Louis, This Is Plan.
Louis, This Is Plan.
"I'll begin."
Becky closed her eyes and focused her mind.
Blue mana swirled above her cupped palms and then seized the water in one corner of the lab. Water and mana coiled together, reshaping into a new form.
A rectangular block of ice.
As Plan's attention shifted toward her, Becky spoke up on her own.
"Professor Violet seems to especially favor the Manipulation type. So from here on, I'm going to carve the ice through manipulation."
Still sitting cross-legged, Linne added,
"Do it like you always do, Becky. Shock 'em."
Linne's face brimmed with confidence. Her lips tilted up in an expression that didn't entertain the possibility of defeat in the slightest.
Becky steadied her breathing. Of all the elements she'd handled over the years, ice was the one, so as long as she didn't make a mistake, it should go fine.
She closed her eyes and manipulated her magic power.
A sharpened edge of power met the ice with a rough, almost savage sound. She carved, and carved, following the image she held in her mind's eye.
At last, a single ice flower was complete.
A flower so famous there was hardly a soul who wouldn't recognize it. A rose.
"Well?"
Wearing a confident expression, Linne asked. Becky, too, looked toward Plan with a face that held some measure of expectation.
"Hm."
Plan had received countless requests for advice throughout his life.
From career concerns—what subject to major in—to demands that he review and correct theoretical papers.
The requests had been varied, but the impact of the answers Plan gave had always been immense.
A student who decided to devote their entire life to a school he'd merely suggested in passing. A scholar who wept simply because he'd added a few lines to their work...
Yet even for a man like him, there was one thing he found difficult: questions concerning beauty.
The eye with which one regarded that value differed from person to person, making it hard to apply a simple yardstick.
All the same, even so.
"...Surely this academy doesn't hand out an A for work of this caliber."
Plan delivered his assessment with full confidence.
"......!"
Everyone in the lab was thrown into shock.
The reason Plan could confidently dismiss the beauty Becky had produced was simple.
Before even getting to the standard of beauty, the manipulation itself was immature.
"It's... that bad?"
Becky asked. Plan gave a quiet nod.
"What's... what's so bad about it?"
"Everything."
"Right from the... start?"
At a loss, Becky's mouth opened and closed. Linne, who'd been listening from the side, gave a derisive snort.
"Oh sure, 'guess you'd better redo it'—anyone in the world can say crap like that. Hey. If you're so great, do it yourself."
To Plan, Linne's sneering attitude was nothing short of laughable.
The reason he hesitated wasn't fear. It was purely because it was a hassle.
First, it was a hassle. Second, the amount of mana this body could store wasn't large.
It took a full day to completely refill mana that had been utterly exhausted.
Plan himself was also in the position of having to prepare for a test, so he couldn't afford to expend too much mana here.
But Plan set aside the hassle and decided to examine Becky's magic for her.
He had promised to review it, and, more than anything, Becky's anxious figure looked as pitiful as a mouse caught in the rain.
Plan walked over calmly and stood before Becky.
"A rose will do, I take it."
"Rose? Ah... well, that is..."
Becky spoke halfway and then flicked a glance toward Linne. But Linne, wearing an arrogant expression, waved a hand about.
"Don't mind me, just relax, Becky. Seeing how cocky he is, I'm sure he'll handle anything. Right?"
Hearing that answer, Becky hesitated, then opened her mouth again.
"Columbine. I'd originally meant to make a columbine flower."
"A columbine, is it."
Plan briefly recalled the flower's appearance.
A curious shape, with another flower blooming atop the first—that flower, also called a granny's bonnet, was probably the one.
"Produce some ice."
"To make a columbine flower? Ah, but that shape is so complex that even I gave up..."
"The flower's shape isn't the issue. The ice."
"Ah, right."
Becky stretched both hands out before her.
Once more mana stirred, and the lab's water gathered to form a rectangular block of ice.
"This time, attempt to manipulate it with the columbine as your target."
Plan's stepping in to do it from start to finish would be of no particular help to Becky.
That would be little more than a display of virtuosity performed in front of her.
So he intended to review her work by assisting her. This approach also consumed vastly less mana.
"...Got it. Starting."
After a deep breath, Becky began manipulating the flow of mana.
With a grinding, crackling sound, the ice began to be carved away. Plan stood quietly behind and observed the process.
