Prologue Story

We fell silent for a moment.

Mom mulled over the situation in her own way, and I did the same in mine.

Inha also seemed deep in thought.

After those two left, I took a closer look at the admission form from start to finish.

They’d called it a contract, but it wasn’t structured in a “Party A and Party B” format.

『Our school pledges to prioritize the protection of students under the age of majority (15 years and under). Accordingly, the student must also comply with the following regulations.』

It started out like this. Do not reveal another person’s abilities to a third party without permission.

This applies even to students and teachers within the same school.

In particular, refrain from disclosing information outside the school.

We hope you’ll allow us to impose restrictions regarding this. This applies starting from admission.

I read through the few pages of documents.

I felt a strange emotion stir within me.

I had never thought that there might be a school fully dedicated to protecting young magicians with talent in this way.

I then recalled the faces of the people who had visited today.

The student council president from the high school division and a teacher whose face seemed somewhat familiar.

Neither of them had made a particularly good first impression.

But apparently, one of them had tried to rescue me from the Iron Room.

At that time, I had escaped alone, so I hadn’t even considered the possibility that someone other than my teacher or family had tried to help me.

‘Come to think of it, who exactly was that teacher? Mom seemed to know him…….’

However, since it wasn’t a major issue, I didn’t dwell on it for long.

Looking into it on purpose seemed like a hassle.

The next day, Auntie Suna and Uncle Jungmin, who had been out for work, returned.

But something was strange.

Auntie Suna, after hearing about the scouting, had a rather serious expression.

“Eunha, I heard it. They scouted you from Daehyun.”

“Oh, uh, yeah…….”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Auntie Suna gripped my shoulder with a grave expression.

“Why didn’t you mention what happened at the Glass Botanical Garden?”

I widened my eyes at her words.

For a moment, I wondered what she was talking about…….

‘Ah…….’

Then I realized.

When I had the incident at the Glass Botanical Garden, Auntie Suna had been abroad and hadn’t returned yet.

The only reason Inha knew about the garden incident was that I’d once shown her my Metal Shaping Magic.

“Honestly! When I heard a scout came from Daehyun, I thought they’d scouted you after noticing your abilities somewhere. It wouldn’t be surprising for Inha to be scouted, she’s my daughter after all, and she’s already received scout notices from other schools. But that’s not the issue here. After hearing the circumstances, what? Terrorists?! Those nasty wretches, I’ll deal with them later……!”

“Oh, um…….”

“And what’s with this Metal Shaping Magic? Really! Even if it’s temporary, I’m still your magic teacher! And you kept magic a secret from me?”

“It’s not like I was hiding it, I just…….”

“Enough already!”

Auntie Suna, uncharacteristically, threw a bit of a fit like a child.

I was genuinely flustered.

“Show me now! This so-called Metal Shaping Magic!”

I nodded hesitantly.

However, in order to activate my Metal Shaping Magic, I needed at least a little “metal object.”

I searched myself with a troubled expression.

“Um…… it’s a magic that requires metal, but, well, I don’t have any metal here…….”

“Is that so?”

Taking metal from a nearby object didn’t seem right, and I couldn’t be sure it would return to its original form.

At my words, Auntie Suna opened her Pocket Dimension and rummaged through it, then tossed something to me.

It turned out to be just a short metal rod.

The silver color made it look almost like real silver. Was it actual silver……?

With a somewhat awkward expression, I manipulated the metal into a dagger shape.

Auntie Suna observed it with a look of interest.

“Hm…… you seem to be able to increase its mass to some extent beyond its original size?”

“Yes. But it’s a magic that can’t be used without metal, anyway.”

“But that’s something you could handle by learning another metal-related magic to create metal, isn’t it? It seems like it’d be a pretty useful magic with continued use.”

“Maybe…….”

“But you didn’t tell me you created this magic and didn’t even practice it properly, did you?”

I nodded.

“Honestly, I wasn’t really interested in it…….”

“Why not?”

“All the magic I’ve created so far, I’ve thought hard about and created because I liked them.

But this magic, honestly, it just kind of, happened, by accident, if you know what I mean……”

Yes, up until then, every magic I’d made had been something I carefully imagined and yearned for.

