The more I learned about the magic community, the deeper and deeper the problems became. This line of thinking really unsettled my mind. Forced results, I had to think harder and harder.
I wasn't the hero type who would save everyone. Chances are, they didn't even care about me. But this problem now involved my own family. I regretted having told Putri that I'd handle this my way. For something on this scale, in the end, I still asked her for help.
Right now, the three of us, me, Alysha, and Putri, are discussing things in the dorm lounge. We were digging deeper into this issue. Violet wasn't in the dorm at the moment. She was with Imelda in the student council room. That wasn't just a coincidence; I arranged it that way.
Earlier, I called Alysha and explained briefly what I needed. Then I asked her to keep Violet occupied as long as possible. This problem was tied to Violet, and I really didn't want her involved.
The second thing I asked was not to tell anyone about this matter. I knew she wouldn't, even if I hadn't asked, but I just needed to be firm. Lastly, I asked her to come to the dorm as soon as she could.
And now here we were, trying to process all this information and figure out a way to solve this problem.
"What's next?"
Alysha asked as she leaned back on the couch, stretched her arms, and tried to relax her body. She looked relaxed. Too relaxed. Even in this situation, she didn't seem fazed. But still, I'm glad she was taking this issue seriously enough.
"I think we should act normally. There's nothing we can really do about it," I said. "But it's definitely going to be a problem during tomorrow's match. And it seems like there's been a change in the matchups."
I showed them the paper I had brought before coming to the dorm.
"What's that?" Alysha asked, curious.
"Match schedule," I replied flatly.
The paper I was holding was the schedule for tomorrow's match. At first, I hadn't planned on printing out the match list, but then I realized something.
I noticed while looking through the data that Putri had gathered. Some of the names from the magic community. I recognized one of them as the person I'd be fighting tomorrow.
I double-checked the schedule on my phone. Before, I had assumed they were just a group using a few naive students, but I was wrong. Out of the 64 participants, ten are part of them.
Moreover, they weren't just first-year students, but also some second-year and even third-year students representing extracurricular groups. The problem was becoming increasingly serious.
In terms of tournament positioning, they were spread out in a way that made their plan easier to execute.
If I list their match slots, they're in A-2, A-3, A-8, A-9, A-15, B-3, B-7, B-9, B-12, and B-16.
Ten in total participated in the tournament elimination.
If each of them wins their match, they won't face each other until much later. They're spaced out perfectly.
"We should stick together as much as possible. As long as we do, they probably won't mess with us."
"Do I need to join too?" Putri pointed to herself, asking for clarification.
"Of course. Didn't someone follow you that time in the park?"
"That's true. But it seemed like they were just checking what I was doing. After that day, no one's followed me. Maybe the person from that time was actually watching you instead."
She didn't seem to want to be a burden, or something like that.
"That time, you made contact with me and asked me to drop out of the tournament. And now you're trying to distance yourself?"
She lowered her head, as if thinking of another reason.
"That's not like you, Putri. You know that wouldn't work on him. We're fine even if you're a bit of a handful. After all, you're the one helping us with all this information," Alysha said. "And you usually don't sweat the small stuff."
"No, it's not that. I just don't want this problem to get even bigger. I can still give you guys information without being in contact with you. That way it'll be easier for all of us."
Putri kept trying to stay out of it, not because she didn't want the trouble, but because she didn't want to add any more. She also seemed to be hiding what she really felt from us.
Alysha noticed something different about Putri. Alysha had a bit of a sixth sense when it came to people changing, and she picked up on the shift in Putri. She wanted to convince her again.
From what Alysha knew, Putri was a loner, not because she wanted to be, but because it was easier. Everyone who tried to talk to her eventually felt uneasy around her. That discomfort would reflect back onto Putri.
It was because of how blunt she was. She didn't hold back and didn't care what others thought. Combined with her always expressionless face, people naturally kept their distance.
Alysha wasn't the type to bother someone who clearly didn't want to be bothered. That's why she initially stayed away from Putri; she assumed Putri disliked her.
But that changed when she recognized something familiar in Putri. She saw the same traits I had, the tendency to hide things and handle them alone. That's why she approached Putri and got to know her. She ended up being the only one who could talk to Putri normally.
"It'll be bad if they really are targeting you," I tried again to reason with her.
"I can take care of myself. You don't need to worry about that." Putri said this with her usual expressionless face.
To most people, it might have sounded cold or arrogant, but I knew she didn't mean it that way.
"I know that, but—" I tried to press on, but Alysha tapped my shoulder, signaling me to stop.
"As usual, let me talk to her. You're not very good at convincing girls." Compared to Putri's cold tone, Alysha's words were sharper, even though she was smiling.
I really wasn't great at persuading them. Or maybe it was just that all the girls around me were really hard to persuade. I didn't have a lot of close female friends, and the ones I did have mostly liked teasing me.
I gave up. I'd leave this to Alysha.
