Chapter 10: Louis, this is Flan
"I'll start now."
Becky closed her eyes and focused her mind.
Blue mana swirled over her palms and pulled the water from the corner of the lab. The water and mana combined and transformed into a new form.
It was a cube-shaped ice.
When Flan's gaze turned towards it, Becky automatically opened her mouth.
"Professor Violet seems to particularly like manipulation. So, I'm going to use manipulation to sculpt the ice from now on."
Still sitting with her legs crossed, Rinne added a comment.
"Becky, do it as usual. Surprise me."
Rinne's face was full of self-confidence. She didn't seem to be worried about losing at all, as she lifted the corners of her mouth.
Becky calmly took a breath. Ice was the element she had dealt with the most, so it would be okay as long as she didn't make any mistakes.
She closed her eyes and manipulated the mana.
The aroused mana made a loud and fierce noise as it touched the ice. She imagined the scenery in her mind and kept sculpting the ice.
Finally, a frost flower was completed.
It was a famous flower that everyone knew. It was a rose.
“How is it?”
Rinne asked with her confident expression. Becky looked at Flan with a somewhat expectant expression.
“Um.”
Flan had received numerous requests for advice throughout his life.
Starting from career counseling such as which major to choose, to requests to proofread theoretical papers etc.
The requests were varied, but the answers Fann gave had a great impact.
There were students who decided to devote themselves to the field he recommended. There were scholars who shed tears because he added only a few lines in their work...
However, if there was something difficult for him, it was the question of beauty.
Since each person had a different perspective on this value, it was difficult to set a standard for it.
However, even so.
"...Can this academy really get an A at this level?"
Flan confidently expressed his evaluation.
“……!”
Everyone in the lab was shocked.
The reason why Flan could confidently criticize the beauty that Becky created was simple.
Even before judging the standard of beauty, the manipulation itself was immature.
“Not good… Uh?”
Becky asked. Flan silently nodded his head.
"What's... what's so bad about it?"
“Everything.”
“First… from?”
Becky was taken aback and stammered. Rinne, who was listening next to her, snickered.
“It’s better to do it again~ Who in the world can’t say something like that? Hey. If you’re that good, why don't you do it yourself?"
Flan was just laughing at Rinne’s sarcastic attitude.
The reason for the hesitation was not fear, but only annoyance.
First, it was cumbersome, and second, the amount of mana this body could hold was not much.
It took a whole day to refill all the mana that was completely exhausted.
Since he had to prepare for the test, he couldn’t use too much mana here.
However, Flan decided to take care of Becky’s magic despite the inconvenience.
He promised to review it, but most of all, because Becky’s anxious appearance was pitiful like a wet rat.
Flan calmly walked up to Becky and stood in front of her.
“Would it be okay if it was a rose?”
"A rose? Um... that means..."
Becky stopped talking and glanced at Rinne. However, Rinne waved her hand with a forceful expression.
"Don't mind me and just do what you want, Becky. Flan is so confident that he can do anything. Isn't that right?"
After hearing the response, Becky hesitated before opening her mouth again.
"I was originally trying to make a Columbine flower."
“Columbine?”
Flan briefly recalled the appearance of the flower. It was a strange shape with another flower blooming on top of it, also known as a Maebaltop Flowers. That flower was probably it.
“Create ice.”
“To make Columbine flowers? Ah, but it looks too complicated, so I gave up… “
“The shape of the flower does not matter. Just create ice.”
“Ah, yes.”
Becky stretched out her hands in front of him.
Once again, the power of mana surged through her, gathering the water in the lab to create a rectangular prism of ice.
“This time, aim for Columbine and manipulate it.”
Flan knew that it wouldn't be much help for Becky if he did everything for her from start to finish.
It would just be a show of tricks. Therefore, he planned to assist Becky. It would also use up much less mana from him.
“… Okay. I’ll start.”
Becky took a deep breath and began manipulating the flow of mana.
The ice began to break away with a creaking sound. Flan quietly observes the scene from behind.