But Metal Magic was different. It didn’t match any of my desires at all.

So, except when fooling around, it was a magic I almost never touched.

“Is that so? Well, if that’s how you feel, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Auntie Suna seemed to understand my words.

She watched me practice magic as usual.

Our magic practice went on until quite late, so that night we decided to sleep together in Inha’s room.

We lay side by side on the bed.

Inha, watching me practice magic by the headboard out of boredom, asked with a sleepy look.

“So? What do you think about Daehyun?”

“Hmm, I think it’s not bad. How about you, Inha?”

“Hmm…… same as you, I guess. But it seemed like there were a lot of things to keep secret, which seemed a bit bothersome.”

I glanced at Inha’s nonchalant profile and nodded.

For someone like Inha, who didn’t care much for others’ opinions, that was probably understandable.

But honestly…… Daehyun’s Confidentiality Policy had a certain appeal for me.

After hearing about Daehyun, I felt like it might be a pretty decent place.

On the other hand, my initial impression of those two wasn’t great, so that made me a bit uncomfortable.

I scattered light toward the pitch-black ceiling.

The dark ceiling sparkled like a starry sky.

It was a planetarium created by magic, though there wouldn’t be any recognizable constellations.

Inha, who was blinking drowsily, rubbed her eyes and turned over.

Then, lying beside me and almost muttering, she asked in a nearly sleepy voice.

“We still…… have kindergarten tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I hope…… we graduate soon. So we can go to school together, you know…….”

I gently patted Inha’s head as she murmured, half-asleep.

“Yes, sleep well.”

The head that had been lightly bobbing soon settled onto the pillow.

Moments later, I heard her steady breathing.

I withdrew my hand after confirming that Inha had fallen soundly asleep.

“Goodnight.”

I looked at Inha’s profile as she slept beside me, half-curled.

After graduating from kindergarten and going to school together?

Yes, that would definitely be nice. Going to school together, studying together.

Being at the same school with my close friend and playing together—yes, it would surely be enjoyable.

At the same time, though, I felt a little anxious.

I was a timid person, so maybe, you’d end up disappointed if you saw me among other friends.

If you made friends besides me, you might abandon me and go to them instead.

After a while, I turned off the magic. The light disappeared, and the surroundings grew dark.

I leaned against Inha and quietly drifted off to sleep.

—

‘Confidentiality Policy’—for me, it was honestly an exceptionally appealing policy.

Apparently, while I was at kindergarten today, those two had visited Inha’s house as expected, and Auntie Suna seemed quite impressed by their words.

“They’ve done a good job raising the kids over at Daehyun.”

She even made comments like that.

But regardless, I wasn’t the type to dwell on things for too long.

If I couldn’t figure something out after a bit of thought, I’d move on to something else.

In my previous life, that might have meant just reading a book, but now, I practiced magic alone.

Recently, I’d started reading through my mom’s old elementary school textbooks.

Since they were from over ten years ago, only a few volumes remained, but just reading through them proved quite helpful.

Elementary school textbooks, in particular, tended to explain things simply.

The explanations of fundamentals were fairly solid, and there were several types of magic that could be learned with my current magical power.

The part I was reading now was about ‘Magic Crystals.’

Magic Crystals…… a field I was very interested in.

Leaving magic in solid form was exactly to my taste.

I fixed my gaze on the text.

『Magic Crystals are solidified forms of magic shaped by the wielder’s will. Depending on the color and attribute affinity of the magic, the crystal’s color and shape may vary.』

I liked this aspect, too. The fact that the crystal’s color or shape varied based on the person.

That meant the crystal’s appearance would differ according to the characteristics of the person’s magic.

So, it was possible to crystallize the magic I could see with my own eyes.

This thought filled me with excitement.

I read through the article on Magic Crystals.

Once you become more adept at making Magic Crystals, you can even embed your personal magic within it.

Lovers and friends often exchange Magic Crystals.

Couple rings made with Magic Crystal stones are fairly common.

But be careful when giving one to someone, as it contains your personal information.

Typically, it’s only given to someone truly dear, like a best friend, lover, or parent.

‘So that’s how it is. Hmm, it does sound interesting. As for the method…….’

Below the text, there was an explanation of the method, along with illustrations.

