Chapter 345

Ding dong ding dong—

“Huhuu…”

“Haah…”

As the bell rang, heavy sighs could be heard here and there.

“Everyone in 3rd Grade A Class, please raise your hands above your heads.”

When the young male teacher gave the instruction, the students in the class obediently complied.

This year, Shim Hyo Chan, the teacher from last year’s 2nd Grade B Class, was now in charge of our class.

By the way, Jacqueline Carroll was assigned as the homeroom teacher of 6th Grade A Class.

“Isn’t the midterm exam super hard, Inameya…?”

Ji Hye, who sat diagonally in front, turned her head and pouted her lips.

Then Yuna, sitting far away, said nonchalantly, “It’s meaningless to ask since everything is easy for Iname.”

I simply smiled in response.

Meanwhile, Teacher Shim Hyo Chan collected the “Activation of Magic” exams one by one from the back.

Starting from the 3rd stage of the 5 stages of magic, it is a field that seriously deals with circuit magic.

This is also the point where the number of students giving up learning magic skyrockets.

The scope of this midterm exam required us to perfectly memorize proportions and to be able to calculate the lengths and areas of various plane figures, and sometimes even the volumes of solids.

[Name: Noname / Last Modified: 38 minutes ago]

“Are you going to skip a grade like Sihoo, Iname?”

Teacher Shim Hyo Chan asked while checking my exam paper.

I quietly nodded my head.

“Ugh, this is so weird anyway.”

Sihoo had skipped to 4th grade, so he was probably preparing for his next subject exam by now.

Starting from 4th grade, there’s one more subject, so he would be leaving school later than us.

“Everyone, you did a great job on the test. Enjoy your weekend!”

“Yay! It’s over! Goodbye, Teacher!”

The boys, who had been fidgeting, dashed out of the classroom like arrows.

“Yuna, will you wait a bit and go with Sihoo?”

“I… I should wait for him.”

“See? It’s only the girlfriend who takes care of her boyfriend. Teehee.”

“We’re not dating!”

“Then we’re leaving. Have a good time, Yuna.”

“Hey, Han Seori! You’re dead if you’re caught!”

Seori teased Yuna, and Yuna rolled her eyes and pretended to chase after her.

The pure children didn’t seem to tire of the repeating pattern that had been going on for a year.

“Yuna, don’t come home too late. I’ll be rooting for you.”

“Name, even you…”

Excluding Yuna, who had a date planned, the four of us—Seori, Ji Hye, Haru, and I—went to Gangnam.

“What about lunch?”

“We decided to go to Ashley.”

“Aha.”

Watching the little ones up close, it seemed they really loved buffet places.

Maybe it was because they were at the age of growing, but everyone had a good appetite.

“Name, try this just once.”

“I’m full.”

“Already? You’ve only had two plates!”

I couldn’t just force myself to burn calories with magic when I didn’t have the appetite.

Politely declining the children’s requests for more food, I quickly finished lunch.

It would be hard to walk around on a full stomach, so we went to the cinema to watch an animation, then to a singing room to expend our newly charged energy, and finally stopped by Kyobo Bookstore for some stationery shopping.

‘Is this really a place that sells books?’

The large bookstore was half-covered with stationery items.

Cute keychains, character pencil cases, hundreds of kinds of stickers, plastic cases, stationery, and more.

“That would suit you, Iname!”

Haru snuck up behind me and put something on top of my head.

It was a bunny ear hat.

“Where did you find this?”

“From Joogei!”

Following her finger, I saw all kinds of junk like pillows, character dolls, blankets, and more displayed on the shelves.

On the other side, there was another section that dealt with electronics and capsule custom items.

Was this a desperate attempt by a bookstore to survive in the cold reality of capitalism?

I felt as if I was looking at a cyborg that had replaced all its parts with machines except for its heart.

“Hey, guys, I’m a little tired, so I’ll rest over there. Come find me when you’re done shopping.”

Avoiding the kids with Border Collie-level stamina, I purchased a paper book from the warm heart of the bookstore.

[Dark Shops Street – Patrick Modiano]

[I Am Nothing.]

‘Why does this person think they’re nothing?’

As soon as I read the first sentence, I settled into its captivating immersion and started reading the book quickly.

I hadn’t noticed the people around me whispering about me the whole time.

“Excuse me.”

“…”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, could I ask for a signature?”

When I regained my senses, I realized I was surrounded by dozens of people.

‘Ah… I should have just stayed with the kids, even if it was a bit tiring.’

Just a little break had led to a bigger quest.

“I have to go in a bit, so I’ll do as much as I can for you.”

[Cast: Coordinate Synchronization]

“Please, Iharu, Ji Hye, Han Seori, come quickly and save me.”

I hoped my friends would rescue me soon as I hurriedly drew the magic circle.

* * *

When I arrived home, it was already 8 PM.

“Adella, I’m back.”

“You don’t look very energetic today?”

“Yeah. I’m tired, so I want to skip exercising today.”

