Not long after returning, Daichi Yayahara finished replenishing the magical power in his sigils and discovered that the free-flowing magic in his sea of consciousness had increased by 50%, and the sigils themselves had gained an extra 20% in magical energy.
It seemed today's gains were indeed substantial. Stronger sigils would allow him to cast more powerful spells, and the accumulated free magic would be key to inscribing the next sigil.
He had originally thought he'd need to wait three more days before attempting to write the next sigil, but thanks to this opportunity, he had saved that time and could attempt the breakthrough tonight.
Since they got back fairly late in the afternoon, the two of them made do with some instant noodles for dinner. Unusually, Dekisugi didn't spend the evening reading. Instead, he climbed onto the roof of his house and sat there.
Seeing this, Daichi took the opportunity to gather the free-flowing magic in his mind, dividing it into two streams and guiding them along a precise path. The magic soon began to intertwine.
He carefully controlled the process with his mental focus, guiding the magic along the origin sigil's trajectory, paying close attention to every detail to avoid any errors.
Even a single misstep could render the entire process useless.
A mistake in forming the sigil would result in a flawed magical rule, and during advancement, it could lead to rule collision.
At best, that would mean starting over. At worst, the resulting backlash could annihilate his soul.
After several minutes of intense focus, he finally completed the sigil.
At that moment, the new sigil connected with the original "origin" sigil, and energy began to flow between them.
"Phew, finally done. And there's resonance, too—that only happens when the sigils are highly compatible. Looks like this one went well," Daichi nodded in satisfaction.
He glanced at Dekisugi, still gazing at the moon, then leapt over to sit beside him. "What are you thinking about, staring off like that?"
"I was just wondering… do I really deserve that kind of glory? Have I really done enough to be remembered in history?"
Dekisugi looked troubled. He didn't think he was good enough.
As expected of the perfect child drawn by Fujiko's pen—so mature and thoughtful… While other kids their age were just focused on having fun.
"It's alright, don't worry so much. You don't have to figure everything out now. I once read something: Don't regret the past—it can't be changed. Don't fear the future—it hasn't happened yet. All you can do is make the most of the present."
He quoted a piece of wisdom he remembered from his previous life.
"Make the most of the present…" Dekisugi repeated it a few times, then seemed to understand. He grabbed Daichi's hand and said, "Thank you, Daichi!" Then he returned to his room to continue his studies.
Daichi lay back and muttered, "Guess I'm the only one left to enjoy this beautiful moonlight. What a shame." Then came a night of silence.
The next day, the two of them got up early as usual, once again among the first to arrive at school.
Dekisugi, as always, surveyed the classroom for any trash, then sat down and began reviewing his materials.
Before long, just as class was about to start, Nobita once again rode in on the wind. Considering he'd helped him yesterday, Daichi let it slide.
But… he glanced at Gian and Suneo, who were lurking nearby and waiting for the right moment. Silently, he muttered, Good luck, you're on your own. Then he ignored it.
He wasn't the one laying a hand on him, so whatever happened next wasn't his problem.
Soon after, Nobita and the others arrived, and the teacher entered right as the bell rang.
After confirming attendance, the teacher said, "Today, we're having a pop quiz!"
"Huh? A quiz?" The classroom erupted in anguished howls. The kids who hadn't studied were sure to be wiped out by the surprise test.
The teacher ignored their cries and calmly handed the stack of papers to Dekisugi, asking him to distribute them.
Daichi did the math—morning test, results out by the afternoon. Brutal. Just the way he liked it.
When he received the test paper and saw that it was… Japanese language, his smile froze.
Japanese? Crap, I can't do this! Looks like he had no choice but to use his ultimate technique.
He wrote his name, then silently activated his sensory spell, carefully copying Dekisugi's answers. Perfect—another clean and refreshing day.
Time flew by. In the final class of the afternoon, the teacher stood at the podium again and began returning the graded tests.
"We have two students with perfect scores this time—Dekisugi and Daichi. I hope the rest of you learn from their example."
He handed their test papers forward.
Daichi walked up to receive his paper, basking in the jealous and envious stares of his classmates, leaving behind a cold and aloof silhouette.
As expected, Nobita scored zero. Shizuka got ninety, Suneo got over eighty, and Gian barely passed.
Soon, class was dismissed. Shizuka walked up to Dekisugi and asked him something.
Daichi cranked his sensory spell to max and locked on to Shizuka.
"Dekisugi, you're so good at Japanese—you must write in your diary every day, right? Could we swap diaries? I'd love to learn from you."
Dekisugi agreed and handed her his notebook.
Daichi was instantly at ease. The diary was filled with ordinary day-to-day things between the two of them. Nothing notable, and definitely no mention of Shizuka. A certain magic-user had read it ten times and remembered clearly.
Daichi was reassured. Nobita, on the other hand, was crushed. When Daichi looked over at him, he was already gray-faced and sour, practically exuding a bitter scent.
On the way home, Dekisugi wanted to stop by the bookstore, and Daichi went with him.
Inside, Dekisugi wandered until he found what he was looking for.
"Yes! The new one's finally out!" he exclaimed, picking up a book. Daichi glanced at the title: Exploring the Amazon Jungle.
Uh… you're a kid, and you're reading this kind of stuff? Would it kill you to buy a Jump magazine instead? I'd even pay for it!
Come to think of it, Daichi realized—he hadn't received any pocket money since moving in. He'd been living in that house for over a month and hadn't gotten a single coin? That's favoritism!
Wait… now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Dekisugi get any allowance either.
He searched his memory carefully—nope, not once.
So their parents never gave them pocket money? Then where did Dekisugi get the money to buy books?
He couldn't possibly be saving grocery money—that barely covered meals anyway. Daichi decided to ask.
After Dekisugi paid for the book, the two of them walked out.
On the way, Daichi asked, "Hey, Dekisugi, where do you get the money to buy books?"
"Oh, that?" Dekisugi smiled and said, "I've been tutoring a younger kid for a while. His parents gave me a bit of pocket money as payment, and I gradually saved it up."
Daichi quickly adjusted his breathing to avoid choking on his own spit.
What kind of world is this? A ten-year-old working for a living? What were those parents thinking?
After a deep breath, he asked, "But if you needed money… why not just ask your parents? They wouldn't say no, right?"
"I don't think kids should rely on their parents too much," Dekisugi said. "So I decided to try saving some money for the family. That's why I started tutoring. I even taught myself how to cook to save on food costs!"
After hearing that, Daichi made a mental note: If he ever had a kid, and that kid dared ask for money or cook to save expenses, he'd knock some sense into that little ingrate.
Oh, right—one more thing: "So how come I haven't seen you go tutor lately?"
Dekisugi turned his head, eyes closed and smiling. "Didn't you move in recently? I was worried you'd get bored on your own, so I quit that job. But I think I'll go back to it now. I've already spent nearly half of my savings just on books."
Daichi nearly took internal damage from the shock. He had to circulate magic just to force a mouthful of blood back down.
No more words.
Boss, I bow to you. Please accept my humble knees!
(End of Chapter)