Volume 1 - CH 2.2

Part 2

It was the dreaded Monday rush hour, and the two of them could not afford to goof off.

Seiya quickly put on his uniform, and after having some Cocoa Pops with milk, he and Isuzu headed for school. Aisu was still snoring loudly, so she did not send them off.

“So, are you going to explain what’s going on?” Seiya asked as they were walking towards Yanokuchi Station. The train would arrive at any minute, so their pace naturally quickened.

“Of course,” said Isuzu. “I would literally feel like dying if I were to take less than 3 showers a day, or at least once every 8 hours. Having stayed over at your place, I was at my limits, so I went ahead and borrowed the shower.”

“…That wasn’t what I was referring to, but…”

“I see… Then what sort of explanation were you expecting?”

“I want to know more about Latifa and this “magical power” you were talking about.”

“Oh, that.” Isuzu nodded. “After the magic-bestowing ritual by Her Highness, you suddenly passed out. Even after the sky had become dark you had not woken up, so I flagged a taxi and brought you straight to your doorstep.”

Nonetheless, there was something he was more interested in.

“Then what’s that “magic-bestowing” thing you were talking about?”

“Latifa is the princess of Maple Land. She is able to bestow magical powers to normal people through a kiss.”

“A k-kiss?”

“You don’t know what that is?”

“Of course I do…”

I knew it. That was definitely not just a dream. Latifa, give my first kiss back to me! No, wait, actually it wasn’t really all that bad, but…was that really okay? I mean, to put it another way, it’s just like defeating an RPG boss by pure luck while still at level 3, thereby not being able to see the proper ending of the game! That’s just plain boring!

While Seiya was thinking, Isuzu continued her explanation.

“The type of magical power granted depends on the individual. One might be able to shoot laser beams from their eyes, grow sharp claws from their knuckles, or even control a hurricane.”

“Does that even count as magic…?”

In fact, wouldn’t those people just be mutants? I’ve definitely heard of those powers somewhere…

“That was just an example. The power you’ve acquired appears to be some sort of mind reading ability, allowing you to listen to the voices of people’s hearts by focusing on them. There have been records of such powers written in ancient books, however…”

Seiya looked intently at Isuzu. She understood and stopped talking.

Focus.

Seiya could hear a voice resonating within him. It felt faint, yet so close.

(“…however, it seems that it can only be used once per person. Furthermore, its duration is limited. So, did it work? Answer me if you heard this.”)

The voices stopped.

Isuzu was looking directly at Seiya, as if expecting some kind of reply.

“What the…you’re right, I was able to hear your thoughts. It’s a one-off thing, and the duration is short, you say?”

“Glad you’re able to pick up quickly.”

“Hmph. Though it’s still a little fishy, it seems to be the truth.”

Despite being told about ridiculous things like magic, Seiya did not seem perplexed. After all, he had already lost all faith in logic after spending his whole Sunday in such a weird place.

The power to hear people’s thoughts? Whatever, this power is real and already within me, so the next logical step would be to try and understand it a little more. After all, there’s no point in worrying about this. To be honest, I’d be happy if I got superhuman strength or the ability to copy skills, but what right do I have to complain? I’m just gonna have to suck it up and take advantage of the situation! First things first. Let’s try it again!

Seiya focused on Isuzu, but nothing could be heard.

“…”

“Guess the ancient records were right. You can’t read my thoughts anymore, can you?”

“…How can you be so sure? What if I was just pretending that I couldn’t hear your thoughts?”

Isuzu did not waver at Seiya’s satirical remark. “Impossible.”

“Oh, really?”

“No doubt about it. I was thinking of something incredibly obscene.”

“W-What?”

Obscene? Just what on Earth was she thinking about…!?

“I’m kidding.”

“Ugh…”

“Nonetheless, it’s pretty much confirmed, since you weren’t able to verify my claim earlier. There’s no doubt that this can only be used once per person.”

“Tch…”

To be able to pull off a trick like that…this woman is dangerous. She did the same thing at that snack shop yesterday too. I have to be careful not to let my guard down when I’m with her.

