Blond hair, red hat, noble attire—this boy's appearance and style were strikingly similar to Rufus, the mage who shone brightly during the Grand Magic Games in the original timeline, wielding the powerful Memory-Make Magic.
Kira remembered it clearly: Memory-Make was arguably the strongest form of modeling magic. If not for Gray's protagonist aura, he wouldn't have stood a chance against Rufus in the Grand Magic Games.
In that moment, Kira' mind raced with possibilities.
Excluding the president and vice-president, the strongest force in the Heart of Grimoire guild was the Seven Kin of Purgatory, all of whom used Lost Magic. Coincidentally, Rufus' Memory-Make was also a type of Lost Magic.
"Was he targeted by Heart of Grimoire because of that magic, or… is he already one of their members?" Kira wondered.
Lost Magic was created by ancient mages, recorded in texts, and passed down through generations, not awakened naturally by modern mages. As such, every Lost Magic was incredibly rare and difficult to master.
Kira speculated wildly: what if Rufus was a new talent cultivated by Heart of Grimoire? After their guild was crushed by Fairy Tail on Tenrou Island, the newer members, too weak to participate in that battle, scattered. Some might have joined Sabertooth, which could explain how Rufus learned Memory-Make Magic.
His imagination ran wild, mentally drafting a 100,000-word light novel titled "I Just Mastered Lost Magic, and My Guild Got Wrecked."
Snapping out of his theorizing, Kira scanned the crowd again, only to realize the young mage's street performance had just ended, and Ultear was nowhere to be seen.
"Boss Kira, the show's over. Can we go? Weren't we supposed to find the academy?" Ika tugged at Kira' cape, sounding a bit annoyed.
Ignoring his young fanboy, Kira grabbed Ika and strode toward Rufus, who was packing up to leave. "Come on, let's check this out!"
Ika scratched his head, panicking as he hurried after Kira. "No way! Is Boss trying to replace me with a new sidekick? I gotta stop him!"
Akas shook her head and sighed. "Cana-nee was right—stick with Kira-sensei too long, and you start acting weird. Good thing I'm still normal." She pulled a bottle of juice from her waist, hidden under her cape, and took a bold swig like Cana with her booze before following.
Bringing up the rear, Sanmaru muttered, "Normal? You're chugging juice like Cana-nee. You're beyond saving! Real men stick to their own style and let their fists do the talking. Copying others gets you nowhere!"
Kira approached the blond boy and asked, "Hey, kid, you're a mage, right? Do you take on jobs?"
The boy froze mid-motion, turning to Kira with surprise. Clearly, he hadn't expected anyone to offer a job to a down-on-his-luck kid busking on the street.
"I do…" he started, then pivoted cautiously. "What kind of job is it? I'll need to know the details to see if it's within my ability. If it's too much for me, I'm afraid I can't help."
His response was sincere and polite, but Kira could tell right away—he was green.
Back when Kira was a kid traveling with an adventuring party, he'd had his own stint as a wandering mage performing magic for coin. If someone offered him a job back then, he wouldn't have asked if he could handle it. Instead, he'd show off a flashy but low-power spell to impress them, letting their imagination fill in the gaps. The goal was to dazzle them.
If they weren't impressed, he'd just say he was practicing magic. A job? What job? You're just standing there. Watching the show costs money, you know.
If they bought it, he'd take the job—whether he could do it or not. If it didn't work out, he'd blame anything and everything: bad condition, tough opponent, not enough pay. Worst case, he'd do it for free.
But Kira was responsible and skilled, so he always completed his jobs well, even covering any accidental damages along the way.
"If you don't mind, how about we sit down at that shop over there to talk about the job?" Kira suggested.
The boy glanced at the small roadside café Kira pointed to and nodded. "Sure, that works."
The group settled at the shop, ordering a few cups of tea. Kira started the conversation. "I'm Kira, a mage. What's your name, kid?"
He kept his tone polite, flashing a warm, harmless smile, like the friendly big brother next door.
The boy replied, "I'm Rufus."
Kira nodded inwardly—yup, it's him—and probed further. "You're so young, but you're out here performing on the street. What's the story?"
Rufus' expression turned somber, as if seeing Kira as a rare confidant. "To be honest, my family's business went under recently. That's why I'm out here, scraping by."
Kira kept a neutral face, listening quietly, but inwardly he was smirking. Well, well, a fallen rich kid? No wonder you seem so innocent! Time for Big Bro Kira to teach you how harsh the world can be!
"That's rough," Kira said sympathetically. "The economy's been tough lately. I've got a friend from a wealthy family who went bankrupt too. Now she's stressing about rent, but luckily, she's a mage and found stable work at a guild…"
The mood grew heavy, but Rufus seemed intrigued.
Feeling the moment was right, Kira got to the point. "I saw your magic earlier—it's impressive. If you're looking for a place to go, I can recommend a solid magic guild. With your skills, you'd have no trouble making a living. By the way, what kind of magic do you use?"
Ika, Akas, and Sanmaru watched silently as Kira worked his magic: praise, empathy, and an offer of help—a perfect three-step combo. They could tell Rufus, young and naive, was warming up to Kira fast.
"Join a magic guild? Is that really possible?" Rufus asked, trying to stay composed, but his tone and expression betrayed his excitement.
Kira smiled, pleased with his reaction. "Absolutely! I'm sure you'll become an outstanding mage someday."
Oh… I see… Rufus thought, not nearly as naive as he appeared.
He'd figured it out early on: the "job" was just an excuse to talk. Why would anyone hire a street-performing kid over a proper guild?
Judging by Kira' magic robe and hat—practically screaming "I'm a mage"—and the fact that he was here with three kids, Rufus guessed he was headed to Demisole Magic Academy for enrollment.
In the magic world, kind people were rare. After years of wandering, Rufus had seen it all: nine out of ten people preyed on the weak, and the tenth just ignored them, indirectly enabling the rest. That's why he'd spun the "bankrupt noble" story.
But this Kira guy? Rufus pegged him as a recruiter for his guild, likely looking to bolster his faction with new talent.
He's probably seen my potential, thinks I'm some gifted, gullible kid he can rope into his guild, Rufus thought, imagining all sorts of guild politics and infighting. I do need a job, but I can't seem too eager. Gotta play it cool, keep up the naive act. Stay sharp, Rufus—this smug adult's the perfect mark!
Clearing his throat tactically, Rufus said, "My magic is called Element Modeling. I can shape fire, wind, earth, lightning, water—multiple elements."
He allowed a hint of pride to show, and he had every right to. Mastering multiple elements at his age—11—was no small feat, even if each element's modeling wasn't particularly strong.
Unfortunately, magic thrived on specialization, not versatility. Most mages only learned this lesson the hard way. If Rufus kept spreading himself thin, his future potential would be limited.
Meanwhile, Kira had just one question: This kid… hasn't he learned Memory-Make Magic yet?