New Sugar
Recalling the events of yesterday, she focused on her legs and poured magic into them.
Then she leaped, reaching a height almost as tall as her own stature, barely touching the ceiling.
She had succeeded ten times in a row.
Sugar's lips curved into a teasing smile.
"Ehehe..."
Compared to the demonstration at the factory, it felt a bit lacking, but she was satisfied enough. Back then, she couldn't control anything at all, so it meant nothing. Tommy said it wasn't a success, but rather a byproduct of failure.
Of course, thanks to the experience from back then, she could now manipulate magic. She had learned the technique of how to move the magic flowing through her body.
Now, she could proudly say she could do the 2nd stage anywhere.
Named New Sugar!
The status of the 1st and 2nd stages were completely different.
She couldn't say she knew much about the magic flow inside her own body, but if she could manipulate it, the story would change.
Her superior physical abilities, a technique close to 'magic'. The difference in skill between a 2nd stage capable examiner and one who couldn't was like heaven and earth.
Of course, since Sugar aimed to become a magician, she had to go to the 3rd stage, but that was a story for later.
The immediate feeling was how come she couldn't do something so easy. When it came to how delicately she could control it and maintain it, she was a beginner among beginners, but the difference between 'not being able to' and 'being able to' was stark.
"I keep going to 2 instead of 1. That's why my concentration keeps breaking. Because it's not in the right place."
"..."
"I feel like I'm going right when I should go left. Then I hit the wall. But now I've found the right way to go."
When she got a feel in a place with little influence from surrounding magic, manipulation became possible even in ordinary places.
If she chattered to a friend who was quietly lost in thought about that fact, there was no reaction.
Ever since she escaped the factory the next day, she had been doing that. There, the strange phenomenon—holding Sugar's hand to enable magic manipulation—was being pondered.
She approached and waved her hand in front of his eyes.
No reaction.
"Sugar."
No reaction.
"Huu."
She blew air near his ear.
"Ah! Don't make it noisy and get out!"
Seeing the startled reaction, Sugar finally felt relieved and stepped out of the attic.
She was a master at startling people.
...
Soon, Sugar arrived under the usual tree in the backyard.
She glanced at Frallin, who was sitting in a corner reading the newspaper, and chose a spot a bit further away. She didn't forget to pick up a rolling branch.
Wrapping it with magic as an image, it would wrap.
But the power was too weak to cut even one leaf.
What Sugar was thinking now was the high-level technique of rapidly vibrating magic to increase cutting power, so it was natural she couldn't do it. But thinking about what she did at the factory, there was a part that felt a bit regrettable.
Back then, the magic was so clear it was visible.
That was because it was overflowing and spewing magic everywhere, but now it was because she was unconsciously controlling it.
So, this time she poured more power. Recalling that day's event, she exploded the inner power like that day.
-Pak.
As expected, the branch snapped.
"..."
Glancing back, Frallin was still focused on the newspaper.
Sugar repositioned her head as if nothing happened, and focused on a pebble right in front of her.
This time, no touching with hands, just manipulation. Magic manipulation was soon imagination. She imagined opening the magic passage to send it to the stone, floating it in the air, and concentrated.
The result was amazingly, no reaction. It seemed to have moved a little.
"Ah..."
Fuming, she sent more magic. Gradually, gradually, as the intensity increased, the pebble trembled.
It might work?
Since possibility was seen, she increased output with the mindset of 'whatever'.
-Whoosh.
Suddenly disappeared.
"?"
Surprised, looking up at the sky, she saw a small dot flying as if to ascend. The propulsion far surpassing the caster's expectation.
She was dumbfounded.
Not adjusting the faucet balance...
Too weak or too strong. It seemed difficult to control the power, a lot.
It was like moving the faucet back and forth for the optimal temperature that was neither too hot nor too cold.
It was really hard to hit that optimal temperature. She would have to practice a lot.
Manipulating inside my body is doable.
Was this because of the pure nature of magic? When it came out of the body, it immediately tried to assimilate with other magic.
If too little magic was sent, it dispersed in the air with little reaction.
To see a reaction, had to send so much magic that it ended up like an explosion.
The path of a magician was really tough.
She wished the magic nature was a bit more ordinary.
Sugar wandered looking for another branch, with an expression that was either crying or laughing.
Just then, Frallin, who had been burning with passion for the newspaper since earlier, came into view. She didn't notice the bizarre things happening behind her, so focused on what? She approached.
"Frallin?"
"... Kyaa!"
Startled, she let go of the hand holding the newspaper.
