“That was a magic line taking on the form of a fog. It was a super-line tube that magical energy flowed through. Rei and I unconsciously let our energy flow out on the first day, and the magical energy flowed from the fog we inhaled into our lungs out to the fog in the air, which made us run out of energy.”
A magic line is a tube that runs through the human body and is made using endogenous magic operators. It can only pass magic power but can easily be changed or adjusted with training.
It can be made thicker to regulate the amount of inflow, or made thinner to increase pressure and inflow speed.
Normally, endogenous magic operators flowing through the human body circulate all over and are left to flow freely.
Magic lines are the paths that carry their flow, similar to how blood vessels carry blood.
“On the first day, the high density of the fog increased the amount of magic power flowing out, and it was easy to control, since the amount I couldn’t handle had gotten out of my body. But on the second day, the fog was thin, so the magic power I couldn’t handle remained in my body, and I couldn’t control it.”
My master flicked her spoon with her finger to make a ping sound to indicate that I was right.
“I only saw magic lines as switches that temporarily changed the flow of magic power. My magical energy was minimal before, and I didn’t have to think about its inflow and outflow. However, the true power of this magic line lies in other areas before its switching function. For example, if I constructed them according to the amount and intensity of the magic power I used, the magic passing through the pipes would be uniform. Theoretically, I can control any amount of magical energy as needed.”
“Correct again. I knew you could arrive at the answer.”
My master smiled and patted me on the head.
“Maybe it was only temporary, but your Magic Eye was open… And I imagine The Tale at Dawn will eventually open naturally. However—”
She tapped my forehead with the spoon.
“It’s too soon to open it now. For a moment, you were lost in its power and attempted to shoot at random. That wasn’t your will. It must have been the will of your Magic Eye.”
“You’re right. The Magic Eye took over my consciousness then…and I barely remember a thing…”
“Well, anyway. How did you become aware of this?”
I grinned.
“It was the rock bath.”
“Huh…?”
Rei’s cheeks flushed, and she concentrated on examining the ground as my master and the holy archers stared at me.
“Are you saying your dirty thoughts solved the mystery of the fog and opened your Magic Eye…”?
“Well, yeah. My sexual desires seem to have unraveled the mystery that lurks beneath a person’s clothes. Share it with your friends with the hashtag The Magic Eye and a Dirty Mind.”
“D-does that mean—?”
Blushing a bright red, Rei looked at me as I worked hard at lowering my likability rating.
“You were looking at me in that way—?”
“Are you kidding? Of course not. You’re making a false accusation. How could someone with a pure heart like mine do something like that? I would never have such feelings toward my sister, and I solved the mystery fairly and properly. Don’t be so rude, you fool.”
“Then when during that bath did you find the answer?”
I sighed.
“It was the steam.”
The smoke that Alsuhariya exhaled formed a line that crawled over my arm and blended with the fog before dissolving into the air.
“The steam formed a line along my skin and extended to the sheath of my Masamune Kuki sword. The sheath has a conducting wire that connects consoles. I went on to consider the path that magic power travels…and was able to solve the mystery that had been entangled in my mind.”
With her hands folded on her lap, Rei looked at me with a gaze full of respect and affection. The three holy archers also regarded me through their masks, and I felt embarrassed and wolfed down my curry.
“I knew you had great vision,” my master said, stroking my head affectionately. “It’s backed by your attention to things and your knack at battle. And on top of that, you even mastered the use of magic lines in just a day.”
My master kept stroking my hair in place.
“However, you haven’t gained complete control over it yet. You’ll need to gradually get used to it so you can use it in a real battle.”
I nodded—and my phone rang.
The window popped open automatically, and it showed Mule, bright red in fury.
“N-now you’ve done it, Hiiro Sanjo… How dare you make such a fool out of me…?! You said I only needed to remain seated! Liar!! Come back here this minute! Now! Right now!! On a count of three, and I will kill you! Brace yourself!!”
“Sorry, Hiiro.” Tsukiori grinned sheepishly as she lifted Mule in her arms. “She found out.”
Well, the timing was right.
Grinning, I told Mule, who was still making a fuss, that I’d be back the next day.
“How dare you have the nerve to show your face here…?!”
The following day, I visited the dorm manager’s office. Mule jumped up from her seat and approached me, waving her cane threateningly.
“What’s up, manager?”
“Don’t ‘what’s up?’ me! Don’t you realize what you’ve done?!”
Mule shook me as I bent over. Lily walked into the room at that moment and quickly pulled the dorm manager away from me.
“Let me gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! This guy can’t be allowed to go on living!!”
“Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!”
Tsukiori, who had been sleeping on the sofa with a magazine on her face, suddenly sat up.
“Oh, you’re back… Welcome back, Hiiro.”
She rubbed her eyes and smiled when she saw Mule making a fuss.
“So you’re all enjoying talking about where you’d been, huh?”
“The dorm manager is the only one who’s enjoying herself.”
Tsukiori yawned and stretched.
“So she’s found out before we have that welcome party, but what do you want to do?”
“It’s only natural that she’s found out, and it’s just as well. The timing’s perfect.”
Finally calmed down, the dorm manager pointed at me as she gasped for breath.
“You! You’re the culprit!”
“Ngh… ngh… I—I couldn’t help it…!”
I covered my face with my hands and got down on my knees.
“I had no choice…!!”
“This is a scene you often see on Tuesday Night at the Movies on TV.”