Hello, everybody! It's nice to see you after spending these last days having endearing trials at this shitty country of mine known for having a a*shole for a president.

In any case, I'm surprised this fic got so many followers and favs in such a small amount of time. Color me impressed by this development, since I highly doubted the last chapter was all that good at all.

Alas, my concerns where uncalled for in this case. And I am here to brought a new chapter upon you but first things first, it's time to respond the Reviews I got from my readers.

[Evergone is Great]: Thank you very much, I'll try to do my best to keep up with your expectations

[JJsanoguel98]: Your words are truly appreciated, reader of mine.

[Raidentensho]: Well, can't say anything about the Sword Magic thing but I can promise you that Toshiro will surely be someone worth of reckoning among the Cast. Besides, I have good damn plans for him and his future abilities and powers.

[Spencer Chamberlain]: Yeah, I know it wasn't the best chapter I have done but it will get better in future chapters.

[mayflowerbel]: Thanks for your support.

[Messiah of authors]: The amusement of my readers is what fuel me to keep my work. Thanks

[Myherogal22]: Haha! I'm happy you think so, it's a project I've been working out for some time!

[SupMyDudez]: Many thanks for your words! The MC surely shows some traits the Prince of Saiyans have, the short-tempered mood swings is one of them Haha!

*THHUUUUUM*

Now, without anything else to add, we can finally start with the chapter. Please enjoy to your heart content.

WARNING: This chapter will be narrated from three different POVs, not only the MC but also two others as well. And trust me, these persons will play a rather important role not only for the Story Plot but in Toshiro's character development.

Chapter 2: Growth (I)

Clover Kingdom – Forsaken Realm region – Hage Village

Hage Village was neither a large town nor the most exuberant place with a lot of tourism. It was just a simple village where most of its citizen where mostly mere farmers. And as a town from the Forsaken Realm, it was also one of the less known places around the whole kingdom.

Sporting a poor agriculture with little to zero variety in its merchandise for commercial activities, Hage was nothing spectacular to brag about. Being the only memorable thing it has was the Grimoire Tower, the place where all fifteen years-old receive their grimoires, and the infamous three-eyed Demon Corpse resting on the outskirt of the village.

Even the citizens were not that impressive in the eyes of the Nobles or the Royalty, as the number of capable mages within this village was near to non-existential.

HOWEVER! Among the people of Hage, there were three kids whose destiny will change that. And there are fated to become future heroes of their people, brave and strong-spirited warriors that will face the direst situations and overcome all challenges with nothing but their skills and abili—

"I told you this was a bad idea!"

"It seemed like a good plan for me!"

"SHUT YOU TRAPS AND KEEP RUNNING!"

…

…

Well, perhaps 'warriors' was a rather strong word when describing six years-old boys with no training at combat.

"Huff... Kids of these days…" A random farmer chuckled at the sight.

"Tell me about it…" Another farmer nodded in agreement.

"SCREAACHHH!"

Right now, the poor kids where being chased by a furious wild boar all the way through their road to their home at the Church. And as this was happening, the priest in charge of the orphanage could help but sigh tiredly at such an unpleasant sight.

It has been six years since those three kids where handed on him and the old priest could say without a doubt that these have been the most stressful years he had in all his life as the chief of the (only) church in Hage Village. Granted, he wouldn't change this for anything since he loves all the children on his care but sometimes he wonders why he decided to take the mantle of a priest.

Sure, the help he receives from the new nun, Sister Lily, was like a god-sent gift for him. The black-haired woman not only was a sweet girl with a big heart, she was very skilled when dealing with children and was one of the few people in the whole village with enough magical power to defend the church thanks to her highly versatile Water Magic.

He couldn't deny the nun's help was well-received… But when it comes to these kids, you need a whole battalion, mostly because two of them were certified troublemakers of the higher order—and it didn't help his image that everyone in the town knew this as well!

The first one was Yuno, a black-haired kid with amber-colored eyes and a fair skin. He was a good kid with a quiet and well-behaved nature, being the only one of those three with a good head on his shoulder and while he was a bit of a crybaby (in the other kids' words not his' of course!) he served as the voice of reason for his foster siblings. With good manners and a polite behavior, little Yuno was one of the most respectable kids in his church. And he was also gifted with intelligence, a large mana pool and lots of talent when it comes to magic, converting him is an ideal role model for the youngest children at the orphanage… The others on the other hand… Not too much.

