Kiru’s House
Reiki was sitting on the couch as he watched the show on the flatscreen, on his lap were six boxes of pizza with the top one being opened. Kiru had a hint of disapproval on her expression, she said. “Kanzei here can make a dish from any country, yet here you are… Eating pizza…” Kanzei was standing behind the couch as his attention was completely on the show. Reiki picked up a slice as the cheese melted onto the box, he said. “Sometimes you’re in the mood for shi-.” He faked a cough and continued. “Greasy pizza.”
Kiru glanced at Kanzei as she blinked twice at him. Kanzei placed both his hands behind his back as Kiru stood up from her chair, she said. “Enjoy your bread, cheese, and oil.” She pointed at herself and continued. “I’m going take a warm shower and change into something comfortable.” Reiki was holding onto a half-eaten pizza, he gulped a mouthful of food and said. “You make it sound like silk pajamas aren’t comfortable.” Kiru made her way to the door with Kanzei behind her, she said. “You say that as if you wore silk pajamas before.”
Reiki finished off the half-eaten pizza he was holding, he thought. I did, but I preferred being shirtless when going to bed. Kanzei grabbed the doorknob, moved it to the other side, and opened it. Kiru entered the other room as Kanzei went in after her while Reiki finished one box of pizza.
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Luxurious Bathroom
Kiru yawned as she covered her mouth with her hand while Kanzei clapped twice as the bathroom slowly turned into a high-tech lab. From his breast pocket, Kanzei took out the cube with the orange fire plasma Reiki made inside it. Kiru lazily wiped the corner of her eye and said. “Kanzei, let’s make this quick. The last thing we want is Reiki to be suspicious of us again.” Kanzei made his way to one of the cabinets and placed the mana cube on the large stainless steel table.
Kiru made her way to the table as she picked up the cube to admire the orange plasma. She thought. … Magnificent… Kiru kept her eyes on the plasma ball, she said. “Kanzei, what are your predictions?” Kanzei closed the drawer he was searching through and opened another one, he said. “Seeing how fast he was able to control that amount of mana…”
Kanzei reached into the cabinet and took out a small and compact digital camera as he turned it on. The lens extended out as he adjusted the focus of it, he made his way to Kiru and handed her the camera. Kiru placed the mana cube back on the table, took the camera off his hands, and said. “Percentage?” She fiddled with the camera settings as the display had a hint of blue on it. Kanzei placed his hand on top of the mana cube as he stared at the plasma ball.
He said. “... At least eighty percent.” Kiru did a few more adjustments as she raised a brow and said. “You have that high of expectations on him?...” She turned her head to face him, Kiru continued. “Please don’t tell me it’s because all the people who like bitter drinks have experienced the hardships of life…” Kanzei kept his gaze on the orange plasma ball, he said. “Ojou-sama, what percentage do you think it would be?” Kiru rolled her eyes at him and said. “Kanzei, Reiki’s ten. The worst thing he could experience in life right now is coming home with no food in the fridge.”
Kanzei moved his hand off the mana cube, he said. “Alright, I’ll admit he has yet to experience the lows of life. But he does have good taste in tea.” Kiru used the digital camera to point at him, she said. “Just because you two have the same palate for bitter flavors doesn’t make it good.” Kanzei stared at her and said. “I don’t need to hear that from someone who doesn’t like bitter chocolate.” Kiru placed her free hand on her hip, she said. “Chocolate is sweet. Therefore should taste sweet, end of argument..”
Kanzei had a speechless look on his face, he said. “But cocoa naturally tastes bitter. It’s-.” He let out a sigh and continued. “We’ve had this chocolate analogy for some time and I know I’ll never change your opinion on bitter flavors.” Kiru smiled at him, she said. “Nope, now pick up the cube and let me take a picture of it.” Kanzei placed his hand flat on top of the cube, his hand was covered in a thin layer of mana. He moved his hand upward as the cube was stuck on his palm, Kanzei placed his other hand on the bottom while Kiru waited for the camera to focus.
Kanzei said. “Is this far enough?” Kiru gave him a nod and said. “It’s perfect now let me just…” She pressed the button on the top as the camera produced a flash. Kanzei placed the cube back on the table, he said. “Your prediction is?” Kiru was quickly tapping on the buttons of the camera, she said. “Eighty-five percent at best-.” The moment she finished her sentence she spoke with a hint of excitement in her tone, Kiru continued. “Here it is!” Kanzei made his way to stand behind her as he looked over her shoulder to see the image.
