Mastering the Art of Silk

Unlike Kaijutsu, Shijutsu wasn't going well at all.

It was just about releasing magic power outside my body, yet I couldn't do it.

So, for a whole month, I spent my days concentrating on my palms, even while walking, until my mother scolded me.

"Itsuki, practicing magic is fine, but you need to watch where you're going or you'll hurt yourself."

"…I'm sorry."

"If you understand, go to the dojo. Be careful, okay?"

"Okay! I got it."

Today, my father wasn't around.

He had to work as an exorcist.

Even though I'm a Rank Seven and a target for monsters, my father can't always stay with me.

He has to work as the breadwinner of the family.

In place of my father, the head of the Shimotsuki family came to visit today.

If I had to describe him in one word, he was a tall, handsome man.

He was even taller than my father, who stood at 185 cm. With his messy black hair and youthful face, he could easily pass for a college student.

...If it weren't for the scar running down his face, that is.

Yes, he had a vertical scar across his face.

It's understandable since he's an exorcist, but honestly, it's pretty scary. To someone who doesn't know him, he might easily be mistaken for someone from a rough background.

The head of the Shimotsuki family is apparently named Renji.

I wonder how his name is written in kanji?

"Sōichirō told me that you've already started practicing Shijutsu, Itsuki-kun?"

"Y-Yes! But I'm not very good at it…"

"Well, you see, Shijutsu is a technique learned starting at age five, so it's natural that a three-year-old would struggle with it."

Renji-san said this with a gentle smile, but combined with his scar, it was terrifying. If I weren't already used to my father's stern face, I might have cried.

"Aya, why don't you follow Itsuki-kun's example and practice your magic too?"

"…Mm."

Renji-san wasn't the only one visiting our home today.

Aya-chan, the young lady of the Shimotsuki family, was here as well.

She seemed shy, hiding behind Renji-san the whole time and not coming out.

"Alright, both of you, have a seat here."

"Yes."

"…Mm."

I sat down in front of Renji-san, and Aya-chan sat next to me.

When I glanced at her, she quickly turned her head away in the opposite direction.

…Hmm, am I disliked?

"Okay, let's start with Kaijutsu. Circulate your magic power throughout your body."

I followed his instructions and moved my magic power.

This was essentially a warm-up exercise. When manipulating magic power, suddenly doing something unfamiliar can lead to mistakes, so it's important to get your body used to it.

"…You can really do it."

"Yes!"

Watching me, Renji-san muttered in slight amazement.

I nodded enthusiastically, and he turned his gaze to Aya-chan, who was sitting beside me.

"How about you, Aya?"

"…It's impossible."

Aya-chan had a slightly strained expression, but it was clear from her face that it wasn't going well.

"Aya, start by trying to sense the magic power, just like always. Itsuki-kun, you can move on to practicing Shijutsu."

With that, Renji-san stepped in front of me.

Hmm. Judging by Renji-san's tone, it seemed Aya-chan hadn't yet been able to sense magic power. Is that normal for a three-year-old?

"I want to see how far you've come, so try using Shijutsu."

Following his instruction, I turned my palm upward and gathered my magic power.

Renji-san touched my hand, feeling the heat building up, and his expression became serious.

"Your magic control is impressive for a three-year-old. But you can't release it outside, huh…"

"…Yeah. No matter what I do, it doesn't work."

Actually, that wasn't entirely true.

I had succeeded once during that month.

But it didn't come out of my hand.

The first time I managed to produce a magic thread, it came out of my… rear.

Shijutsu involves releasing magic power outside the body and then manipulating it into a thread—so I had the idea of pushing the magic out using the same technique as the toilet training I had recently learned.

And when I twisted that magic into a thread… voila! My first successful Shijutsu.

But could I possibly tell my parents about this?

No way.

Even though my parents always praised me as a genius, I couldn't possibly tell them that my first successful Shijutsu came out of my butt. How would I even say that?

So, I was pretending that I hadn't succeeded with Shijutsu yet, and honestly, I didn't want to consider that a success.

