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Above Rudeus and Eris' palms, leaves danced and twirled.
The reactions around them varied.
Rudeus stared at his hand, his mind filled with memories of Allen's relentless encouragement over the past two years.
Through his correspondence with Roxy, he had confirmed his true standing in this world's magic hierarchy. He had also, at least partially, shaken off the frustration of being outshone by a native like Allen in terms of talent.
He wasn't weak.
In fact, when it came to magic, everyone around him acknowledged him as a genius.
It was just that Allen was too exceptional in every other aspect.
There was no reason to feel inferior.
And right now—
He understood perfectly well that Sylphie and Allen had set the stage for him to showcase the allure of magic, all to convince the young lady to take her studies seriously.
So, he adopted the demeanor of an authoritative instructor—something that would undoubtedly bolster his persuasiveness.
As for why he avoided meeting Eris' gaze directly?
Because he wasn't sure he could keep his composure if she glared at him with that usual provocative or arrogant expression. If his own expression faltered, it might reignite her temper, leading to another pointless clash—and wasting all the effort Sylphie and Allen had put into this.
Beside him, Allen and Sylphie both stared wide-eyed at the "swimming fish" of leaves above Rudeus' palm, their faces brimming with anticipation.
Out of the corner of their eyes, they watched Eris' reaction.
At this point, everything that could be done had been done—Sylphie's careful words, Allen's seamless coordination, and Rudeus' perfectly timed demonstration of Wind Blow.
Now, the only question was:
Would Eris actually develop an interest in magic?
From their peripheral vision, they saw Eris frowning at Rudeus—but her attention wasn't on the magic in his hand.
Instead, her lips twisted into a smirk.
Then—
Whack!
Her palm came down hard on Rudeus' head, sending him stumbling.
The magic in his hand instantly dispersed.
For a split second, rage surged in Rudeus' chest—and his carefully maintained facade cracked.
"What the hell was that for?!" he snapped, glaring up at her.
Eris scoffed, arms crossed. Her gaze flickered almost imperceptibly toward Allen and Sylphie before she turned on her heel and walked away.
Allen and Sylphie both froze, their expressions stiff.
But from a short distance away, Ghislaine—who had been quietly observing the whole scene—allowed a small smirk to curl her lips.
Rudeus took a deep breath, realizing he might have failed the final step of this "persuasion plan." He didn't even have the energy to chase after Eris for an argument. Instead, he just stood there helplessly, mouth slightly open, looking between Allen and Sylphie.
The two of them sighed in unison, offering him a wry smile in return.
But then—
A lively voice cut through the air.
Eris, her spirits seemingly revived, chanted loudly:
"May the great blessing of water grace thy desire—let the cool shallows manifest—Water Ball!"
…Yet no water ball formed in front of her palm.
Eris clicked her tongue and spun around, fixing her gaze on the stunned trio. After a brief scan, her eyes landed on Rudeus—her supposed attack magic instructor—and she barked:
"Hey! Weren't you supposed to teach me magic?!"
Rudeus blinked.
Despite her tone still being as rough as ever, he found himself thinking something absurd:
…She doesn't seem as annoying as before.
Instantly, his earlier frustration vanished, replaced by a surge of motivation. He hurried over, examining Eris' posture.
"You're still holding your arm like you're about to swing a sword. You need to break out of that mindset—let the incantation naturally guide your mana."
Eris scowled. "Explain it simpler!"
Rudeus rubbed his chin, studying her tense arm muscles. Then, his eyes lit up.
"Alright, imagine you're not in a lesson right now. Imagine you're… eating. Or just relaxing. Your problem is that your muscles are too tense—"
As he spoke, Eris quickly glanced at Allen and Sylphie, who had stepped closer and were now watching her intently.
"Relax?! I—I can't!"
Allen, hearing this, suddenly interjected:
"Eris, close your eyes."
"Huh? O-Okay!"
"Focus entirely on your senses. Gather your sword aura inside you—let it surge through your body, just like when you practice swordsmanship. Imagine you're holding a sword."
Eris, familiar with this exercise, immediately relaxed her furrowed brow. Thanks to her exceptional swordsmanship talent, she didn't need to concentrate hard—her body instinctively tensed. The wind brushed against her skin like a crawling sensation.
Her hand muscles flexed slightly, gripping the air as if it were a hilt.
Then, Allen's soothing voice reached her ears:
"Good… very good. Keep it like that. Don't open your eyes yet, Eris."