Kiru tapped the button a couple of times as a picture of Kanzei’s hands holding onto a see-through mana cube from the top and on the bottom. Kanzei raised a brow and thought. Well, this is rare… Kiru was wrong. Kiru stared at the solid color of warm orange the plasma ball was, she said. “It’s… Perfect… No streaks, consistent color, and… Solid…” Kanzei nodded as he glanced at the cube on the table, he said. “One hundred percent… If I recall, the only one who was able to get a hundred was.”
Kiru casually threw the camera over her shoulder as Kanzei caught it in the air. He stared at the picture and said. “The founder of Magi Institute.” He turned the camera off, made his way to the drawer, and placed it back in. Kanzei closed the drawer while Kiru moved some hair behind her ear, she said. “Any chance the founder was lying when he said reincarnation and reviving the dead wasn’t real?” Kanzei faced her as he placed both his hands behind him, he said. “I doubt it. If Reiki was the founder, he would’ve recognized you.”
Kiru crossed her arms as she turned her head to the side and stared at a tall miniature garden that had overgrown herbs growing inside of it. Kanzei clapped twice as the lab slowly turned back into the bathroom, he said. “Ojou-sama, stop bringing up the founder on the rare occurrence you meet someone more talented than you.” He made his way toward her while searching for something in his pocket. Kiru moved her gaze onto him, she pointed at him and said. “He is not more talented than me in magic. For all we know he has a high affinity with lightning.”
From his pocket, Kanzei took out a purple bra, panties, and a white bath towel. He said. “Now, here’s your change of undergarments. I’ll deliver your clothes when you call my name.” He handed the underwear to her as Kiru took them off his hands, she said. “Where are my yoga pants? I told you I was going to exercise today.” Kanzei rolled his eyes at her, he made his way to the door and said. “Ojou-sama, sitting on a balance ball while watching TV for an hour is not exercise.” Kiru watched him leave and waited for the door to shut.
She spoke with a hint of mocking tone, Kiru said. “Sitting on a balance ball is not exercise.” She let out a scoff and continued. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to maintain my figure?”
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Kiru’s Living Room
Kanzei made his way to the couch as he saw all the boxes of pizza on the coffee table. He stood behind the couch and said. “I’m guessing you already finished off all the pizza?” Reiki kept his gaze on the TV, he said. “Yep.” Kanzei placed his hand in his pocket and said. “Do you want another carton of milk?” Reiki turned his head to the side to look at him, he said. “I’ll pass on the milk, do you have any root beer and chips in there?” Kanzei took out a liter of root beer from his pocket and passed it to him.
Reiki took it off his hands, he thought. Do you have an entire supermarket in your pocket or something? He twisted the cap off and said. “How long does Kiru take in the bathroom?” Kanzei took out a large bag of potato chips from his pocket, he said. “An hour, hour and a half.” Reiki leaned back on the backrest of the couch and lifted his legs up as he tried to place it on the coffee table but missed. He thought. I hate this small child's body. Kanzei was giving him an odd look, Reiki ignored it and said. “How about you sit down and take a break?”
He drank straight from the liter-sized soda bottle as Kanzei glanced at the door leading to the bathroom. He said. “... I… Don’t think that’s a good idea.” Reiki let out a burp and said. “Excuse me.” He moved his gaze back to the TV and continued. “It’s fine, you can always blame me. I don’t care.” Reiki took another big gulp as Kanzei’s gaze wandered to the show on TV and the door.
~Twenty Minutes Later~
On the coffee table were a dozen open large bags of chips. Kanzei was still standing behind the couch while Reiki was lying down on the couch holding onto a liter-sized plastic bottle of soda. Reiki thought. Ah, work comes first type. We’re not going to get along. Kanzei kept his gaze on the show on TV as he glanced at Reiki making himself comfortable on the couch, he thought. … At least he's comfortable… Reiki emptied a bag of potato chips, neatly folded it, and placed it on the coffee table which had dozens of bags of salt-flavored potato chips.
