Sensory Blocking Magic (3)

"N-Naho-chan!"

"..."

The class was split down the middle — half of them the types who fought with weapons, fists, and other martial arts, and half the ones like me who wanted to specialize in handling mana. Naturally, I was something of a class outcast by now, so I'd come out alone.

"Naho-chan!!"

"Ah, fuck..."

Unfortunately, the fatso I'd seen in the infirmary last time was clinging to me. I wanted to walk fast and shake him off, but my legs were trembling too badly to make it possible.

"Naho-chan, let's go together, neung!!"

"Haah..."

I finally slowed down, and Fatso latched onto me in a flash. A vicious stench of sweat slammed into me.

"Heheh, why're you walking all alone, neung. Come with me, neung!"

"Why would I."

I spat it out curtly without even looking at his face.

"Can't we just walk together a little... nngh!"

"Hey, don't touch me."

I smacked away the hand that had landed on my shoulder. Why the hell was this bastard clinging to me?

Do I look ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that fucking easy?

Fatso — An Yeo-dae, that is — had a strange excitement written across his face as he looked at me. Yeah, fuck, I know my body is hot. Even I get it. Jerk off in your room all you want, I understand. But constantly hitting on me like this? That's not okay.

"Naho-chan, why're you like that to a classmate, neung."

"Friends? Just because we're in the same class we're friends? Don't talk shit."

At that, An Yeo-dae lifted the corners of his mouth in a greasy grin.

"Naho-chan doesn't have any friends anyway, neung. Yura-chan went to a different class, didn't she, neung?"

"I still have zero intention of being friends with you. And don't casually call Yura by her name."

"Don't be like that, come with..."

"Hey."

I'd been about to ignore him and walk off, but this one I really had to say, so I turned back. I pinched my nose on purpose and looked at him with naked contempt.

"After PE they hand out spray bottles enchanted with laundry magic and deodorizing magic. Spray some of that. You reek like a rotting dog."

"..."

"Don't cling to me from now on. I'll tell the homeroom teacher you're stalking me."

Down the hallway Oh Na-ho had left behind, An Yeo-dae wore a slimy smile as he pulled out his phone. He'd left the video recording running the whole time, just in case another scene like that presented itself. Naho-chan's face from a moment ago was captured on it in full.

"Naho-chan, even your look of contempt is pretty, neung..."

Just imagining how that expression would change once she saw that video — that expectation alone was enough for An Yeo-dae to endure every last insult.

"Oh my, we have a new student today."

"...I'm sorry, teacher."

I dipped my head in a bow, watching the teacher's expression.

"Hmm... well, it's not as if you skipped on purpose. It's quite all right."

"I'll work hard."

A class I'd already missed twice, neither time on purpose. Scarlet's Basic Magic Application — her blazing hair leaving an impression all its own. A class similar to the other kids' weapons training, learning how to use mana as a weapon.

...This is gonna be rough.

Annelise and her lackeys were in this one. Maybe only that small girl with glasses over there stood apart from them. Besides that, there were the boys who kept stealing glances at me, and Fatso.

From now on, you're just Fatso. I'm not even going to use your name.

"Now then, would the rest of you briefly review what we did yesterday? I need to look after our Oh Na-ho, you see."

But... this teacher. I felt like she kept taking shots at me. A head of hair far redder than Yura's click-clacked its way toward me. A dress cut deep across the chest — perhaps an expression of confidence in that voluptuous figure of hers.

...Smaller than mine, though.

A gaze elevated by stiletto heels looked down at me.

"A pleasure, student Oh Na-ho. What an unusual name, isn't it?"

"Ah... yes."

"I'll have to be careful with the pronunciation, hoho."

Unlike her hair, Scarlet's eyes shone with a pale gold. I could just barely read the emotion held in them — something similar to Annelise and her lackeys, but more secret, more carefully hidden.

Jealousy.

Those eyes, so practiced at concealing what they felt, stared me down.

"First... that's right, you were a mana specialist. Then shall we skip right ahead and get into the material?"

"Yes."

"Mana manifestation. Go ahead."

A simple enough task. All I had to do was make my mana visible to the eye. Of course, if it hadn't been for several incidents along the way, I — who'd known nothing about mana at all — would have been in serious trouble. But the me of now was different.

Mana surged forth, and I lightly floated a sphere of it into the air. A round, drifting orb of magic — ornate, radiant, the color of platinum light. Seeing it, Scarlet made a request.

"Hmm... could you manifest it as non-elemental for me?"

"..."

A cold sweat broke out. Originally, mana's color was a pale blue. Properties were then added to it, changing it into fire, water, lightning, and so on — that was how magic worked in this world. Everyone had affinities and attributes that suited them, and developing those to fight was what a mage did.

But I've never seen a color like this.

I'd never seen it in the game, either. By color alone, it was closest to lightning attribute, if anything. Anyway, the important thing was that I still didn't know how to convert affinities. Non-elemental? What the hell was that?

First, blu— blue. Turn blue!!

I poured my will into the mana orb floating before me. But the mana that had followed me so faithfully, like a well-trained pet, refused to change this time. Eventually Scarlet opened her mouth.

"Hmm... a congenital affinity, is it?"

"Ah... th-that's right. Yes."

