Me and A Certain Stupid Guy and A Certain Voice From The Past
First Chapter Part II
14 July 2012; Hyougo Prefecture; Nishi Ward, Kobe City; Yoshii Residence; Residence's Living Room; 5:00PM – 5:15PM
It had been the three times Yuuko had been visiting Akihisa's home for this school year in order to help him for his studies and his study habits for some reasons. That is, aside from some few minor meetings they had outside of the schoolin the past because of some accidents... one of which is Akihisa meeting her and her mentor, Rin Tohsaka, in a certain park in Tokyo Prefecture in one of the school's field trips.
The first visit happened a month ago where her younger brother asked her to look after Akihisa on his behalf due to his duties as a member of the school's Drama Club. It had been either her brother or the only girls in his class, namely Minami Shimada and Mizuki Himeji, who had been helping him in studies for some reason. Although it may have been clear from the rumors in the past that both of these girls may have been fallen in love with him, with one rumor being Minami having a first kiss with him on one occasion. The visit lasted for two hours and it is merely studying about the subjects he needed help from her. [1]
The second one happened a week ago, some time after the joint study session he and his friends had done, that only resulted to him being failed on the tests because he put the name of the King of Conquerors Alexander the Great instead of his name [2]. The reason for this is because the Student Council ordered to do so for some unknown reason. On that time, she also met his older sister, Akira Yoshii, who described her as the sister of his male friend Hideyoshi, much to the surprise of Akihisa about this. Yuuko also identified the Yoshii family being members of the Holy Roman Catholic Church like her family, due to that familiar cross on the necklace Akira always wears. The visit lasted for four hours and like the first one, it is merely studying about the subjects he needed help from her.
The third one, this time, had been six hours of studying and ongoing starting eight o' clock in the morning. Also, this time, it had been her decision to do so for some reason...
"Let's finish this!... Starburst Stream!"
"I had inherited this skill in order to protect someone dear!... Mother's Rosario!"
Both Akihisa and Yuuko, who are wearing normal clothes, are playing a certain two-dimensional/2-D arcade fighting game called Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax Ignition in a certain game console. 'The Lightning Flash' Asuna of Sword Art Online series, whom the latter uses in this match, was then defeated by 'The Black Swordsman' Kirito of Sword Art Online series, whom the former uses for that match. Also, a large pastry box was placed on top of a table near them. Said table happened to have two doves made out of silvery threads that had been crisscrossed to create complex shapes.
"Another match, Akihisa Yoshii!" said Yuuko who had been defeated ten consecutive times since they played the game together.
"Eh? You still want to go at it…? It is already 5:00PM, Miss Kinoshita." said Akihisa who was rather annoyed with that determination she had as he only sighed afterwards.
"Of course! You plan to just flee after winning?"
"Whatever."
As the battle between Accel World's Kuroyukihime/Haruyuki Arita being used by Akihisa and The Irregular at Magic High School's Miyuki Shiba/Tatsuya Shiba being played by Yuuko, Akihisa then looks closely to Yuuko's face…
Ever since he saw her and her younger brother in the school starting the first year, both of them really had striking resemblance of one another, with the slight difference on their hairstyles. Because of their hairstyles though, he eventually described Hideyoshi as the cute one of the twins, while Yuuko was described as the pretty one, because of her fiercer look on her eyes, he thought.
"What..."
"Eh? N-No… It is nothing…!"
"You seem like you want to say that I share the same face as Hideyoshi."
"…Am I really that easy to read?..."
"There are times when even our relatives look upon us that way... and I am used to that."
"Hm... You have really looked a whole lot, so it might be better to change it to something unique for yourself, I thought."
"So, are you saying that I should change it since Hideyoshi is more attractive than me, Yoshii?" said Yuuko who had become slightly annoyed by his words.
Akihisa then looked away from her, "no, that's not it, Miss Kinoshita. Isn't it better for you to try something better about it? It might be even look well for you."
"Ah…" Yuuko's face became red because of it, "anyway, put your focus on the game. I won't be losing this time."
Akihisa answered back with a confident smile, "I won't be losing just yet eith— Eh?"
Akihisa then notices Yuuko, whose hands, along with the console controller, are now on her lap.
She's focusing on the game... So she dropped the guard near her skirt...! He thought.
Since she wears a skirt, he looks closely at her hands moving near her skirt.
