The Third Genius

Mimoza La Mer took in three girls.

The Lalena sisters who ran away from an abusive father when Arpeggio's mother remarried.

Then years later, an otherworlder judging by her colorful clothes. She managed to avoid being caught and sold into slavery, Mimoza felt she was lucky and may have talent.

She did.

Upon learning their language, she revealed her name was Soren. Sawada Soren. In her 'place', family name first before birth name.

One day she was going home after school when it suddenly went dark, and she was in the middle of no-where not far from Rondel. She snuck in here, and wondered who would help her as she had no idea what to do.

Thus Mimoza took her in. Took her a year to learn their language.

She was a fast learner though. Language, Vocabulary, and eventually, how life is like in Rondel, the city they live in.

In turn, Soren told them about her world and life. Japan is fascinating! Well, her world was much too 'small' as she recently started school at age six...thus she said how her home life works, and what schools are like.

Thus Mimoza tried to magically-replicate modern electronics. Better-lighting lamps, using magic for heated baths and showers, and this 'balanced diet'. Bread, vegetables, meat and fruit in every mealtime and indeed, Arpeggio, the oldest girl was better off for it and in time, maybe Lelei too and Soren herself.

And thus, Soren became a part of their lives, learning magic basics from Mimoza, while helping out around the house, and adopted the local religion, worshipping Elange so that she may never forget anything she learns.

And because she watched anime as a child, she was able to create magic, resolving to be a cook and pharmacist. But she has a powerful affinity with fire magic.

'This world's culinary skills and medical knowledge absolutely sucks ass.' she told her adoptive family. 'I'll get strong enough to travel and discover unknown goods for cultivation.'

Cooking was easy enough.

Mimoza earns money from her patents as an archmage. Money basically rains on her annually...if ONLY she wasn't a scatterbrain when spending said money. She earns gold coins. About 5000 sinku a year but alas...thus Soren introduced the concept of budgeting.

'I saw mama write stuff down in a notebook once. I asked her what she writes and she said she's budgeting.' said Soren. 'One tracks their expenses, put their purchases in categories, and review expenses at the end of every month and subtract all that from one's monthly salary to know how much is left over.'

She taught them how Kakeibo works, causing the Lalena sisters to look thoughtful.

'...what a useful technique indeed.' said Lelei, amazed by the concept. 'Master earns 5000 sinku a year. Our rent costs 20 denari a month. Thanks to Soren's unique power regarding intuition and her sai-ko-me-to-ry spell, she has intensive knowledge of what girls should eat to grow up beautiful while still meeting the body's nutritional demands to grow properly.' she said. 'So we know what to eat as growing girls and how much.'

That, and Soren forced them all to exercise for three hours a day. One every before breakfast, next is two hours after lunch and the last is two hours after dinner before a hot bath. Meant to shape up arms and legs to have shape growing up, inspired from her mother's daily activities at home.

'Let's make market prices list.' said Arpeggio. 'Then meal planning so we can budget our grocery money, and necessities in life and enough rent to cover a year so the rest can go to magic research without financially compromising us all.' she said grimly.

Thus in their home, there's a list of market prices for EVERYTHING, and Soren wrote down recipes and expected costs. They would then allocate budget for this and that, so they're not financially in the dumps, and VERY SECURE.

It was a system that financially saved them, and later, Cato El Altestan when Lelei decided to study Explosion Magic under him and left home at age 10.

xxx

Years passed by, and when Soren was a Master-Class Mage at a very young age and young kids began flocking to Mimoza in hopes of leaving her a prodigy like the Lalena sisters and Sawada girl under her care, the fact remains that Mimoza's building is not big, and can only accommodate one more person now that Lelei left to learn Explosion magic, she left home to pursue her knowledge of pharmacy to create medicine and medical supplies.

And Mimoza was unorthodox, that her students can read ALL her books, rank-be-damned. It was the actual reason that the girls in her care gets promoted real quick, other than hard work. They took in one more student and a girl only for safety reasons. But Arpeggio was careful with their secrets.

Because research is expensive, they had to have a sideline instead of relying on Mimoza's annual patents.

Arpeggio moonlights as a book copier with Soren. Upon mastering the 'art of xerox-copying' using magic, focused imagination and ink, they can effortlessly make high-speed book copies and do a really great job at book-compounding, that was before Soren left in search of undiscovered medicine.

That, and Soren earned her own travel funds...by painting large, eerily-accurate portraits of Master Mages in Archmage status and earns 500 sinku per portrait, just to display it in Magic Academy's gallery. Even if it's black ink, plus the color of parchment, it's still life-like! Thus Soren gained her infamy.

Soren mostly lived in forests and mountains in her journey...

...and by luck, she came across a war camp at the foot of Alnus.

xxx

Year 687, Kronion Month, day 8...

The Empire launched an attack on Japan, Ginza District, ending in failure and only brought back thirteen captives.

'I can't believe the other world is so gorgeous compared to ours!' cried a frustrated centurion.

'No kidding, clean streets, unusual but nice-looking buildings and streets that don't stink?'

'Yeah, their clothes are colorful with unusual dyeing techniques and form-fitting so we can see who has the have and have-nots!'

'The girls are gonna sell real well! I say we party after we have dinner!'

'Yeah! I want me some foreign slut to fuck!'

Unknown to the celebrating and laughing soldiers, their prisoners have long escaped...

'Thank you so much young lady!' Matsui Fuyuki cried in relief, as did a dozen more people.

'I don't think she can understand us dude but I'm pretty sure gratefulness is a universal language...'

'...I can understand japanese you know.' Soren informed them softly, shocking them. 'I'm here for almost a decade now, but its shocking that this gate is linked to Japan...'

'Are you going home with us then?'

'I'm not even sure if the year matches, so I long lost hope going home. Been here for eight years now.' Soren admitted as the adults gasped. 'I made a living as a mage now and a researcher under my teacher as technology here is shit.' she scoffed. 'This world doesn't even have medicine for colds so I'm exploring to discover medicinal plants. Right now, go home while the soldiers are drunk, and avoid the place you're taken from for at least a month starting now and warn all you know. And my illusion magic only had 15 more minutes on these guys.' she said, looking at the gate guards. 'Go!'

'What's your name so we can find your profile on the Missing Persons' List?' a woman asked her kindly.

Soren smiled sadly.

'Its futile, but its Sawada Soren. I just started elementary school when I ended up here. The names are in hiragana so I have no idea how it's written in kanji...'

'We'll go to the police after this! Until then take care and thank you again!' and the happy captives went back to the gate, running as fast as they can...captured by what looks like ancient greeks? They knew what's gonna happen next, if not for Soren seeing their states!

After she was sure they're gone, Soren fled and stealthily undid her spell. She fled back to the forests.