Sutekina smiled at Reiki and said. “Don’t be discouraged, Reiki. On the bright side, you have the spoiled choice of picking an element…” She let out a long exhale and turned her head toward the students who were pointing and smiling at the crystal ball with the seven colors Reiki touched. Sutekina saw Takahashi and said. “Class rep.” Takahashi turned her head and saw that the teacher called for her. She made her way toward Sutekina and said. “Yes, Sensei?” Sutekin glanced at the crystal Reiki touched, she said. “Don’t write down the result of his crystal.”

 

Takahashi glanced at the crystal that was brightly shining seven colors and said. “... Yes, Sensei…” She made her way back to the other students who were finished finding out their element while Sutekina moved some hair behind her ear. She thought. … Nee-san isn’t going to like this… She moved her gaze onto Reiki who was staring at the crystal, he thought. … One of those pale shades of blue has to be ice. Sutekina said. “Reiki, you can head home early.” Reiki quickly turned his head to face her and said. “Really?” Sutekina stared at him for a couple of seconds, she thought. Nothing like seeing your students eager to learn.

 

She said. “After, Kireina and I have a talk with you in her office. I’ll send one of the few teachers we have to fetch you when we're ready.”  Reiki nodded at her and pointed at the crystal with seven colors using his thumb, he said. “Is that supposed to be a good or a bad sign?” Sutekina turned her head as she stared at the crystal ball he pointed at, she thought. … The only silver lining here is that we found him early… She turned her head at him and said. “Reiki, I’m going to be honest with you… You have to work hard to make any sort of progress with magic… I’ll see you in the head office in ten or so minutes…”

 

She made her way to the door while Reiki glanced and saw that all the other students were avoiding the crystal ball he used. He thought. Ender which elements are those supposed to be? Reiki placed his hands inside his pocket while Ender’s voice rang in his head. Ender said. [The first were fire, water, earth, and wind. One of the light shades of blue is ice while the other one is lightning, the last one being nature.]

 

Reiki’s brows furrowed, he thought. Nature is an element you can be born with?... That sounds very useful for agriculture and crossbreeding poisonous plants. A few seconds passed by as Ender didn’t say anything, Reiki continued his train of thought. Might as well head back to class, at least I can sit down on a chair over there.

 

________________________________________________________________________________

Headmaster’s Office

 

Kireina was sitting behind a wooden work table, she glanced at the door and said. “It’s open.” The door opened revealing her little sister. Kireina's lips curled into a smile as her eyes had a hint of expectation, she said. “What’s his element?” Sutekina made her way to the work table and closed the door behind her, she said. “... Seven…” Kireina froze in her seat as a moment of silence passed, she said. “... Sutekina, this is a poorly timed joke.” She tried to discern if her little sister was joking while Sutekina shook her head sideways.

 

Kireina used her hand to comb her long hair back in frustration, she let out a long sigh and said. “... This is fine… We found him early and we just need to make sure he focuses on two elements…” She waved her hand as an armchair appeared behind her little sister. Sutekina sat down on the chair as she had a pondering look on her face, she said. “... Should we just cut out losses and return empty-handed?” She noticed the slight glare her older sister was giving her, Sutekina continued. “What? You can’t blame me for thinking that. His lineage is cursed.”

 

Kireina’s pupils faintly glowed, she said. “Sutekina!” Her little sister spread her arms and said. “It’s true, he barely had the qualifications to be called a mage. Reiki on the other hand is gifted with mana but got seven, what are you supposed to call it other than cursed?” Kireina slowly inhaled as her glowing pupils slowly dissipated, she said. “That boy is our only hope of being able to step foot back on the mainland. If we play our cards right and help him to a certain degree, we can even ask for support.”

 

Sutekina leaned on the backrest of the armchair, she looked out the window at the side and said. “I thought it was crazy trying to look for him… Now that we miraculously found the boy I’m starting to have second thoughts…” Kireina stared at her little sister, she said. “Do you want to kill that woman or not?” Sutekina’s pupils glowed a bright light blue color, she spoke in a cold tone and said. “No, I’m not going to kill that bitch. I’m going to torture her for the rest of her life…”

 

The glow in her eyes instantly vanished, Sutekina continued. “That or I get bored and just inject her with a large dose of slow-acting poison.” Kireina’s brows furrowed, she said. “Not even going to talk about your fiance?” Sutekina moved her eyes away from the window and onto her older sister, she said. “Ex-fiance, don’t forget the bitch made a long speech on how everything that I had was supposed to be hers at the beginning.” She rolled her eyes and continued. “... I’m leaning on suggesting he learn water and ice.”

