Magic Maker - How to make magic in another world

Magic Maker – How to make magic in another world –

Chapter 7 It’s starting to be fun

Upon waking up, I studied. After having lunch, I studied again, and around 3 o’clock in the afternoon, I went to the lake with Marie.

There, I would fish, put the fish in a bucket, wait for the evening, and check if they would glow inside the bucket.

Since my studying was every other day, on my days off, I would accompany Marie for her training.

Such days continued for two weeks.

The results were not promising.

I examined various fish, but there was no catch.

The luminous spheres do exist.

If I can determine their true nature, it might lead to magic.

Thinking this, I began the experiments.

There was no progress.

Should I change the approach?

In this world, glass exists.

It’s quite fragile and expensive, but it does exist.

If I can somehow make it withstand water pressure, underwater glasses could be made.

Observing underwater with them might be efficient.

But we are just children. There’s a limit to how much we can beg our parents.

I can’t ask them to pay for developing something that might not even exist.

I don’t know how long it will take.

What should I do?

We both hold fishing rods and gaze at the water surface.

It’s a familiar sight.

To be honest, it’s boring.

Yet, Marie is accompanying me without a word of complaint.

I truly have a great sister.

I can’t express my gratitude enough.

If something happens, or even if it doesn’t, I’ll be on Marie’s side.

No matter what.

“I’ve got one!”

The line was pulling. Marie stepped back and pulled the fishing rod.

It made a beautiful parabolic arc, and the fish leaped onto the lakeside.

It was a fish with a pattern I had never seen before.

But I recognized the shape.

“A female cutthroat trout.”

“A female?”

“Yes. Come to think of it, it’s my first time catching one. The males are usually easier to catch.

Females usually stay in the deeper parts and are harder to catch.

During this season, it seems they are more catchable due to the spawning period. That’s what Father told me.”

“Oh, I see.”

I contemplated.

“Let’s catch a male cutthroat trout too.”

The trout we caught earlier were already in our stomachs.

We didn’t plan to keep them since they weren’t rare.

“Huh? Yeah, sure. I don’t mind, but I can’t guarantee we’ll catch any.”

“Yeah. If we catch other fish, we can release them, okay?”

“Understood.”

Marie continued fishing as per my instructions, without asking anything in particular.

After a while, we caught a male cutthroat trout and put it in the same bucket as the female.

“Is this okay?”

“Probably. It’s a simple idea. Let’s just wait until evening.”

While talking with Marie, we waited for the evening.

As the space turned into shades of red and orange, the lake started to sparkle with light.

Marie and I looked at each other and peered into the bucket.

“There’s no change, right?”

“Yeah… Wait, hold on.”

Staring intently, small luminous spheres started to rise from the bucket.

They popped up here and there, and soon their numbers increased.

What used to be once every few seconds sometimes became two floating up simultaneously.

“There it is! The luminous spheres!”

“We did it! So, it’s true. They emit these during courtship.”

“During courtship? What’s that?”

Despite knowing about the spawning period, I had no idea about courtship behavior.

“It’s about the male telling the female, ‘Let’s become a family.’

Fish don’t speak like humans do, so they have to show it through actions.

Well, it’s not applicable to all species, though.

In the case of cutthroat trout, it seems emitting these luminous spheres is part of their courtship behavior.”

Until now, we had caught various other fish, not trout, and only one at a time.

If I had thought a bit more about investigating the cause of these luminous spheres, I might have reached the answer sooner.

“Oh, I see. So, Shion and I don’t need it anymore. We’re already a family.”

“W-Well, yeah, I guess.”

I was at a loss for what to say.

What Marie was saying wasn’t wrong.

“But I’m a girl, and Shion is a boy, right? Does that mean I’ll eventually lay eggs?”

“You won’t lay eggs! Humans are not creatures that lay eggs! Besides, blood-related family members can’t get married!”

Doesn’t my sister have common sense?

Or perhaps it’s because we don’t have school or many opportunities to learn about these things.

“Huh? Why? Doesn’t Shion like me?”

She looked incredibly sad.

I hurriedly shook my head.

“I, I like you. It’s obvious that I do.”

“Then it’s fine. I like Shion too.”

“W-Well, that’s because we’re family.”

“Don’t males and females court each other to become a family?

We’re already a family, so isn’t marriage the next step?”

She knows about marriage.

Wait, am I the one who’s mistaken?

No, no, I’m right.

It’s impossible for a sister and a brother to get married.

This is getting confusing.

“You can’t marry a blood relative!”

“Why?”

“W-Why, well… that’s because of ethics, genetics, and various problems…”

“I don’t really get it…”

She’s just a kid.

There’s a lot she won’t understand.

