, an entire tea set, a box of tea leaves that were made out of wood, and a mini-burner similar to what Asami took out. Kiru neatly set up the table as she passed everyone a teacup with a coaster paired with a silver stirring spoon. Reiko thought. I need one of these talismans, a pocketable interrogation room sounds good. Kiru turned the stove on as she placed the tea kettle on top, and opened the wooden box of tea leaves.
Kiru used the silver spoon on her coaster and placed five spoonfuls in the kettle, she said. "Hopefully, you two won't mind my choice of tea leaves. I picked something subtly sweet this time." A cold smirk formed on Arashi's lips, she said. "There's a total of four of us." Kiru glanced at her from the corner of her eye, she said. "I doubt you even know proper tea-drinking etiquette, let alone serving." Arashi clenched her right hand into a fist, she said. "How about you take that tea box and shove it up your-..." Arashi glanced around and noticed Reiki was looking at her while Asami had a faint smile forming on her lips. Kiru had a mocking smile on her lips, she said. "Feel free to finish your sentence." Arashi let out a scoff as she crossed her arms and glared at Kiru. Kiru let out a chuckle as she lowered the flame of the mini-burner, she said. "How about you little brother? What would you like to snack on?" With a wave of her hand, a large bowl of pistachio and cashews appeared near Reiki on the table. He thought. Isn't that.
The smile on Kiru's lips grew, she said. "I figured this was yours, but I am getting off-topic. Little brother, what would you like? I will give you the monster meat but tell big sis your preferred snack? Sandwiches, biscuits, cookies-." Arashi let out a cold chuckle, she said. "Lil bro doesn't have much of a sweet tooth." Kiru ignored her and continued. "Sandwiches it is then." She clapped her hand as the table was filled with ceramic plates with a trim of purple on the edges. In the middle of the round table was a three-tiered stand with a variety of sandwiches. Asami picked up one with the crust cut off and took a bite while Kiru looked at Reiki and continued. "I apologize for inviting this brute over, little brother." From the corner of his eye, he saw Arashi clench her fist even tighter as her joints let out cracking sounds.
Kiru turned the flame even lower as she picked up the tea kettle and poured Asami, Reiki's, and her cup with tea. Kiru placed the kettle back on the mini-burner while Arashi's eyes started to turn gold. Reiki picked up the kettle and poured tea into Arashi's cup, he said. "And the reason for this tea time is?" He placed the kettle back on the mini-burner while Asami took a sip from her cup. Arashi let out a quick exhale filled with frustration as she downed her cup of tea in one go and started going for the sandwiches. Reiki picked up a handful of nuts and ate them while Kiru had a big smile on her face, she said. "I only wanted to know my little brother better." Reiki ate a handful of nuts in one go, be thought. This is going to be a long day. Asami took a sip from her teacup and picked up another sandwich with her other hand. Arashi already ate half of the sandwiches as she wiped the corner of her lips with the back of her hand.
Reiki picked up his teacup and took a sip, he said. "What is it, Kiru-san?" Kiru waved her hand in dismissal, she said. "No need to be in a hurry, little brother. Let's take our time and have a nice long chat." Arashi let out a chuckle dripping with disdain while Asami kept to herself. Reiki glanced at Asami from the corner of his eye, he thought. You played a hand on this, didn't you… Asami pretended to not notice his glance that was piercing through her as she enjoyed her hot cup of tea. Reiki let out a long tired sigh, he stood up from his seat and said. "... Fine… Let's talk…" Arashi let out a long sigh as she pushed her seat back and tried to place both her feet on the table. Kiru waved her hand as the chair Arashi sat on moved backward as her feet missed the table, she said. "Mind your manners." Reiki grabbed another handful of nuts while Arashi glared daggers at Kiru which she ignored.
