Chapter 26
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: First Major Fusion
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"...So, Young Lord Sirun seems a bit down lately..."
Elric found himself heading to dinner with Chloe and Asuka, almost by accident.
Elric wasn't much of a talker to begin with, and Asuka seemed utterly intimidated(?), so Chloe took the lead in the conversation.
It made sense as a topic— they were in the same club, and Asuka Sirun was Kasis Sirun's sister, so a shared interest seemed likely.
'...I've never even properly talked to that guy.'
Elric, who had only exchanged a few words with him during that sparring match before, just listened blankly without a soul.
'From what I know, Kasis has a thing for Miss Chloe Fabian... but she doesn't seem interested at all.'
Asuka, who shared his blood but nothing else, dismissed Chloe's words as irrelevant nonsense. What did she care if that guy was moping? He wasn't injured, and Chloe hadn't rejected him or anything.
"So... Lady, why do you keep lagging behind? Come on, walk with us!"
"Huh? Oh, uh..."
Right now, the three of them were walking side by side. From front to back: Elric, Chloe, Asuka.
But Asuka kept falling behind, so this was already the third time Chloe had pulled her back in line.
'How can Miss Chloe stay so calm being that close to a guy?!'
Is it because she's so sociable? Just being near him makes my heart race!
'...Are we making her uncomfortable?'
Completely oblivious to Asuka's thoughts, Chloe tilted her head. Sure, they were in the same club, but they'd only seen each other a few times. It was natural to feel awkward.
'Then I need to break the ice!'
Getting awkward people to warm up was Chloe's specialty. She'd act as the lubricant in the middle, chat them up, and before long, they'd all be getting along.
"By the way, you two take the same magic class, right? You must chat a lot."
Elric was briefly startled by Chloe's words but quickly regained his composure. Yeah, she was well-connected as always—probably heard it from someone.
"Ah, um, yes."
"Y-yeah..."
Chloe had brought it up thinking it was a safe common ground, but unfortunately, it was a landmine. They'd clashed big time in their last major class. Well, less clashed and more... gotten awkward.
"But Young Lord, why are you suddenly speaking so formally to me?"
"Pardon?"
Elric was caught off guard by Chloe's question. Come to think of it, he'd started off casually with her, but at some point, it had shifted to polite speech.
"Well... good question."
Upon reflection, it seemed his subconscious urge to distance himself from the original's intensifying vibe had slipped out. But he couldn't say that outright, so Elric just brushed it off vaguely.
"Speak casually! You're higher status than me anyway, no need to be polite! We'll be seeing each other a lot from now on."
"...I'll try."
Why did she keep ignoring the clingy ones and act so friendly with him? Elric sighed inwardly and nodded with a blank expression.
"You speak casually too, Lady!"
"Huh? Oh, um, sure... I'll try..."
For entirely different reasons, Asuka Sirun also mumbled awkwardly. The girl her brother liked, someone she wasn't close to...
'Acting normal is harder...'
Plus, if she dropped the formalities, her brother would probably badger her about getting close to Chloe and demand she put in a good word. To avoid that mess(?), Asuka needed to keep her distance from Chloe too.
Besides, the Chloe Fabian she was seeing now...
'No matter how I look at it, she seems more interested in Elric Raishion than my brother...'
Whether that interest was romantic or not, she couldn't tell. But Chloe was definitely warmer and clingier with Elric Raishion, not her brother.
'Well, he's perfect, so of course...'
Her brother? Eh, just her brother.
And so, the bizarre trio continued—the ultra-extrovert who'd already greeted most of the upperclassmen just two weeks into school, and the two drawing lines to avoid getting too close to her— all the way to the restaurant.
The meal wasn't bad. Not on the level of 'Fairy's Tear' that Elric or Chloe had tried before, but the academy had plenty of high-quality spots catering to noble kids.
"...So next week, we'll proceed with this topic! Thank you, Young Lord, Lady!"
"Oh, no big deal. It wasn't much..."
"Yeah..."
"Haha, I said drop the formalities! Anyway, it was fun talking today! Let's head back to the dorms together, Lady!"
"Huh? Oh, sure..."
With that, Asuka was dragged off(?) by Chloe. Elric let out a breath of relief and turned away.
"Ugh..."