“Really? Is this for real? I need to hurry and play some games. Hehe!”

Playing with the kids must have drained more energy than I thought.

I collapsed onto Adella’s bed without even changing my clothes.

Regardless of that, Adella took out her Nintendo from under the bed and began moving her fingers busily.

“Did the results of the test come out?”

“Of course I passed. It was just a complete personality test.”

“Well, that’s a relief. You should be able to enroll by May at the latest. Enjoy this moment to the fullest.”

“Sister, if you have time later, can you show me how to handle Aura? I’ll show you something awesome today.”

Adella was able to learn to manipulate Aura in less than a day.

Considering the cases of devourers from my previous life, it wasn’t that surprising, but I had predicted it would take longer since this world had scarce mana.

[Hey Sis, I think I have a name I want to use from now on. It’ll be Saetbyeol. What do you think? Isn’t it pretty? Cute? Adorable? It’s a name I want to spend all my wealth on!]

[That’s a bit cringey.]

[I really hate you!]

I didn’t bother asking how she learned to control Aura.

In the process of enlightenment, being conscious of others’ gazes could disrupt the Aura Heart.

In fact, it was pretty obvious that gaining enlightenment through stars was a common method.

What’s important when handling Aura is permanence.

The more one uses permanent material or concepts as a medium, the more resistant the Aura responds to will.

Venus, the third brightest in the sky, seems to be a decent choice.

“Hey, no matter what, using Aura while playing games is a bit excessive.”

“It’s my choice! Why would I let something this good go to waste?”

Adella’s eyes were glowing orange.

Following lessons on governing her body, I even taught her how to enhance her eye reaction speed, and Adella grasped it all in one go.

Having experienced the virtual reality still fresh in her mind surely helped as there was less resistance.

Or maybe she simply had extraordinary talent.

“It’s a big catch! A sturgeon!”

And she was using that talent for fishing, and it’s not even real fishing, which is kind of amusing.

I suppressed my urge to scold her and watched as Adella did a joyful dance.

Wiggling her hips from side to side, I asked her, “What about your broadcast?”

“I finished all my homework while you were out! What do you think of me?”

“Then show me. Let’s take a look.”

“Aura? Keep your eyes wide open and watch closely as I display my great achievements as Adella!”

Adella sat cross-legged.

Taking a deep breath and sealing her mouth, the once calm Aura Heart began to shake.

To closely observe how she manipulated her Aura, I cast the Demon Lord’s Horn.

‘It already seems like the Aura is gaining order, doesn’t it?’

Scarlet energy spiraled outward from the Aura Heart.

Seeing a consistent pattern indicates it’s easier to control.

Delighted by her achievement, I felt the corners of my mouth lift.

‘I thought she was just a cat that wasted food, but she was working hard behind the scenes.’

Now I was curious to see what Adella would do with Aura.

She could harden her fists or perhaps enhance her muscle elasticity.

If she could reach a higher level, adjusting the hormones in her body would certainly be something to see…

“Ugh!”

Adella let out a short groan and grimaced deeply.

With the grinding of her molars, the Aura split as if attracted by magnets.

One side swirled towards Adella’s head, while the other spiraled towards her backside.

At this point, I couldn’t even guess what she was trying to do.

Seeing her condense the Aura didn’t seem like she was going for physical enhancement or hormonal stimulation.

In a flash, Adella’s eyes widened.

Her irises glowed orange, with vertically elongated pupils.

Pupils?

“E… Ehhh…”

Adella flared her nostrils, then neatly placed her hands together, covering her mouth.

“Ech! Ech! Hee-Tsch!”

Boom—

“Ugh…”

After three consecutive sneezes, Adella sniffed as if suffering from allergies.

“Adella, you…”

Adella’s Aura was more than just simply ordered.

It had formed a shape, established a three-dimensional presence, and finally proved its existence.

I rubbed my eyes repeatedly and released the Demon Lord’s Horn.

I could still see Adella’s Aura with my own eyes.

“I guess you finally retrieved it. My body.”

Two cat ears perked up on her head, and a red tail revealed itself from behind.

I jumped up and touched her ears.

This wasn’t just a trick with a toy.

It had genuinely manifested through her Aura and beautifully passed through my hand.

Yet I felt a warm sensation where my palm had brushed her fur, resonating with my Aura.

“How did you…?”

In response to my question, Adella flashed a mischievous smile.

“It worked when I just did it!”

The external manifestation of Aura.

An ultimate technique said to be available only to a tiny handful blessed by the heavens.

Adella had skipped all the preceding stages and passed through the last gate.

* * *

“This ear doesn’t hear sounds of different frequencies or anything like that. The tail is about the same level. In short, it’s just decor.”

“Even if it’s just decoration, the attempt to bring out Aura physically is quite incredible, Adella.”

“This is the first time you’ve praised me so much! Must be hard, huh? I’m feeling really good, hehehe.”

“But why did you sneeze?”

Adella blew her nose with some tissue and shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know? Do I have a cat allergy or something?”

“What kind of joke are you making?”