Maybe as she grows up, she’ll start to grasp these concepts.

But even as adults, there will always be things we don’t understand.

“A-Anyway, it’s good that we figured out the luminous spheres are for courtship behavior.

Thanks, sis.”

“…………Yeah.”

Don’t look like that, please.

It seems like I’ve made her sad.

Time will resolve this.

I’m sure.

In the heavy atmosphere, we carried our equipment and returned home.

During that time, Marie remained silent.

○●○

The next day, the observations began.

We stopped going to the lake, and the time spent silently staring at the bucket in my room increased.

Since that day, Marie seemed distant whenever we met.

It’s like she indirectly said, ‘We can’t get married.’

Is this some kind of phenomenon like ‘I’ll marry Dad!’?

I think she’ll understand as time goes on.

Marie is a really good girl.

She’s kind, mischievous, and a bit selfish at times, but she’s a good sister.

She’s reliable, and it’s fun to be with her.

Her features are also well-formed, and there’s no doubt she’ll be beautiful in the future.

But she’s my real sister, and mentally, I’m more like a thirty-year-old man.

I can’t see her as a romantic interest, nor should I.

I have to look at this with a mature perspective.

Even though physically I’m still a child.

But being alone for a long time is lonely.

Lately, I’ve been with Marie all the time, and I’m not used to being alone this much.

I hope we can make up soon.

I shook my head to dispel such thoughts.

For now, let’s focus on the observation.

My room is about six tatami mats in size.

It’s relatively spacious for a child’s room, and I’m only six years old.

I’m just grateful to have my own room.

It’s a room with only a bed, a desk, and a closet.

I’d like something like a reference book about fairies and monsters, but books are too expensive, and I can’t get them.

I can’t even read a book at the store, and there’s no library-like place nearby.

So, I haven’t had the experience of reading a book.

There might be some description about magic, but at least in my surroundings, it’s unrealistic.

I’ve heard there’s a library in the Eastern country, and I’d like to visit it someday.

Well, if magic were a convenient thing, it would be more widely known, and it probably doesn’t exist.

To be precise, it might be more accurate to say it hasn’t been proven to exist, is what I’m starting to think.

If it did exist, the stories would spread regardless of whether they were good or bad.

But why isn’t this phenomenon of cutthroat trout well known?

Even if some people can see it and others can’t, is it really something that nobody knows about to this extent?

Is it only the cutthroat trout in the nearby lake that can cause this phenomenon, or is it because the few people who can see it are such a small minority that it remains unknown?

If it’s a minority, it seems like they would be ignored by the majority.

Like ghosts, perhaps. No, ghosts might be different. Some people get scared even if they don’t believe in them.

Well, I’ll probably understand eventually, and even if I don’t, it won’t trouble me too much.

Now, let’s get back to reality.

In the bucket, the male and female cutthroat trout were swimming gracefully, or as graceful as they could in such a small space.

It’s been three days since I started observing.

The situation hasn’t changed; it’s been the same all along.

In the evening, the courtship behavior starts, and the luminous spheres are born.

It lasts for about ten minutes.

The same thing happens again the next day.

That’s all.

It seems like it will take a while for them to lay eggs.

There might be a specific period for the courtship behavior.

After that ends, they might finally lay eggs.

Or maybe there are various ways to lay eggs, and I don’t even know what it’s like.

Well, I’m not particularly interested in studying their behavior, so it’s okay.

I’d like to return them to the lake, but I’m desperate too.

Sorry, but I want to observe a bit more.

Days go by as I gaze into the bucket.

But nothing is progressing.

Looking at the water is pointless.

“…What should I do?”

Honestly, I had been thinking that these luminous spheres might be connected to magic, in other words, magical energy.

Or perhaps they are magic itself.

I believe magic involves using magical energy to cause some kind of phenomenon.

In other words, to use magic, someone or something needs to expend magical energy.

It’s likely an active entity, and this notion filled me with hope.

Because if the created entity is a living being, then it increases the possibility that I, a human, could do similar things.

When comparing a phenomenon to another, sometimes you arrive at a similar conclusion if they share many commonalities.

Currently, the only commonality is that it’s a living being.

By the way, I didn’t spend all my time just staring at the bucket.

First, I showed the luminous spheres to my parents.

As expected, they couldn’t see anything, just as Marie had said.

This was as I anticipated, and there was no discovery.

So, I asked my parents to put their hands in and touch the luminous spheres.

And the result was ‘They didn’t feel anything.’

This means there are differences not only in visibility but also in touch and temperature perception.

People who can’t see them don’t feel the texture or sense the temperature.

Regarding this, there’s still no clear answer, but there might be a possibility.