Becky's movements were confident at first, shaving away the ice in swift strokes. But before long, they grew heavy with hesitation.
Her eyes fixed on the ice, Becky's lips moved slightly.
"It's... columbine always hits a wall right here. The petal details are just too hard."
Plan shook his head. The current problem wasn't the detail.
Right now, Becky's manipulation was rushed. Her mana's rotation rate was roughly 23 times per second.
Certainly, he acknowledged that the cutting force of mana rotating as many as 23 times a second was excellent.
But a rotation rate of 23 is only used when one can handle it.
Using mana not backed by ability is no different from clinging desperately to the back of an uncontrollable horse.
What matters most in manipulation is completion. Speed comes after.
Meanwhile, when no answer came back from behind her, Becky naturally grew anxious.
She glanced back and asked,
"Plan? Why aren't you saying anyth— uh, uuh?"
No, she had turned to glance back and ask, but couldn't.
Suddenly, Plan's scent pricked the tip of her nose with a whuff. When she came to her senses, Plan's hand was resting atop the back of her own.
Becky recoiled, startled. The posture was practically as if he were embracing her from behind.
"H-hey! Wh-what are you doing!"
"It can't be helped. I'm not exactly thrilled about it either."
There wasn't a shred of falsehood in Plan's words.
In truth, this posture was simply optimal for assisting another's magic while minimizing mana consumption.
"I'll provide support. Remember this sensation."
"Wh-what? What sensation? Remember what?"
In lieu of an answer, Plan calmly lowered her rotation rate. Around 14 times per second would be sufficient.
"What matters is the rotation rate."
Such a sensation has no meaning that can be conveyed with words.
It only takes on meaning once it is explained through magic, and learned firsthand through magic.
That, in the first place, was why Plan had termed this act a 'review.'
He would only examine and judge Becky's magic. What she did with that judgment was entirely up to her.
"Hey! P-Plan...! Huh...?"
Becky's mouth, which had been trying to shout something with her face gone bright red, quietly fell open.
She couldn't help it.
Because the ice forming before her palms was, at some point, taking on the shape of a columbine flower with near-perfect accuracy.
Linne and Tir both swallowed dryly without realizing it as they watched the situation unfold.
"Once you've understood it, the rest is easy. In this manner..."
However, Plan's explanation couldn't be tied off. Because with a snap, the flower broke off.
And it didn't merely end at breaking off. With a soft puff, it scattered in all directions.
"......"
Plan pulled his body away from Becky, and a moment of silence settled.
"Pft."
The silence was first broken by Linne's laughter.
"P, pfft, pwahaha...!"
Linne couldn't hold back the laughter.
The ice had shattered into splinters and scattered everywhere. No matter how you looked at it, it was an abject failure.
With tears even welling in the corners of her eyes, Linne continued.
"For crying out—of course that happened. Smashing perfectly good ice to bits is what you call 'assistance'?"
Linne casually brushed a finger over the ice fragments that had splattered onto her academy uniform.
"Hey, this is what we call talking a big game. Got it? What's with all the posturing when you're nothing special... If tomorrow's your test, worry about yourself."
Regardless, Plan turned his back on them.
He had kept his promise with Becky, so there was no reason to remain in this space. Now, whether or not she found the answer was a matter of Becky's own ability.
Plan retraced the directions to the shop that Becky had pointed out. And without hesitation, he moved his steps toward it.
"Get lost. And don't ever come back!"
After Plan had left, Linne shouted toward the door of the lab.
After yelling until her anger had subsided, Linne threw an arm around Becky's shoulder.
"Becky, just ignore guys like that. They coast on their face and put on airs. Guys are pretty much all like that. Once your test is done tomorrow, let's see what grade he gets."
"......"
"Why aren't you answering? Becky?"
"Ah."
Only then did Becky lift her head. Linne let out a short laugh.
"What's with you, spacing out like that? Were you interested in him, too?"
"N-no, absolutely not. No way."
Becky's face was still flushed. Her gaze went back to her own palm.
"What matters is the rotation rate..."
She quietly murmured Plan's words.
That feeling she was almost able to grasp. Linne kept chattering busily after that, but not a single word reached Becky's ears.
'Plan didn't make a single mistake.'
The one who'd broken the ice in the first place had been Becky herself.
