...Make Sure to Draw It Over That Person's Magic Circle.
...Make Sure to Draw It Over That Person's Magic Circle.
She couldn't believe it.
The man in the mirror was someone Trixie knew all too well.
"Plan...."
It was unmistakably Plan. In the mirror, the Trixie who embraced him had a glint of emotion in her navy eyes.
Regret, affection, things she couldn't put a name to... none of it made sense to her.
CRACK—!
CRACK—!
A moment later, every mirror in the space began to shatter.
She wanted to see more of the scene inside the mirror, but she had no choice but to retreat.
Then, after every mirror lay in pieces.
"That's right."
"...!"
A voice dropped out of nowhere, and Trixie jolted.
It was the kind of voice that compelled a reaction — impossible to resist.
"You saw it correctly."
...Because the voice she was hearing was, of all things, her own.
Trixie moved to spin around.
"I wouldn't turn around. You'll end up trapped in an unknown space and never stop experiencing anomalies."
"...."
Trixie froze mid-motion.
"Good. I assume you've stopped now."
Trixie scrambled to recall the protocols. Even in a sudden situation like this, if she just followed the rules, surely nothing bad would happen....
"You're trying to recall the protocols, but there's no need. As long as you don't look this way, no anomaly will occur."
Her counterpart was reading her thoughts completely. The girl spoke without moving at all.
"What are you."
"The person you're guessing right now."
"No. That can't be."
She shook her head firmly. It couldn't be herself.
"But for a mage, nothing is impossible."
Nothing is impossible for a mage. Trixie had heard that saying plenty of times.
But she had never heard of anyone succeeding at time magic. Let alone that she herself had done it.
"If you don't believe me... look at the shards at your feet. That much is fine."
Trixie did.
Even the larger fragments were only the size of a palm, so she saw only pieces — a torso, legs, a collarbone.
"...It really is you."
She muttered it without thinking.
Divided into fragments, but recognizable enough. This, too, was undeniably "me."
The face was blurred — nothing visible except the mouth — but the atmosphere of the body was altogether that of a mature woman.
The white dress alone told her that. The design was far too distinct to be a ballet costume.
Trixie shook her head again.
"This is illusion magic."
She shut her eyes and covered her ears. According to protocol, all she had to do now was wait for someone to tap her on the back four times.
"It isn't an illusion. I am, with certainty, your future self."
But the voice came through even with her ears covered. Trixie had no choice but to ask.
"Then what is it. How are we even having a conversation."
"You might think of it as a conversation, but it isn't one. I'm just transmitting information one-way."
The woman continued.
"I remember every single thing my past self ever did and when. I simply recorded this to match that. Does that make sense now?"
"...You're saying this is just a recording?"
"Correct. A somewhat intricate recording."
Somewhat wasn't the word for it.
If the Trixie in the mirror was to be believed, she remembered every action she had taken at every moment in the past with zero margin for error.
And based on that, she had crafted a recording that spoke to her past self as naturally as a conversation. It wasn't an easy story to swallow.
'Is this a lie?'
This time, Trixie deliberately said nothing at all. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter and pressed her hands harder against her ears.
The other side burst out laughing.
"You're deliberately not speaking right now, aren't you? I remember that, too."
She ignored it.
"What would it take for you to believe me... Would the family precept do? If you wish to kindle something, first set yourself alight."
The exact words of the Fritz family precept. Trixie's eyes flew open.
"Making you open your eyes is truly difficult. You're so finicky, even for myself."
"Shut up."
Trixie strained to examine the figure in the mirror shards.
She desperately wanted to know what the other woman looked like, but the image was still too blurred to make out.
"You came here while waiting for Plan, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Right... that was the beginning."
The hazy lips curved into a faint smile.
It was the kind of smile her current self could never produce, and for a moment the girl Trixie simply stared, mesmerized.
'If that really is my future....'
Once she accepted that the other person was her future self, Trixie was suddenly flooded with questions.
"Hey. I have a lot I want to ask."
"Go ahead. Ask them all at once."
The girl Trixie quickly sorted through the questions in her mind. Then she began to let them out, one by one.
"Those scenes I saw in the mirror earlier — what were they."
Herself standing in the middle of the arena, herself clutching Plan and weeping... Trixie was still in turmoil.
"Also."
"I want to know if I defeat Plan in the duel. And whether I became Teaching-ssi's disciple, and who Teaching-ssi even is."
"Keep going."
