Magic Maker - How to make magic in another world - - Chapter 5

Magic Maker – How to make magic in another world –

Chapter 5   It’s too early to give up

Running. A familiar sight.

My sister is running around the courtyard in circles. I’m watching her.

Recently, she stops midway and swings a wooden sword.

Steadily, it feels like she’s starting to walk the path of a female swordsman.

It’s cool in its own way, but I don’t intend to go down that path.

‘Haa, haa, ahh, tired!’

Marie, who had been running for quite a while, moved in front of me, trying to catch her breath.

Marie is already eight years old. I’m six.

Though we’re children, I don’t think it’s an age to just run around.

Yet Marie keeps running in the same way.

Even when holding a sword, she doesn’t stop running.

I wonder what’s enjoyable about it.

But I’ve never asked her why she keeps running like that.

Because it’s enough to say she’s a child.

However, I’ve started to have doubts.

Why is she running like that all the time?

Why does she repeat the same actions?

Is that enjoyable?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about such things.

Compared to before, Marie’s appearance has changed quite a bit.

A girl’s growth is fast.

She’s still about 130 centimeters tall, but she’s growing in a way that you can tell she’s becoming a girl.

Since she’s in a skirt, her legs peek out occasionally.

There’s no seductiveness, but there’s a girlishness.

If our parents, who always tell her to act more ladylike, saw her, they would definitely scold her.

Our parents pay close attention to us and are lenient.

So, we don’t get scolded for much.

But if we do something reckless, get hurt, or hurt someone, they’ll scold us.

“Yoisho!”

Marie sits beside me, gazing up at the sky.

That’s all.

She doesn’t say anything.

She has never asked me what I’m thinking or what’s bothering me.

Our parents are the same.

They just treat us normally.

Children at this age can be selfish, and I’ve heard stories that having a younger brother can lead to quite reckless behavior.

Siblings like older sisters and brothers often act selfishly, and it’s common for younger siblings to be bullied.

But I never experienced any of that.

I gazed at Marie’s profile.

She has a well-defined face.

She’s spirited and lively, somewhere brave and gallant.

She has many things that I don’t.

“Hey, sis.”

“What is it?”

“Why do you run so much?”

In response to my question, Marie purses her lips in thought.

She tilts her head, contemplating something, then eventually opens her mouth.

“Because I’m your big sister.”

“…I don’t quite understand.”

“Well, you know, I’m training for when something happens.”

I don’t get it.

Running, learning swordsmanship. I’d understand if it was for a reason, like being prepared for when something happens.

But the part about being my big sister doesn’t seem to connect.

Marie isn’t bad at conversations, but sometimes she only says the essentials.

She’s not good at studying, but that doesn’t mean she’s not smart.

“For when something happens?”

“Yeah. Like if monsters appear or bad people come, isn’t it better to be able to fight? It seems like I’m good at that kind of thing.”

“…Why does that have to do with being my big sister?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s to protect you.”

“Huh?”

I was taken aback.

I was just baffled by the unexpected answer.

“I’m your big sister. It’s obvious that I have to become strong for your sake in case something happens to you.”

“For my sake?”

“That’s right. Well, it can be tough sometimes, but I don’t mind.”

Marie looks up at the sky as if saying, “It’s just natural.”

“I’m not very smart, but I’m good at moving my body. So, I can only do things like this.”

“So, have you been running and training just for that, sis?”

“That’s right?”

She says it nonchalantly.

Not trying to impose a favor or boasting, just stating it as if it’s obvious.

Her natural words and actions left me speechless.

Her thoughts. The purity of it made me unable to say anything.

At the core of her thoughts was me, and Marie had been making an effort for my sake.

That made me happy.

At the same time, I felt apologetic.

I had always been thinking only about myself.

Yet Marie had been working hard for my sake.

Our parents were the same.

They always cared for me, worried about me.

But what about me?

I only thought about myself.

I caused worry for those around me and leaned on them.

Even though this little girl had been trying her best for me.

She has a small body. But it looked really big.

Marie glanced at me for a moment.

She seemed to be thinking something, but she stood up and reached out her hand to me.

“I have a place I want to go. Come with me.”

“But, don’t go too far.”

“It’s okay. It’s nearby. Besides, it’s a place where there are no monsters.”