Reiki picked up a liter plastic bottle of root beer that was placed on the floor near the couch. He opened the large bottle releasing the carbonation from it as it made a sharp fizzling sound. Reiki drank straight from the bottle as Kanzei pretended not to see what he was doing. Kanzei thought. … Does he only use manners if there’s a girl around? Reiki let out a long satisfied sigh and said. “Kanzei, what’s something you can tell me about Kiru?” He reached for another bag of potato chips on the coffee table and opened it.
Kanzei glanced at him as a hint of suspicion appeared in his eyes which quickly disappeared, he said. “... I’ve watched over her since she was seven when I completed my training.” Reiki gulped down a mouthful of chips and said. “So you’re one of those specially raised butlers.” He placed the large bottle of soda on his left side leaning on him while shoving a handful of potato chips in his mouth while Kanzei kept his gaze on the flatscreen. Kanzei thought. You say that as if you’ve met someone like me before…
Reiki placed his hand inside the bag of chips and said. “Any more to the story? Everyone has been a child at one point in their lives.” He ate more chips while the suspicion in Kanzei’s eyes slowly grew every time Reiki told him to continue. Kanzei said. “... Talented in magic, she got her degree at the age of sixteen and has a few businesses she started over on the mainland. Although it’s not as profitable as she claims, it does generate a substantial amount of income.” He glanced at him trying to gauge Reiki’s reaction as Kanzei saw him stuffing his face with chips.
Reiki was in the middle of chewing as he started to fold the empty bag of chips, he thought. Ambitious. He picked up the liter of soda on the couch leaning on him and took a couple of big gulps. Reiki let out a burp and said. “Excuse me.” He wiped his mouth using the back of his hand and reached for another large bag of potato chips, Reiki said. “Being talented in magic, lucky her.” He opened another bag while Kanzei moved his gaze back on the show. Kanzei thought. I don’t need to hear that from you.
The corner of Kanzei’s mouth curled into a slight smile, he said. “Can you guess what element Ojou-sama has the highest affinity with?” Reiki was in the middle of chewing as he already ate through half the bag he recently opened, he thought. Ender? Ender’s voice rang in his head, he said. [It’s a trick question, that girl has no affinity with any element. Which explains why you haven’t been able to ‘see’ her mana. Non-elemental mages have the highest potential for destruction, I vaguely remember one destroying half a world with a single spell.]
Reiki took multiple big gulps of his large bottle of root beer, he thought. Why did the mage even do that in the first place?... Ender?... He let out a satisfied sigh and said. “Affinity? With her clear mana, I thought she didn’t have one.” He ate more potato chips while watching the show while Kanzei’s eyes had a hint of surprise in them he turned his head at Reiki who emptied another bag of potato chips. Kanzei said. “... How did you know?...” He thought. Everyone that meets her keeps mistaking her for a regular human…
Reiki placed the neatly folded bag of chips on the coffee table as a small stack started, he said. “At first I thought she was normal… But I saw some distortion above her head-” Kanzei interrupted him and said. “Distortions?” Reiki turned his head to face him, he gave him a nod and said. “Yeah, similar to steam when it starts to cool down enough to form liquid bits of water scattered in the air.” Kanzei’s brows furrowed, he said. “Steam?” Reiki placed a hand over his mouth, he said. “... Using steam might be a terrible way to describe it…”
He moved his hand away from his mouth and reached for another bag of potato chips, Reiki continued. “I think light might be better… Since it travels at a slightly different speed through hot air than through cold air. Causing it to bend similar to a lens.” He opened another bag of chips and thought. … Yeah… That sounds like a better analogy. Reiki noticed Kanzei was staring at him and said. “What?”
Kanzei shook his head sideways and said. “Nothing… I just think it’s interesting to watch you reach for a bag while lying on the couch…” Reiki took out a handful of chips from the bag, he said. “That’s one thing to find interest in.” He shoved the potato chips in his mouth while Kanzei glanced at the door leading to the bathroom. He thought. … Maybe I should wait until she finishes her bath before I try to one-up him… Reiki drank some root beer to wash down the food he was eating, he said. “Since Kiru doesn’t have an affinity with any elements… It explains her high control of mana.”
