"Come on, help me here!" The girl made puppy dog eyes at her shorter sibling.

"Nah…" He, didn't even looked up from his current occupation, a table full of materials for his preferred craft.

"I'm asking you, pretty please, Otouto." The girl reiterated her assault with batted eyelashes, a diabetes inducing voice, and a pleading expression.

"Go ask Karin-nee-san, or Matsu-kaa-san. They are even better at this than I am…" He responded absentmindedly.

"You know what they would ask in exchange. And THAT is a price I would rather NOT pay. And they're not good with magic."

"You fear them for what they might ask in exchange, but not Father and mothers for what they could do if they got wind of what you're doing? That doesn't make much sense." His answer was punctuated by a slightly shake of his head, and an almost imperceptible chuckle. "Ask Mikado-san or Mizuho-san then, they-re quite well versed in technology too…" He offered lazily, changing his lollipop from one side of his mouth to another. Then he got one tube of whatever-that-might-be, and inspected against the light.

"They would tell dad, and I will be grounded for a month. And the problem still the same: They're good with technology, not magic. I want a magitek device."

"What makes you think I will not tell dad? Or that he wouldn't end up knowing, for that matter?"

"If is already done, and stable, he will allow it. Just like he did to grandpa's presents."

"I wouldn't be so sure but…" He sighed. "Ok, you win. But I will need the blueprints, a mana jewel, and YOU will pay for the material." He didn't actually stressed the word 'you' but my mind emphasized the main point anyway.

"Yep, I know."

"And you will get me an extra jewel for an experiment." I groaned. He don't have idea how much costs for me to do one of that. He looked at me, and gave one of his rare non-lazy smiles. My annoyance melted. Few things could make my cousin to smile like that. If it costs me a jewel, so be it.

"Thanks Sou-kun."

"Ye're Welcome, Keiko."

"Would it complicate things if I don't actually HAVE the blueprints?" I drop the bomb.

Unlike I expected he looked at me, and behind his usually lazy expression, I saw a fire, like when dad experiment with his runes. "It may take some extra time, but I think we could do it…"

…

I take the jewel-like device in my hands, and look at it closely. Nothing out of ordinary, even at closer inspection. I flow mana though it, and the pearl shaped jewel grows and form a short staff, with a few decorations on top. Then it blows up, tossing me four meters back.

"Prototype gamma: Failure." Souchiro says lazily.

"I can see that!" I answered, my anger showing in my soot covered body.

"Just ticking it off." He shrugs. "At least we made an underpowered version as a prototype."

"Yeah. Let's go back inside before uncle, one of moms or dad gets back."