Reiki raised his empty hand which made Arashi stop her glaring as she moved her chair closer to the table. Arashi stole the large bowl of nuts from him as she ate them by the handful. Reiki moved the handful of nuts near his mouth, he said. "What do you want to talk about?" Asami raised a brow in surprise while Kiru was slightly caught off guard which made Arashi smile as she ate another handful of nuts. Kiru smiled and said. "I wanted to learn more about my little brother." With a straight expression on his face and without missing a beat, Reiki said. "I'm ten, I go to the infamous trash academy and currently trying my best to learn magic. How about you?" Arashi was holding a handful of nuts as she smirked at Kiru while Reiki took back the large bowl from her hands. Kiru placed down her cup of tea and put it on top of the coaster, she ran her index finger on the rim of the cup. Kiru said. "Me? I'm just another mage who's trying to aim for the top of magic."
She stopped running her finger on the rim of the cup and pointed at him, Kiru said. "That's all." Reiki nodded at her, he said. "Is tea time over now?" Asami's lips formed into a faint smile as she saw the hint of struggle in Kiru's eyes. Arashi watched everything unfold while continuing to eat most of the sandwiches on the three-layered tier. Kiru maintained her smile, she said. "Nope, I usually take my time to enjoy the atmosphere." Reiki was about to say something but was interrupted by Asami, she said. "Alright, that's enough. The two of you will never stop, how about having a proper conversation?" Arashi glared at Asami with narrowed eyes which she ignored. Reiki ruffled his unkempt hair, messing it up even more. He said. "How much do you know?" Kiu smiled with confidence while Arashi and Asami listened to their conversation with interest.
Kiru picked up her cup of tea, she said. "It's an open book." Arashi furrowed her brows in confusion while Asami's eyes slightly narrowed, she thought. She saw his stats… Asami glanced at him from the corner of her eye as her pupils faintly glowed. He placed the large bowl of nuts on the table, Reiki crossed his arms and said. "How many?" A faint frown formed on Asami's lips which she quickly hid by taking a sip of tea. Arashi's lips slowly turned into a frown while Kiru pretended to think, she said. "Me included, a total of 32 would see." Reiki thought. So she didn't use a unique spell to see my stats… He stared at the light brown liquid in his teacup as a few seconds of silence passed. Reiki looked up to Kiru and said. "And these two?"
Kiru lightly shook her head sideways, she said. "No, they don't have the spell." Arashi's frown became more prominent, she said. "Hey! There are two other people here!" Reiki stared at Kiru with a piercing faze which made her slightly straighten her sitting posture subconsciously. He said. "And how can you?" A proud smile formed on Kiru's lips, she sniffed her cup of tea and casually said. "It's just a growth spell." Reiki thought. So this world has those... Kiru took a sip of her tea and waited for his reaction while Arashi reached out and started violently pinching his abdomen.
[System: User has received 81 Damage.]
[System: User has received 99 Damage.]
[System: User has received 72 Damage.]
With a cold smile on her lips, Arashi said. "Hey, Reiki. Explain yourself." Kiru placed down her cup of tea back on the coaster, she pretended to pout. Kiru said. "Here I am revealing a spell countries would fight for and-." Reiki ignored Arashi's pinching and interrupted Kiru, he said. "How many of them?" Kiru tilted her head sideways, she said. "In the entire world, there are only ten of them and most of the entire population can't learn them."
[System: User has received 198 Damage.]
Arashi started slowly pulling his skin, Reiki turned his head to face her and said. "That hurts, Arashi-san." With a cold smile on her lips, Arashi said. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I interrupt your conversation with her?" Arashi stopped pinching him and let go of the skin she was pulling. Arashi let out a scoff, she said. "What are the two of you talking about? How about sharing it with the rest of the group?" Reiki shrugged his shoulders, he said. "Just something we agreed on." He glanced at Kiru from the corner of his eyes and saw the sweet smile on her lips. Before Arashi could say anything Asami interrupted her, she said. "Tora, sit." Arashi pointed at Kiru, she was on the verge of shouting. Arashi said. "You're taking her side?! She's keeping something from us!" She slightly leaned closer to Asami and continued. "That girl probably has something on Reiki, which explains the code they're speaking."
