AGMCFP 11

Chapter 11 

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After eating lunch in the park, I went home, and now I’m meditating as Aisis instructed me.
The difference from yesterday is that this time I’m also practicing how to sense the magic power within my body.

With my eyes closed, I listen to the beat of my heart, and as if following the circulation of blood, I try to circulate the magic power throughout my body.

That’s what Aisis told me to do, but focusing on something as vague as magic power is surprisingly difficult.

“Master, this is terrible, terrible.”

“Shut up! Being able to sense some maybe-real, maybe-not-real thing like magic power is the real abnormal thing here!”

I had tried several times, but failed miserably each time.
Aisis had that “I’m too dumbfounded to even comment” kind of vibe.

I mean, hardly anyone knows what’s going on inside their own body, right?
Sure, you can feel your heartbeat, or your stomach getting full after eating, or pain that sends you running to the toilet.
But who can feel their liver, kidneys, or pancreas on a daily basis?
I’ve never once heard anyone say, “Oh, my pancreas feels great today!”

“When people are drinking alcohol, they sometimes say their liver feels great.”

“That’s not what they mean!”

It’s even harder to sense magic power than those organs.
According to Aisis, even in this world humans all have at least some magic power.
But suddenly being told that and then actually being able to sense it? No way. Nobody could do that… right?

“There’s no helping it. Just listening to your complaints is depressing me. I’ll move the magic power inside your body myself. Try to sense it.”

“…If you had a trick like that, why didn’t we start with it!?”

“If you rely on me for everything, it won’t help you grow, Master. Now, I’ll move it—pay attention.”

The moment I thought Aisis was saying something reasonable, my insides suddenly started squirming.

“Wait! Stop for a second!”

“What is it, Master? I was just getting to the good part.”

“Don’t make it sound like I interrupted the climax of a drama! It feels disgusting, like something slimy is crawling inside me!”

“Of course it does. I’m moving your magic power. Let’s continue.”

“Ah, wait—ugh, gross!”

It felt like countless eels were wriggling around inside my body.
Why eels? Because I like grilled eel on rice, that’s the only reason.

“Wha—what the hell is this!?”
“That is your magic power. I’ve told you many times already. Are you stupid?”

Aisis was manipulating the magic inside my body.
It still felt gross, but gradually my body started to warm up, almost pleasant—

“Yeah, no. Still gross.”

“Stop cracking jokes by yourself. I think you can sense the magic now, so I’ll stop moving it. Don’t forget this feeling, and practice doing it on your own.”

“Phew… finally. Yeah, yeah, I get it.”

“You need to learn to concentrate it in just your right hand, or just your legs, or circulate it through your whole body. There’s plenty to do. If you can’t master this, you won’t be able to use magic freely. Work hard.”

Aisis’s expectations were high.
Just like she said, I spent the rest of the evening continuing to practice moving the magic power.

[Ping!] Skill Acquired: Magic Manipulation

A mechanical female voice, different from Aisis, rang inside my head.
By then, it was pitch-dark outside—well into the night.

I’d spent the whole evening moving the magic around by myself as instructed.
I couldn’t yet do the refined control Aisis wanted, like isolating body parts, but being able to move it on my own felt great.

…Still gross, though.

Before my evening run, I returned the empty lunch box Akane-san had packed for me back to the Yuzuki family.
For some reason, they already knew I had left early and gone to the hospital. When I explained the doctor had said “no issues,” Akane-san seemed relieved.

It was probably Chi-chan who told them, but how did she know?
Apparently, she had messaged that she was hanging out with friends after school.

Hanging out with friends, huh… Lucky social butterfly…

I thought that for a second, but then I shook it off and went running.
Afterwards, I took a bath, grabbed a convenience store bento, ate, then practiced meditation and magic control again.

And finally, here it was:
My very first skill.