 

Kireina pursed her lip, she said. “Really?” Sutekina’s eyes widened slightly, she spoke in a slightly defensive tone and said. “Water magic is versatile and ice can be used both offensive and defensive.” Kireina placed her elbow on the work table, rested her chin on the palm of her hand, and said. “You think she would approve of him learning that kind of magic.” Sutekina started thinking while her older sister continued. Kireina said. “How about we tip the scale in one favor? He should double dip in offense and learn fire and lightning.”

 

Sutekina let out a laugh while Kireina let out a scoff and said. “It’s a lot better than making him into a balanced mage whose only value is healing and ice walls.” Sutekina pointed at her older sister, she said. “Hey, I only suggested it to start this topic.” Kireina let out a chuckle and said. “We’ll be fine as long as he doesn’t pick earth.” The twins started laughing as the two high-fived each other. Sutekina wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, she said. “If I recall, didn’t the second dragon release a manual on how to use earth magic?”

 

Kireina nodded at her and said. “He did, but it took him thirty-five years and the first one was interested in earth magic's potential and another two years of hellish training under her wing. I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to wait that long.” Sutekina glanced at the door, she said. “How about we hear his opinion and start from there?” Kireina thought for a moment and said. “Let’s hope for the best that he doesn't pick earth.” Sutekina stood up from the seat as she let out a laugh, she said. “If you jinx this, I’m going to kill you myself.”

 

She made her way to the door while Kireina waved her hand as the armchair vanished. Sutekina closed the door on her way out leaving her older sister alone in the room. Kireina stared out the window and thought. … Both of them have their own problems with magic…

 

________________________________________________________________________________

Classroom

 

~Five Minutes Later~

 

Reiki was sitting on a chair as he balanced his seat with the two back legs while leaning back as he placed both his feet on the desk. He thought. I forgot to tell one of them to switch the lock on my shoe cupboard… And I need Sutekina to call Ketsueki and make sure she’s aware I didn’t ditch school… At the corner of the room were the group of boys who arranged their tables and chairs as they sat together. Teiko glanced at him from the corner of his eye, he spoke under his breath and said. “Look who also got in trouble.”

 

Reiki let out a yawn, he said. “I will beat you up again.” Teiko let out a mocking scoff while Suzuki quickly placed both his arms on his desk and pretended to sleep. Reiki stopped balancing the chair he was sitting on with the back of its legs as he created a soft thud which put Teiko on edge. Teiko said. “W-What? You wanna go?” Reiki turned his head while Teiko quickly turned his head to avoid eye contact. Reiki said. “Sensei, it’s open.” The door slid open revealing a male teacher wearing a dark blue tracksuit.

 

The teacher searched the classroom and said. “Um… Which one of you is Akihito-san?” Reiki raised his hand which got the teacher’s attention, he said. “That would be me Sensei, what’s the matter?” The teacher turned his head to face the plain-faced kid with unkempt and scraggly hair, he said. “I haven’t seen you around here.” He made his way inside the classroom while completely ignoring the group of boys on the opposite side of the room. The teacher gave Reiki a big friendly smile, he said. “Ogawa, nice to meet you Akihito-san.”

 

Reiki kept a straight face and thought. Overfriendly… He wants something from me or is eyeing something I currently have in possession Ogawa reached out his right hand to him as Reiki quickly stood up from his seat. He gave Ogawa a light bow and said. “Nice to make your acquaintance, Sensei.” Ogawa let out a laugh as he placed his hands on his hip, he said. “Likewise, the principal wanted me to walk you to her office.” Reiki kept a polite smile on his face, he thought. They just forgot to mention I’ve been to the principal’s office before?

 

He said. “Lead the way Sensei.” Ogawa nodded at him as he did a half turn and made his way toward the door he didn’t close. Reiki followed him as he glanced at the group of boys keeping their heads down. He closed the door on his way out while making sure he walked behind Ogawa and was roughly just out of arm's reach. Ogawa led Reiki down the hallway while keeping his head face to the front. Ogawa said. “It’s my first time seeing you here, Akihito-san. What happened? Did you get sick?”

