Luna stood with her hand covering her mouth, unable to close it.
Even before coming to Stura, she had met many wizards and seen their magic. The rough yet dazzling fire magic, the wind magic that carried the flow of nature, the gentle yet heavy water magic, and the earth magic with its powerful destructive force.
Though she couldn't use those magics herself, she had indirectly experienced them.
Certainly, they weren't overwhelmingly powerful.
One could think of it as simply embedding a steel ball into an iron plate. But if that were shot directly at a person, it wouldn't be something to laugh off.
No, she even began to doubt if it was truly magic. Because she couldn't see any distinct magic circle.
'No, I definitely saw something earlier.'
Though Luna hadn't looked closely, she had caught a glimpse of something yellow glowing.
However, the magic circle, which was no larger than a coin from a distance, was indistinguishable to Luna's eyes.
Luna deliberately made her footsteps audible as she approached Suho.
"Huh?"
"I… forgot to give you the key before leaving."
"Ah…"
Suho looked at Luna with a hint of wariness.
He had the expression of someone who had been caught in a scene they didn't want to be seen.
Seeing this, Luna began to pout again.
'Does he still not trust me?'
Even as she thought this, she recalled yesterday's events.
Women who expect everything to be understood without saying a word.
Luna didn't want to become like those women.
"…I didn't mean to see it."
"It's fine if you saw it."
"…?"
"Are your ears okay? This thing is loud, so it's not good for your ears."
Suho pulled something out of his ears.
Luna thought to herself, '…I was the one who didn't trust him.'
She felt both sorry and a little happier.
"It's okay. I'll leave the key here on the desk. Do your best."
"Yeah~ See you later."
"…Okay."
Though it wasn't evening yet, Luna left the practice room with a fluttering heart.
***
"…When did she get here?"
I muttered to myself.
When firing the steel balls, it was so loud that I had bought earplugs with Enel and plugged them in.
I only noticed Luna because she happened to be in my peripheral vision.
[Luna is a trustworthy person, but you should still be cautious.]
"Come on, she wouldn't go around talking about it."
[Traits can change at any time. She may be rational now, but she could become emotional in the future.]
"Well… if she becomes overly emotional, it could be really annoying."
The real problem wasn't Luna herself, but Louis.
It was clear that Louis liked Luna, but there was no guarantee he wouldn't shift his attention.
For instance, he had a history of flirting with Sonya.
If Luna distanced herself, there was a clear possibility he'd turn his attention to another woman.
In that case, I'd have to seduce another woman, and if Luna were to turn yandere, it would be a real headache.
If Luna were to threaten to expose my abilities, it would seriously hinder my mission.
"Alright, I'll be careful."
I locked the practice room door and switched topics with the steel balls. This time, I experimented with a moderately powered magic circle. The result was that the power was weaker than before, but I could use it a few more times.
"Armonia, if I were to exhaust all my mana and recharge it, how much Enel would I need?"
[Given your current mana level, about 50 Enel would fully recharge you.]
That was good news. Using that much Enel wouldn't be too burdensome.
But Armonia's next words dashed my hopes.
[However, it's only possible once.]
"What? Why?"
[Mana exhaustion is a cumulative debuff. Even if you use mana stably like this time, the exhaustion won't disappear. If you recharge and use it again, your body will definitely suffer.]
"Then how much does it cost to recover from mana exhaustion? Last time, healing my broken ribs didn't cost much."
The last time I was injured by Viola's attack, my ribs were healed instantly. I thought it wouldn't be a problem to heal while doing this, but…
[Recovering from mana exhaustion costs about 10,000 Enel.]
"What!? Why is it so expensive!?"
[Mana exhaustion isn't just a physical abnormality; it's a debuff directly tied to your life.]
Thinking back, I remembered feeling utterly lethargic the day I experienced mana exhaustion, barely making it through the day.
In the end, I could only recharge my mana once a day.
And…
"This… is seriously overpowered…"
-[Aiming LV 48]-
I discovered a skill I hadn't even known existed, thanks to my mental breakdown from mana exhaustion.
Simply put, it was the aim.
Before Luna arrived, I had been flicking steel balls with just the power of my fingers, hitting every target without fail.
However, due to the limitations of my middle finger's strength (FP), I couldn't hit distant targets.
[But why FP?]
"Ah…"
I proudly puffed out my chest and boasted,
"The power of the middle finger! It stands for Fuck Power! How about that? Brilliant, right?"
[...….]
What? Why? Got a problem with that?
The steel ball practice I did before Luna arrived was just to test this skill. After roughly checking the aim, I closed my eyes and fired the steel ball, which hit exactly where I wanted.
It wasn't a skill related to vision but purely to my hand.
In other words, as long as I could roughly see, I could accurately hit my target with a steel ball.
[It will definitely be useful when you travel to dangerous areas in the future, unlike Stura.]
"Ah! Make me one of those superconducting bullets you mentioned."
[Understood.]