The second was named Asta, a short kid with spiky gray hair and bright green eyes accompanied with a goofy grin that held unyielding happiness. He was the complete polar opposite of Yuno in most (if not all) subjects. The gray-haired boy was brash and rude, noisy and highly hyperactive even for his age standards and tended to lack in the department of wisdom or intelligent most times, not knowing when to stop talking either. BUT! Even with such flaws, Asta was far from being a bad person. He was one of the most cheerful kids Orsi has ever seen and his loyalty and love for the church and its people was nothing to laugh at, and he always wanted to help and protect others as he constantly declared he will become the next Magic Emperor and that he will made his love ones happy, which is kind of shocking (and even funny) because Asta was born with a weird condition that made his body unable to produce mana—not like this was stopping him from trying, mind you.

And lastly there was the most notorious kid of the bunch, Toshiro. An average height kid with dark-skin and an exotic spiky silver-colored hair that he brushed backwards (even though it still has a spiky nature like Asta's).

"Huff… Truly, I think he is the worst of the three" Orsi mumbled under his breath as he sighed.

At first, the priest thought the silver-haired kid was more alike to Yuno because he showed a quiet (if not a little sassy) nature when he was a toddler but that conclusion was thrown out of the window in a rather spectacular way the moment he was old enough to walk and talk… And perhaps this development was Orsi's fault.

Toshiro was smart, which goes without saying, but the way he absorbed knowledge was a bit frightening and most adults in the village were a bit unnerved by this, and he also proved to be 'stubbornly independent' to the point of making childish tantrums when everyone treats him like a kid (which he is). That little quirk wasn't particularly disliked and some people find it funny, but if there was something odd about him was his seemingly obsession with challenges. And no, it isn't because he was like Asta and his stubbornness to train his body… Toshiro was even worse.

In fact, you wouldn't know the true meaning of stubbornness if you haven't seen him doing one of his hellish routines, which consisted in making extreme physical activities like fighting against wild animals barehanded, working out in the middle of winter, running marathons of kilometers using his hands instead of his feet, ingesting raw meat to improve his resistance… And that's only the tip of the iceberg.

The defining trait of Toshiro was his seemingly eternal search for challenges, calm yet boisterous attitude and weird speech pattern by babbling about some 'past memories' he has from his 'past life' from time to time, and he also made his own personal mission to mess with town folks' heads by pulling pranks and stealing food from stranger (but he always return such things when he has his fun). Completely unpredictable and full of contradictions, this was a certified troublemaker of the higher older. A delinquent for all intents and purposes, and everyone in the village learned to accept that and quickly got used of his antics.

Toshiro was, in fact, also a rather sweet kid… If you get past his eccentricities, that's it. He is both loyal and a loving brother, and he shows a very violent side when something or someone tries to mess with his love ones.

The last kid that made fun of Asta's dream of becoming Magic Emperor suffered a dreadful fate when Toshiro suddenly assaulted him and beat him into a pulp, and that poor kid was six years older than him.

Let's just say that from day onwards, no one dared to mock the gray-haired kid when in presence of Toshiro.

"Scrrroooaach!" The boar bellowed as it increased its speed to keep up with the children.

"… Sometimes I wonder why I let them do this kind of things while unsupervised" Orsi deadpanned at this, knowing full well the reason this outcome was brought upon Asta and Yuno thanks to Toshiro's actions.

"Come on guys! I know you can do it better than this! In order to become Magic Knights we have to train both mind and body!" The third guy shouted, sporting a maniac grin as he urged them to run faster.

If Yuno was like a gentle breeze and Asta was an explosive burst of fire, then Toshiro was a friggin storm. For an outsider point of view, the silver-haired guy was nothing but troubles but Orsi knew that this was not the case. If anything, Toshiro presence somehow made the lives of everyone in the village livelier, if not a bit more bizarre.

"OK, YOU SWINE! YOU AREN'T GONNA SCARE US ANYMORE! TAKE THIS! SORYYYAAAAA!"