 

Reiki stared at the back of the teacher with a scrutinizing gaze, he thought. Ogawa… I don’t remember him in the normal world… He said. “I got food poisoning followed by a fever.” Ogawa took a right turn as Reiki stopped at the corridor as he noticed the sound of footsteps behind him came to a sudden stop. Ogawa slowly stopped walking as he turned his upper body sideways to look behind him, he said. “Akihito-san? What’s wrong?” Reiki pointed at the left and said. “We can reach the principal’s office faster by going this way, Sensei.”

 

Ogawa glanced at the hallway Reiki was pointing at, he let out a laugh and said. “My bad, I was planning on getting you to lend me a hand to carry a few things.” Reiki smiled at him, he said. “Sensei, if you had asked first I would’ve helped you. But since the principal personally asked for me we can’t have her wait too long.” Ogawa returned the smile as he walked past him and said. “Sorry about that. I’ll make sure to ask first next time.” Reiki’s eyes turned semi-hollow and empty, he maintained a set distance from the teacher. He thought. A world filled with magic and monsters… And you need a kid's help that has a high likelihood of not knowing any magic…

 

Reiki’s eyes slowly turned back to normal, he continued his train of thought. Ender, just making sure. He can use magic, right? The two of them walked up a set of stairs while Ender’s voice rang in his head. He said. [He can, using this plane’s standard, be near the bottom of the barrel.] Both of them reached the top of the flight of stairs as they took a left turn. Ogawa said. “During gym, I’ll pay extra attention to you. From your frail build and unhealthy white skin, anyone can tell you need to go out more.”

 

The two of them reached the door leading into the principal's office. Ogawa stopped beside the door as he gestured at it, he said. “Here it is, judging by how the headmaster’s expression wasn’t urgent I can guarantee you’re not in trouble.” He gave him a slight smile and continued. “Hopefully, I’ll get to see you in gym class tomorrow.” Reiki gave him a polite bow, he said. “I’ll be in your care.” Ogawa let out a chuckle, he started making his way back to the staircase and said. “Goodbye, Akihito-san.”

 

Reiki waved at the teacher, he said. “Goodbye, Sensei. Thank you for leading me to the principal's office.” With eyes filled with suspicion, he thought. He’s definitely after something that I have… But the question is what?... Reiki shook his head sideways and continued his train of thought. Not like I have anything to be worried about. He placed his hand on the doorknob and opened the door. Reiki made his way inside the office as he closed the door behind him, he said. “Before we start I have two things to ask.”

 

Kireina was sitting on a chair behind a wooden desk while Sutekina was leaning on the desk while she was holding onto a notepad and a fountain pen. Kireina stared at him and said. “Reiki, there’s a thing called knocking. I would recommend you learn it.” With a wave of her hand, a couch appeared in front of the desk as Reiki made his way toward it. Reiki sat down on the couch as he placed one of the cushions behind him, he said. “Maybe when I’m older.” Sutekina wrote something on her notepad but ended up crossing the word.

 

Kireina rolled her eyes at him, she said. “We’ll let you go first, what do you want now?” Reiki leaned on the backrest of the couch along with the cushion he placed behind him. He said. “I want my lock for my shoe cupboard to be replaced with a combination lock.” Sutekina’s eyes widened slightly as she quickly wrote something in her notepad while Kireina’s brows furrowed in confusion. Kireina said. “The lock for your shoe locker?... Then how did you open it today along with the first time you went to school?”

 

Reiki placed his right hand on the armrest of the couch, he said. “The first day I dropped by here there wasn’t even a lock on it.” Kireina said. “I’ll have one of the teachers switch the lock before the end of the day. What’s the other one?” Reiki nodded upwards at Sutekina, he said. “She said I could go home early today, I need either of you to call my older sister and text her.” A hint of anticipation appeared in Kireina’s eyes, she said. “Now that we have those-.”

 

Reiki interrupted her and said. “One last thing.” Kireina slowly exhaled while Sutekina was deep in thought as she stared a hole through the notebook she was holding. Kireina said. “Go on.” Reiki moved his gaze onto Sutekina, he said. “Sutekina, do you remember the name of those seven kids?” Sutekina came back to her senses, she turned her head to face him and thought. Did he just say kids? She said. “I do, why?” Reiki spoke in a blunt tone and said. “Fail all of them to the point where they can only pass if they get a perfect score in exams.”

