Just as Asakura was about to leave the activity room and head to the Clubroom, he ran into Chihaya Anon at the door.
"What a coincidence!"
The girl bared her small canine teeth and said in an incredibly flat tone.
From her expression, she had probably been lingering by the activity room door for some time.
"Is something wrong, Anon?"
Asakura closed the door behind him and asked at his leisure.
"Well… actually, it's nothing, I just feel it's a bit early to go home now."
The girl stammered, "If you don't mind, could I bother you in your club for a while?"
Asakura looked at the girl's somewhat awkward expression and understood.
She probably had some distrust in the effectiveness of the pendant he gave her, so she intended to stay by his side at least until club activities ended, to prevent being jumped by anomalies or something.
"As long as you don't mind the unpleasant smell, I don't mind."
Asakura nodded and once again led the girl to the Clubroom.
However, someone was already inside today.
"Takuma-kun, who is this?"
Asagumo Chihaya sat gracefully on the sofa, her gaze passing over Asakura to the pink-haired girl following behind him, and she asked in a polite tone that left no room for fault.
"My name is Chihaya Anon, and I'm a new transfer student to Soubu High School..."
Chihaya Anon looked at the gentle and elegant girl in front of her and asked curiously, "Excuse me, who are you...?"
"My name is Asagumo Chihaya, and I'm a second-year student."
Asagumo Chihaya showed a gentle smile.
"Ah, so you're a senior! Not only a Soubu High School senior, but also a Chihaya senior..." Anon, a girl whose name also contained "Chihaya..." realized. "But to avoid confusion, I'll just call you Asagumo-senpai..."
Asagumo Chihaya showed a gentle expression that said, 'Whatever makes you happy, I don't mind.'
So Chihaya Anon became even more excited: "Asagumo-senpai, are you also a member of this Magic Club? Does that mean you can also use Magic?"
Compared to Asakura, who was a little mischievous, Chihaya Anon felt that Asagumo Chihaya, who seemed quite gentle and had a Nadeshiko-like demeanor, was more reliable, so she couldn't help but ask.
"Unfortunately, my Magic cannot be used temporarily for some reason. Although I shamelessly occupy a place here, I am not much different from an ordinary person."
Asagumo Chihaya responded with a charming smile.
Although it was only a brief exchange of a few sentences, Asagumo Chihaya already had a general understanding of Chihaya Anon's current situation.
She should have encountered some supernatural event, just like the Nukumizu siblings before, which is why Asakura brought her here.
Compared to regular members, someone like her, who appears only once every half a month at most, like Kaju, poses no substantial threat.
Therefore, Asagumo Chihaya's attitude towards the pink-haired girl became even more friendly.
"Is that so...?"
Chihaya Anon, on the other hand, felt a little disappointed after receiving the answer.
Asakura, meanwhile, had already gone off to stir the large pot on his own.
"Chihaya..."
He suddenly realized there were two Chihayas in the room and paused, then corrected himself: "Asagumo, has there been any special change in this pot of Magic Potion?"
He had finally progressed to calling her by her first name, but now, for some inexplicable reason, he was back to calling her by her last name. Asagumo Chihaya's smile didn't change at all, but Chihaya Anon, standing nearby, inexplicably felt a surge of pressure...
The girl clicked her tongue in wonder: Could it be that Magic can even change gravity? It's simply too amazing!
"No, it has looked very stable since just now."
Asagumo Chihaya took a deep breath and replied in a tone that showed no change whatsoever.
"Is that so? It seems this should be the closest to success."
Asakura couldn't help but get excited.
He carefully injected Magic along the large stirring ladle, exploring and changing the properties of various ingredients in the Magic Potion soup little by little.
Just as he had initially guessed, the reason people in this world hadn't discovered such a miraculous medicine as Essence of Dittany was because this world itself seemed not to have—at least not for a considerable period—such a mysterious energy as Magic.
Without Magic, even the same plant would exhibit completely different traits.
The most obvious and basic material was Mandrake.
In reality, Mandrake is just an ordinary plant with tuberous roots. Perhaps it has some unique pharmacological properties, but at most, it's just a common herb, and in traditional Chinese medicine, it would at most be described as bitter and cold in nature.
However, when this plant absorbs Magic during its growth, a very significant change occurs: the original tuberous root will grow directly into a wrinkled, baby-like form. If it's not handled properly when pulled from the ground, the crying and screaming of the baby-shaped root can cause great damage to a person's brain, and in severe cases, it can even be fatal!
Although Asakura has not yet fully explored the influence of Magic on most things, ordinary objects coming into contact with Magic do not necessarily develop in a positive direction. Many things will directly deteriorate completely due to the erosion of Magic, or even cause danger.
However, Magic Potions like Essence of Dittany, which have clear material records, are different. At least all the materials recorded in them can produce positive changes when interacting with Magic.
Although studying these changes and pinpointing the optimal conditions cost Asakura a lot of time and money, all of this was not in vain! The experiences during this period could be accumulated as knowledge, laying a considerable foundation for Asakura's future Magic Potion and Alchemy studies. He expected that next time he obtained a new Magic Potion recipe and started brewing it from scratch, it would definitely not be as time-consuming and laborious as this time.
"Huh, is this pot of stuff glowing?"
Chihaya Anon's surprised voice brought Asakura back to his senses.
"This is normal."
He said, while also stirring the long-handled ladle faster.
"Wait, is there something like a mushroom cloud coming out of it?"
The girl's tone sounded even more astonished.
"Don't worry, everything is under control."
Asakura stopped his movements, gripped the Sorting Hat in his hand, and pulled out a shield from it to block in front of himself.
It's not that he couldn't use the Magic "Scale..." but using Magic indiscriminately at this moment might cause the overflowing Magic to affect the Magic Potion, leading to further impact.
If the movements were just a little gentler, it should be...
"Isn't this an explosion, ahhhhhh—!"