Becky confidently chiseled away at the ice, but before long, she became full of hesitation.
Looking at the ice, Becky pursed her lips.
"So, the problem is that I always get stuck here with the Columbine. The depiction of the petals is too difficult."
Flan lowered her head. The current problem was not the description.
Currently, Becky's manipulation was rushed. The rotation rate of mana was about 23 times per second.
Currently, Becky’s operation is urgent. The mana rotation rate is about 23 times per second, which was excellent.
However, 23 rotations per second were only used when it could be tolerated.
The use of mana without supported ability was no different from barely clinging to the reins of an unruly horse.
The most important thing in the manipulation was completeness. Speed was the next problem.
Meanwhile, Becky became naturally anxious when no response came back from behind her.
She looked back and asked.
“Flan? Why aren't you saying anything… Eh, huh?”
No, she tried to turn around and ask, but she couldn't.
Suddenly, the scent of Flan stung Becky’s nose. When she came to her senses, she saw that Flan’s hand was on the back of her hand.
Becky couldn’t help but be stunned. Wasn't it like Flan was hugging her from behind?
"Hey, hey! W-what are you doing?"
“I can’t help it. I’m not too keen on it either.”
There was not a hint of falsehood in Flan's words.
In fact, this position was optimal for assisting someone else's magic with minimal mana consumption.
"Don't assist. Remember this sensation."
"W-what? What sensation? What am I supposed to remember?"
Instead of answering, Flan calmly reduced her rotation rate to about 14 times per second. That was enough.
"The rotation rate is the most important thing."
This feeling had no meaning when explained in words. It could only be acquired through magic and, by doing so, acquired its meaning.
The reason why Flan called this behavior 'review' in the first place was also because of this.
He would judge Becky's magic and that was solely Becky's job to determine how to proceed.
"Hey! Fl-Flan...! Uh...?"
Becky's face turned red and her mouth which was about to shout became quiet.
It was inevitable.
The ice that had formed in front of her palm had been taking the form of a Columbine flower to perfection.
Rinne and Tyr both swallowed their saliva involuntarily and watched the situation.
"Once you understand it once, the rest is easy. Like this..."
However, Flan’s explanation was not concluded. It was because the flower broke with a sharp sound before he could even finish the explanation.
It didn't stop at just the flower breaking. With a loud bang, pieces scattered in all directions.
“…… “
Flan separated himself from Becky and fell into a moment of stillness.
“Hahaha.”
The first sound that broke the silence was Rinne's laughter.
“Pu, pu-up, pu-ha-ha… !”
Rinne couldn’t contain her laughter.
The ice shattered and scattered in all directions. No matter how onne looked at it, this was a huge failure.
Tears even formed in Rinne's eyes as she spoke.
"Seriously? Breaking perfectly good ice is your idea of 'review'?"
Rinne said, wiping a tear away and poking at a shard of ice that had bounced off her academy uniform.
"You think this is impressive? It's nothing. You should focus on tomorrow's test instead."
With that, Flan left them behind.
Since he kept his promise to Becky, he had no reason to remain in this space. Now the question of finding an answer or not was Becky's issue.
Flan retraced her steps and remembered where Becky had mentioned the location of the shop. Without hesitation, he made his way there.
“Go away. Don’t come again!”
Rinne shouted at the door of the lab after Flan had left.
Rinne gave Becky a shoulder after she yelled at her until she let go of her anger.
"Becky, just ignore those kids. He was just showing off. Most guys are like that. After the test tomorrow, let's see what grade you get."
“…… “
"Why aren't you answering, Becky?"
“Ah.”
Only then did Becky raise his head. Rinne let out her cheesy laugh.
“Why can’t you come to your senses? Were you interested in him too?”
“No, absolutely not. It can’t be.”
Becky’s face was still red. Her gaze returned to her palm.
"The most important thing is the rotation rate..."
She quietly repeated Flan’s words.
It was a feeling that was hard to describe. Rinne kept mumbling after that, but Becky didn't hear a word.
'Flan didn't make a single mistake.'
