Chapter 03: Special Training – Castling

After serving tea to Irena, some time passed before my mother and Hina returned home. As soon as they came back, Irena explained the situation to my mother, exactly as she did to me. And my mother nodded in agreement.

“Yes, we will take care of Nina-chan.”

“Thank you very much.”

Irena bowed respectfully and handed an envelope to my mother, containing some money for living expenses and Nina-chan’s belongings that were placed at the entrance. My mother declined the living expenses.

Although I heard the phrase “it’s mutual help when you’re in trouble,” I can’t help but suspect that we can refuse because we are well-off.

I’ve seen exorcist families being high earners in various places, so I’m aware of their wealth. But seeing how easily they can take care of someone else’s child, it makes me think they have plenty of resources.

While I was indulging in unpleasant adult thoughts, Irena headed to Haneda Airport.

Though they may have financial resources, there is no time to spare for exorcists in their line of work.

And so, Nina-chan ended up staying over at our house for a while. This was now a reality.

In the living room, I sat down with Nina-chan, and my mother exchanged brief greetings with her.

“Nina-chan, it’s been a while. I’m Itsuki’s mother.”

“Yes, it has. Nice to see you again.”

“Is there anything you can’t eat or any allergies?”

“…I have none. I can eat anything.”

Nina-chan nodded with a smile. She always had excellent manners in front of adults, but I knew from being in the same class with her for the past year that she used to sneak her broccoli onto my plate during lunchtime.

Though I don’t mind eating broccoli, I wondered if it was okay for her to say she could eat anything.

My mother seemed reassured by her answer and nodded. 

“Then, we don’t have to worry about the meals.”

“Also, I brought this as a souvenir…!” 

Nina-chan said as she took out two cans containing what seemed to be expensive green tea leaves.

When I saw it, I couldn’t help but feel relieved.

It was great timing for her to bring it out now.

If she had presented it while I was in the middle of making tea, I would have been completely surprised and overwhelmed. 

“Thank you, Nina-chan. We’ll have it later.”

“Yeah,” 

Nina, who nodded in agreement, seems to have become more emotionally expressive compared to a year ago.

However, back then, she was probably feeling more sensitive since she had just arrived in Japan and was not used to the environment, which can be stressful, especially when she was having disagreements with Irena-san.

Upon receiving the tea can, my mother immediately went to prepare the guest room for Nina-chan. This house is too spacious for just four people, so there are unused rooms.

We decided to temporarily turn that room into Nina-chan’s room. With Hina and Nina moving to the new room, I decided to take a shower. I had been moving around earlier, so I felt sweaty and uncomfortable.

When I returned from the shower, my mother was getting ready to go out.

“Are you going somewhere?” 

“We’re thinking of going shopping. Are you coming with us?”

“Hmm… What are you buying?”

“Probably groceries for tomorrow’s meal.”

“In that case, I’ll stay behind.”

Until a while ago, I was moving my body, but now I want to practice some unused magic. It seemed like my mother had already anticipated my answer, as she nodded and grabbed her bag.

I thought it would be convenient if she could do some shopping while going to get the school bag, but my mother likes going out. By the way, she takes Hina along because she’s still young and it could be dangerous.

“What about you ,Nina?”

“I’m staying with Itsuki.”

“I see. Well then, take care of Itsuki.”

“Leave it to me!”

Nina-chan replied confidently.

With that, my mother and Hina went shopping and won’t be back for another hour or so.

Since I have some time, I’m thinking of practicing magic, but Nina is just staring at me intently.

“W-What’s wrong?”

“We’re going to practice magic now, right?”

“Yes, but…”

“Let’s continue practicing the magic we did before.”

“Huh?! Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

Nina-chan smiled as she said that.

The magic she was referring to was “Castling,” a spell that allowed the Exorcist and the fairy they summoned to switch places instantly, regardless of distance.

The distance doesn’t matter when switching places.

No matter how far apart or in what location, the fairy and the spellcaster can switch their positions.

While the spell had a weakness in that it consumed a lot of magic power, it was essentially a form of teleportation.

About a year ago.

There was a time when Nina-chan and I were trapped at school, and Irena-san rushed back to Tokyo in a panic. We used a certain magic back then.

After that incident, I tried various things to replicate it with Raikou Douji, but unfortunately, I failed miserably. I ended up crying and pleading with Nina-chan for help.

And so, I followed Nina-chan to the garden.

On the way, she gently covered her hands and then opened them to reveal a small being about 15 centimeters tall. It had a completely white body with a flat face devoid of eyes or a nose. Despite its appearance, it wore a luxurious dress and had sparkling wings on its back. However, the wings did not flap, and it just floated in mid-air.

The being was a fairy called “Pixie,” a favorite among Exorcists for casting “Castling.”

As it turned out, there were certain spells that were better suited for specific fairies. In other words, some spells were more compatible with certain fairies than others.

For instance, Pixies were skilled at spells that allowed them to take away monster body parts as pranks.

“Now, Itsuki, I’ll show you how to do it.”

“Okay, please show me.”

Nina-chan demonstrated the spell by distorting the scenery around her, creating a mirage or a black hole-like effect. Then, she vanished in an instant, and where she had been, Pixie now floated.

When I moved my gaze, Nina-chan was standing at the place the pixie originally was.

“How was it? Did you see it?”

“Yeah…”

No matter how many times I saw it, it was still amazing magic. I really wanted to master it soon.

“Alright, now you try it,” 

I wrapped my hands in the same way Nina-chan did.

Creating a core of heavy magic and then forming the shape of the fairy with my magic.

“Conjuration: Recollect” and “Alchemy: Elements.”

Using the combination of these two techniques, a white fairy was born at my fingertips as well.

It was a Fairy Magic. After practicing for about a year, I could now summon a fairy without relying on a relic as the core.

But I still had a long way to go compared to Nina-chan, who had received direct guidance from Irena.

So, with a humble attitude, I followed Nina-chan’s instructions and attempted to practice “Castling.”

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter