[371] Steel Gate (1)
It was the opening day of the magic school.
Shirone woke up early in the morning and folded the blankets and packed her things.
Kubrick was also handy in real life. Miscellaneous items were distributed among 6 slots, and Armand was placed in a separate slot. It was to prepare for an emergency.
When I left the room and went down the stairs, Olina greeted me with a smile.
“Are you ready? What about the bag?”
“I got it. It is here.”
Sirone held out her palm to show the ring.
Olina, staring at her son’s mischievous face, turned away without asking.
It was she who realized that her son was a wizard after the Kazura incident.
“Come quickly and eat. I will be late.”
Sirone stared at Olina’s back for a long time. She was the only mother in the world.
“I love you, mom. And thank you.”
As Sirone hugged her waist, Olina’s hand stopped.
Of course, at home, he is the only child with a lot of aegyo. However, the mother’s sense of smell sensed the heavy fate contained in her son’s voice.
‘I don’t know what’s going on this time… God, please protect this child.’
After recovering her smile, Olina turned around and stabbed Sirone in the head.
“This.”
“ouch!”
“It’s all grown up and it’s childish. And don’t touch a lady’s belly casually.”
After washing his face, Vincent said while wiping his face with a towel.
“Well then! I can never give up as much as my mother, Shirone. So, hurry up and go to school, Amy…!”
“Don’t mess around and have a meal.”
“yes.”
Vincent sat down at the table with the steps of a soldier. Sirone’s laughter lit up the kitchen. I hoped that the present happiness would continue forever.
* * *
When I arrived at the school in the Ogent family’s carriage, the front gate was crowded with people.
It was a new semester, and the parents were nagging at eye level with the younger children.
When a voice announced that the entrance ceremony would begin, countless students overtook Sirone.
But Sirone was full of composure. Since the senior class event was held at 2:00 PM at the steel gate, and the dorm had already moved, I was thinking of going to the study group and spending time with my friends.
“hi?”
Hearing Amy’s voice, Sirone smiled and turned her head. But soon, the happy expression disappeared and both eyes widened.
“Uh uh uh?”
“Why are you so surprised? Like a red-haired girl seeing you for the first time.”
Amy’s red hair was cut above her shoulders. The hair slightly covered both cheeks and the bangs were trimmed in an asymmetrical straight shape.
Amy twitched her lips as if holding back a laugh, and ran a hand through her hair.
“How do I look?”
“uh? Is that… pretty?”
Embarrassedly, she slapped Sirone on the shoulder, stampeding her feet, and laughed.
“What is it? Do you feel that there is something different about your resolution besides your appearance?”
“Ah yes. How can I say something sharper?”
“Hmm?”
Amy sat in her own thoughts with a satisfied face, then came back and asked.
“How was it anyway? Did you finish your job well at the Association?”
“huh. I asked about heaven and did some field trips.”
Sirone evaded it as long as it did not contain lies. I couldn’t reveal even a secret that even my best friend in the world couldn’t handle.
Amy smiled subtly, but didn’t ask anything.
After two months of meeting her, her confidence was definitely up.
“It looks good on you, but why did you cut your hair?”
“just. I am tired of training and I want to start anew.”
Amy is a promising graduate candidate who rose to 5th place in the graduating class last year.
As the key is to get out of the 2nd year jinx, it seemed that they had made a strategy to start from the beginning.
“Are you here early anyway? The event starts at 2:00. Are you going to meet the fool duo?”
“huh. I’m going to meet Iruki and Nade and go up together. you?”
Amy pointed with her thumb at an uphill road in the distance.
“I am a steel door. You should be ready to meet. Oh right. Just say ‘I’ later.”
“me?”
When Sirone pointed at herself and asked, Amy shook her head.
“No, not you, but me. Understand? It’s okay if it’s me unconditionally.”
“What does that mean?”
“I know it when I see it at the WhoWho event. You will be very grateful to me. Then see you at the steel gate at 2:00.”
Amy wrinkled her nose, smiled, and turned around. As her hair style changed, her personality seemed brighter than before, but Sirone still hasn’t adapted to it.
Amy put her hands behind her back, turned around and spoke.
“Welcome to Hell.”
“haha! Yes thank you very much.”
Amy giggled at what was so exciting and walked away.
A smile appeared on Shirone’s lips as he turned around shaking his head as if he couldn’t stop it.
‘Yeah, I’m finally standing in the same place.’
I thought I knew why Amy was in a good mood.
* * *
Supernatural Psychic Research Society.
Iruki looked at the blackboard full of formulas and was lost in thought.
I finally entered my graduating class. But to be honest, I just happened to come this far.
‘Are you going to be a wizard? I?’
It is a place where you can come whenever you want. At least Iruki thought so.
What made him stagnant was the fear of how his monstrous brain would be used in the world.
‘In the end, I came all the way here following Sirone.’
It wasn’t a bad feeling. The reason why he can stay calm even when the graduation exam is one year away is probably because he has a huge control device called Sirone installed in his brain.
“Yes, Sirone is a wizard by profession. Are you preparing well?”
To be honest, Sirone has nothing to worry about. As long as I have a firm goal, I will never stop.
‘On the other hand, Nade…’
It’s highly likely that he didn’t do anything this time either.
He’ll probably be stuck in a warehouse and come back from making strange contraptions all day.
It’s unfortunate, but I can’t help it. Nade didn’t want to be a wizard.
‘Has it been six years already?’
Six years ago, Iruki was expelled from the Royal Magic School and transferred to Alpheas Magic School.
Of course, his personality was still eccentric, so no one wanted to hang out with him.
Iruki also had no interest in friendship. The only person who caught his eye was Nade.
A boy who always sits at the back of the classroom and stares at the blackboard with bloody eyes.
‘Hmm, he’s an unusual guy.’
Iruki, who had been watching Nade for several days, asked his classmates with his characteristic brazenness.
“Nade? I don’t know either. don’t speak The grades seem to be coming out just fine.”
“I hate Nade. Should I say gloomy? It seems like a pervert.”
“Why are you curious about Nade? You’d better not touch it. Your eyes are so fierce.”
Iruki could roughly guess what Nade’s school life was like.
One day, after a few days, Ned came to Iruki’s seat. His eyes were as cold as ice.
Iruki calmly raised his hand.
“hi? what’s the matter?”
“Are you the one who goes after me?”
How to get stepped on if the tail is long. When rumors spread that Iruki had been asking about Nade, the person in question had come directly.
“Research? Why am I examining your ass?”
A foot and a laugh erupted from somewhere. At the same time, Ned’s fist hit Iruki’s chin.
Iruki, who fell at the same time as the chair, fell to the floor and couldn’t move.
“Ask again. Are you the one who goes after me?”
“Two.”
Iruki spat bloody saliva and slowly stood up.
But it’s a deception tactic. He rushed right in and attempted to poke the eye with two fingers.
“Oh!”
Iruki’s arms stretched out. His fingers barely stopped in front of Nade’s eyes as he bent his upper body.
Even so, Nade’s expression did not change.
“…”
Raising his arms, Iruki took a pose imitating a snake and prepared to fight.
The atmosphere rapidly cooled, and the faces of the lower class children turned pale.
“Whoa.”
Nade took a long breath as he watched Iruki’s ridiculous posture.
I don’t know how such an idiot got into magic school, but it was best not to deal with it.
“I warn you, don’t pay attention to me again. I really won’t let you go then.”
“Nope? Why should I listen to you?”
A ferocious energy flashed in Nade’s eyes.
“You… really die.”
“know. I am human too, so someday I will die. Are you stupid?”
Nade heard his reason break. The reason why he didn’t throw his fist right now was because he could kill Iruki.
“See me after class. Come out where I said.”
“Hoho, is this the after-school duel we’ve only heard about? but are you okay? I’m pretty strong.”
Nade turned around without even replying.
If you don’t get scared and come out, that’s it.
But if he comes out… Iruki will not be able to go to school from tomorrow.
“Ah, my fist is spicy.”
Raising a chair, Iruki sat down and kissed his lips.
Class started, but Nade did not come.
The weather was gloomy, and by the end of class gray clouds were covering the sky.
Iruki caressed his swollen cheeks and looked at the sky outside the window.
‘It’s going to rain.’
Lightning flashed, followed by a thunderclap that tore the world apart.
In the blinding rain, electric shocks and explosions were biting each other’s tails without giving them a chance to breathe.
“haha.”
Iruki lowered his chin and let out a rough breath. The raindrops hitting the top of my head soon became hot, and raindrops trickled down my drenched hair.
Only the eyes were alive. His focus was still keenly piercing the darkness in the rain.
Nade’s silhouette was visible through the curtain of heavy rain.
Every time the bolts wriggled like eels, parts of the silhouette regained color, but the monster-like face I saw at first was never revealed.
‘This is a bit serious.’
Iruki had to admit that his calculations were wrong.
I thought he was no ordinary guy, and he really was. But in this case, even beyond the normal range, it went too far.
Iruki’s voice penetrated the rain.
“You… how did you become ‘that way’?”
Nade approached, raising the sound of splashing water. In the place where the terrible expression was erased, only the feeling of not being able to do it remained.
“What the hell is it? Why are you interested in me?”
“It’s not interest, it’s exploration. I’ve been looking for something lately.”
“Looking for it? what?”
“As you can see, I am a genius. He’s a really awesome genius. Depending on how I use my ability, it could be disastrous. Maybe kill a lot of people. So I need someone who can control me.”
Nade didn’t laugh at it or take it seriously.
“Killing a lot of people?”
“If it were you, you would know. If it’s my ability, it’s possible enough.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Nade said with cold eyes.
“you. Have you ever killed someone?”
A huge clap of thunder shook the world.
Iruki turned away from the blackboard with a bitter smile.
The opponent who fought until the brink of death has now become an irreplaceable friend.
Of course, Nade’s personality became milder after the incident at the time and a little more time later.
But at least it was from then that he accepted Iruki as a friend.
“Hey comrade. How long is this reunion?”
Nade kicked in the door, stood up straight, and saluted. Iruki recalled the memories of six years ago and laughed involuntarily.
(End of Volume 15)
—————————
