Kays Translations

Chapter 7: Measurement

“Everyone, we have arrived.”

"Mm. Thank you.”

The driver stopped the car in front of a large gate.

Isn't this gate bigger than ours? I was amazed by the wealth of the Kamizatsuki  family. My father unbuckled my seatbelt. So we got out of the car together.

“Itsuki, how was your first time in a car?”

“It was fun!”

“I see. When you turn five, there will come a day when you can ride again.”

No, what's with that "Seven-Five-Three" method, where something ranks up every time.

“Why can't I ride until I'm five?"

“Mm.... Kaijutsu.....To put it in a way that even you can understand, this is a technique for manipulating magic power. If you can't use it, you can't go outside. It is dangerous.”

“Is this different from the magic you used?”

“It's a little more advanced than that. Kaijutsu  is a technique to manipulate the magic inside the body. After that, you will learn the shijutsu technique, which is to send magic outward, and then you will be able to use magic.”

“Hmm......”

Kyu, Magic is sudden;y getting complicated all of a sudden.

Can't you make it a little easier to use? I thought it would be so easy that fire would come out when I said "Fire!" 

And as I was frowning, my father smiled broadly.

"Don't be in such a hurry. You’ll be practicing Kaijutsu, and you should be able to use it by the time you are five years old. You don't have to be able to use it right away.”

“If I can use Kaijuchu by the age of four, can I go outside?”

I wanted to say Kaijutsu but it seems my rhymes aren’t yet perfect. But my father seemed to get the message, and he raised one eyebrow as if to say, "Oh”.

“I guess so....... Did you hear that, Kaede? Itsuki is already trying to learn Kaijutsu!”

"Yes, I heard it. I understand your enthusiasm for Itsuki. But you can't pack too much in."

“I know...... But Itsuki wasn’t born a month ago, and he has been using Kaijutsu  in a very dim way.”

“No more of that. It's just a coincidence. “

Unlike my father, my mother is a slender Japanese beauty, and when I see my father being cajoled by such a woman, I realize that looks really do deceive.

I mean, I know it's been a bit of a rant, but "Kaijutsu"  is what I've been using all along.

It’s no exaggeration to say that in order to escape from the fear of the magic-eaters, I had to control the magic in my body every second of every hour of every day. What a surprise. I had unknowingly learned Kaijutsu  to control the magic power in my body.

What surprised me, on the other hand, was that there was another way to get the magic out of my body. I didn't know that. I had always thought that pooping was the only way to get it out of my body.

However, if you think about it calmly, if there is the concept of magic power, then it is a normal idea to use magic power when you use magic. Why was I so obsessed with poo?

I passed through the gate of the Kamiarizuki house, mildly shocked at myself, and was greeted by a magnificent staircase.

...... Stone stairs at the end of the gate?

What kind of house is the Kamiarizuki house....?

As I was freaking out about it, my mother spoke softly to me from the side.

“Itsuki, you must have been surprised to see the stone staircase for the first time. Can you climb them by yourself?”

“I can do it!”

I nodded in agreement.

But I was probably the first and last person to think about poop when passing through the gate of such a magnificent house. I apologize in my heart.

“Itsuki. There are other children from other families here at this Shichi-Go-San besides you. Can you get along with them?”

"Yes, we will get along."

I nodded my head, but to be honest, I was a little nervous.

I’m a shy person, after all.

No, the other party are three-year-old children just like me.

It’s strange to be nervous.

I had my father and mother each hold my hand, and as I bounced up and down the stone stairs, I kept the words "other houses" in my mind as a refrain.

What kind of kids would come?

Kids who are naughty?

“As I recall, it's the Satsuki and Shimotsuki families that have children the same age as Itsuki, isn't it?”

“Yes. But it seems both families have girls.”

“I see. They’ve never been blessed with a boy yet...."

“I hear there's talk of bringing in a concubine.”

“It's tough.”

My father and mother are talking about adults with me in between.

From the story, both the Satsuki family and the Shimotsuki family are probably a family of exorcists.

I had heard that there were other exorcist families besides the Kisaragi family, so I wasn’t surprised.

It is not surprising that both of them are girls.......

I heard that an exorcist needs one boy for a child, since the eldest son succeeds the family.