Along with Armonia's response, a shiny silver bullet appeared in my hand. It was shaped like a bullet I was familiar with, pointed at the front. The size was just right, making it easier to flick than a steel ball.
[It's designed to completely disintegrate after one use. You can use it comfortably even in worlds where technological leaks are a concern.]
"Wow, that's thorough. Well then, let's keep practising."
I put the Enel bullet in my pocket and continued practising with the steel balls.
***
I sat on the terrace chair, watching the sunset as usual. Though it wasn't quite sunset yet, the sun hadn't lost its strength.
Unlike on weekdays, students were chatting amiably around me.
Perhaps because it was the weekend, the atmosphere was different from weekdays.
"On weekends, it's too noticeable to be together."
[You're only there to watch her practice magic circles anyway, right?]
…Was I mistaken, or did that sound like a subtle dig?
"If I keep spending time with Luna, rumours will definitely spread. It's better to keep things quiet until she's fully on my side."
I didn't mind at all. I thought Luna felt the same.
But rumours that spread in ambiguous relationships can be a huge advantage, though they can also backfire.
Most importantly, Luna isn't my real target.
"From what I've seen, hitting that guy hard once is the most effective approach."
NTL (Netori) strategies vary, but broadly, there are two types.
One is the slow, steady approach, like stabbing with a dagger, and the other is the shotgun approach, delivering a single, devastating blow.
From what I've seen, Louis is the type who would respond better to the latter. The former is more effective when there's no romantic feelings involved, so it didn't suit Louis.
In my experience—though not in real life—the more progress you make without getting caught, the better.
Even after completely conquering Luna, keeping it hidden is the key to crushing that guy.
[It seems like that approach would be helpful, as you said.]
"But Armonia."
[Yes?]
"You said we'd be going on missions to other places besides Stura. How do you plan to handle my absence here?"
I had been curious about this before, but it seemed impossible to just leave without a plan.
[I contacted Zodiac about that issue a while ago. But first, achieving some results is crucial. We can't just request to leave without any accomplishments.]
"Results, huh…"
As I pondered the word "results," I noticed the gazes of the female students around me.
Their eyes weren't on me but on something on the table.
I looked at the makeup box on the table next to my chair. The box, adorned with beautiful patterns, was so dazzling that even I, a guy, couldn't help but stare.
The girls around me were whispering to each other, unable to take their eyes off the box.
"This must be the real deal."
I opened the box slightly.
Inside were items whose purposes I couldn't even begin to guess.
I closed it again.
"Why does this box have so much stuff in it…? I'm scared to open it further in case I mess up the arrangement."
[Those kinds of products are usually packed with the assumption that not everything will be used.]
Her tone suggested she knew more than I expected.
"Oh… Have you done makeup before?"
[…I used to, in the past.]
"What!?"
My exclamation caused everyone on the terrace to turn and look at me. I glanced around, coughed awkwardly, and pretended to stare into space. The people around me gave me curious looks before returning to their conversations.
"…I never thought Armonia would have done makeup."
[It's in the past.]
"Why don't you do it now?"
[There's no need to anymore.]
"…I see."
I occasionally wondered about Armonia's past, but I didn't press her when she didn't want to talk.
…I'll definitely dig it all out when we have a physical conversation later.
Setting aside thoughts of Armonia, I recalled the practice I had done earlier in the practice room.
"This is a big problem…"
While practising with the steel balls, I discovered a few issues.
"I need to study lightning attributes, don't I?"
[With your current knowledge, there are definitely limitations.]
The magic circles I could use were limited to what I had learned in the club and what was written in the practice room's activity book.
Fortunately, neither hindered my current abilities, but to improve efficiency, I clearly needed to study.
The problem was, that I had no idea where to start.
I didn't even have the basic knowledge to build on.
"This isn't something that can be solved just by raising my lightning attributes, right?"
[While higher understanding would help with learning, you still need the right environment to study.]
"Is there any stored information or knowledge available?"
[All historical records and data are stored on our ship, but they're just records. Efficiently conceptualizing them is beyond the ship's capabilities.]
In other words, while it could handle precise calculations, creative conceptualization was difficult.
I used to think studying was for losers, but now the situation has changed.
The steel balls were definitely helpful, and to make the most of them, studying lightning attributes was essential.
As I pondered this, one person came to mind.
"Professor Sonya!"
[Even if it's not her field of expertise, she's more than capable of teaching you.]
Compared to the elderly professors or those in specialized fields, her skills might be lower, but that's only by the standards of professors.
For a student at my level, she would be more than sufficient.
Besides, there weren't any professors in my field of interest to begin with…
And most importantly, she cares about me.
She's kept the club running and seems to respect the late professor who taught lightning attributes.
...And she has affection for me.
Thinking of affection reminded me of last night.
"Sigh… It's exhausting to go all out all night."
[You only used your hands, didn't you?]
"Sleeping together is also work, you know."
Crash!*
Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass pierced my eardrums.
"Huh?"
Startled, I turned around quickly, and what came into view was…
"Uh… um… uh…"
Luna, staring at me in shock.
***
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