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

The moment the three kids were near the church's terrain, Toshiro made the reckless decision to take on the wild animal all by himself and proceeded attack it with multiple heat-butts on the wild boar's face. It took several strikes but somehow, the six years-old boy was able to knock the animal out… Sadly, the continuous use of his head lat the brat with a contusion and he fainted too shortly afterward.

This was just a testament of how far he was willing to go to ensure his siblings safety, even more so if he was the one who caused their misadventures.

"Huh, that kid sure knows how to take care of himself, as well as his brothers. If only he opted to not be so reckless…" Orsi chuckle dryly, seeing how freaked Asta and Yuno got when they saw their older sibling suddenly falling on the ground.

That kid was really unique in his own bizarre way. Both Father Orsi and the town people couldn't help but chuckle every time they see him and, for some reason, they couldn't way to see which type of man he will become when he grow up.

(?)

It's kind of amazing how the time flew without one even noticing. For most people, parents especially, it only takes a blink of an eye to see how their children becomes men and women, growing both as individuals and valuable members of the society.

Now, I'm sure as hell that I still have a long way before my physical reach its prime since it's been only six years since my rebirth at this wonderful yet dangerous world but hey, at least I no longer needs constant supervision 24/7 so that's plus. I tell, being unable to do anything for years can drive you mad but I'm proud to say my will is not weak-spirited so I was able to come out very well from that experience.

Anyway, I think I should skip the rather ultra long and lame monologue and get into the good stuff! Most of you should be wondering how it feels to grow up with Asta and Yuno, right?! Well, let's just say that our time together has been colorful to say the least.

Asta's personality and demeanor is exactly like I remember from the Manga series, being a noisy and stubborn little brat who doesn't know when to give up as he boast about his 'awesomeness' and how he will become the next Magic Emperor even though he has no mana at all… Truly, this guy is a weird mixture of Uzumaki Naruto, Monkey D. Luffy and Natsu Dragneel personality wise. A honest and brave young man with an undying will and a fierce loyalty for his love ones, but also a moron who needs to learn to thing thinks through more often—not like I am any better, mind you.

On the other hand we have his polar opposite, Yuno. The black-haired kid's personality is by far the one who shocked me the most since he lacks the usual stoic and slightly cocky attitude the 15 years-old Yuno has. He is normally a quiet one most of the time, as well as a bit of a crybaby if I may add. However! He is far from someone useless or despicable because he is strong-spirited and loyal, being also a smart kid with a cunning mind and tons of talent when it comes to magic—He even unlocked his magi before me goddammit!—Makes you wonder what changed in him to become the stoic yet gentle Badass his future self is. Granted, it is worth to note that he only started to develop that behavior at this age shortly after an event I myself can't recall very well.

My two little siblings are like Day and Night even at this point upon the time but that's to be expected for us, people with 'Meta-Knowledge'.

… Hm? You want to know about me? The Greatest and Most Badass Older Brother in Clover?!

Ah, well! I don't see why I shouldn't tell you!

For starter, and as you already figured out, I took the role of the 'Elder' brother in our group, being by far the most balanced in terms of maturity and childishness—not without having a colorful brawl to assert my dominance over these idiots though! And like any elder sibling, it's my job to look after these two brats I call my siblings—well, four brats if you count both Nash and Recca, who landed here sometime ago.

Other thing I'm proud if my body's condition. I was the tallest out of all kids in the orphanage and also the most fit for physical activities because I follow with religious devotion a personal training regime I create a year ago. It's pretty simple and practical in my case and, as I wouldn't any of my siblings to bite the dust, I persuaded them to train alongside me.

Yuno has grow in strength compared to his (six years-old) canon self so he can at least show a decent amount of physical might, but is still reluctant to even stay ten meters around me when I'm in my 'Youthful Training Mode' for some reason. I don't know why though, the only thing I do is force him to train by battling wild boars… Meh, I'm happy as long as he fulfills his weekly quota!

Now Asta, on the other hand, has been my most youthful(!) and loyal partner, being close to me in terms of strength and endurance, and regarding stamina… He surpasses me! Damn those boundless balls of energy Shounen Protagonist are. Why the heck they always have unnatural reserves of energy to spare? I think that has to do with his ever-present motto of "Never Giving up!", there is a reason he was recognize by this at the very beginning of the series. Like seriously, how the heck you can do a hundreds of push-ups in a matter of seconds?!