Just, just a little... Just a little more...! He thought as he gets flustered a little more when he thinks about it, I... I... can... see... see...!
In-game…
"Inferno!… Pray that you will retain your pitiful lives."
"I can't… I can't believe this…"
With that, the so-called 'Snow Queen' Miyuki Shiba uses her Level One Impact Skill 'Inferno' to finally defeat the so-called 'Princess Snow Black' Kuroyukihime…
Back to the reality…
As Akihisa saw Yuuko's hands getting closer to her skirt.
"I won!" She stopped playing and then hugged him tightly in her happiness as she said it, leaving Akihisa having shocked expression towards her actions.
"Bmpfh…!?"
"Geez, you got too full of yourself, Yoshii!"
"Mpfh, mpf…! W-Wait a sec, Miss K-Kinoshita… You..."
"But that makes my first vi-... Ah!"
It takes a short while before she realized what she had done just now. This made her shocked as well, making her feeling more flustered afterwards.
Then both of them turned away from each other for a while out of their flustered thoughts. After that…
"Ah… A-Akihisa Y-Yoshii… I—"
"K-Kinoshita is really amazing, huh?"
"Eh? Really?"
"I kind of planned to take the game seriously," said Akihisa as he laughed shyly even he is still flustered with what happened on them, "but I've already ended up losing… You are smart as expected…" and pretty too.
"Ugh… W-What's with that… That was just unfair!"
"W-What is it, Miss Kinoshita?" answered Akihisa with nervous expression.
"It's nothing!" Yuuko then looked at Akihisa as she continued, "besides, I'm still completely losing overall."
"That was too reasonable..." Akihisa smiled weakly then continued as well, "t-then, w-what do you want now?"
"You see, I don't believe in stopping before I win here. 1-10, was it?"
"A-Ah…"
"Anyway, even with a handicap, I'll keep going until I win 10 more times at the very least."
Akihisa then looked back at Yuuko as he commented...
"You sure really are very competitive, even in these kind of things."
"O-Of course, it is always what is within me after all! I have the bloodline of Kinoshita."
"Hmmm… Well then, show me what you are really capable of, Miss Kinoshita."
"Yeah… I will win here once again, Yoshii!"
The game continues with Akihisa using Toradora!'s Taiga Aisaka/Ryuuji Takasu and Yuuko using Strike the Blood's Yukina Sumeragi/Kojou Akatsuki…
Ever since that time, for a competitive person like her, Yuuko had become interested to that game they played, as well as the other games Akihisa had suggested for her to play. She once had thought before he invited her to play the game after seven hours of study session that she will not play that silly stuff. But she had just decided to try new things. Although it was silly, the idea was worth a try. Yet, was this kind of stuff really that interesting for her or really made her future more worthwhile? She had been playing these games since then anyway and felt enjoyed doing so.
For an 'idiotic' person like him, it is normal for Akihisa to react to her competitiveness now even reaching beyond the limits of the concept of a role model. He once had thought before he invited her to play the game after seven hours of study session that she will not play that game. And yet, she ended up doing so much to his surprise. Playing games isn't really a bad thing. Rather, he only felt that it is not right for someone like her to play such games. But she felt enjoyed doing so, making him to feel happy as well strangely enough.
／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼
14 July 2012; Hyougo Prefecture; Nishi Ward, Kobe City; Yoshii Residence; Residence's Living Room; 6:00PM – 6:30PM
After some time and some matches were conducted, when they are eating the large chocolate cake she baked for the two of them as their dessert after the main course at the dining table…
"Ah… Miss Kinoshita…"
"What is it, stupid idiot?"
"I was wondering about this for a while now. Why do you seem to like challenges like that?"
"W-What are saying that all of a sudden?!"
Akihisa is already aware of her competitiveness and yet he became more curious about something.
"I just thought that there should be a reason you had been like that."
"Hmm… I…"
She may have answered that it is in her bloodline as a Kinoshita. But that answer is definitely not something she will be going to answer once again. Especially, regardless of their school's truest intentions as well as the fact that he met her mentor, who was one of the survivors of a certain significant event almost a decade ago, Yuuko has yet to actually to know if either Akihisa or one of the members of Yoshii family is a practitioner of Magecraft or not in order to answer that question he asked.
"I… don't have any idea. Then why are actually asking such question to me?"