Reiki thought. I wonder when Ender will add more magic training to my regimen. Kanzei moved his gaze back to the show on TV, he said. “Ojou-sama always did say she could make up for her lack of power with control.” Reiki quickly ate through the bag as he neatly folded it and said. “Lack of power? She can always-.” Before he could finish, the sound of Kiru’s muffled voice came from the door, she said. “Kanzei! I need clothes!” Kanzei placed his hand inside his breast pocket, he said. “One moment.” He made his way toward the door while Reiki started to make himself look presentable.
Kanzei knocked on the door a couple of times as he took out a white shirt along with long light blue jogging pants. The door slightly opened as Kiru revealed her hand as Kanzei passed the clothes he was holding to her. Kiru was holding onto her clothes and said. “Thanks.” Kanzei said. “Just doing my job.” He thought. What was Reiki going to say… Kiru closed the door from the other side as Kanzei made his way back to the couch. He saw Reiki sitting straight up on the couch while eating a bag of potato chips.
Kanzei stared at him and thought. … Of course, he decides to fix himself… Reiki placed the half-empty bag of chips on his lap, he said. “Kanzei, any chance you have one of those beer mugs on you?” Kanzei reached into the pocket of his pants and said. “I have a dozen of them.” He took out a large mug of beer that was made out of glass and passed it to him. Reiki took the tall glass off his hands, he said. “Thanks.” He placed it on the coffee table and started filling it with root beer.
The door leading to the bathroom opened as Kiru made her way to the couch with her hair slightly damped as a few drops of water dripped onto the floor. Kiru sat down on the couch while Kanzei took out a hair dryer from his pocket along with a couple of brushes. Kanzei turned it on while Kiru lazily stretched while sitting on the couch, she said. “Nothing like taking a shower first thing in the morning.” Reiki emptied the liter of root beer into the large mug and said. “It’s half past noon.”
Kanzei turned the hair dryer on as it started producing hot air and blowing Kiru’s hair away. He held one of the combs in his mouth while meticulously brushing her hair. Reiki placed the cap back on the empty liter of soda, he said. “Kanzei, what brand is the hair dryer? I want one for my older sister since it doesn’t make any noise.” Kiru picked up the remote on the couch as she increased the volume of the TV, she said. “It’s a product one of my companies sells. I decided to create it when my old hair dryer made too much sound.”
Kanzei finished using the comb as he placed it back in his pocket and started using the one he was holding by the handle with his mouth. He said. “It’s powered by inserting mana into it which also removes that annoying cable.” Reiki thought. Not only was the battery replaced, but she also managed to remove the sound too… Kanzei finished combing Kiru’s hair as it was neat and tidy, he pocketed the hair dryer along with the other comb. Kiru took out a hand mirror from the pocket of her pants as she stared at her reflection.
She said. “I’ll give you a few of them in a couple of weeks. The one Kanzei used is the latest prototype which still needs some testing.” Kiru used the tip of her index finger to carefully style her bangs. Kanzei had a hint of unease on his expression while Kiru pocketed the hand mirror and said. “What were you two talking about when I was in the tub?” Reiki took a big gulp from the mug filled with root beer, he said. “Nothing much, Kanzei was just caught off guard. I knew you didn’t have an affinity with any elements.”
Kanzei took one step back while Kiru kept her gaze on the TV, she said. “Kanzei.” Kanzei was in the middle of trying to take another step back but stopped when she spoke. Kiru continued. “Can you prepare a snack platter for me? I’m kinda peckish.” Kanzei was caught off guard but quickly regained his composure, he said. “Right away, Ojou-sama.” He made his way to the door while Kiru glanced at Reiki emptying a bag of chips. The moment the door closed Kiru said. “I’ll be honest Reiki, I’ve been eavesdropping on you and Kanzei’s conversation.”
Reiki took a sip of the large mug and said. “Did you hear my two analogies of how I saw a glimpse of your clear mana?” He placed the mug on the coffee table and opened another bag of potato chips. Kiru gave him a nod, she said. “Yes, I heard both of them. But I’m more interested in what you were going to say before I called Kanzei for my clothes.” Reiki placed his hand inside the bag, he said. “I’ll be honest, I forgot.” Kiru stared at him as she took the bag of potato chips Reiki was holding, she said. “You’ll get this back when you feel like answering my question.”