In the first place, it was Becky’s mistake to break the ice.
◈◈◈
The store at the Department of Magic was much bigger than I expected.
The inside was already full of numerous students wandering around. But their gaze was solely fixed on the merchandise.
Various items were neatly arranged in order, some of which were unfamiliar, and some were welcoming at first glance.
“Welcome~”
Suddenly, a voice beside my ear irritated me. Of course, I didn't show it at all.
Upon closer inspection, something was flying around my head.
A small female body and four wings.
It was a fairy
“Ah, Hi.”
“Hi~? That's informal~"
The fairy tilted her head at me and corrected herself.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Yes, yes!”
However, it was the first time I had seen a fairy in real life, as I had only seen them a few times in documents while researching ancient magic.
“So, what brings a student here~? It’s the first time I’ve seen your face~”
The green fairy continued to talk energetically.
“Need magic scrolls? Or elixir? Ah~ Of course we handle wands and staffs as well.”
She seemed to be freely flying around without any restrictions, but upon closer inspection, a circular barrier surrounded her body.
I was overwhelmed with curiosity.
What if I were to fix the barrier in place? Would the fairy also be fixed in place?
Without even realizing it, my hand moved first.
"If you need anything, just say it... Eugh?!"
Like a pinned insect, she made a popping sound as she was stuck to the air.
“What, what?! Why is it like this all of a sudden?”
The fairy grumbled and struggled.
I finally realized the situation and quickly released the pinning. I didn't forget to hide my hand behind my back.
‘Fixing the barrier also fixes the fairy.’
With this curiosity solved, now all that was left was to buy the item.
There were many different things, but the one with the highest priority had already been decided.
"Where is Trivia."
The fairy who had been clenching and unclenching their fists suddenly jerked their head towards me and leaned in close.
"...so~ even if it's casual speech~"
It was then that I realized I had used casual speech again. It was difficult for me to get used to showing respect to others.
Ahem, after clearing my throat, I opened my mouth again.
"I'm looking for Trivia."
“Yes, yes! Oh my God, no trivia? Come over here!”
The fairy led me into the store, flapping her wings eagerly.
"What material were you thinking for the cover~? The most popular one these days is the mahogany cover, but boys tend to like something cleaner. Leather, perhaps?"
"May I ask the price range?"
As I made my purchase, I wondered to myself, how much did it cost? I asked and was surprised by the answer.
"Oh, if you're a noble, it shouldn't be too burdensome for you. Depending on the rank, there may even be a discount.
“I am not a noble, and my rank is F.”
“Hmm?”
The fairy who had been fluttering around suddenly stopped in mid-air, scratching their nose as if in trouble.
“The rank… Is it F? It doesn’t look like that at all… “
Soon, the kind attitude completely disappeared, and the fairy brought out a trivia with a black paper cover with a flat expression.
It seemed familiar, exactly like Becky's.
“It’s 15 necks.”
“Yes.”
The allowance Scarlett gave me was 20 neckles, but I had already spent all my money there.
The business was done. I was about to leave the store without hesitation.
“!”
I drop Trivia because I bumped into someone unexpectedly.
It was an unfamiliar sensation to bump into someone since in my previous world, I always had barriers up.
"Be careful and watch where you're going. Are you okay?"
The boy I bumped into was incredibly handsome. He was very tall with unbelievably broad shoulders.
While my own body was still in its early stages, his body was already fully developed. He had the kind of body that wouldn't even flinch against a knight's attack.
“Thank you.”
I nodded roughly and took the Trivia.
“Oh, isn’t it Flan?”
A girl interrupted.
Her blonde hair and blue eyes were quite familiar.
When she saw the trivia in my hand, she burst out laughing.
"After Basic Magic, now it's Trivia? You bought the cheapest one, right?"
When I saw the name 'Hailey' on the girl's name tag, I suddenly remembered.
She tapped the arm of the boy next to her and added her words.
“No answer. Louis, this is Flan. The one I talked about last time."
Hailey... she was the first person I met upon falling into this world.
--- End of The Chapter --
