Mata POT Ryosaku!! Yoroshiku ne!
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Chapter 7
They had an ancestor from more than a century ago who was a powerful witch. This ancestor did a favor for a magical being inadvertently, and was granted one wish for anything she wanted.
Being a practical witch, rather than asking to live forever or for all the money in the world, said ancestor asked for her powers to perpetuate throughout eternity in all future generations that shared her blood. Her wish was granted almost immediately, when her brothers' daughters suddenly Changed from commoners to magic users.
Thusly, for every subsequent generation following that, at least one of the females born under the family name was gifted with magical powers. All Ryuuzaki witches were aunts and nieces carrying the blood of the ancestor. Mayu ba-chan was one of three in her generation, and Kurokuro-sama, the high and mighty, was apparently a direct descendant of the familiar belonging to the original ancestor.
Their witchcraft wasn't about turning random things into gold. They couldn't bring the dead to life, or move mountains, or part seas.
They could actually fly on a broom with enough practice, but since it would be a strange sight in their modern world, they should refrain from said activity.
They could conjure up random objects, but keep in mind that their powers only enable them to move an inanimate object already in existence from point A to point C, without passing point B. Afterwards, especially if the object belonged to other people, they must try to put it back as unchanged as possible. They would have to be considerate of the people who put it there in the first place.
As an example, Mayu ba-chan called forth a jar of cookies, and even gave a few to Sakuno. Then she made the jar vanish again.
As she ate the cookies at her aunt's insistence, Sakuno figured that no one would want to put a jar of cookies on a shelf and turn around to find some of the cookies gone. The frown between her brows conveyed her worries to Mayu, who went on to assure her niece that the cookies came from her own kitchen back in Osaka, and were made by her own hands. So, did they taste good?
Sakuno was pleased to compliment her aunt on the yummy cookies and didn't forget to thank her for the treats.
Mayu further explained that in this time and place, only the most practical of magics came in useful. Transportation spells like the one she just witnessed came in handy whenever she left some important thing at home. Others include Protection spells and Healing spells, all of which Mayu would teach Sakuno after she Changed. Mayu's level of magic power did not permit her to use spells whenever she wanted, and she definitely couldn't cast spells consecutively without fainting dead away.
For it seemed that each generation shared among themselves the exact amount of magical powers the ancestor had. Each of Mayu's cousins and herself had exactly one-third of the ability of their ancestor. So, this was the antithesis of the common saying, "The more, the merrier."
Sakuno might turn out to be the strongest Ryuuzaki witch alive since she was the only female of her generation thus far. If no other girls came along, she would have at her command all the powers that belonged to their ancestor. Mayu assured her that this was a most exciting event for the magic-users in the family. When the others found out, they would definitely want to meet Sakuno. It was important that Sakuno learned the ways of the craft before they got here.
From past experience, most of the witches Changed when they were about eighteen, hence the others wouldn't guess that Sakuno was to be initiated at such a young age. Mayu would keep things quiet until she was sure Sakuno had found her way with magic. It would be such a great surprise for everyone when Sakuno was presented a full-fledged witch!
Mayu was eager to start training Sakuno as soon as possible. She gave Sakuno a summary of the actions to be taken: Sakuno needed to learn the qualities of a witch.
Mayu further listed the points Sakuno had to work on: She was too humble. She was too quick to apologize for things that were not her fault to begin with. She would cry at the slightest provocation.
And, Mayu grieved, in spite of her natural beauty, she was just dressed too commonly. Mayu deduced that Sakuno would easily be lost in a crowd, a fact that Sakuno didn't deny.
And those above were only what Mayu found out since she got here, the list might grow longer… …
"The Ryuuzaki Witches must STAND OUT, STAND PROUD and STAND FIRM," Mayu intoned.
Apparently that was the behavioral guide for the witches, a code of conduct that enabled them to STAND head and shoulders above everyone else.
Sakuno was suddenly reminded of her friend Tomoka ……
All those STANDs were pretty much the exact opposite of what Sakuno was, and Mayu cringed a little at the amount of work she had before her. But there was no turning back: Ryuuzaki Sakuno was to be a witch, and no one, least of all the subject herself, had a say in it.