◈
The Magic Department's shop was, at the very least, far larger and more massive than I had expected.
The interior was already packed with a multitude of students roaming about. But every gaze was fixed solely on the merchandise.
An array of products arranged in neat order. Some looked unfamiliar at a glance; others I had seen before.
"Welcome~"
A voice sounded suddenly right next to my ear, and irritation surged up instantly. Though of course I let none of it show on the surface.
Examining closely, something was flitting around my head.
A small female body and four wings. A fairy.
"Ah, a pleasure to see you."
"Pleasure to see you~? That's banmal, you know~"
The fairy before me tilted its head. I corrected my speech.
"A pleasure to see you."
"Sure, sure~"
However, since I'd only ever seen fairies in data while researching ancient magic, this was the first time seeing one in person.
"So, what business brings a student here~? I haven't seen this face before~"
The green fairy chattered on animatedly.
"In need of some magic scrolls~? Or perhaps elixirs? Ah~ we do of course carry wands and staves as well."
It glided freely without any sort of protection, but on closer inspection, a circular barrier enveloped its body.
A curiosity I couldn't suppress welled up.
If, say, I were to fix that barrier in place, what would happen? Would the fairy be fixed in place as well?
My hand moved before I knew it.
"If you need anything, just say the— kyak?!"
As if an insect were being taxidermied, she stuck fast in midair with a pop.
"Wh-what?! What's this all of a sudden?"
The fairy whimpered and struggled.
Only then did I grasp the situation and hurriedly released the taxidermy spell. Nor did I forget to hide my hand behind my back.
'Fixing the barrier fixes the fairy as well.'
With that, the curiosity was resolved. Now I truly just needed to buy my things.
Though there were various items, the one with the highest priority had already been decided.
"Eesh, what in the world was that just now..."
"I am looking for a Trivia, you see."
The fairy, who'd been clenching and unclenching its fists, suddenly jerked its head up and thrust its face toward mine.
"...So, like~ that's~ still banmal~"
Only then did I realize I'd spoken informally again. Addressing someone else with deference was proving terribly difficult to get used to.
Ahem, after clearing my throat, I opened my mouth again.
"I am looking for a Trivia."
"Sure, sure~ Good heavens, no Trivia? Follow me this way!"
The fairy beat her wings fervently and led me deeper into the shop.
"What kind of material were you thinking for the cover~? The hottest seller lately is the mahogany cover, but male students tend to like something neat. Leather, then?"
"What might the price range be."
How long had it been since I last had to consider the cost of an item? Having asked, I was surprised at myself.
"Ah~ if you're of a noble house, it shouldn't be too burdensome. There are also discounts depending on your grade~"
"Not a noble, and my grade is F."
"Hm?"
The fairy, who had been fluttering along, suddenly stopped in her flight. With a look of trouble, she scratched the bridge of her nose.
"Your grade is... F? You don't look it at all..."
Then, her friendly attitude vanished entirely, and with a flat expression, the fairy brought out a Trivia with a black paper cover.
It was familiar somehow—it was exactly the same as Becky's.
"That'll be 15 Necl."
"Here."
The allowance Scarlett had given me was 20 Necl, so I had effectively used up all the money I had on hand.
My business was finished. I was about to leave the shop without hesitation.
"!"
All of a sudden I bumped into someone and dropped the Trivia.
The sensation of running into someone was unfamiliar. In my former world, I had always kept a barrier up around me.
"You should watch where you're going. Are you okay?"
The male student I'd bumped into was remarkably handsome. An immensely tall build, absurdly broad shoulders.
If the body I was in was barely a beginning, his was already close to a finished form. A physique that wouldn't lose out even to a knight's.
"Thanks."
I gave a short nod and was about to take the notebook back.
"Oh my, isn't that Plan?"
Some girl cut in. Her blonde hair and blue eyes were quite familiar.
She spotted the Trivia in my hand and let out a puff of laughter.
"After Basic Magic... and now a Trivia? You bought the cheapest one, didn't you."
I hadn't placed the face at first, but seeing the name 'Hailey' on her nameplate jogged my memory.
Hailey tapped the arm of the male student beside her and spoke.
"No answer? Louis, this is Plan. The one I told you about the other day."
Hailey, she was the first person I'd encountered after falling into this world.