Kiru’s House
Reiki was sitting on the couch as he watched the show on the flatscreen, on his lap were six boxes of pizza with the top one being opened. Kiru had a hint of disapproval on her expression, she said. “Kanzei here can make a dish from any country, yet here you are… Eating pizza…” Kanzei was standing behind the couch as his attention was completely on the show. Reiki picked up a slice as the cheese melted onto the box, he said. “Sometimes you’re in the mood for shi-.” He faked a cough and continued. “Greasy pizza.”
Kiru glanced at Kanzei as she blinked twice at him. Kanzei placed both his hands behind his back as Kiru stood up from her chair, she said. “Enjoy your bread, cheese, and oil.” She pointed at herself and continued. “I’m going take a warm shower and change into something comfortable.” Reiki was holding onto a half-eaten pizza, he gulped a mouthful of food and said. “You make it sound like silk pajamas aren’t comfortable.” Kiru made her way to the door with Kanzei behind her, she said. “You say that as if you wore silk pajamas before.”
Reiki finished off the half-eaten pizza he was holding, he thought. I did, but I preferred being shirtless when going to bed. Kanzei grabbed the doorknob, moved it to the other side, and opened it. Kiru entered the other room as Kanzei went in after her while Reiki finished one box of pizza.
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Luxurious Bathroom
Kiru yawned as she covered her mouth with her hand while Kanzei clapped twice as the bathroom slowly turned into a high-tech lab. From his breast pocket, Kanzei took out the cube with the orange fire plasma Reiki made inside it. Kiru lazily wiped the corner of her eye and said. “Kanzei, let’s make this quick. The last thing we want is Reiki to be suspicious of us again.” Kanzei made his way to one of the cabinets and placed the mana cube on the large stainless steel table.
Kiru made her way to the table as she picked up the cube to admire the orange plasma. She thought. … Magnificent… Kiru kept her eyes on the plasma ball, she said. “Kanzei, what are your predictions?” Kanzei closed the drawer he was searching through and opened another one, he said. “Seeing how fast he was able to control that amount of mana…”
Kanzei reached into the cabinet and took out a small and compact digital camera as he turned it on. The lens extended out as he adjusted the focus of it, he made his way to Kiru and handed her the camera. Kiru placed the mana cube back on the table, took the camera off his hands, and said. “Percentage?” She fiddled with the camera settings as the display had a hint of blue on it. Kanzei placed his hand on top of the mana cube as he stared at the plasma ball.
He said. “... At least eighty percent.” Kiru did a few more adjustments as she raised a brow and said. “You have that high of expectations on him?...” She turned her head to face him, Kiru continued. “Please don’t tell me it’s because all the people who like bitter drinks have experienced the hardships of life…” Kanzei kept his gaze on the orange plasma ball, he said. “Ojou-sama, what percentage do you think it would be?” Kiru rolled her eyes at him and said. “Kanzei, Reiki’s ten. The worst thing he could experience in life right now is coming home with no food in the fridge.”
Kanzei moved his hand off the mana cube, he said. “Alright, I’ll admit he has yet to experience the lows of life. But he does have good taste in tea.” Kiru used the digital camera to point at him, she said. “Just because you two have the same palate for bitter flavors doesn’t make it good.” Kanzei stared at her and said. “I don’t need to hear that from someone who doesn’t like bitter chocolate.” Kiru placed her free hand on her hip, she said. “Chocolate is sweet. Therefore should taste sweet, end of argument..”
Kanzei had a speechless look on his face, he said. “But cocoa naturally tastes bitter. It’s-.” He let out a sigh and continued. “We’ve had this chocolate analogy for some time and I know I’ll never change your opinion on bitter flavors.” Kiru smiled at him, she said. “Nope, now pick up the cube and let me take a picture of it.” Kanzei placed his hand flat on top of the cube, his hand was covered in a thin layer of mana. He moved his hand upward as the cube was stuck on his palm, Kanzei placed his other hand on the bottom while Kiru waited for the camera to focus.
Kanzei said. “Is this far enough?” Kiru gave him a nod and said. “It’s perfect now let me just…” She pressed the button on the top as the camera produced a flash. Kanzei placed the cube back on the table, he said. “Your prediction is?” Kiru was quickly tapping on the buttons of the camera, she said. “Eighty-five percent at best-.” The moment she finished her sentence she spoke with a hint of excitement in her tone, Kiru continued. “Here it is!” Kanzei made his way to stand behind her as he looked over her shoulder to see the image.