“At last, you’ve acquired the Magic Manipulation skill. Good job, Master, good job. Phew… so sleepy…”

“Hey, show some more excitement! I just fought a whole swarm of eels inside my body, you know? Wait—do you even get sleepy, Aisis?”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re way too hyper for midnight. You sound like one of those gamers who hasn’t slept for days, with dopamine overflowing.”

“Where do you even learn this stuff?”

“There’s mana in this world too. Barely any, since magic declined and science advanced. But as long as mana exists, I can draw knowledge from it. Which means—I know everything about this world.”

If she were in front of me, she’d definitely be smirking smugly.
So irritating…

“Why don’t you just check your status and celebrate on your own. I’m going to sleep… zzz.”

The fake snoring was obvious.
But still—my very first skill.
Of course I had to check.

[Status: Open]

Kenichirou Mikado (15) – Human? – Male
Occupation: High School Student (Year 1) / “Grand Sage” (Provisional)
Lv: 1
HP: 100
MP: 100

• STR (Strength): 100

• DEX (Dexterity): 100

• VIT (Defense): 100

• AGI (Agility): 100

• INT (Intelligence): 100

• MND (Mind/Spirit): 10

• LUK (Luck): 10

• CHA (Charm): 68

Unique Skill

• Grand Sage (Philosopher’s Stone – Release Rate 0.8834%)

  • [Wisdom System] Codename: Aisis

Acquired Skills

• Magic Manipulation Lv.1 (NEW)

Ohhh! Magic Manipulation really is there!
And it’s at Level 1, which means I can probably level it up with training.
Also, my Spirit went up from 9 to 10. Was it from talking to people more, or from meditating?

Either way, it’s progress.
With that, I called it a night.

The road to becoming a true Grand Sage is still long.

“Beep, beep, beep, beep—BEEP BEEP BEEP—!”

“Ughhh, shut up already!”

I slammed off the alarm and pulled the blanket back over myself.

“Master, it’s time for your run.”

Aisis’s voice echoed in my head.
Controlling magic power really wears me out.
It was Saturday today—no school.
I deserved to sleep in, right?

“Master, it’s morning. 10… 9… 8… 7…”

She started counting down.
I had a bad feeling.

“…That countdown is…”

“Yes. The punishment countdown. …4… 3…”

“Okay, okay! I’m up! See? Awake!”

“Confirmed. Master has woken up. Now complete your morning training menu.”

“Fine. I’ll change and go run.”

Honestly, how long was this going to continue?

“Until you’ve become a proper Grand Sage, of course.”

“Yeah, thought so…”

I went out running, then did push-ups, sit-ups, and the usual exercises before taking a shower.
After another hour of magic practice, it was 7:30 a.m. I scarfed down some toast for breakfast.

“I need to buy groceries and start cooking for myself again.”

Before my hospitalization, I used to cook regularly.
My mom’s a cooking researcher, so I’d been trained since I was little. I didn’t mind cooking at all—just hadn’t had time since being discharged.

“No vegetables left. Gotta restock meat too…”

“Master, why not grow your own vegetables in the garden plot?”

She was right—the plot in the yard hadn’t been used since my grandparents passed away. Maybe I could ask Aunt Akane if I could borrow it.

“But I’ve never grown veggies before. Can a beginner really do it?”

“Start with easy ones. This season, eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes.”

“Ohh, yeah. Fresh-picked tomatoes are so juicy. When Grandpa was alive, he gave me some once—they were so good my cheeks nearly fell off.”

“Then when you go shopping, let’s also buy some seeds or seedlings.”

“Alright. Then I’ll ask Aunt Akane if I can use the field.”

I imagined a garden full of vegetables as I headed toward the Yuzuki house.
Just then, my phone buzzed with a message.

[From: Sis]
“How are you feeling?”
“I heard from Akane-san that you’ve been discharged.”
“Sorry I couldn’t come visit you in the hospital.”

Three messages in a row—from my older sister, Rinne.
After ignoring me all this time, what was she thinking?
I read them, but without replying, shoved my phone back into my pocket.