So, I just stuck with the story that I "couldn't do it."

"Hmm… I've heard of people struggling to control magic once it's outside their body, but I've never heard of someone not being able to release it at all."

"Huh?"

"Haven't you heard from Sōichirō? Usually, kids can release their magic outside, but they have trouble forming it into a thread. So, in your case… how should I teach you?"

…Wait, hold on a second.

"Renji-san! Does magic normally come out of your hands?"

"Of course it does. If it didn't, how would you form a thread with Shijutsu?"

With that, Renji-san demonstrated by releasing magic power from his hand.

"See? It's coming out, right?"

"…It really is."

…What? How? How is the magic coming out of his body without any holes?

How is he doing that???

"Oh, wait a minute. Itsuki-kun, did you think your magic power was stuck inside your body and couldn't come out?"

"Y-Yeah."

Well, I did know it could come out from the other end, but…

"Magic power is really small, so it can pass through your body's pores, just like how sweat comes out."

"…Mm?"

I sort of understood, but not really.

Still unsure, I tried to imagine the magic power gathered in my palm slowly seeping out like mist.

And at that moment, the magic power that hadn't moved for a whole month finally flowed out of me!

It's working! It's actually coming out!

"I did it!! It came out!!!"

"What!?"

All I had to do now was form that magic into a thread.

And I'd already had experience doing that… from my butt.

"Renji-san! I did it! Look!"

I quickly shaped the magic into a thread.

How's that! Now I can use Shijutsu too!

When I showed him, Renji-san extended his own magic thread and covered his eyes with it.

Then, he looked at my thread and gasped.

"…It's true. You've really formed a magic thread."

"I did it! I really did it!!"

"…Oh boy. What do I do now?"

Renji-san, still in shock, sat down.

While he was still stunned, Aya-chan, who had been sitting beside me, stopped sitting properly and lay down on the ground.

"Nooo!!"

"Aya? What's wrong?"

"I don't want to practice anymore!"

Aya-chan started thrashing around.

I thought she was shy, but she turned out to be quite the spirited child.

"I don't understand anything! This isn't fun! I want to read picture books!"

"Aya, if you don't learn magic, you can't become a princess."

Renji-san tried to calm the flailing Aya-chan.

Well, yeah. I guess this is how a typical three-year-old acts…

"Aya-chan!"

"…Mm."

When I called her name, she stopped thrashing and looked at me.

I owed Renji-san for helping me succeed with Shijutsu.

Now was the time to return the favor!

Based on a certain theory, I spoke to Aya-chan.

"Give me your hand."

"…Mm."

When she extended her hand, I placed mine on top of it and gathered magic power.

"It's hot!"

"It won't be hot for long."

I said that and then drew the heat back.

"Wow! Itsuki, that's amazing!"

"It's cool, right?"

"Do it again!"

Watching Aya-chan's joy, I thought to myself, just as I suspected.

"Hey, Aya-chan, do you feel something hot in your tummy too?"

"Huh? Uh… wow! I do!"

I had a hunch that exorcists took magic power for granted.

They assume it's something kids naturally have, so they don't directly teach them how to sense it.

It's like how most parents don't teach their kids how to walk or stand. They just assume it will happen naturally.

I got that impression from watching my father and Renji-san.

Sure, magic power is like riding a bike or doing a backflip; once you get it, you never forget it.

But at first, you need some help to realize it's there.

So, I figured I could teach her by letting her feel it directly.

It seemed my theory was right because Aya-chan now understood what magic power was.

"That's magic power, right there!"

"Daddy, look! I have magic power!"

Watching the now-smiling Aya-chan, Renji-san had a look that seemed to say, Why didn't I think of that?

Feeling proud of my success, I couldn't help but feel a bit smug.

"Itsuki-kun, you've got a talent for teaching too. You're something else."

Blushing from the praise from someone other than my parents, I was taken by surprise when…

"Itsuki! Do that thing again!"

Aya-chan said, pinning me down.

I thought you were shy!