Place your hands together, as shown (in the image).

Close your eyes and concentrate.

Imagine your magic gathering at a point in your hands and becoming solid.

Visualize the hardened magic.

This might be easier for me, as it’s similar to how I create illusions.

It was also similar to Written Magic.

Finally, the shape of the crystal usually depends on the characteristics of the person’s magic, but those more skilled can shape it as well.

However, shaping it was noted to be much more difficult than simply creating a crystal.

Following the instructions from the textbook, I clasped my hands together and focused.

Moments later, when I opened my hands, I saw a round, gem-like object that hadn’t been there before resting on my right palm.

It was a dark navy color near the center, transitioning to a silvery hue on the outside, much like a sheen.

I blinked and looked at the gemstone, which was about the size of my thumbnail.

Was this…… a success?

“Wow! I succeeded on my first try!”

Looking at the gemstone, which had an oval shape similar to a water droplet, a satisfied smile appeared on my face.

Then, suddenly remembering something, I looked around the room with a slightly urgent expression.

“Uh, so, I mean…….”

A bit flustered, I pulled open my drawer.

This was my first-ever Magic Crystal.

It didn’t seem right to just leave it lying around.

I opened and closed the drawer, searching for what I needed. There it was!

It was a small metal ring, though I wasn’t sure of the exact material.

I quickly sat in front of the computer, opened a website, and typed “necklace clasp” in the search bar, then looked for a chain that I liked.

I shaped the necklace chain just like the image.

Soon, I was looking at a fairly complete necklace chain with a delighted expression.

It was a little bumpy, but I was quite satisfied with its appearance.

Next, I used Written Magic to smooth out any rough or uneven spots.

I then modified the center of the necklace chain to create a decorative clasp and took out some instant glue from the drawer.

I carefully applied glue to the clasp and attached the Magic Crystal to it.

The Magic Crystal necklace was complete!

Smiling brightly, I wiped off the sweat as I looked at the finished necklace.

Since I hadn’t practiced Metal Magic much, I was still a bit unskilled at it.

Flopping onto the bed, I looked at the Magic Crystal as it reflected in the light, feeling a bit lost in thought.

‘Now that I’ve made this necklace, what should I do with it? Should I wear it myself?’

I had crafted it to my own taste, so wearing it myself wasn’t a bad idea.

At that moment, I remembered the line from the textbook, “Lovers and friends often exchange Magic Crystals.”

Naturally, Inha’s face came to mind first.

I fell silent for a moment.

‘……Would she like it?’

It seemed like I’d been debating this ever since I created the crystal.

I couldn’t make up my mind and simply kept worrying.

Would it suit her? It probably would.

But how do I give it as a gift when it’s not a special occasion?

What should I say it’s for?

How would she react if I just gave it to her?

One thought led to another.

To be honest, over all my previous lives combined, Inha was the first real close friend I’d ever had.

Actually, I think I did have a few close friends before.

But none lasted long.

We’d be close for a moment, then drift apart.

That was the extent of it.

I don’t think I ever gave a gift, other than maybe a birthday present.

And I don’t remember receiving any either.

We may have exchanged small items on special days, but we never gave gifts for no reason…….

‘I haven’t, have I.’

I nodded to myself once again.

‘I haven’t.’

To be honest…… I was aware that my worries were probably pointless.

But what could I do?

When I stood in front of her, I couldn’t even form words, just staring down and fidgeting awkwardly.

I sighed.

I could see children chatting happily with their friends, each getting on the bus or heading home.

Instead of boarding the kindergarten bus, I tugged on the teacher’s sleeve.

“Teacher. Today, I’ll go home alone again.”

“What?”

The teacher looked at me in surprise.

“Again? Eunha, your parents said it was okay occasionally, since your house isn’t too far from here. But if you go alone too often, it’s dangerous. There are many dangerous people these days. You’ve already skipped the bus three times this month. No more.”

I fidgeted at the teacher’s stern expression.

Usually, she’d scold me a bit and then nod in approval, but it seemed like today she wouldn’t allow it.

Guess I had to take the kindergarten bus home today.

Just as I was thinking that, an unexpected voice sounded from behind me.

“Hey? Is there somewhere you want to go, Eunha?”