12

"What should I start with?"

I stood in the middle of the room and asked Fresia. However, she acted as if she hadn't heard me, walking toward me with an indifferent expression.

As she came closer, Fresia's cute appearance became even more noticeable. Despite being someone I'd just met, she felt oddly familiar and approachable.

Fresia came right up to me, then walked past me and circled around to my back.

Slap!

"Hiyah!?"

I screamed in surprise as Fresia's hand suddenly slapped my butt. Being caught off guard made me instinctively yelp from the unexpected touch, especially since my senses were heightened.

"Normally, you'd get two, but I'm letting you off with just one."

"Y-Yes?"

I had no idea what she was letting me off for, but I responded anyway. Did I do something wrong to Fresia?

No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn't figure it out. After all, Fresia and I had only just met.

Unlike my bewildered self, Fresia wore a satisfied smile.

Instead of answering my question, she got straight to the point.

"Well... There's only about ten minutes left of lunchtime... This spell should do."

Fresia's voice was so soothing that it almost made me drowsy. She extended her finger toward the empty space and began drawing something in the air.

The magic that gathered at her fingertip formed a magic circle.

As far as I knew, magic circles were usually drawn on objects before being used, whether on the ground, paper, or some other item. But I'd never heard of drawing a magic circle in the air like this.

I began to wonder if she was drawing it correctly as she swirled her finger around, but finally, her hand stopped moving.

Fwoosh—

The magic circle drawn in the air glowed brightly.

The magic circle not only shone but also shrank as it moved toward me, eventually settling on my chest.

I unbuttoned a few buttons of my blouse to check and found a small magic circle made of simple shapes etched onto my chest.

"Boss, what is this...?"

"I'm going to test some of the spells I've developed on you. This is one of them. After the afternoon classes, tell me how you felt."

"So, what does this spell do?"

I needed to know what kind of magic it was to focus on the relevant parts, so I asked Fresia about its effect. However, she replied with her usual impassive expression.

"That's a secret. If you know the effect of the spell, you might end up feeling that way, even if it's not true... Figure it out for yourself."

With that, Fresia returned to the sofa and sat down.

"Alright, I'm going back to my nap now... You can come by after school, just don't be too late."

She snapped her fingers again, and the eye mask that had been lying on the floor flew through the air and landed over her eyes. A teddy bear waddled over from the corner and nestled into her arms.

And just like that, Fresia flopped down on the sofa.

It was almost time for afternoon classes to start, but judging by her actions, she seemed fully intent on taking a deep nap.

No matter how research-focused the Department of Magic was, it seemed questionable to allow such behavior. But it wasn't my place to interfere. If I upset the boss and got fired, that would only be a loss for me.

Careful not to disturb Fresia, who had quickly drifted into dreamland, I quietly closed the door and stepped outside.

* * * *

"Today is free sparring. Pair up and spar freely. I'll be watching, so don't slack off!"

My first sparring partner was Cilly. There was still plenty of time left in class, so after sparring with Cilly, I planned to spar with Annie, Yuri, and even some other classmates. But my most intense match would undoubtedly be against Cilly.

Facing each other, Cilly and I charged at each other simultaneously. Normally, our swords would clash in the middle as usual, but—

Clang!

Cilly had barely taken two steps when I was already right in front of her. For some reason, I felt like moving more aggressively today.

Despite my unexpectedly quick attack, Cilly easily blocked it.

If that's the case, I'll try to press her more with a faster and more aggressive attack.

Thwack, thwack

Even so, Cilly effortlessly blocked my faster strikes.

Clack, clack

Soon, our swords locked together in a test of strength. I wasn't sure what would happen if I pushed my full strength, but at the moment, we seemed evenly matched. Our eyes met over the crossed wooden swords.

In a fight, it's important to watch your opponent's gaze and use your own gaze strategically. So I stared into Cilly's eyes, trying to anticipate her next move.

Woosh!

Suddenly, my face felt hot. What... what is this?

Panicked, I pushed Cilly's sword away and took a few steps back to create some distance.

Thump, thump, thump

I placed a hand on my chest and felt my heart pounding. What's going on?

Cilly must have noticed something was off, as she lowered her sword and came closer to me.

"Elys? Are you okay?"

With a worried expression, Cilly placed her hand on my forehead.

"You don't seem to have a fever... Are you alright?"