Kiru tapped the button a couple of times as a picture of Kanzei’s hands holding onto a see-through mana cube from the top and on the bottom. Kanzei raised a brow and thought. Well, this is rare… Kiru was wrong. Kiru stared at the solid color of warm orange the plasma ball was, she said. “It’s… Perfect… No streaks, consistent color, and… Solid…” Kanzei nodded as he glanced at the cube on the table, he said. “One hundred percent… If I recall, the only one who was able to get a hundred was.”
Kiru casually threw the camera over her shoulder as Kanzei caught it in the air. He stared at the picture and said. “The founder of Magi Institute.” He turned the camera off, made his way to the drawer, and placed it back in. Kanzei closed the drawer while Kiru moved some hair behind her ear, she said. “Any chance the founder was lying when he said reincarnation and reviving the dead wasn’t real?” Kanzei faced her as he placed both his hands behind him, he said. “I doubt it. If Reiki was the founder, he would’ve recognized you.”
Kiru crossed her arms as she turned her head to the side and stared at a tall miniature garden that had overgrown herbs growing inside of it. Kanzei clapped twice as the lab slowly turned back into the bathroom, he said. “Ojou-sama, stop bringing up the founder on the rare occurrence you meet someone more talented than you.” He made his way toward her while searching for something in his pocket. Kiru moved her gaze onto him, she pointed at him and said. “He is not more talented than me in magic. For all we know he has a high affinity with lightning.”
From his pocket, Kanzei took out a purple bra, panties, and a white bath towel. He said. “Now, here’s your change of undergarments. I’ll deliver your clothes when you call my name.” He handed the underwear to her as Kiru took them off his hands, she said. “Where are my yoga pants? I told you I was going to exercise today.” Kanzei rolled his eyes at her, he made his way to the door and said. “Ojou-sama, sitting on a balance ball while watching TV for an hour is not exercise.” Kiru watched him leave and waited for the door to shut.
She spoke with a hint of mocking tone, Kiru said. “Sitting on a balance ball is not exercise.” She let out a scoff and continued. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to maintain my figure?”
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Kiru’s Living Room
Kanzei made his way to the couch as he saw all the boxes of pizza on the coffee table. He stood behind the couch and said. “I’m guessing you already finished off all the pizza?” Reiki kept his gaze on the TV, he said. “Yep.” Kanzei placed his hand in his pocket and said. “Do you want another carton of milk?” Reiki turned his head to the side to look at him, he said. “I’ll pass on the milk, do you have any root beer and chips in there?” Kanzei took out a liter of root beer from his pocket and passed it to him.
Reiki took it off his hands, he thought. Do you have an entire supermarket in your pocket or something? He twisted the cap off and said. “How long does Kiru take in the bathroom?” Kanzei took out a large bag of potato chips from his pocket, he said. “An hour, hour and a half.” Reiki leaned back on the backrest of the couch and lifted his legs up as he tried to place it on the coffee table but missed. He thought. I hate this small child's body. Kanzei was giving him an odd look, Reiki ignored it and said. “How about you sit down and take a break?”
He drank straight from the liter-sized soda bottle as Kanzei glanced at the door leading to the bathroom. He said. “... I… Don’t think that’s a good idea.” Reiki let out a burp and said. “Excuse me.” He moved his gaze back to the TV and continued. “It’s fine, you can always blame me. I don’t care.” Reiki took another big gulp as Kanzei’s gaze wandered to the show on TV and the door.
~Twenty Minutes Later~
On the coffee table were a dozen open large bags of chips. Kanzei was still standing behind the couch while Reiki was lying down on the couch holding onto a liter-sized plastic bottle of soda. Reiki thought. Ah, work comes first type. We’re not going to get along. Kanzei kept his gaze on the show on TV as he glanced at Reiki making himself comfortable on the couch, he thought. … At least he's comfortable… Reiki emptied a bag of potato chips, neatly folded it, and placed it on the coffee table which had dozens of bags of salt-flavored potato chips.