Anyway—! My physical condition aside, there are good news. Yuno has successfully manage to unlock his magic and thanks to my very youthful training regime he is showing promising results~! He will surely become even more badass than his Canon self in no time! That's my genius little brother for you! And, being the good brother I am, I started to develop a new program to help Asta in his training too! Can't have that moron doing crazy things because you know what happens to your body when you try an exercise without proper preparation (ouch)!

…

Oh, are you wondering why my personality had such a change after six years without communication? How I did become such a youthful individual with an obsession for training? How the fuck did I get into the C Point without going through B Point?

Well, that's a mystery even for me. It started slowly with the pass of time that I suddenly got the urge to become stronger and don't slack around. And it's not in the "Oh my! I have to become strong in order to help the Main Cast" way. Heck no! I simply heard a small voice in my back of my head ordering me to grow stronger if I don't want to die. At first I didn't pay much attention to it but it grew more annoying, to the point of giving me headaches from time to time until I finally started training, even if my programming skills suck that is.

Then one day things got really bizarre when my battle instincts poped out of nowhere and I suddenly got the urge to fight against anyone and beat the ever-loving shit out of them. Not only that, I developed a strange sense of blissfulness and joy every-single-time I manage to crush my opponents be either humans or not… Yeah, it unnerves me too! I don't wanna end up like a psychotic killer for goodness' sake!

HOWEVER! Those urges turned down after a few months so you can rest assured, I won't become a serial killer anytime soon (if ever!), and I will be damned if that voice tries anything against innocent people! Huff, I think the Reincarnation Cycle must be the reason behind this mess my head is right now. That or it has to do my ever-mysterious family tree. I bet it's the latter because there have to be a logical reason behind this sudden change of character I'm suffering. I just hope it wouldn't turn out to be anything alike of Juugo (from Naruto series) syndrome.

Not all the changes I suffered are bad though. At least my morality compass and sanity remain untouched by whatever is plaguing my head so all is good. Yeah, I become a little like a wilder version of Joseph Joestar but I'm nowhere a bad person! Toshiro-san is a Good Boy~!

In any case, let's leave these dark thoughts for later, shall we?! I bet you're wondering if I made an advance with more magical subjects. And if that's the case, I, Toshiro from Hage Village, am proud to say… I still can't unlock my magic…

…

…

…

Yeah, I know. It's pathetic considering how much I grew in the physical department. I'm the only one who seems to have troubles at unlocking his magic and it's not because I'm like Asta. I do have mana. The only problem here is the fact that I have yet to manifest it.

While the series shows you all magic user being able to cast upon their powers on an instinctive level, what it didn't show is that one first need to have a proper understanding of how their mana work and then use a 'trigger' in order to unlock magic. Most people can accomplish this with little to no apparent effort.

Of course, I immediately started to work my ass to solve this perchance but all I could manage at the moment are a few bluish sparks of whatever my magic is. From meditation to fight against fucking boars every-single-day 'til exhaustion, I used every kind of training I could think about… But in the end it didn't work. No matter how much I tried, my magic just doesn't seem to react.

I initially thought it was because my magic power was extremely low since the vast majority of the people here in the Forsaken Realm of the kingdom are known for having poor mana reserves.

It was an unpleasant thought since that would mean I needed to work extra hard to become stronger.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that wasn't the case. In fact, it was the complete opposite!

Flashback— Two Months Ago

"Well, what's your diagnostic, Drouot?"

Some months back at the time, the Father Orsi decided to take with his good friend the guardian of the Grimoire Tower in order to determinate what problem I have.

I was sitting in a small chair as the Sister Lily was looking at my haunted face with evident concern. It seemed like my expression was too heartbreaking for her because she was also holding my hands while giving me encouraging words.

My fears of being a non-magical human where haunting me to no end because I knew that being unable to cast magic in this world was a death sentence for me. Sure, Asta became a Magic Knight even without the aid of magic but that's only thanks to his jackshit OP Five-Leaf Clover Grimoire and I was sure as hell I won't get one.