"Mhm!"
"I'll count down from five. Then, 'release' the sword in your hand. Repeat after me, okay?"
Eris tightened her grip on the invisible hilt.
"Okay!"
"Five."
"Four."
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
"…Release the 'sword.'"
Eris echoed softly:
"Release the sword…"
As she spoke, her hand loosened, her entire body relaxing as she exited her combat stance.
"Open your palm."
"Open my palm…"
"May the great blessing of water grace thy desire—"
Eris' eyelashes fluttered slightly as she continued murmuring along with Allen's words.
"May the great blessing of water grace thy desire—"
"Let the cool shallows manifest—"
"Let the cool shallows manifest—"
This time, without needing Allen's prompting, she whispered the final three words on her own:
"Water Ball."
The moment the incantation left her lips, she felt something inside her—like a flowing current—rush from her limbs toward her outstretched palm.
It was similar to the sensation of sword aura, yet…
Completely different.
Gloop.
Eris opened her eyes.
A transparent, fist-sized orb of water hovered in front of her palm, rippling gently.
Her eyes widened. She turned her head—
—and saw Allen, Sylphie, Rudeus, and even Ghislaine smiling at her.
"I… I did it—"
Before she could finish, the water sphere slipped from her control, splattering onto the grass below.
Eris' face fell as she stared at the ground.
But before she could process the spreading puddle—
"YOU DID IT!" Rudeus shouted beside her ear.
She turned to him, stunned.
His excitement was genuine.
"The first step is already a success! Next, you just need to stabilize your mana output to control the ball's size and speed!"
"That's Water Ball!"
"You succeeded*!"*
Eris blinked.
Then, slowly, a grin spread across her face.
"I… I did it?!"
"YES!"
"I DID IT!"
"YEP!"
"Tch. It's not even that hard. (."
"Exactly! It's simple! You've got it!"
"May the great blessing of water grace thy desire—let the cool shallows manifest—Water Ball!"
Splash.
"May the great blessing of water grace thy desire—let the cool shallows manifest—Water Ball!"
Splash.
Beside the overexcited young lady, Allen shook his head helplessly, watching as Eris—now essentially a human sprinkler—ran around the yard, gleefully firing off half-formed water balls that immediately fell apart.
Rudeus, meanwhile, played the role of an enthusiastic cheerleader, praising every attempt.
When Allen glanced at Sylphie, the two shared a quiet smile.
Their efforts had paid off.
Eris had finally taken an interest in magic.
And now, Allen finally understood why she had smacked Rudeus earlier.
Under everyone's expectant gazes…
The wild dog had gotten embarrassed.
Eris was straightforward, unruly, and fiercely proud. She yearned for recognition deep down, and her instincts were sharp—almost too sensitive.
She hated attempting things she knew she'd fail at, fearing ridicule.
But her decision to chant the spell again—to keep practicing—had nothing to do with being tricked into thinking "magic is just a weaker version of the Flow technique."
No.
She had sensed the unspoken hope in Allen and Sylphie's words—their desire for her to keep learning magic.
And when she saw Rudeus' skilled magic control—when she realized the boy shorter and younger than her wasn't looking down on her or lording his skill over her…
She decided to try.
To try again.
To…
Live up to their expectations.
This was the wild dog.
This was the same tsundere young lady who, in the original story, reluctantly agreed to practice ballroom dancing after Rudeus' clumsy but sincere encouragement.
A wisp of smoke appeared before Allen's eyes.
[Instant Quest Completed: "The Premature Formation of the Mushoku Tensei Protagonist Group." Time Elapsed: 00:06:52.]
[Tutoring Arc Participation Score: Increased!]
[Current Phase: Childhood Tutoring Arc. Total Participation Score: 50.]
[Unknowingly, you've gathered your own 'group' around you—one you built with your own hands.]
[When hearts are connected, your intentions need not be pushed forward solely by your own efforts.]
[Evaluation: Winning by lying back is still winning.]
'Screw you, I didn't just lie back.'
[Sure, sure.]
Allen waved the system panel away.
The smoke dissipated.
In the courtyard, on the sunlit grass—
Eris laughed freely, her failed water balls scattering around her like raindrops.
The sunlight warmed Allen's face as he smiled—truly smiled—for the first time since the tutoring period began.
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 195 on my patreon, go check it out and remember that if we reach the goal of 80 power stones I will publish the next chapter.