I must admit, though, I was a little careless with that. If I had done it at the right time, I might have been able to fish out some of her weaknesses.

“Kanie-kun. By any chance, were you disappointed that you’re no longer able to discover my weaknesses?”

“Hey, don’t tell me you can read minds as well?”

“Not really. It’s just the most natural thing one could think about given the situation.”

“Damn it…” Seiya wasn’t particularly pleased with how it turned out.

“Well, whatever. I’ll just try it on someone else.”

Testing his abilities on one person would prove nothing. Seiya decided to try it again on a salaryman who was walking towards the station. Given that it was highly unlikely for them to meet again in the future, there was no problem in using him. Once again, Seiya heard a voice.

(“…Ah, I’m dead tired. I left the house late today, so I’ll probably miss a train or two. I guess that means I won’t bump into her at the station today. What a shame, that’s the only thing I look forward to every day…”)

Whatever, serves you right.

Following that, Seiya tried it on a lady who was walking to work nearby.

(“I hope it’s working… Or maybe I should call Takeshi before he leaves for school and get him to check if my drama’s being recorded? No, that won’t do, Takeshi hates Korean dramas. What should I do…”)

That’s your own problem.

The next up was a student who was fixated on his flashcards. Judging by the uniform, he must be from another nearby high school.

(“1914, the Congress of Vienna. 1914, the Congress of Vienna. 1914, the Congress of Vienna. 1914, the Congress of Vienna…”)

Now that’s bad. The Congress of Vienna was held from 1814 to 1815, and was one of the most important conferences after the Napoleonic Wars! 1914, you said? You’re in deep trouble, my friend, ‘cause that’s a hundred years off the mark! What you’re referring to is World War One!

“Ugh!!” Seiya was extremely tempted to point out his mistake. He tempered his emotions and tried to use his magic ability on each of them a second time. Of course, it didn’t work.

“…It’s as you said, Sento. Its duration is pretty short, and I can’t use it on the same person twice.”

“There have been records of people having the same ability, after all.”

“Hmph.”

From his experiments, Seiya discovered one thing: he was unable to obtain any written information through his ability. The lady back then was the perfect example. While he knew that Takeshi was probably the name of her son, he didn’t know how to write the kanji for ‘Takeshi’. In other words, rather than “mind reading”, Seiya could only listen to the voices of people’s hearts. Furthermore, it could only be used once per person. Bearing that critical drawback in mind, Seiya could not afford to waste this ability.

They were approaching Taninokuchi Station, Tokyo’s commuter town located close to the edge of the Kanagawa prefecture. Its surroundings were barren, with no shops around save for a laundromat, a grocery store, and a snack shop. A green foliage expanded throughout the south. Although Taninokuchi was less than 30 minutes away from Shinjuku, it looked more like a suburb than a city.

Seiya shifted his gaze away from the scenery and asked, “There’s still a lot of things I’d like to know. Just what is this ‘Maple Land’ thing you were talking about?”

“It’s a realm of magic located between the land and the sea.”

“I’ve heard that many times already. I want to know the truth.”

“But that is the truth.”

Does she seriously expect me to believe that a magical kingdom exists in such a place? Well, whatever.

“Also, we will be heading to the theme park after school today. After all, we weren’t able to finish our conversation from yesterday because you passed out.”

Of course, Seiya made a big fuss about it, but since Isuzu threatened him with her musket again he had no choice but to comply. Throughout the whole day in school, Seiya was gritting his teeth in anger. Furthermore, while having lunch by himself, he overheard some students spreading rumors about him.

“That Kanie Seiya met up with Sento Isuzu at Amagi Station yesterday and boarded the bus for Hotel Alamo! Today, they even came to school together, and they seem to be on very good terms with each other!”

Stop with the jokes!

Seiya wanted to shout at them, but he was having his meal inside a toilet cubicle, so an even bigger problem might arise if he actually did.

“What the heck! That Kanie Seiya actually ate curry bread inside the toilet! What a loner! No wonder he has no friends!”