"Rest assured, Father Orsi. I know a very reliable method to find which problem Toshiro may have" The bearded man mused, rubbing his long beard as he took a metal cage with a small group of birds inside it. "These little ones are Anti-Birds, an avian species well-known among all mage in Clover" He said presenting the small animals.

"Huh, I think I heard of them before" Sister Lily muttered with furrowed eyebrows, catching everyone's attention. "If I'm not wrong, Anti-Bird are especially sensitive to mana sources and tend to avoid individuals with large reserves of magical power" She elaborated with her hand on her chin, looking at the black sparrow-like animals with interest.

"Ah, it seems you are very knowledgeable. That's pretty impressive, Sister Lily" Drouot smiled with amusement, making the nun smile a bit for the compliment. "Anti-birds are generally used as a mean to determinate the strength of any aspirant during the Magic Knight Entrance Exam, with the more promising candidates being those who these little ones avoid" The old man explained with professional and scholarly tone.

"Really? Well, that's certainly amazing" Orsi whispered with some shock due this new info. I can tell he didn't expect such small birds to have that ability as well as how useful they are for the Magic Knight Exam, and the fact that Sister Lily knew this was a bit shocking too.

"Indeed. They are very useful" Drouot nodded in agreement before pulling the metallic cage with the flock of birds on a table near my body. "In order to determinate whatever or not Toshiro has magic potential, I'll allow the Anti-birds in this cage to fly freely through the room. If several of them approach to him and start getting all lovey dovey then that would mean he has little to no actual power at all" Not-Gandalf explained with a serious tone.

"I-I see…" Orsi whispered with a small stutter, not knowing how to respond since this was a delicate subject. He simply sighed before meeting my gaze with his own as he put his right hand over my shoulder. "Listen, Toshi… It wouldn't matter if you have magic or not. You just have to know we'll always accept you no matter what, ok?" He smiled warmly at me, expressing his concern and fatherly love for me.

"That's right! You don't need to be powerful to be loved!" Sister Lily nodded, smiling at me with her usual warmness.

"… Ok" I muttered with a strained smirk. That's all I could say to them, and even if I knew they meant well with their words, a part of myself refused the very idea of being a powerless human in a world where magic was everything.

Not being able to use magic means you are good as dead in this world, leaving aside the exceptional people like Asta aside of course. But in my little brother case, he has the Plot Armor and his wits to overcome any challenge he will face, I don't have such a luxury for obvious reasons.

"When you're ready we will start, Toshiro" Drouot informed me with a neutral stare, not wanting to give me false hopes.

"Heh… Fine, fine" I said with my usual cheerful and goofy grin, waving my hand dismissively as I stand up from the chair.

"Very well… First, I need you two to wait on the other side of the room" The Guardian of the Grimoire Tower ordered both member of the church, who simply nodded in understanding and walked to the zone the old man marked. "Now, Toshiro, this is very important. Anti-Birds are very sensitive to mana as you already would know so the only thing you have to do is stay still where you are, don't try anything funny or you will scare them, you understand?" He elaborated with a stern look as he gestured at me as a whole.

Hey, I can be quite when I want to! Don't need to send such subliminal messages you know!

"Ok…"

"Good" Drouot smirked as he gestured at the cage where the birds dwelled. "The average mage in this village usually attracts around 3 to 5 Anti-Birds. Those with larger reserves of mana will only have one of these little fellow and the people with GREAT amounts of magical power will be avoid by the Anti-Birds because they would feel intimidate by the presence of that person"

Huh, so they are like magical detectors. The more magical power you the less they become attached to you. It is an obvious fact most people would figure out without having meta-knowledge.

But still, how are we sure Anti-Birds won't react instantly considering they are in fact in the same room as us? I mean, seriously. The only way I could see this 'test' working at all is if that cage has mana repelling properties otherwise this would be pointless.

Drouot seemed to see my worries and he wave his hand dismissively. "I bet you figured it out, don't you?" He grinned with amusement. "This cage was made with a special type of material who is known for being a bad conduit for mana, thus it ensures the Anti-birds won't be able to sense the magical energy from the outside"

Ah, that's pretty impressive. I have to say that this world's mage and smith surely know how to make interesting items.

Feeling my blood boiling in anxiousness, I stomped the ground and held my fist. "Then let's do it, Gandalf!" I grinned with excitement.