For now, let’s put that aside and maybe it’s time to change the approach.

But what should I do?

I contemplate.

I won’t find the answer if I only focus on results that could happen in reality.

So, let’s make assumptions.

I believe these luminous spheres are magic or magical energy.

Let’s take a step forward from there and consider experimenting from a different perspective.

In my understanding, magic is somewhat of an advanced technique.

It involves using magical energy to cause some kind of phenomenon.

Sometimes catalysts like spells, magical tools, or magic circles are used.

Even if it’s just creating a luminous sphere, can fish do it?

It’s a subtle line. But for now, let’s assume ‘they can’t.’

So, let’s assume this light is magical energy.

There are people who can perceive magical energy and those who can’t.

This might be an indicator of having the aptitude or not.

Marie and I can see it. So, let’s pile on the assumption that we have the aptitude.

The cutthroat trout has magical energy, and we have the aptitude for it.

So, it’s possible that we possess magical energy.

We might possess magical energy but don’t know how to use it.

Or perhaps we’re not perceiving it.

In other words, if we closely observe the cutthroat trout’s actions when emitting magical energy and imitate them…

“Maybe we can emit magical energy?”

Transitioning from observation to experimentation.

In a situation with no changes, there’s no initial point for imitation.

First, let’s wait until evening.

In the evening, the cutthroat trout emit the luminous spheres again.

I intently observe the two fish.

They circle each other and swim.

At times, a luminous sphere is born, passes through the water’s surface, floats in the void, and disappears.

I try grabbing the male fish.

The cutthroat trout struggles.

Ignoring the splashes falling on the floor, I observe intently.

“The fish is slightly warm, even though it’s a fish. Is the warmth not just from the luminous spheres?”

The fish emitting magical energy itself also has warmth.

Despite the low water temperature, the fish feels warm.

However, it’s cooler than the luminous spheres.

And I remembered that, apart from during courtship, it was cold.

This implies that creatures emitting magical energy also generate heat.

I gaze intently at the fish.

Staring up close.

Although the fish’s cloudy eyes made me feel like it was looking at me, I continued to observe.

I saw it, I saw it.

As I continued watching, I felt something floating around the fish.

In an instant, the fish thrashed vigorously, leaped, and fell into the bucket.

I was dumbfounded, staring into the void.

“The fish itself was emitting light?”

I saw something like an aura.

It was very faint, but there was no mistake.

An assumption considering the results.

“I might be able to imbue myself with magic.”

I don’t think I can suddenly create a luminous sphere.

However, I wonder if I can sense my own magical energy.

Thanks to the trout, I learned that it can overflow with its own magical energy.

If I have magical energy, then maybe…

“But how should I go about it?”

Magical energy.

What is magical energy?

I know the word, but explaining the specifics of magical energy is difficult.

It’s very vague and based on a somewhat intuitive usage.

How can I release this mysterious energy outward, substituting it with fire or wind? Can I even do that?

Wait, if I think about it in terms of possible or impossible, the answer is certainly impossible.

I shouldn’t doubt. I shouldn’t assume.

I need to objectively consider all possibilities without denying anything.

Currently, there is something definite about magical energy.

Heat and light.

When releasing magical energy, heat and light are always produced.

It must be different from body temperature.

Otherwise, my parents shouldn’t be able to sense it.

So, magical energy and simple temperature are different.

And if I mimic the trouts, it means that magical energy is released during courtship.

Of course, it’s not just a phenomenon accompanying a simple action.

Since it’s an active process, mimicking it may not necessarily yield the same results.

It might be worth a try.

When I thought that far…

Suddenly, a loud bang reverberated, and I turned around.

The door opened, and Marie stood in the corridor.

With a stern expression, she entered the room with heavy footsteps and sat down next to me.

I wanted to say she should at least knock, but it wouldn’t get through to Marie.

Or rather, I didn’t have the courage to say that to her right now.

She was clearly in a bad mood.

I remained rigid and could only gaze at the bucket.

Time passed in silence.

As I pondered what to do, Marie finally spoke.

“I got scolded.”

“By mom?”

“Yeah.”

I wonder why she got scolded. I don’t really understand, but I should ask for more details.

“Why?”

“I said I want to marry Shion, and I got scolded. Same thing happened with Shion…”

“I see.”

If it’s child’s play, that’s likely what our mom would think. She probably would have said something like, “Oh, really?” with a smile. The fact that our mom got angry means either Marie was persistent about it or she said it seriously.

“Am I saying something really bad? I just want to be with Shion forever…”

“I want to be with you forever too, sis. But if that’s the case, do we have to get married?”