"You looked as if you didn't even know your own affinity, though?"

I answered the sharp question with silence. Like mana values, affinities like this could be treated as secrets all they wanted.

"Well... in any case, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠try drawing a circle with your mana."

"Y-yes..."

I drew a circle as Scarlet requested. Then squares, triangles, stars — every shape she asked for.

"Hmm, you certainly live up to the specialist title. Seeing how you do it without the slightest hitch. Next, shall we try what your classmates over there are doing?"

I turned my head that way. The kids were forming something with mana the same way I had — but still clumsy, wrinkled shapes. Scarlet clicked her tongue at the sight and stepped up onto the podium.

"Tsk. Still, making a plane is easy. Lower dimension, you see. But weaving a three-dimensional structure out of mana? That's rather difficult. However, class."

Scarlet spoke with a flourish. Gazes gathered on her bright, ringing voice. Then her fingers, tipped in gorgeous crimson nail polish, began to dance. In their wake, three-dimensional forms bloomed in an instant — simple spheres, ice crystals, animals, buildings, every shape imaginable.

"Before first year is over, you'll all need to produce work of this quality — even if not quite at my speed."

The voice of someone showing off to a bunch of students. I felt like I had a pretty good read on what kind of person Scarlet was.

"Of course, there's already someone who's succeeded. Student Annelise?"

"Yes, teacher."

"Would you demonstrate for our friend Oh Na-ho?"

"Yes."

Figured as much. Annelise, receiving Scarlet's instruction, stood in front of me and drew the same three-dimensional shapes. Mana of her congenital ice affinity. In its wake, three-dimensional forms of a chilling sky-blue, radiating a cold light. Every one of them was so finely crafted it looked ready to come alive. And... they were beautiful.

"Student ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Annelise was a mana specialist as well, wasn't she. Same as student Oh Na-ho."

"..."

"Want to give it a try? Student Oh Na-ho? If it's too much, you're welcome to practice first and come back."

Scarlet, gently raking at my pride. Annelise, who would have acquired all kinds of techniques from a young age at the Crystal Citadel. And me, raised in an orphanage. Did she, as a teacher, know all of that — and was she deliberately engineering this moment? A flicker of anger rose in me.

"Is she hesitating right now?"

"What's with the confidence?"

"They said she's a specialist. An orphan, of all people."

"She dares to go up against Annelise?"

I ignored the voices thick with envy and spoke.

"I'll try."

"Oh my, you could always practice a little in the corner and then..."

Ignoring Scarlet's words, I raised my mana. I might not know the first thing about affinity conversion, but handling mana itself? That I was confident in. Even earlier, making circles and squares and triangles, I'd had the feeling I could do more.

From the tips of my left fingers, beautiful three-dimensional models bloomed into being — a perfect sphere, ice crystals, animals, buildings. Everything Scarlet had manifested, I reproduced identically.

"Hmm, befitting a specialist..."

I didn't stop there. This time I used my right hand, creating the three-dimensional models all over again — in exact reverse order. Every step of weaving the mana and locking it into form, I performed as naturally as breathing.

"Hoo..."

Three-dimensional forms of platinum light floated in the air, shining brilliantly. I turned my eyes from them to look at Scarlet.

"Is that enough, teacher?"

"..."

I shot the words at Scarlet, whose mouth had fallen slightly open. She traced her lips with the tip of her tongue, then spoke as if nothing at all were the matter.

"W-well done. Very much like a specialist."

"...Thank you."

Maybe I overdid it. Seeing her acknowledge it right away, maybe she was actually decent...

Scarlet's head tilted slightly.

"It'd be a shame to stop here, though, wouldn't it?"

"...Excuse me?"

"The purpose of our Basic Magic Application class is to wield mana as one would a weapon. Realizing the image you desire, weaving it together, and bringing the magic you want into being. Manifestation is the foundation of all of that."

The way she was running her mouth felt ominous. And sure enough, that bad feeling didn't miss me.

"And since we already have two students who've ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mastered manifestation perfectly... shall we have a little spar?"

I could see Scarlet's and Annelise's gazes intertwining. Grinning, Annelise looked at me with a face overflowing with confidence. A voice that was icy yet seemed to take pleasure in this reached me.

"I am in favor, teacher."

"And you, student Oh Na-ho?"

"...I'll do it too."

I didn't back down either. Come to think of it, I had one useful spell around now. Namely, Sensory Blocking Magic.

I forgot because my head briefly checked out this morning. Time to use it.

Honestly, if I didn't use this and just took hits... I was scared of what kind of reaction this hypersensitive body of mine might show. Fortunately, the method of using Sensory Blocking Magic was already engraved in my mind. Not knowing the effects, I first applied it weakly across my entire body.

Oh...

It felt like I'd put on a suit of invisible armor. I loosened up my body as confidence surged through me.

"Now, of course inflicting any real damage is not allowed. This is solely about blocking attacks and defending with mana manifestation."

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Like so."

A sword and shield of mana clashed in front of Scarlet. Under the fierce assault of a blue blade, the shield finally shattered. The color was strangely... gold, though.

"Don't you two worry. This class originally includes spars. The weapons class is probably already beating each other's skulls in."

Ah... I hope Yura's okay. Hope she doesn't get hurt.