I hesitantly held Marie’s hand.

This sister of mine is always unpredictable.

I’m often at her mercy, but I don’t dislike it.

We passed through the courtyard and went outside.

Beyond the house was a vast grassland and forest.

The visibility was good, but once we entered the forest, it became harder to see.

Marie walked ahead confidently, venturing into the forest without fear.

A dependable back. Even though the person in front is only eight years old.

After walking for a while, the view widened.

There was a lake.

“Let’s wait a bit. We’ll be able to see it as it gets closer to evening.”

It would take about ten minutes to get back home from here. We should be able to return before it gets dark.

“I wonder if Mom will be mad?”

“She might be. But I think it’s worth it. Probably.”

I was anxious. Not because I didn’t want to get scolded, but because I didn’t want to worry them.

But I couldn’t say that while looking at Marie’s profile.

She gazed at the lake intently, not taking her eyes off.

I sat down beside Marie.

Time passed as we sat by the lake, just looking at it. Evening was approaching.

The question of what was going on remained unanswered.

There was no change.

The sky was turning red.

Just as I was about to suggest going back, Marie stood up.

“Look!”

I shifted my gaze to where Marie was pointing.

There shouldn’t have been any change in the lake.

However, there was something off about the water’s surface.

Something was moving.

It increased from one, to two, to three, and eventually emerged from the water.

Rising from the water into the sky, it was a sphere of light.

It was born in the lake and floated up to the sky.

It gradually disappeared, only to be born again from the water.

It was fantastical.

And unreal.

Such a phenomenon shouldn’t exist in reality.

But it did.

The spheres of light appeared in the lake, painting the scene.

There was no word to describe it other than beautiful.

I was taken aback, and Marie began to explain.

“In the early evening, these spheres of light appear like this. I don’t know why.”

“Do Mom and Dad know about this?”

“I’ve mentioned it to them. I’ve even brought them here, but strangely, they couldn’t see it. So I was a bit worried that Shion wouldn’t see it either.”

“Adults can’t see it?”

“No, some children can’t see it either. There was only one child who could see it. And even among those who could, the way they saw it varied. Some saw it clearly, while others saw it faintly. I see them blinking, but that child seemed to see them vaguely.”

By the way, I don’t have any friends.

I rarely leave the house, and there’s no need to.

My sister often goes outside and sometimes plays with the children in the neighborhood.

I saw the light.

I could see it distinctly and vividly.

“That’s strange, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, strange. But… doesn’t it seem like magic?”

“Magic…?”

“That’s right. You mentioned something about creating light or things like that. Look, it’s kind of like that, isn’t it?”

Now that it was pointed out, it did seem that way.

What emerged from the lake was an inexplicable phenomenon.

If it was called magic, I might not be able to deny it.

But the surprise didn’t end there.

Marie remembered a conversation I had with Dad just once, three years ago.

When I asked Dad about magic.

“You remembered.”

“Well, yeah. My memory isn’t great, but it’s about you, Shion. I remember.

Since then, you seemed a bit down… I wondered if there was a connection.

That’s why I recently found this place and thought of bringing you here.

It might be dangerous, so I did some research and it took me a bit longer.”

She had been watching over me.

Marie had always been doing that for me.

I felt pathetic.

I blamed myself.

I was struck by the sincerity that was too straightforward.

And then, I couldn’t help but cry.

“I-I’m sorry… sis…”

“Why are you apologizing! Why are you crying? Geez!”

She lightly patted my head.

Her gentleness made the tears flow even more.

I was happy. Happy that there was someone who cared for me so much.

Marie hugged me gently.

A child’s body temperature is high and warm.

Mine was the same, which made our presence even more vivid.

After I finally stopped crying, I lowered my head out of embarrassment.

Marie didn’t tease me for it and just stroked my back without saying a word.

“Alright, let’s go home.”

“…Thank you, sis.”

“I-I didn’t want you to thank me or anything… Did it cheer you up a bit?”

“Yeah! I feel much better.”

“That’s good.”

Naturally, we held hands and walked towards home.

Looking back over my shoulder, the lake was still filled with light.

Feeling Marie’s kindness, I was not only happy but also thought:

Maybe it’s too early to give up.