Asami glanced at Kiru from the corner of her eye while Arashi turned her head to glare at her. Kiru responded at them with a smile and slightly tilted her head sideways. Arashi spoke through gritted teeth, she said. "Wipe that smirk off your face you-!" She stopped herself and glanced at Reiki who was eating nuts by the handful. Asami rolled her eyes at her and said. "Arashi, you can stop now. I can always ask Kiru what she knows and pass it on to you." Asami thought. Though chances are I'm going to keep a few things for myself. Arashi tried to slam her hand on the table while Kiru pointed at the area she was aiming at. Arashi's hand slammed onto a visible square of mana that had a similar texture to jelly as it absorbed the impact. Arashi crossed her arms and said. "Fine, have it your way." Asami placed her cup of tea on the coaster as she tried to pick one of the dozen sandwiches left on the three multi-layer stand.
Reiki already finished the large bowl of nuts as he picked up his cup of tea and took a sip, he let out a burp and said. "Excuse me. What are the other nine spells?" Kiru picked up the tea kettle and refilled all four cups of tea, she said. "I don't recommend learning any of them, it takes too long to strengthen one. You'd be better off learning a decent tier two spell instead or if you're willing to fork off some cash a second-hand third-tier scroll." Reiki stared at the stream of liquid coming out from the kettle that went into his cup, he thought. She has no reason to lie since she's trying to bury the hatchet… Reiki looked up to Kiru and said. "Is it worth it to learn all the spells you come across?" A small smile formed on Kiru's lips, she stared at the liquid in her teacup and said. "No, the human brain can only store so much information and spells take up a lot of space. If you do this you'll be a prime candidate for a spell puppet."
Reiki furrowed his brow, he said. "Spell puppet?" Arashi was about to say something but was interrupted by Asami, she said. "It's people who've learned too many spells and turned… Stupid… They've lost all basic functions and can't take care of themselves. A certain clan use said, people in battle and supply them with mana so they can cast spells. They only actively search for someone if an individual has a… Unique spell." Reiki felt something land on his right shoulder and turned his head to look. He saw Cherry who was pecking something in her wing, Reiki turned his head and saw a half-empty jar of cherries and a handful of stems. He said. "Give me a minute. Cherry, can you get off my shoulder? I need to clean up." Cherry flapped her wings and landed on the metal backrest of the chair. Reiki quickly made his way to the jar of cherries while a serious expression subconsciously formed on his face, he thought. Learning too many spells would also be detrimental by forgetting them… I guess those are early signs for being a puppet…
He took out his tattered pouch along with some stems from his pocket and placed the jar of cherries in the pouch. Reiki pocketed the pouch and grabbed the small pile of cherry stems with both his hands, he walked back to the table and said. "Can you send me outside-." Kiru snapped her finger as a flame appeared above his hands. Reiki stared at the flame floating above the palm of his hands while the pile of cherry stems visibly burned into ashes, he thought. Nice control, didn't even smell ash. Cherry flew into the air and landed on Reiki's right shoulder, he sat on his seat and said. "Thanks." Kiru flashed him a small smile, she said. "It was a small gesture." Asami took a sip of her cup of tea as she enjoyed the scenery while Arashi lifted his right leg and placed it on the left shin of Reiki's foot.
[System: User has received 120 Damage.]
Arashi had an indifferent expression on her face as she slowly applied more pressure.
[System: User has received 132 Damage.]
[System: User has received 119 Damage.]
Asami placed her teacup on the coaster, she said. "How about we change the topic? Talking about puppets during tea in such a lovely environment is a waste." Kiru reached out and picked up a sandwich, she said. "Sure, I apologize about the magic talk. It's a working habit." Reiki tried to move his left leg away but Arashi only added more strength to it.
[System: User has received 189 Damage.]
[System: User has received 205 Damage.]
Asami reached out for one of the last few sandwiches and said. "Tora, that's enough." Arashi quickly moved her foot away, with a straight face she said. "I have no idea why you said that." Reiki looked up to the blue skies that didn't have a sun, he thought. Onee-chan should have left the window in my room unlocked for me. He heard a female voice saying. "... Eiki!... Reiki!" He snapped back to his senses and moved his gaze back to the girls, he said. "What is it?"