The newspaper, now without a place to rest, fluttered in the autumn breeze that blew appropriately.
"Ah..."
It wasn't Sugar who was quietly watching this. Even though the date had passed, it was a precious information provider. A precious item her friend was reading.
She immediately started from the back jump, pouring magic into her leg muscles and bones, and leaped powerfully.
The affected muscles contracting and expanding as if about to tear felt like a mysterious sensation.
She snatched the newspaper that was just reaching her fingertips and bent her upper body to land lightly.
"Here. Sorry for startling you."
"... Ah, no. Thank you."
She received it dazedly. It wasn't a jump a 11-year-old could do, so the opponent's eyes were round, but soon that light turned to envy.
"Amazing... Sugar..."
"... You're reading the newspaper again today?"
Feeling a bit embarrassed, she sat beside her. Glancing at the page she was reading, it was the magic corner. It seemed like she had been reading it before too.
Frallin nodded shyly at Sugar's words, fidgeting with her fingers and glancing sideways.
"Um... Sugar. About what I said earlier..."
"Ah. About looking for something?"
"Yeah... Can I talk about it...?"
Now she had the mind to talk? As a friend with many thoughts, her decision was cautious.
It was fine. Nodding immediately, Frallin kept glancing at Sugar, then at some point clenched her fist and opened her mouth.
"Recently... I went out again... to a somewhat distant city..."
"It happened."
It was annoying enough to follow the orphanage director and interview sponsors, and this time going to a far place. There was a good substitute at the time, so she pretended to be sick.
Lately, the director seemed to prefer the gentler child rather than the strangely arrogant Sugar.
Frallin also liked seeing outside, so everyone was happy.
"At that time... actually, I almost got into an accident..."
"What? What kind of accident?"
"Yeah... I almost got hit by a car."
Sugar's mouth opened.
"You... are you okay? No injuries?"
"Ah, that, I almost got hit, but I didn't get hit, I'm fine. No injuries anywhere..."
"Yeah... that's good then."
"There... actually, it was a big problem, but there was a person who helped me with magic..."
Frallin's cheeks flushed as she said that.
Oh. The hint was starting to click.
Was this girls' talk? Feeling excited, she quickly asked.
"So? That person? What did they say?"
"No, um... we didn't have a deep conversation... just asked if I was okay..."
So that's why she was so intently looking at the magic corner. She wanted to know something about that person.
Ah, it was fresh. This was what fresh meant. The feeling of wrapping her chest tightly was very delicious.
"What was their appearance like?"
"Blonde... a person waving a cape with embroidery from the Floating Island..."
"Yeah, yeah." Sugar nodded her head.
"Blonde? Blonde?"
"Yeah, blonde..."
"Hmm... blonde..."
"Eh... eh...?"
In the strange reaction, Frallin was babbling, and Sugar quickly opened her mouth.
"What age was it? Adult? Teenager?"
"Eh... not that many... around mid-teens? B-but why...?"
A mid-teen blonde male magician belonging to the Floating Island at this time.
This seemed like someone known. An original character from the original work. Probably the student council president at Stille.
"It doesn't matter. It's just that I personally don't like that color."
It wasn't that she didn't like that person.
A solid, national dish-like attribute common in subculture. Based on that, among the many blonde magicians in the original game, it was just because she disliked Ryly.
Rather, there were many characters she liked, but somehow that word came out.
"... Really?"
"That's what I mean, you can like it. Blonde. Good. Sparkling. It matches your eye color."
"B-but that's unrelated..."
Flustered by stimulating embarrassment, it shrank immediately.
"So, did you become interested in that person? Like looking for the newspaper?"
Without a word, blushing cheeks and nodding, Sugar frowned and clenched and unclenched her fist.
If only her personality was a bit more tsundere. Even half of Tommy's. Here, she would bully her a lot.
Feeling joy while seeing her face turn red and get angry, or unable to speak and tightly shut her mouth.
But Frallin was a gentle friend. Since she couldn't elicit the desired reaction, Sugar held back her desire and breathed out.
Just then, when she turned her head at the sudden presence.
A tsundere boy was standing there.
Sugar's first prey, with a more tsundere expression than usual, was looking down at Sugar.
"Tommy. Did you finish thinking?"
A friend who had been holed up in the attic since after lunch break, not coming out.
With a greeting, pretending to know, she opened her mouth with a face that didn't like it much. Maybe because of the wind blowing in her ear earlier?
"Why..."
"Yeah?"
"... Why don't you like blondes?"
"Eh."
It wasn't that, the dry dirt-colored hair friend who got fired up at an unexpected part.