Elric dragged his weary body back to the dorms, trudging along. It hadn't been long since enrollment, but somehow, so much had happened.
If this were the original world, without the compulsion to act 'like Elric'...
'I'd probably have gotten close to Chloe right away...'
Her personality was similar to his original self, Yeo Si-un's, and they would've clicked perfectly. No doubt about it. He'd have been much friendlier with everyone else too.
But he kept his distance—not just to avoid getting caught,
'Anyway, I'm leaving soon.'
Once he unraveled the possession mystery and found a way back, any bonds he formed would be pointless. With his naturally affectionate nature, it was better to avoid attachments that he'd miss later. Drawing lines himself was easier.
"Ah..."
Of course, that line of thinking made all this effort feel futile, sapping his energy. But what could he do? The situation was what it was—he'd just have to push through.
They say life throws unfair crap your way sometimes. This was probably just that. He'd endure.
"Hoo..."
With a small sigh like that—face blank, posture straight—Elric returned to the dorms.
He felt especially tired today.
"Hello, everyone! Today, we'll finally dive into real research!"
Time passed, and it was the second club meeting.
Chloe stood before the group with her usual bright smile, energetically leading as always.
"Our research topic this time— you've all heard it already— is: 'Can someone who's already established one mana path open another?'"
Clap clap clap clap. The three up front responded with booming applause like last time, while those in back clapped moderately. Elric, sitting next to Irene as if it were natural, clapped a few times and stopped.
"We often see people excelling in fusion talents in life. Like our club member, Lady Asuka Sirun here—one who's honed both mage and swordsman talents!"
Asuka flinched under the sudden spotlight, shrinking like a startled rabbit. Chloe pointed at her briefly, then continued with a beaming smile.
"But most people hone just one path and stick to it as a matter of course."
Well, yeah, usually. Swordsman, mage, spirit user— all use mana at the base, but the methods and paths through the body differ.
"Of course, I agree it's efficient for developing a single field. But wouldn't it be great to have more cards to play in a crisis? Even beyond that, researching different fields opens new perspectives and broadens your thinking!"
Hm, fair point. Not easy, though.
Then, Kuina Rosly, who'd been quietly listening to Chloe's presentation, turned to glance at Elric.
"...Something wrong?"
"This topic... Did you pick it, Elric?"
"Ah... Not exactly me alone. We decided as a group."
Though if you pressed, his share was about 80%. Strictly speaking, though, it wasn't just him.
"I like it. In outer dimension research, sometimes magic alone won't cut it..."
"Is that... so?"
Wait, did that mean...? Elric looked at Kuina with slightly puzzled eyes.
"I used to focus only on magic too, but after getting into outer dimensions, I started handling mana in varied ways. Trained my body, learned swordsmanship, even dabbled in spirits. Dropped spirits due to low affinity, but... handling mana diversely helps protect yourself in outer dimensions, investigate tangled mana spots. Makes dimension research... way smoother."
...A perspective he'd never considered. He'd suggested it thinking the Fusion Major Research Club should tackle actual fusion topics...
"Outer dimensions have spots where multiple mana types tangle complexly. Don't know why, but analyzing and dismantling them right is crucial. Viewing mana only through a magic lens? You'll never solve it."
"I see."
"Space magic's the same. You need various attributes, it's tough, but really, you handle mana from angles beyond standard spells."
...So this 'Elric' guy could do it from the start? No wonder, training with Joel and Silua, practicing swordplay.
"Plus, enduring dimensional pressure requires physical conditioning. If we do this research right... it could hugely benefit our work."
"I see."
When had it become our research, not hers? Anyway, 'benefit' meant he couldn't half-ass it. Elric sighed inwardly and focused on the materials in his hand. Honestly, he'd skimmed before, trusting his memory.
Kuina watched such Elric with eyes full of fondness. No need for her to check materials—she'd already read and analyzed them, hooked by the intriguing topic.
'Picks topics like this... Perfect as always.'
In Kuina's mind, beautiful(?) scenes of researching with Elric began to unfold. She'd toss an idea, he'd research it; he'd offer a new angle, they'd debate. A perfect future.
'Ahh... I want to research with Student Elric forever.'
Thus, unbeknownst to himself, Elric had pawned(?) his future to Kuina.