Reiki picked up a liter plastic bottle of root beer that was placed on the floor near the couch. He opened the large bottle releasing the carbonation from it as it made a sharp fizzling sound. Reiki drank straight from the bottle as Kanzei pretended not to see what he was doing. Kanzei thought. … Does he only use manners if there’s a girl around? Reiki let out a long satisfied sigh and said. “Kanzei, what’s something you can tell me about Kiru?” He reached for another bag of potato chips on the coffee table and opened it.
Kanzei glanced at him as a hint of suspicion appeared in his eyes which quickly disappeared, he said. “... I’ve watched over her since she was seven when I completed my training.” Reiki gulped down a mouthful of chips and said. “So you’re one of those specially raised butlers.” He placed the large bottle of soda on his left side leaning on him while shoving a handful of potato chips in his mouth while Kanzei kept his gaze on the flatscreen. Kanzei thought. You say that as if you’ve met someone like me before…
Reiki placed his hand inside the bag of chips and said. “Any more to the story? Everyone has been a child at one point in their lives.” He ate more chips while the suspicion in Kanzei’s eyes slowly grew every time Reiki told him to continue. Kanzei said. “... Talented in magic, she got her degree at the age of sixteen and has a few businesses she started over on the mainland. Although it’s not as profitable as she claims, it does generate a substantial amount of income.” He glanced at him trying to gauge Reiki’s reaction as Kanzei saw him stuffing his face with chips.
Reiki was in the middle of chewing as he started to fold the empty bag of chips, he thought. Ambitious. He picked up the liter of soda on the couch leaning on him and took a couple of big gulps. Reiki let out a burp and said. “Excuse me.” He wiped his mouth using the back of his hand and reached for another large bag of potato chips, Reiki said. “Being talented in magic, lucky her.” He opened another bag while Kanzei moved his gaze back on the show. Kanzei thought. I don’t need to hear that from you.
The corner of Kanzei’s mouth curled into a slight smile, he said. “Can you guess what element Ojou-sama has the highest affinity with?” Reiki was in the middle of chewing as he already ate through half the bag he recently opened, he thought. Ender? Ender’s voice rang in his head, he said. [It’s a trick question, that girl has no affinity with any element. Which explains why you haven’t been able to ‘see’ her mana. Non-elemental mages have the highest potential for destruction, I vaguely remember one destroying half a world with a single spell.]
Reiki took multiple big gulps of his large bottle of root beer, he thought. Why did the mage even do that in the first place?... Ender?... He let out a satisfied sigh and said. “Affinity? With her clear mana, I thought she didn’t have one.” He ate more potato chips while watching the show while Kanzei’s eyes had a hint of surprise in them he turned his head at Reiki who emptied another bag of potato chips. Kanzei said. “... How did you know?...” He thought. Everyone that meets her keeps mistaking her for a regular human…
Reiki placed the neatly folded bag of chips on the coffee table as a small stack started, he said. “At first I thought she was normal… But I saw some distortion above her head-” Kanzei interrupted him and said. “Distortions?” Reiki turned his head to face him, he gave him a nod and said. “Yeah, similar to steam when it starts to cool down enough to form liquid bits of water scattered in the air.” Kanzei’s brows furrowed, he said. “Steam?” Reiki placed a hand over his mouth, he said. “... Using steam might be a terrible way to describe it…”
He moved his hand away from his mouth and reached for another bag of potato chips, Reiki continued. “I think light might be better… Since it travels at a slightly different speed through hot air than through cold air. Causing it to bend similar to a lens.” He opened another bag of chips and thought. … Yeah… That sounds like a better analogy. Reiki noticed Kanzei was staring at him and said. “What?”
Kanzei shook his head sideways and said. “Nothing… I just think it’s interesting to watch you reach for a bag while lying on the couch…” Reiki took out a handful of chips from the bag, he said. “That’s one thing to find interest in.” He shoved the potato chips in his mouth while Kanzei glanced at the door leading to the bathroom. He thought. … Maybe I should wait until she finishes her bath before I try to one-up him… Reiki drank some root beer to wash down the food he was eating, he said. “Since Kiru doesn’t have an affinity with any elements… It explains her high control of mana.”