"My name is Drouot…" The bearded man replied with a deadpan look.

"Nomotato, tomato. It's the same"

[No… It isn't]

For some reason I could literally see the sweat-drops forming on the three adults' heads. Anime logic is weird as heck, I tell you.

"Huff… Ok, we are ready to proceed" Not-Gandalf sighed tiredly as he opened the cage.

Thinking about Anti-birds' nature though, why does Nero always remains near the Black Bulls? I get the little fellow would get attached to Asta for his special conditions but when you live in the very same building with mana monsters like Yami and Noelle… I know that damn bird is a bit different from the rest but still!

Well, I guess I would find out soon enough in the future.

CREAAAAKK!

My body shook both in excitement and fear when I heard the sound of the small door opening full, the suspense is really killing me inside out. I couldn't wait to see this finally done. I stiffened when I saw the small birds fluttering their wings in the cage, ready to leave their prison and fly through freedom gates.

I flinched in expectation but no bird dared to leave the cage. Probably my boastful attitude scared them a little so I should wait a bit more to see what would happen now.

…

…

…

I waited

…

And waited

…

AND WAIIIIIITEEEED!

…

…

…

Ok, this is getting annoying. Does this feathered bastards are gonna exit that damn cage or not?!

"Oi old man. Is there something wrong with the birds?" I pointed at the cage with a twitching eyebrow, finding this new development rather irritating.

"…"

At the lack of respond, I drifted my gaze to the adults and… They have shocked looks to say the least.

"Huh?" I furrowed my eyebrows at this as I stared at them with a troubled look. Do I did something wrong?

"Uhh… W-Well, Toshiro! I think I know what's happening!" Sister Lily was the first one to talk, showing an apologetic smile as she tilted her head while laughing awkwardly.

Weird, what's wrong with her?

"Allow me to explain, Sister" Drouot interjected the conversation as he coughed a few times to clear his throat. He took a small but deep breath and looked at me with a bright smirk. "Toshiro, I am proud to say that you have immense reserves of mana for you age! The proof is right here! Anti-birds seem to be rather mortified with your presence" He burst in laughs. "I have to say though. I didn't expect an orphan like you to hold such potential. I wouldn't be surprised if your mana reserves equal those of noble linage" He explained with a smirk.

"Oh… Oooooohhh" I whistled in shock, widening my eyes at the implications of this new info.

Having a large amount of magical power means I was somehow special, and surely this would mean I could attain my dream of become the most powerful mage in the world—! Wait a second. Does that mean I have more mana than Yuno?!

…

…

THEN HOW THE FUCK I'M STILL UNABLE TO CAST MY MAGIC?!

Flashback END

When we returned to the orphanage, the kids (mostly Asta) bombarded us with several questions. They wanted to know if I have magic or not, with Nash making some rude and sassy comments he's so famous to do—that little brat needs to hold his tongue! But they surely didn't expect the news of me having the most humongous mana pool, their expressions where priceless to say the least.

However, that answer just created even more question. If I have more magical power than even Yuno then why I couldn't cast my magic?! And there was a perfectly reasonable answer for that question.

Control. The most basic term in the book when it comes to casting magic.

You see, turns out the control I have over my powers are pitiful to say the least and I couldn't even bring out a small gust of wind with the sheer force of my mana flow. The best I could accomplish at the moment are mere sparks.

In short, I was even worse than Noelle at the beginning of the Canon Events.

Granted, there are some methods to help me develop my magic power better… Sadly, first I need to fully manifest my magic in order to use those exercises. And according to Drouot, I shouldn't get so anxious about it since there were cases of some mages that were catalogued as 'Late Bloomers'.

Those who magical power have a longer time to unlock and needs a proper 'trigger' in order to fully manifest. Think on it like the Magic Circuits in Fate series.

While the methods to unlock magic in these special cases tend to vary from individuals, the safest was to not force it and let my powers to bloom naturally. Trying to put too much stress on my body would cause my magic to backfire at me and/or the people surrounding me. And in my case, being the one with the largest mana pool in the village, it would cause some nasty effects.

SO! Here I am, doing the only thing I could at the moment. Training… Or I would be doing so if not for the fact that Sister Lily decided to take me, Asta and Yuno to help her with the laundry.