"I want to know if I'll take part in the Subjugation Festival. Will I be able to grant my mother's wish."
"Hmm...."
The Trixie in the mirror gave an oddly drawn-out hum.
"I see. I'm only now remembering all the things I worried about back then."
That wasn't an answer. Trixie grew impatient.
"Just answer me."
But at that moment, the mature Trixie's face began to come into view.
...She was so beautiful it almost raised the question of whether this really was herself. The characteristic navy of her eyes had deepened into an incomparable, bottomless hue.
The mature Trixie and the girl Trixie's eyes met.
"The truth is... I didn't record this to give you those answers."
The gaze fixed on her was so deep and heavy that the girl Trixie had no idea what expression to make.
"Why are you looking at me like that. The answers."
"You'll learn those answers soon enough. More importantly."
The mature Trixie closed her eyes quietly.
"There's something I absolutely had to say to you... and that's why I made this recording."
She raised one hand to the mirror's surface. It was as if an invisible wall stood between the two women.
And as if handling something infinitely precious — as if she wanted to feel even a fraction more of it — she leaned her forehead against it.
"Trixie."
The mature Trixie said her own name, low and quiet.
"Yes."
"From now on, every day will bring something extraordinary."
"Extraordinary?"
The girl Trixie narrowed her eyes, and the mature Trixie nodded.
"Because of a single person, your entire life will be turned upside down."
"...Who?"
The girl Trixie openly grimaced.
The idea that someone else could upend her entire life — that notion alone revolted her.
"Trixie."
Instead of answering, the mature Trixie said her own name again.
"I have a request I must make of you. It concerns that one person."
The mature Trixie's voice was so achingly tender that the girl Trixie couldn't press further.
She extended her index finger and moved it. A vertical line.
"Remember this one stroke, without fail."
The mature Trixie's closed eyes opened, just a fraction.
"And someday, when the moment comes — when you know it's time."
She murmured in a voice thick with feeling.
"...Promise me. Trace it over his magic circle."
The moment Trixie's lips parted to ask something in return—
She was standing in front of the restaurant Harmony.
Not the white room strewn with shattered mirrors, but the very place where she'd eaten breakfast.
"Trixie."
"...!"
A familiar voice pierced her ear, jolting her back to her senses.
The one who'd called her name was Plan. She came to and found him standing right in front of her.
Neatly pressed clothes. Those quietly stirring red eyes.
Only when she met his gaze did Trixie realize she had returned to reality.
"...."
Trixie ran one hand down her other arm. Goosebumps covered her whole body, and she was drenched in sweat.
"You fell into an anomaly."
Plan nodded as if he'd known without asking.
"You don't need to answer. You had your eyes shut and your ears covered."
He gestured calmly with his chin.
"Let's go. The midterm evaluation has started."
What kind of anomaly she'd been through, what she'd seen and heard — Plan asked her nothing about it.
The scenes and the conversation lingered too vividly in Trixie's mind. They had been so lifelike she doubted she could ever forget.
Herself standing in the Swordsmanship Department's arena; the wistful expression as a single vertical stroke was shown to her, with the words to remember it without fail; the single person who would turn her whole life upside down.
...And herself clutching Plan, sobbing.
"...!"
When her thoughts reached that point, Trixie's face flushed red.
Before she knew it, she'd put five paces between herself and Plan.
"D-Don't come near me."
◈
"Yushia. Is it really that fascinating?"
Becky looked at Yushia, whose eyes were glittering, and asked.
The object currently holding Yushia's gaze was a magical ornament called a "Mana Fountain."
It expelled mana in tiny droplets, creating an elegant blue radiance and — as if that weren't enough — generating a rainbow.
"Look at this! It even makes rainbows!"
"Yeah... I see that...."
Becky let out a deep sigh.
Maybe it was because she was a commoner. At some point, Becky had developed the habit of instantly losing interest in anything that looked expensive.
The Mana Fountain was no different. It looked pricey at a glance, and to Becky's eyes, ornaments were nothing more than luxuries... so she couldn't care less.
"Yushia. Let's go look at something else now, come on."
"Wow~ this one's amazing too! Look at this!"
Becky, paired with Yushia, had been dragged around by her all day.
She hadn't even gotten near the magical perfumes she'd wanted to see. Out of patience, Becky scrunched up her face and opened her mouth.
"Hey... this is too much. Because of you, I've been—!"
"Ah, that reminds me! Miss Becky!"