Reiki thought. I wonder when Ender will add more magic training to my regimen. Kanzei moved his gaze back to the show on TV, he said. “Ojou-sama always did say she could make up for her lack of power with control.” Reiki quickly ate through the bag as he neatly folded it and said. “Lack of power? She can always-.” Before he could finish, the sound of Kiru’s muffled voice came from the door, she said. “Kanzei! I need clothes!” Kanzei placed his hand inside his breast pocket, he said. “One moment.” He made his way toward the door while Reiki started to make himself look presentable.
Kanzei knocked on the door a couple of times as he took out a white shirt along with long light blue jogging pants. The door slightly opened as Kiru revealed her hand as Kanzei passed the clothes he was holding to her. Kiru was holding onto her clothes and said. “Thanks.” Kanzei said. “Just doing my job.” He thought. What was Reiki going to say… Kiru closed the door from the other side as Kanzei made his way back to the couch. He saw Reiki sitting straight up on the couch while eating a bag of potato chips.
Kanzei stared at him and thought. … Of course, he decides to fix himself… Reiki placed the half-empty bag of chips on his lap, he said. “Kanzei, any chance you have one of those beer mugs on you?” Kanzei reached into the pocket of his pants and said. “I have a dozen of them.” He took out a large mug of beer that was made out of glass and passed it to him. Reiki took the tall glass off his hands, he said. “Thanks.” He placed it on the coffee table and started filling it with root beer.
The door leading to the bathroom opened as Kiru made her way to the couch with her hair slightly damped as a few drops of water dripped onto the floor. Kiru sat down on the couch while Kanzei took out a hair dryer from his pocket along with a couple of brushes. Kanzei turned it on while Kiru lazily stretched while sitting on the couch, she said. “Nothing like taking a shower first thing in the morning.” Reiki emptied the liter of root beer into the large mug and said. “It’s half past noon.”
Kanzei turned the hair dryer on as it started producing hot air and blowing Kiru’s hair away. He held one of the combs in his mouth while meticulously brushing her hair. Reiki placed the cap back on the empty liter of soda, he said. “Kanzei, what brand is the hair dryer? I want one for my older sister since it doesn’t make any noise.” Kiru picked up the remote on the couch as she increased the volume of the TV, she said. “It’s a product one of my companies sells. I decided to create it when my old hair dryer made too much sound.”
Kanzei finished using the comb as he placed it back in his pocket and started using the one he was holding by the handle with his mouth. He said. “It’s powered by inserting mana into it which also removes that annoying cable.” Reiki thought. Not only was the battery replaced, but she also managed to remove the sound too… Kanzei finished combing Kiru’s hair as it was neat and tidy, he pocketed the hair dryer along with the other comb. Kiru took out a hand mirror from the pocket of her pants as she stared at her reflection.
She said. “I’ll give you a few of them in a couple of weeks. The one Kanzei used is the latest prototype which still needs some testing.” Kiru used the tip of her index finger to carefully style her bangs. Kanzei had a hint of unease on his expression while Kiru pocketed the hand mirror and said. “What were you two talking about when I was in the tub?” Reiki took a big gulp from the mug filled with root beer, he said. “Nothing much, Kanzei was just caught off guard. I knew you didn’t have an affinity with any elements.”
Kanzei took one step back while Kiru kept her gaze on the TV, she said. “Kanzei.” Kanzei was in the middle of trying to take another step back but stopped when she spoke. Kiru continued. “Can you prepare a snack platter for me? I’m kinda peckish.” Kanzei was caught off guard but quickly regained his composure, he said. “Right away, Ojou-sama.” He made his way to the door while Kiru glanced at Reiki emptying a bag of chips. The moment the door closed Kiru said. “I’ll be honest Reiki, I’ve been eavesdropping on you and Kanzei’s conversation.”
Reiki took a sip of the large mug and said. “Did you hear my two analogies of how I saw a glimpse of your clear mana?” He placed the mug on the coffee table and opened another bag of potato chips. Kiru gave him a nod, she said. “Yes, I heard both of them. But I’m more interested in what you were going to say before I called Kanzei for my clothes.” Reiki placed his hand inside the bag, he said. “I’ll be honest, I forgot.” Kiru stared at him as she took the bag of potato chips Reiki was holding, she said. “You’ll get this back when you feel like answering my question.”