My racing heart beat even faster, now thudding so loudly that I feared Cilly might hear it. I turned my head away to avoid her gaze.

This... I hate to admit it, but I feel like a girl who's fallen in love... Well, Cilly is a hero candidate; she's scary sometimes but usually kind-hearted, pretty, talented, and even from a good family. Anyone would be smitten by such a perfect woman.

But falling for Cilly just because she's beautiful? Well, the novel she lent me did show that girls could fall for each other.

Then again, since I'm actually a guy, isn't this reaction kind of normal? Barely safe?

But why now of all times? I've never felt this way before, even when we sparred. Why so suddenly now? Though they say love can come out of nowhere...

"Elys? Cilly?"

Noticing something unusual about our situation, Annie and Yuri, who were sparring nearby, approached us.

"What happened? Is Elys sick?"

Realizing the problem wasn't with Cilly but with me, Annie looked at my face intently, just like Cilly had done.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump

As soon as I met Annie's eyes, my heart, which had started to calm down, began racing wildly again.

No, heart! What are you doing? If you're not an animal, you should recall the feelings you had just a moment ago for Cilly and show some integrity.

Whoosh!

I turned my head away, and this time Yuri's face came into view.

"Elys? Are you alright?"

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump

"Eek...! Oh, no, it's nothing!"

I accidentally used formal language, but I didn't have the presence of mind to worry about trivialities like that.

Was I really this fickle?! Was I a beast, not a person?!

I was just getting flustered over Cilly, but then my heart was racing again for Annie and once more for Yuri. Sure, they're all beautiful, but still, this is a bit of a shock.

"Well... It's just that I'm tired. Yeah, it's because I'm tired... I think I need to rest in the infirmary for a bit."

I got up and immediately headed for Professor Perrent.

"I don't feel well... Can I go to the infirmary?"

My racing heart wouldn't calm down. My face was probably still flushed.

"Hmm? If you're saying that, you must be feeling really bad. Alright, I'll inform your next class professor, so go rest in the infirmary until you feel better."

I barely managed to refuse Cilly, Annie, and Yuri's offer to take me to the infirmary and slipped away.

* * * *

Now, I'm standing in front of Room 707 of the Magic Building. Instead of going to the infirmary, I carefully made my way to Fresia's lab without drawing attention.

Creak

I turned the doorknob slightly, and it opened easily; it wasn't locked.

"Um, boss?"

There was no response from Fresia; it seemed she was still asleep. Feeling reluctant to wake up my employer, I sat down on a chair and began to think.

I was too flustered to think before, but now that I've calmed down, I can guess what happened. It must have been the effect of Fresia's spell.

I've spent quite a bit of time with Cilly, Annie, and Yuri. Sure, there were moments when my heart would race, but never to the point where I lost control like this.

"Whew. I wasn't just a fickle person."

I almost thought I was trash.

"Mm...? Is it evening already?"

Perhaps my muttering woke her up. Fresia took off her eye mask, rubbed her eyes, and stretched while hugging the teddy bear, looking like a baby kitten.

"No, it's still class time."

"Hmm? Then why are you here?"

"Well, it's because of the spell you cast earlier. It made my heart race so much that I couldn't concentrate in class."

I told Fresia everything that had happened.

"Hmm... The original intended effect was supposed to accelerate actions... But it seems to have sped up your heart instead... In that case, I need to alter the third stroke of the magic circle..."

Fresia began muttering to herself. Could she already figure out the problem and fix it just from hearing my experience?

Is magic supposed to be something you can change so easily? Well, I know it's not, but I can't quite grasp how impressive what she's doing actually is since I'm not that knowledgeable about magic.

"Oh... I'll release the spell now. That's it for today's experiment. If I need you for another test, I'll call you again... But feel free to come anytime if you need extra pay."

Fresia drew a simpler magic circle than before, and I watched as the magic circle on my chest disappeared.

"Here... This is your payment for today."

She handed me a small pouch. I peeked inside to see quite a lot of silver coins, too many to count easily. It was more than enough for the current situation.

"Anytime you need me, just call!"

Loyalty and enthusiasm!

Leaving Fresia, who had now plunged into deep contemplation, behind, I exited the lab. Luckily, I managed to make it to the infirmary and lay down on a bed before class ended.

However, when Cilly, Annie, and Yuri came to visit after class, my heart started racing again, not as intensely as before but enough to make me skip all my remaining classes to rest.