Kays Translations

Chapter 11: Assist

The following Monday arrived after I finished my first job safely. Both my father and Irena-san hadn't returned home for a week now.

While it's not uncommon for them to be away for 1-2 weeks, my mother mentioned that my father had finished his initial job. Normally, he would have returned home after exorcising the monsters he encountered on his travels. However, more and more work kept coming in, leaving him with no time to come back.

Irena-san seemed to be in a similar situation. Last night, when she was on the phone with Nina-chan, I overheard something about her not having time to return home due to continuous assignments.

So, today, just like any other day, Nina-chan and I walked to school together. It's fun to go to school with someone.

"By the way, ' Troupe Actor' is a strange name, isn't it?"

"Do you think so?"

During a moment of waiting at a traffic light, Nina-chan brought up the topic. It wasn't out of the blue; it had been a recurring discussion between her and me since I completed my first job.

"But doesn't it mean 'actor'? Would a monster of the Sixth queen, have such a modest name?"

"Modest? What do you mean?"

"Monsters of the 6th Rank, like the Queen, have a strong self-assertion, so Mother said they would have much more flashy names."

"I see."

"That's true... Ituski, you have already exorcised two of them." 

"That may be true, but..."

I replied, gripping the relic of Raikou-Douji in my pocket.

“I thought the monsters were named by the exorcists? Do the monsters give themselves names?"

When I asked her, Nina's eyes widened a little and she tilted her head curiously.

"...Indeed. I wonder which one it is."

My question was not immediately answered by Nina, who also thought about it.

　For the moment, let's put aside "Harunaga Adashi" because it is the name of an exorcist, but did people name the Raikou-Douji and the Snow Princess? Did they name themselves? No, I think the Snow princess named herself.

Hm? So names are self-names for monsters?

Does that mean that the name "actor" is also self-given by the monsters?

Putting my question aside, Nina-chan continued with her head tilted.

"But if the monster is introducing itself, wouldn't names like 'Head Chief’ or 'Managing Supervisor' be more appropriate? That feels closer to the mark."

Nina puts her school bag back on her shoulder as she says this.

Hmmm. Indeed, I understand what you are trying to say.

However, the names of all of the previous sixth ranks have been the manifestation of the body attitude.

Monikers like "Raikou-Douji" for the Lightning Elemental and "Snow Princess" for the Ice Elemental do seem to reflect their respective abilities. And "Adashi Harunaga" for the insect creature that called itself an exorcist.

It's a form of "resonance" as Shirayuki-sensei told us a year ago. 

Affinity Magic - Things with similar names have similar attributes.

So, there must be a meaning behind the name "Troupe Actor."

For example, when you hear the term "Actor," the first thing that comes to mind is acting, right? I guess it means it imitates someone, fitting into human society, like an actor.

Mhm, that sounds plausible. 

What else could it be?

Let's think not only about the theater company, but also about the actors.

Handsome, Adultery, and Scandal .......

I'm not that knowledgeable about actors in show business, as I have never been interested in it, so I can’t come up with a decent image.

"Itsuki, it's red."

"Ah, thanks."

Nina-chan stopped me just in time, as I was about to cross the road when the traffic signal turned red. Instead, she brought up a completely different topic.

"By the way, Itsuki, you'll continue working as an Exorcist, right?"

"Yeah, that's the plan."

I stop thinking about the actor for now and turn to Nina. Then, with a slightly hesitant expression, Nina spoke up.

"I want to go with you... Can I come along?"

"Umm... Well..." 

Upon hearing Nina's question, I let out a small groan, considering the request.

I had anticipated that Nina-chan might bring this up. After all, she still admired Exorcists and sincerely wanted to become one.

We've searched for monsters together after school, so it didn't come as a surprise that she wanted to join in on the "jobs" as well.

So, I had a faint feeling that Nina would want to come along with me for the job, just like how she follows me around in other things.

However, even with that thought in mind, I couldn't immediately agree to her request.

"Did you tell Irena-san about it?"

"Tell Mama? Of course, I did."

"How did she react?"

"She said, 'It's fine as long as you're with Itsuki.'"

...I actually thought Irena-san would stop her from coming along.

I couldn't help but think that way.

But, when I look back, Irena-san knows that Nina and I search for monsters after school. It's because she knows that she said it would be okay as long as she’s with me.

“So, um... I would be happy if you say it's okay...”

With Nina-chan saying that, my response was already determined.

"Yeah, it's okay. Let's go together."

"Really!?"

"But, it'll be the next job, okay?"

Unable to contain her excitement, I tried to put a limit on Nina-chan's eagerness.

In the first place, jobs rarely come my way due to my mother's influence. Such discussions are held between my mother and Akane-san.

Furthermore, I don't know when the next job will come, and I can't easily take Nina-chan to dangerous places.

So, I said that, but...

"Don't worry. If it's you, Itsuki, you'll get another job soon."

Nina-chan's reply left me unsure whether she understood the situation or not.

While I was pondering how to respond, Nina-chan asked me again.

"By the way, are we going to practice 'Switching Castling' today?"

"'Switching Castling'? Nah, today I want to try a magic I've been curious about."

"What's that?"

A slightly displeased Nina-chan asked.

Oh, right, I haven't told her yet.

"Lately, thanks to you, I've been able to use Fairy Magic."

"Indeed. But still not quite."

Emphasizing the "still not quite," Nina-chan continued.

"So, I thought about combining it."

"Combining? Fairies with each other?"

"No, not that."

As the pedestrian signal turned green, I decided to talk about the new magic I had been thinking about for a while.

"Combining Fairy Magic with 'Silk Art - Shijutsu' magic."

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