"You should go shower. I'll talk to Putri in my room." Alysha stood up and offered her hand to Putri to help her up. Putri took it, and they walked out of the room.
I wondered what Alysha usually said to win people over.
"No eavesdropping, okay?" Alysha suddenly warned me, peeking back in. I was a bit startled at how firm she was.
"Fine, whatever. I won't eavesdrop," I waved my hand dismissively, shooing her off. She knew too much about what I was thinking.
Well, even if she told me to shower, I was still thinking about all this data. I looked over the paper and the laptop again, going back and forth between them. I realized there was something I could do—analyze everything and start planning for tomorrow.
"Guess I should get to work."
I grabbed a blank sheet from my bag along with some pens. I set the paper on the table and started writing down everything I needed for my plan.
My first opponent was the Multicast Magician. Like I said before, he was a tough opponent. I wanted to ask Violet about him since they were classmates, but that didn't seem possible now.
Fortunately for me, the data Putri had included school records, so we had access to the student database. It had info on what he could do and had done before. There were even notes from his previous school, and if he hadn't gone here before, at least his entrance exam records were included.
----
Magician – Level 8
Special
Title: Multitask
----
His profile seemed pretty clear. His title was closely tied to his magic. Since he could multitask, he could likely prepare faster than most. Let's look at the rest.
From what I saw in Putri's database, he could use up to three spells at once. I was curious how he managed to chant them all at the same time.
A magic user typically chants spells to strengthen and speed up their magic circle formation. I'd never seen anyone do two spells at once, and he could do three. You might call that genius.
The notes also said he didn't rely much on physical strength. His spells mostly focused on offense. He rarely used buff or defense magic. It also said he rarely lost in training matches. This multicast magician even won a championship back in middle school.
The more I read, the more it confirmed he was tough.
He'd lost a few times, but that didn't help me much. A mage with strong offense, someone with high defense, and someone who could teleport. For someone like me, who couldn't use their ability as they wished, what was the point of copying them? I wish I could use my ability at will…
After planning for a while, my brain felt fried. It had been a long time since I thought this hard. If I were a machine, you'd probably see smoke coming out of my head. I loosened up, leaned back on the couch, and stretched out my stiff body.
As I relaxed, I heard footsteps, two people approaching. Sounded like Alysha and Putri were done talking. Just as I turned around, they came back into the room.
"You didn't shower?" Alysha said, standing behind me. She grabbed my shoulders and started massaging them, like she'd been watching this whole time.
I relaxed and straightened my posture while Alysha massaged my shoulders from behind.
"My mind's not in the right place for a shower. At least I managed to plan a bit," I said, closing my eyes and enjoying her massage. "You're joining us, right?" I opened my eyes and looked at Putri.
"Yeah, I'll join. After thinking it through, dealing with Alysha is more exhausting than arguing with you." She spoke casually, sitting down on another couch, glancing at Alysha. I figured she was putting on her usual lazy vibe.
Yeah, I pretty much agree that sometimes dealing with Alysha than just agreeing with her is more exhausted.
"Hey, I'm still here. At least wait until I leave before you talk like that," Alysha replied, amused, even chuckling. She stopped massaging me and walked over to Putri, hugging her from behind, cheek to cheek. She looked genuinely happy, her expression totally natural.
"I've never seen you two talk before, but you're closer than I expected," I said, surprised.
They weren't that close in class and hardly spoke. I remembered when Putri talked about Alysha approaching her. Alysha probably knew Putri didn't like unnecessary trouble. But I also knew Alysha wouldn't bother someone who truly disliked her.
"N-not really. This is the first time," Putri said, awkwardly trying to keep Alysha's face off hers. "Stop clinging to me!" Her tone sounded a little annoyed, unlike her usual self. She pushed Alysha back a little.
Alysha's playful side reminded me of how she acted when she was really relaxed. She didn't do that with just anyone.
Actually, I should add that the only guy she teased like this was me. Her excuse was always, "You're my brother." I'd never regret that, but I still wish she wouldn't tease me so much.
"Wow, you're teasing someone else for once?" I grabbed Alysha's collar and pulled her away from the struggling Putri. She looked like she wanted to go back for another hug, but sat down next to me instead.
I noticed Putri looked embarrassed. I figured this was probably the first time she'd ever been treated like that.
Alysha kept watching Putri. She seemed more excited than usual. Maybe Putri had something that triggered Alysha's curiosity.
"Look at her! She's blushing… Let me hug you again!" Alysha said, full of joy. She went in for another hug, and Putri looked completely overwhelmed.
Hearing what Alysha said caught Putri off guard. She didn't expect Alysha to notice her "expressionless" expression. She didn't intend to express her embarrassment, but Alysha could catch that.
Before, no one could read Putri's real self, but now multiple people were starting to understand her.
Still, it didn't surprise me. If Putri really were like me, Alysha would have no problem reading her. I was more confused why she was just now realizing it. If they'd talked to each other before, Alysha definitely wouldn't have stayed distant.
Looking at them just makes me smile.