Yushia cut her off. Becky swallowed her irritation and parted her lips.
"What."
"You said you were interested in the perfumes, didn't you? I'll buy you one!"
"...You."
What a truly good person.
Becky suddenly felt that her time with Yushia was precious.
─Students of Märchen Academy, please gather at once in the plaza.
But at that moment, a notice appeared in the air, written in blue letters. For Becky, it was fairly devastating news.
Yushia spoke, her face the picture of innocence.
"Miss Becky. It appears we must go immediately."
"Yeah. Looks like it...."
Becky considered asking whether the promise to buy her perfume still held later, but decided it would seem too shabby and dropped it.
"Could this be the midterm evaluation we saw in the genealogy records?"
At Yushia's question, Becky pressed her lip over her index finger.
"Be careful talking about that. If the officials overhear, they might change the schedule or format just out of spite."
Familiar faces were appearing all around. A stream of students heading toward the plaza formed naturally.
When they finally arrived at the plaza.
Serena stood there, her light-green hair cascading over her gray robes, waiting to greet the students.
"We meet again after a day. I am Serena."
She offered a courteous bow. Respect for the students colored her every movement.
"First — did you enjoy your free viewing this morning?"
Most of them nodded. The exhibition's many spectacles had been more than enough to delight their eyes.
"I'm glad to hear it."
Serena nodded and continued.
"Now things will become even more enjoyable. This afternoon, you'll have the chance to try the magical tools yourselves."
The students' eyes began to gleam.
Being reduced to only looking at these rarities had been a quiet torment, so the chance to try them was naturally welcome news.
"There are restrictions, of course, but...."
She snapped her fingers, and a total of eight bracelets appeared in the air. What was written on them was obvious.
Harmonization, Malleability, Destruction, Support.... The bracelets were categorized by magic type.
"Please select a type. Once you put on the bracelet and arrive at the corresponding area, an official will help you with the experience."
Yushia raised her hand high.
"I have a question!"
"Yes. Please, ask freely."
Serena answered with a faint smile.
"Can we not take all eight at once?!"
"No. Based on the Magic Tower's test results, if you experience a magical tool more than once, there is a high probability you will overload."
You couldn't even argue with safety concerns. Yushia accepted it easily and lowered her hand.
Serena swept her gaze around the students once.
The announcement hadn't been particularly difficult, so no one had any further questions.
If anything, their faces were full of anticipation. Their expressions practically screamed that they wanted to hurry up and try the tools.
"Good. Then we will begin distributing the bracelets."
Just as the bracelets in the air began to move—
"...!"
Serena halted, frozen. Her eyes were wide open.
The watching students' faces grew puzzled.
"Miss Serena...?"
"Are you all right?"
One second, two seconds, three seconds — Serena's pause lengthened.
The bracelets in the air lost their telekinetic hold and clattered messily to the ground. Serena barely managed to move a hand and clutch at her chest.
"Ngh...."
Serena's appearance began to change.
To be precise, the feeling she gave off flipped completely.
The solid, real Serena began turning two-dimensional. Simultaneously, four borders appeared and enclosed her in a rectangle.
What was completed was a single frame — identical in form to the borders that held Sapour's art pieces.
Thud. It toppled to the ground.
"Wh-what?"
"What just happened?"
The students clustered around the frame. Even having seen it with their own eyes, they couldn't believe what had just occurred.
[ ]
*
The work's title and description were both blank.
"What is this? Isn't this serious?"
"Is this... part of the midterm evaluation?"
"Idiot! They said demon beasts were coming out!"
As the commotion swelled, something wrote itself in the description field.
*Is anyone there.
The students' eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
"Words just appeared!"
"It, it's asking if anyone's there?"
The murmuring spread like wildfire. The growing uproar was impossible to contain.
"Look at this! The words are changing!"
*If you are, please call an official. I'm having trouble breathing.
The words really did change. And Serena, trapped inside the frame, started to move.
She began pounding on the glass of the frame with her fist like mad.
─.
But no sound came out, which made it all the more grotesque.
*I'm scared. It's so cramped. I can't see anything.
The students could only stand by and watch the spectacle.
*It's suffocating. Please, get me out.
"...."
The uproar that had spread like a wildfire suddenly died. Everyone, paralyzed with fear, stared silently at the description field.
*Get me out. Get me out. Get me out.
The text in the description field was changing in real time even now.
*Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out.Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out. Please get me out.
And then, at last, the work received a title.
[ Evaluation Start! ]