 

Sutekina turned her head back to the notepad in her hands, she said. “Consider it done.” Reiki raised a brow and thought. They don’t even care if the students fail or not… I’m starting to like this place. Kireina turned her head at her little sister, she said. “Wait, why are you going to fail seven students?” Sutekina crossed another word she wrote on the notepad while Reiki raised his right hand while keeping his shoulder on the armrest. He said. “I’ll answer that, someone paid them to bully me.” Sutekina suddenly stopped writing on her notepad as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

 

Kireina tapped on her desk a couple of times with her index finger while Reiki noticed the strange atmosphere. Kireina said. “Do you have any idea who it is?” The corner of Reiki’s mouth curled into a normal smile, he said. “Yeah.” The two of them stared at him as a moment of silence passed, Sutekina said. “Are you going to tell us?” Reiki shook his head and said. “Nope, when one of the students goes missing, just claim he went home.” The smile on his face gave the two girls an off-putting feeling.

 

Sutekina moved her gaze back to her notepad as she finished writing a word while Kireina stared at him for a couple of seconds. Kireina said. “Before we change topics, do you have anything else to say? Food? Milk?” Reiki made himself comfortable on the couch, he said. “I’ll pass, I ate my bento early and had a second breakfast.” Kireina stared at him with a hint of bewilderment in her eyes, she thought. At the very least his constitution is special… She said. “Let’s talk about magic. Reiki, what do you know about elemental affinity?”

 

Reiki pretended to think for a few seconds, he said. “I know the elements that showed in the crystal ball were fire, water, wind, earth, ice, lightning, and nature.” He didn’t notice Sutekina shake her head sideways while Kireina nodded at him. Kireina said. “That result is also considered the worst outcome for an aspiring mage. To the point where all of them just give up their dreams and live a normal life.” Reiki’s expression turned slightly serious, he said. “What? Why? Being able to use different elements is an advantage.”

 

Sutekina placed her notepad on her older sister’s desk, she placed the cap back on the fountain pen and placed it in the pocket of her pencil skirt. She said. “Yes and no, over the years mages being able to wield more than one element has increased.” Reiki took a quick glance at her butt while Kireina leaned forward and saw what her little sister wrote on the notepad. Kireina thought. Are those… Titles of songs?... Sutekina quickly placed her hand to cover the notepad and continued. “What do you get if you mix fire and water?”

 

Reiki didn’t even think, he said. “Vapor.” Sutekina picked up the notepad on the desk and held it with her hand. She said. “Now, what happens if you gather both fire and water into your mana core?” She glanced at her older sister as Kireina turned her head to avoid Sutekina’s glare. Reiki’s brows furrowed, he thought. Wait… What happens if you have an affinity with two elements that are polar opposites… Kireina faked a cough and said. “Balance.” Reiki moved his gaze onto her while Sutekina stared at what she wrote on the notepad.

 

Kireina continued. “Similar to a magic pouch, mana core and mana itself have many names. Chakra, Qi, Dantian, the list goes on and on.” Reiki thought for a moment, he said. “... So the two different elements fight in the mana core?...” Kireina snapped her fingers and said. “Correct, but it depends on the absorption method the mage is using. Some slowly convert the fire into plain mana, others absorb the mana as is and convert them while in the core.” Reiki thought. … Going by that logic… He said. “Have there been any recordings of someone's mana core exploding?”

 

Sutekina kept her gaze on the notepad, she let out a chuckle and said. “Too many people who refused to accept reality and tried to control two opposite elements.” Reiki moved his gaze onto her, he said. “How did their cores explode?” Sutekina tapped her index finger on the desk a couple of times, she said. “While absorbing mana they lost control, leaving two elements to run wild inside of their core.” Kireina took out her phone as she tapped on the button on the side while Sutekina gestured at her older sister typing on her phone.

 

Sutekina said. “Let’s leave it at that, I did say you can head early today.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye as her lips curled into a smirk. Reiki stayed on the couch, he said. “It’s fine, I have a few minutes to spare. Besides, Onee-chan locked the front door.” He thought. But I did make sure to leave the window to my room unlocked.