Kays Translations

Chapter: 14: 1+1

"What's wrong? Itsuki-kun, Shirayuki-san. Are you okay...?"

Aya-chan looked at us with a worried expression.

Shirayuki-sensei, who was on the receiving end of her gaze, stood frozen, holding Aya-chan's slender hand.

I was in a similar state as I watched Shirayuki-sensei.

We were just at the shrine a moment ago, and now we were back in the original library.

And we hadn't done anything.

It would be impossible not to be perplexed by this situation.

Looking at the teacher, I asked, "Sensei, what just happened?"

"...," Shirayuki-sensei remained silent.

However, her face had an unprecedentedly serious expression.

With that serious expression, she continued, "To put it simply, Aya-san rejected us."

"...Rejected?"

In response to my question, Shirayuki-sensei nodded.

"Just now, I connected with Aya-san through 'Resonance.' But Aya-san rejected it. It's like when you make a phone call, and the other person picks up, but then hangs up while you're still talking."

"I see...," I replied, understanding the explanation quite easily.

I had a general understanding of what had happened.

However, when Aya-chan, who had heard Shirayuki-sensei's explanation, widened her eyes and shook her head, I realized that something was off.

"I-I didn't do anything..."

"I believe you," Shirayuki-sensei said gently, trying to persuade Aya-chan. "Perhaps there is something inside Ayasan that is causing interference."

"That means Aya-chan is being possessed?" I asked, recalling the cases we had encountered before.

Shirayuki-sensei firmly denied it, saying, "N-No, that's not it."

"If she was possessed, we would have known through the 'Resonance.' But when we resonated with Aya-san earlier, everything was... normal. So it's not possession..."

I let out a sigh of relief, relieved that we had managed to avoid the worst-case scenario. It may be difficult to say it was good, but at least Aya-chan wasn't being possessed.

However, if she wasn't possessed... then what was happening to Aya-chan?

Curiosity filled my mind, but Shirayuki-sensei gently released Aya-chan's hand and calmly said, "It's okay. We'll try again."

"Y-Yes, I understand."

"Excuse me."

Shirayuki-sensei said that and increased the number of 'Guiding Thread Silvite' connecting her with Aya-chan. The threads intertwined like vines, emitting a stronger rainbow light than before.

However, nothing happened.

"...Huh?"

Aya-chan tilted her head in confusion, but on the other hand, Shirayuki-sensei had a more serious expression.

"...She did it. Sh-She completely rejected it," Shirayuki-sensei said.

"You mean she can't resonate?" I asked.

Shirayuki-sensei nodded and continued, "Yes. I believe something inside Ayasan is preventing any further resonance. It's like blocking an incoming call."

"I see..."

The phone analogy seemed to fit well. It was easy to understand. But now was not the time to dwell on that.

"Sensei, is Aya-chan alright?"

"Well..." Shirayuki-sensei furrowed her brows, contemplating for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"At the moment... I can't say anything. S-She hasn't been taken over, but..."

Shirayuki-sensei continued to contemplate.

"Even if she hasn't been taken over, there is a possibility that 'something' is inside Ayasan... It's strange that it's not touching her magical power. In fact, it feels like it's holding back..."

She didn't stop considering the possibilities one by one.

In other words, Aya-chan hasn't been taken over, her magic power isn't being consumed, but there is 'something' inside her.

...What is happening?

Meanwhile, Shirayuki-sensei suddenly looked up and questioned Aya-chan.

"Ayasan, um, about a month before you lost your magic... Did you visit a rural shrine during your job with Renji-san?"

"...A rural area. Yes, I did. But it wasn't a shrine."

"Can you tell me where you went?"

"It was... like a village. There were mostly old people, like grandpas and grandmas."

"Only old people?"

"No, there were kids around my age too. I became friends with one of them. We said we'd play together again."

Aya-chan explained before I could ask. It didn't seem like she was lying.

If that's the case, then the shrine might not be relevant. Then what was that earlier...?

As I continued to ponder, Shirayuki-sensei turned to Aya-chan with a serious expression.

After turning to her, she spoke.

"Ayasan, since you have 'rejected' us, there are only three possible ways to proceed."

"T-Three ways...?"

Aya-chan's voice sounded surprised.

To be honest, I was also a little shocked.

I thought there might not be any options.

"The first option is to give it time. Just like blocking an incoming call, if you wait, the rejection will last. But the human body is not a machine, so if you give it time, 'Resonance' will become possible again."

"How long should we wait?"

"Usually, about a day."

A day... I silently exhaled while looking at the clock.

...Honestly, it feels too slow.

Well, it's not like there's been anything for the past month, so waiting for a day shouldn't be a big deal. But still, after seeing that earlier, waiting for a day without doing anything made me uneasy.

While I was thinking about that, Shirayuki-sensei mentioned the second option.

"The second option is to deepen the resonance. You've learned the basics of 'Resonance,' Itsuki-kun, so you should understand that things with similar natures are more likely to resonate. There is a way to strengthen the resonance using that principle."

There's a way to do that? I had no idea how, but at the moment, it would be better to ask about the third option.

"Sensei, what about the third option?"

"The third option combines the first and second options."

However, the method she mentioned was unexpected.

"While giving it time, we will deepen the resonance. This method is likely to be the most effective. But to do this, Itsuki-kun's cooperation is essential."

"Me?"

I was a little surprised to be called out so suddenly.

"Will you help us...?"

When Shirayuki-sensei asked me that, I nodded vigorously.

"Of course. But what should I do?"

"Well, Itsuki-kun, you and Aya-san... need to become close friends."

...Close friends?

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