Didn't you just say concubine? That's the side wife, right? A different wife than the real wife, right? ……bigamy? 

I've never even held hands with a woman other than my mother, let alone a girlfriend, since I was born, so it's too unbelievable a concept for me.

“Goodbye!"

I shouted vigorously as I finished the last step, and there stood a man in a black suit, different from the driver.

“We have been waiting for you, Kisaragi family. The Satsuki and Shimotsuki families are already waiting.”

“Sorry. Let's hurry, Itsuki.”

Oh, we're the last ones.

I'm sorry we're late.

At the top of the stairs was a stone-paved garden and a large mansion.

I thought Kisaragi's mansion was also big, but it’s nothing compared to the Kamiarizuki mansion. It's several times bigger!

However, the person in black started to go deeper into the garden, not paying attention to such a mansion.

“This way please.”

“What are you doing?”

“Measuring the total amount of magic power. This can only be done by the head of the Kamizatsuki family.”

No, um, what exactly are you going to do? 

Before my question came in, I could see the destination.

A wooden and rectangular pedestal. At the center of it was a flame.

Is it a simplified version of a campfire? Or is it closer to a bonfire because of its temple-like atmosphere?

Anyway, there were two families around the burning pedestal like that.

“You're late, Soichiro.”

"Oh, you finally came. I got tired of waiting.”

Soichiro was my father's name.

Unlike my father, the man who called his name was slender. The man's face is smiling, but he has a large vertical cut running down the length of his face. He’s an exorcist.

Hidden in the man's shadow, a small girl was staring at me.

Her long hair makes her look like a Japanese doll. I stare back at her, and she quickly disappears into the shadows. I guess she’s shy. Me too.

On the other hand, the one with the coarse language also has the physique of an exorcist at a glance.

On his shoulder is another girl, but unlike the shy girl, she is playing by pulling her father's hair. Hmmm, definitely the future is definitely positive.

While I was thinking about this, a woman's voice broke through the gap between us.

“Oh, we're all here. All three families.”

The moment the blonde woman appears in her shrine maiden-like form, the exorcist men's bodies tense up.

...... Eh? Is this person that great?

“Let's get on with it. It's dangerous to leave a child outside for too long who hasn't learnt Kaijutsu. The order should be the order of arrival. Hey, Shimotsuki.”

“Aya, come here.”

The shy girl was picked up by her father and the woman behind her cut Aya's hair.

"Burn it on the fire."

Then, as the blonde instructed, she threw the hair into the flames.

The next moment, whoosh! The flame flared up violently.

It was as high as a two-story house!

It's hot!

The campfire has changed from the one we just had, and the incredible amount of heat is so overwhelming that I can't help but fall silent.

The flames made my bangs fly up, now!

"Not bad, third rate." 

"Thank you...."

I see. So they judge by the size of the flames.

Is it a rank? It's not so easy to understand. ......

I wish they would give us "S" or "A" like in a game.

“Next, Satsuki.”

“Here, Rin. Get off.”

"No!"

The girl who is being carried on the shoulder goes wild on the man.

"Okay. You can stay on. Mom, please.”

"Yes."

A kind-looking woman who seemed to be saying, "I can't help it," cut Rin-chan's hair in the same way and set it on the fire in the same way.

Dooooo ！！！！

Flames danced up in the same way as before, but the size of the fire was twice as big as Aya's. Incredible amount of fire. So that's how much magic she has.

"Hou ....... Satsuki's is the fourth rank. We are blessed this year.”

It's a great thing to have this much fire soaring around.

The blonde is also very excited.

“The last one is the Kisaragi's.”

“Yes!”

I greeted her unintentionally, and the blonde woman smiled at me.

“Itsuki, I'm going to cut your hair.”

“...... yes."

As my father cut my hair, I felt my heart beating uncontrollably faster. I've spent the past three years training to increase my total magic power. All in order not to die as an exorcist. To become the strongest.

Now I can see the result of my efforts.

The thumping of himys heart has accelerated, and now it is already ringing like a fast bell.

And the moment my father sets that hair on fire.

Dooooooooooooonnnngggghhhhhhhhhhhh ！！！！！！！！

There was a huge explosion.

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