Chapter 9: Special Training: Kaijutsu

It was decided that the magic instruction would start the day after “Shichi-Go-San”.

I wanted to be taught as soon as possible, but by the time I returned home after the rite of passage, it was already evening. I was told that practicing magic at that time wasn’t a good idea at first, so it was shifted till the next day.

So, for the first time in a long time, I had to spend a sleepless night.

There are many reasons for not being able to sleep.

Fear, anxiety, and anticipation.

Looking up at the familiar ceiling with dull eyes, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. When the Kamiarizuki priestess warned me, I was indeed scared to death, but now my anxiety is calming down.

Because in three years, I had never been attacked.

I don’t think I’m suddenly going to be attacked by a monster just because I’ve had the rite of passage.

The reason I can’t sleep is probably because of my high expectations and curiosity.

In a word, I’m really looking forward to tomorrow.

“……Magic”

I was a little kid myself, and I was always longing to see the world.

Growing up in Japan, I was surrounded by an abundance of creative works, many of which used magic.

When I was little, I even seriously tried to train for it, thinking that I might actually have some hidden power.

Well, I got tired of it after two days.

Anyway, I used to long to be a magician.

No, it wasn’t only wizards that I longed for.

I longed to be a psychic, a sorcerer, or some other special being.

And now, at my age, the chance to use magic was lying right in front of me.

It would be impossible not to have expectations.

That’s why I can’t sleep because I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

I haven’t done anything like this since I was in elementary school on a school trip.

I kept staring at the ceiling with this thought in my mind.

Before I knew it, I was asleep.

———- — 

“Itsuki, are you ready?”

“Yes! I am!”

The next morning, I changed into a child’s dojo uniform and went to the dojo with my father.

This dojo was located in the Kisaragi house.

I didn’t know this, but apparently there was a dojo in this house.

Seriously, what kind of house is this?

“Okay. Good greetings. From today on, when I start teaching you magic, I need you to follow one thing.”

“Uyu?”

“While I’m teaching you magic, you will call me master.”

Oh! Is that how it is? 

My muscular father is also sitting in front of me, having changed into a pure white robe.

It’s very “like it” to call your father “master”!

Forgetting my purpose of self-preservation, I opened my mouth in a fit of excitement.

“Master!”

“……”

I had gone to the trouble of calling him, but the master’s expression didn’t look good.

Why is that?

“Let’s stop. Don’t call me master, call me papa instead.”

“Ugh!”

What just happened?

“Now, we’re going to start training you in magic. First, I want you to focus on your navel.”

“…… uyu.”

Below the navel …… would be the place where magic power accumulates when you are not doing anything.

I don’t know why it accumulates here, but this has been the case ever since I first perceived magic power when I was 0 years old. Perhaps there is a vessel of magic power here.

“The hot spot in the belly?”

“Yes. That is called Tanden.”

Wow! There it is. 

The link between what I had only heard of by name and my knowledge of reality made me feel good.

“The art of spreading the heat there throughout the body is called Kaijutsu.”

“Uyu.”

“You won’t be able to do it at first, but don’t worry. If you are an ordinary exorcist, you will learn this by the time you are five years old. It’s not something you can do today or tomorrow. So, the first step is to perceive the magic in your body….”

“Done.”

“Hmmmm!!!?”

I was able to do it, or rather, it was a technique I had originally used.

I stood up vigorously, and my father rolled his eyes.

“Ho, are you sure you’re getting heat all over your body? The tips of your fingers, your hair, all that stuff?”

“Yes, I’ve done it.”

When I said this while I was using the so-called Kaijutsu which is a state in which the whole body is circulated with magic power, my father was taken aback and touched my body with his hand

“Umm… it’s true, the magic has been circulated.”

“And my toes are ready!”

I pointed at my foot and he touched it, and then he said. 

“Mmmm…… cute fingers….. No! that’s not the point!”

Bang! He jumped up and ran out of the dojo.

“Kaede! Kaede! Unbelievable! Itsuki is a genius!”

He shouted loudly and went to my mother.

Master! You’re in the middle of my training!

“What’s the matter, Itsuki is of the seventh rank. It’s not something to be surprised about.”

“No, that’s not it! He used the Kaijutsu right after I taught him!”

“Eh!!!?”

My father’s voice was as loud as ever, but my mother’s voice was just as loud. And then the footsteps came back, doubled in volume.

“Itsuki! You really can use the Kaijutsu?”

“Yes, I can! See?”

With that, I showed my mother my whole body.

My mother, who held me in her arms, said, as if afraid.

“It’s true, he’s really using kaijutsu….”

Apparently, both my father and my mother are measuring the magic power by touching my whole body.

Come to think of it, when my father held me in his arms for the first time in my life, I felt warmth flowing through my body. Thinking about it, it may be normal for an exorcist to feel magic power through touch.

“I’ve never heard of a three year old being able to use Kaijutsu! This may be a genius never seen before in the history of exorcists, let alone in the Kisaragi family!”

Oh, no.

My father’s idiot parenting is getting switched on.

Once the switch is turned on, he will keep praising me for a while, so I can’t practice magic at this rate. I pulled on my father’s robe.

“If I can use Kaijutsu, the next one is Chijutsu!”

“Uh-huh. Ummm…yes, that’s right. I’m going to use string art shijutsu.”

My father, who had been forced to turn off his parental stupidity switch by my interjection, sat down and continued. 

“Itsuki. Reach out your hand.”

“Uyu!”

“Gather the magic in the palm of your hand.”

“Yes.”

The magic power that I had spread over my entire body was now collected in my right palm.

Gyu!!! The magic power that had been flying all over my body gathered in one place and became overwhelmingly hot.

“The magic power gathered is then let out like a “string”.”

“……Yes.”

That being said, I twisted the magic in my palm in a thin, thin motion to move it out of the way. ……

“How’s it going?”

“Mmmm……!”

“Hahaha. I guess you can’t use “silk technique” right away.”

Nothing came out…..

“Hey..One more time!”

“Umm. There is plenty of time. Let’s try until it works!”

And so my training in magic began in earnest.

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