Kays Translations

Chapter 5: The Time of Magic at Dusk

On that day, nothing particularly unusual happened at school.

As usual, we attended classes, had lunch, and then continued with our afternoon lessons.

Today, we had physical education class, so I was prepared to encounter monsters, but there were none. Occasionally, about once a month, monsters would stick to the school gate, staring at us while we had PE class.

However, today was completely peaceful. It was an ordinary day.

Usually, after school, I would stay back for a bit to practice magic or visit Nina-chan's house, but today we went home together.

After all, Nina-chan was staying over at my place. We could play together at home without staying at school.

As we walked home together, Nina-chan suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, Itsuki."

"What's up?"

"How often do you usually encounter monsters?"

"About once a week, I guess."

Perhaps, on average, that's about how often it happens. The frequency of encountering monsters can vary greatly.

In response to my answer, Nina-chan's expression seemed a bit tense.

"Oh, isn't that a lot? I don't encounter them that often."

"Huh, really?"

I found myself asking Nina-chan in return. But now that I think about it, monsters are drawn to magic energy. Even though I suppress the leakage of my magic power with Kaijutsu, it's not reduced to zero.

So, if monsters are drawn to me because of my magic power... it wouldn't be strange, would it?

However, I didn't want to die, so I increased my magic power and trained my body. But if monsters still come after me despite that, it feels like it's all in vain.

On the other hand, if I hadn't trained, I would have died too many times. So, does that mean it's good that I trained?

While pondering over such thoughts, the sun's rays disappeared behind the shadows of the buildings with a swoosh.

"Lately, the days seem shorter."

"Because it's already November."

"That's true. But the days are longer here than where I'm from."

"Over there" seemed to refer to England, and I vaguely understood that much.

Come to think of it, it's been almost two years since Nina-chan came to Japan. I wonder if she ever wants to go back there. Maybe I should ask.

"Hey, Nina-chan."

"What's up?"

"Do you ever think about going back to England?"

"Well..."

Nina-chan averted her gaze as if contemplating my question and then responded.

"I don't think about it right now."

"Why is that?"

"Because Mama is here, and Itsuki is here too."

"Me?"

Why would she mention me? Maybe because we're friends? I was feeling a little self-satisfied with that thought, but...

"Because I haven't taught you all the fairy magic, I can't go back."

Nina-chan said that with a smile.

I felt happy hearing those words, but I quietly suppressed my selfishness, thinking that I'd like to hear her say that because we're friends.

Suppressing it, as soon as I turned to look ahead, I felt something odd.

Something completely out of place in the usual scenery.

Buildings, traffic signals, people, cars – all the typical elements of the city's landscape, and yet, I felt an indescribable sense of incongruity.

"What's wrong, Itsuki?"

"Um, it's just... I feel something strange."

It was something I usually see on my way home. Something I see all the time, and yet, there's something odd about it.

As I looked around, I noticed it.

The streetlights illuminating the sidewalk.

Every lamppost had a poster stuck to it.

Multiple posters, uniformly spaced on each lamppost.

"We are looking for someone."

Written in large, eye-catching red font.

I lowered my gaze, and there, I saw a single large photograph.

A photo of a familiar elementary school student.

It seemed to be a picture taken on the way to school.

Carrying a school bag, crossing the pedestrian crossing.

"Uh, Itsuki... is this...?"

Nina-chan noticed the posters and raised an eyebrow.

"...Isn't this you, Itsuki?"

"Yeah, looks like it."

There I was in the photo.

『Look, look, it looks just like him! 』

A hoarse voice trembling with joy.

Before I knew it, a person's head sprouted from the paper, and the posters fluttered down from the lamppost.

"Th-th-that looks just like you! 7th rank!"

"--------!?"

Surprised by the voice coming from the poster and the hand pointing at me, Nina-chan grabbed my arm and took a step back.

But it's okay.

Because I'm already using magic.

"The person themselves appears...?! Intense heat...! Ah! It hurts...! My body...!!"

The white fairy that had left my hand disappeared, and at the same time, they took the bodies of the monsters that had emerged from the posters.

Where the taken-over monsters' bodies went, I had no idea.

"Fairy mischief."

A fairy magic that Nina-chan and Irena-san liked to use.

And then, before I knew it, the surroundings were covered in black mist... but soon, it disappeared in an instant, carried away by the wind.

"Hey, Itsuki."

"What happened?"

"We've encountered it twice today..."

I shrugged in response to Nina-chan's words.

"Yeah, it happens sometimes."

"R-really?"

"It's rare, but it happens."

In general, monsters tend to attack children. I don't know why the one earlier used me as a poster, but most monsters are incomprehensible.

It's not worth thinking too much about it.

Thinking that, as I tried to go home, I was called out from the roadside.

"Wait a minute!"

"Huh...?"

The person calling was an old man in a car.

He stopped by the roadside, and with a face marked by wrinkles appropriate for his age.

However, that face looked at something completely new to him.

"Did you do that just now?"

"Just now...?"

"The poster."

In response to my question, the man continued in a trembling voice.

"The posters started moving, and then suddenly turned into black mist. The posters were targeting you... Did you make those posters disappear?"

Reluctantly, I nodded.

Why reluctantly?

It's because I already know.

Judging from the way he spoke, he's probably not an exorcist. If he were, he would have recognized the posters as monsters and guessed that I dealt with them using magic.

But if that's not the case, then he's just an ordinary person. However, there are some people who can see monsters occasionally.

They are sometimes referred to as having "spiritual sensitivity." It's very rare, but they do exist.

I've seen people like that being attacked by monsters a few times. And since it's generally treated as "not a good thing" to tell ordinary people about the existence of magic, I reluctantly nodded in response to his question.

But without knowing my inner turmoil, the old man quickly got out of his car and bowed his head to me.

"I know it's embarrassing, but there's something I want to ask you...”

While saying such things.

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