FWWWOOOOSSSSSHH!

"You really are talented in magic, Yuno" Our ever-beautiful nun complimented the black-haired kid when she witnessed how he used his wind magic to dry the wet clothes off.

"R-Really?" The poor kid asked with his usual shy attitude.

"You should need to learn to take a compliment for once, Yuno!" I snickered at his shyness, elbowing him a little with a grin. "If Sister Lily says you're talented is because you are so toss that meek behavior and man yourself!" I bellowed with a booming laugh.

"Toshi, be nice…" The black-haired beauty which is our resident nun trailed off with a pout, clearly not very amused by my comment.

"Meh~" I just stuck out my tongue childishly while still snickering.

"Huff… What a troublesome child" She muttered in disappointment but I could perfectly see her growing smirk. "In any case, Yuno. I mean it when I said you are very talented" Sister Lily then looked at the little kid with a warm smile. "So, whenever you see someone in trouble, please help them if they need you"

"I-I will!" Yuno nodded with a more steeled look—well, as steeled as an six years-old can be.

Ah, I bet this is like that flashback scene from that mini-arc where Yuno and his peers of the Golden Dawn acted as bodyguards for a noble man. At least I think so… At the present, my meta-knowledge have become a huge mess and I hardly can remember most things without suffering a small migraine.

"Hey, Toshi!"

Huh? What does Asta wants no—

SPLASH!

"Gaak!" I groaned in irritation when a fish suddenly hit my face, making me fall on the ground.

"Haha! You should have seen your face! Hahahah!"

"Why you…!" I growled as a dreadful aura surrounded my frame. "That's not how you should treat your Older Brother!" I bellowed with a dark tone á la Yami Sukehiro and jumped at the small river where Asta was pulling the fishes.

In normal circumstances, Asta would have got his ass handed by me but this time though…

SPLASH!

"Groah! Darn it!"

He threw more fishes at me! Aaaaand my face fell on the river.

"Hehe~! The tables have been turned!" Asta grinned in amusement… But his celebration was short-lived when he realized I was up in an instant. "U-Uhhh…"

"I will make you plead for mercy! YOU LITTLE MAGGOT!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

And that's how our daily routine starts all over again.

Ah, I think live couldn't be more sweet and perfect for me and the others… Well, as perfect as it could be for a poor church and a bunch of idiots like us.

(?)

"Here we go again"

Seeing the 'older' sibling assaulting Asta, the resident nun of Hage couldn't help but sigh tiredly as she saw the poor gray-haired kid being chased by a now furious dark-skinned boy.

"They sure are lively" While this happened, Yuno chuckled awkwardly at the scene, not knowing if he should help Asta or not. "I better stay out of this… Big Brother Toshiro is scary when he is angry"

Wise choice. Little Yuno is smart, that's for sure.

"Well, I still think Toshi was a bit mean with you, Yuno. I get that he can be a bit of a natural born troublemaker but to always tease you…" Sister Lily muttered with a troubled look.

Now, the nun may be an open-minded person with a big heart but even she has her limits in some subjects. In regards of the silver-haired boy known as Toshiro, it was his mischievous nature that caused her so many troubles and his obsessive desire to train often freaked her out.

It has been just a few months since she started working in Hage Village but in this small amount of time she already made deep bonds with the people of the town, mainly the ones who lived in her place of work, the church.

As a woman of the faith, she has the patience and the heart to deal with any kind of problems using a comprehensive mindset but sometimes there were things she couldn't solve no matter how much she tried.

Toshiro was a particular puzzle she has yet to solve.

Ever since she appeared her, Sister Lily figured out almost instantly that he was probably the most endearing challenge… Because of all children… He is the only one who hasn't opened to her.

She could understand that. She was a total stranger in his eyes so she decided to wait and let him be… But it has passed almost six months and he's still wary around her for some reason.

Every time she tried to make the first step and start a conversation… He just brushed her off (not rudely of course!) and tells her she would try to bond with other kids and that he was perfectly fine.

Every time he was hurt or sad, she tried to comfort him and make him realize he could always count with her… And yet, he would pull a tough guy act and say he was fine.

Every time she tried to confront him about his obsessive desire to train, he will never hear her and stubbornly say it was fine and that he chose to do so anyway.