“Because getting married is special, you know? If Shion and I don’t get married, one of us might marry someone else. Then we can’t be together. It would be like mom and dad, right?”

She’s thinking about this quite a bit. It’s true. If either Marie or I get married, we would build a family with that person. In that case, the sibling relationship would continue, but it would be difficult to live together or spend a lot of time together. I thought it was a short-sighted idea, but Marie seems to have put thought into it in her own way. It makes me happy that she says she loves me that much. Truly. And fortunately or unfortunately, this is my second time in life. I’ve already experienced a lot the first time around. But there are things I haven’t experienced. I’m still a virgin. I’ve lived for thirty years like this. So, maybe I’ll continue like this for a few more decades. If it’s for my sister, who looks like she’s about to cry in front of me, it’s fine. Because I love Marie and she’s important to me. Not as a romantic partner, but in a different way.

“Then, I’ll stay with you without getting married.”

“…Huh? B-but, then, wouldn’t that trouble dad?”

In noble families, having an heir is necessary. If not, it causes problems for the subjects and dishonors the ancestors.

“In recent times, it’s not uncommon to adopt an heir through adoption. Maybe that would work?”

“You’re saying it so easily.”

“It’s not easy. I’m serious. I want to be with you, sis. I’m still a kid, but these words are not a lie. I can swear to it.”

“T-that’s a heavier promise than getting married.”

“Even though you do so much for me, sis, I want to do things for you too. This is not heavy for me. Because you’re important to me.”

Before I knew it, since being reborn, I had gained something precious. Dad, mom, and then sis. I do have a desire to use magic. It’s a dream I’ve had for a long time. But dreams and the precious things existing now are different. They can’t be compared. For me, what’s important is my sister’s existence. I want to fulfill her wishes as much as I can, and it’s not a hardship. Besides, they say if you stay a virgin for around four or five years, you become a fairy. Sixty years and you become a hermit, right? Well, I might as well aim for that. After all, I’m here in a different world. I may not be able to use magic, but still.

“That’s right, sis. It’s okay. I’ll be by your side.”

Marie lowered her face, her shoulders shaking.

We were just children.

But we were seriously troubled and desperately trying to live.

To adults, it might not be a big deal, but for us, it was serious.

Living in a child’s body, I came to understand this.

My sister was troubled in her own way.

It must have been very painful for her.

I can understand that feeling.

But in the truest sense, I don’t fully understand.

So, I’ll stay with her as much as I can.

I hugged my sister.

With my small body, I couldn’t completely embrace my sister who was two years older.

But it seemed like my feelings got through.

“Shion…!”

She clung to me, crying.

I patted Marie’s back gently.

Just like my sister who comforted me that day.

It seemed to have stirred her emotions.

She started crying even more, and I kept stroking Marie’s back.

After a while, only the sound of sobbing filled the room.

It seemed she had stopped crying.

When I thought that, I noticed a change.

“…It’s glowing.”

Is this magical heat?

I quickly lifted my head, grabbed Marie’s shoulders, and gently pulled away from her.

Her nose was red, and her eyes were still wet.

For some reason, she looked mature in that moment.

“W-What’s wrong?”

“Look at this! Sis!”

My body was glowing.

Faintly, but it was definitely emitting light.

Not as much as the light orbs, but it was undoubtedly glowing.

“I-its glowing… Wh-What is this?”

“I think it’s magic. Oh, it’s gone now.”

The light disappeared. It seemed to last only a few seconds.

“What is magic?”

I explained simply to my bewildered sister.

“That’s right, it’s something similar to the light orbs the trout were producing.”

“Yeah, probably. It was just a hypothesis, but it might have been correct.”

“But why did it suddenly…?”

“I don’t know, why indeed?”

I pondered on what might have triggered the release of magic.

Ah, I see.

“I got it! Look, the trout produced light orbs during their courtship display, right? Meaning they had magical energy. Since I was watching that the whole time, I unconsciously assumed that ‘performing a courtship display releases magic.’ That might have been the trigger for me to have magical energy in my body.”

“Huh? C-Courtship display…? That, um, the one from earlier?”

“That’s what I think. I mean, isn’t vowing not to marry anyone for my sister the biggest confession?”

Marie, who had her mouth agape, gradually blushed.

Eventually, her face turned crimson, and she seemed close to boiling over.

Then, she abruptly stood up, and with a flurry of movements, rushed out of the room.

Seeing her reaction, I too started feeling embarrassed.

I said it on impulse, but looking back, I realized that I had voiced something quite daring.

But there’s no turning back now, and I don’t regret it.

It’s a bit complicated, though.

Well, it’s the truth.

Let’s not dwell on this matter too much.

I wish my heart would quiet down; I don’t really understand why it’s acting up.