…

It's was something she couldn't understand. How can a kid be so 'stubbornly independent' and yet remain the way he is? How could he not see she cared about him?

Sure, she was aware of how much he meant it when he said he wanted to be strong and help his love ones… But his ways to see things were twisted. He thought that he needed to be the adult and stay strong for the sake of the others. He thought it was something he has and must do regardless what the others may think.

It was just like that day two months ago, when they received to news about Toshiro's magical potential. She actually thought his problem was he having low mana reserves but the truth shocked her to no end.

Turns out the dark-skinned boy didn't lack raw power, rather he surpasses even adults like herself in that aspect. His only problem was a substantial issue at controlling his flow of mana. His control so absurdly low that he couldn't even cast the simplest of the spells but he, being who he is, just brushed it off and resumed his insane training.

Naturally, as a proficient mage and a nun, she offered him some aid… But it seemed that his mind automatically declined her offer as he told her that she should, instead, focus her attention to others like Yuno and Asta and the other kids. He said that he could figure it out all by himself and prove he was a man and that they didn't need to treat him like a kid.

While an admirable trait, Toshiro was but a kid. He shouldn't be thinking that way to begin with. Yet he thought he himself has to be an adult. The fact that he always wanted to do all labors possible to help the church spoke on itself about his selflessness and rather mature nature.

As impressive and touching as this disposition was… she wanted him to understand he didn't need to act like that. He, like the other kids, could always rely on her and the head priest.

Toshiro needs to enjoy his childhood.

"I still not gonna give up though…" She muttered with a newfound determination as she smiled fondly at the silver-haired kid wrestling with Asta. "I'll manage to make him rely more on me and the others so he won't have to push himself so much"

That day on the river, Sister Lily made a promise.

She will find her way to help this eccentric kid no matter what.

← To be Continued

AAAAANNNNND CUUUUUUT!

Man, to think that I manage to pull so many words in this chapter… It's kind of impressive even I say so myself, considering this one was meant to be a lot more shorter than the end result.

Anyway, what's done cannot be undone. I think you must have several questions regarding the story and I'll make sure to respond with my best effort. You can send your questions via reviews and in the next chapter those question will have their answers.

Now, leaving that aside, I have to say a few things just you won't get the wrong idea with some aspects this chapter brought.

1.- Toshiro's problem with Magic.

I bet some of you may think about this more thoughtfully because the revelation of him having no real control over his mana flow is rather odd, if not outrightly bizarre. However, this problem is also very common issue in the world of Black Clover, especially when you see how atrocious Noelle was at casting even her most basic spells.

Toshiro has a similar yet slightly different problem. His problem put this on a whole new level. He is completely unable to freely manipulate his mana flow like his peers and the fact that his magic refuses to cooperate make things even worse. It has nothing to do with his natural talent though. The explanation behind this mystery is a VERY IMPORTANT plot point in this story. But don't worry, he will get better as the time pass.

2.- Sister Lily and her opinion about Toshiro.

If anyone is wondering about it, NO! They're not gonna be antagonizing each other.

The last part of the chapter brought a small detail that our dear MC overlooked… His un-childish behavior and how it tends to clash with others' opinion on him. Sister Lily is just one of the most concerning cases since she is misinterpreting his independent personality with an isolating mindset.

Just think about it. The nun is a pretty golden-hearted person who adores the children in the orphanage and is always willing to help them offering them a kind smile, encouraging words and any type of aid as a whole.

The fact that this eccentric kid refuses to be treated like the others is very concerning (if not slightly disturbing) for her. Seeing a kid full of such a contradictory behavior unsuited for his (physical) age is not normal. His stubbornness in regards of becoming stronger and unpredictable demeanor doesn't help at all. And considering that the nun is still new on the town… Well, you get the idea.

Now, this DOESN'T mean they won't develop a bond. In truth, this seemingly unimportant trait about Toshiro (on his own words) is exactly what will make Lily tries to understand him better and make him open his heart to heart.

Trust me, their relationship will improve in later chapters.

*THUUUUMMM*

Now, without anything else to add, I bid you all farewells! And please send your reviews with all questions, impressions and overall suggestions and observations about this chapter!

Wardex OUT!