"Well, I had thought of something when you said about your competence on anything, even in the ESB system, but it might not be important…"
She paused for a while as she swallowed a small of the chocolate cake she had on her plate.
"Then, what is it?"
"I didn't say anything, Miss Kinoshita… By the way, this cake is really delicious. You seemed really to be very unique among the girls I know by far…"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Usually the intelligent girls I knew can't cook food very well… You may seem to be an exception..."
A silver streak seemed to cut the air in front of Akihisa, and by the time he realized it, Yuuko's knife was already held just in front of his nose.
"...I thought."
"Are you trying to say that I'm stupid like you?"
"Ah…" With a forced smile, he raised his arms in a sign of defeat.
"By the way, did you learn anything from what he had studied before, idiot?"
"Eh... Well... I do not know if I really anything right now unless you asked me. That is, if I know the lesson."
"Then, what are Michaelangelo's most famous contribution as an architect?"
"They are the Saint Peter's Basilica and the Basilica of San Lorenzo, aren't they?"
As much as she wanted to call him an 'idiot' when it comes to studies at this point, she might already realized why he is not that interested in studies unlike her.
If he only actually focused on his studies, he can even surpassed us Class 2-A. He seemed to be just focusing on anything else. "Hmmph."
Yuuko pulled the knife away with a bored expression, and then as she spun it around with her fingers, she said something unexpected.
"Well then, I should have teach you more on focusing on your studies. Besides..." said Yuuko as she looked at that center table.
In each of Yuuko's visits to Akihisa's home ever since the school year starts, she had always noticed the center table of the living room.
On the center of that table were two doves made out of silvery threads that was crisscrossed like a weaved piece of art as it took on a complex solid shape. Possessing beautiful wings and beaks, and gentle claws. Using that dove as base, it really appeared as an intricate silvery work of art for Yuuko.
She had been curious about that work of art not only because of its complexity and beauty, but also because in each of her visits, she noticed different complex figures made of those silvery threads.
On her first visit, rather than the two doves facing one another, she noticed a small well-crafted sword made out of those similar silvery threads woven into complex shapes.
On her second visit, rather than either the two doves or that well-crafted sword, it was a small figurine-like structure made of the same silvery threads. She easily recognized that figurine being Alexander the Great because of his examinations in the past, as being told by her younger brother.
"Who made that work of art, Akihisa Yoshii? That's beautiful... Really beautiful..."
"Eh? What are you referring to, Miss Kinoshita? And what's with the change of tone here?"
With that, Yuuko thought Akihisa seemed to not realize that she is actually referring to those doves. After sipping some on her cup of tea, she hurriedly decided to go to that table.
As she drew herself closer to that table, he eventually realized what she is actually referring to and attempted to do something.
"Wait... Do not...!"
Her hands were only a few centimeters for her to touch one of those doves as he speaks and tries to reach her out. But...
"...touch that..."
"Eh? What is it..." said Yuuko as she looked at Akihisa, not realizing what she had done just now.
As her vision return to the doves, one of them had changed into shapeless... or more likely, lifeless silver thread itself. It is the one she had just touched.
"Ah..."
Akihisa then immediately rushed towards that shapeless silver thread and got it with his two hands and felt disappointed.
"What have you done here?"
"I am sorry. I never realized that. After all, I was rather curious with these doves and how they are done, Akihisa Yoshii."
Akihisa just sighed and said, "I should have told any visitor that one should never touched these works here no matter what, regardless of how they might say about them."
Yuuko felt rather surprised with Akihisa's actions this time. Truthfully, Yuuko would rather witnessed a distressed Akihisa because of what happened. After all, he is the Ultimate Idiot.
As Akihisa had reached to that table, Yuuko then walks away a bit from the table as she says something.
"I am really sorry..."
"No, no need for that though, Miss Kinoshita."
"Ah... Really?"
Akihisa nodded and immediately returned his focus to those shapeless silver threads on that table. Then, he immediately covered it with his two hands, closes her eyes, breathes deeply once and...
"Shape ist Leben..."
Upon hearing it, Yuuko felt a strange chill on her spine.
Few seconds after Akihisa said those words in murmured voice, he then removed his hands covering the once-shapeless threads. What Yuuko had witnessed just now made her shocked a lot. After all, Akihisa had managed to reform the threads into the shape of that certain dove through some strange phenomenon he had done.
"Here you go."
"Akihisa Yoshii... What you have done..." said Yuuko who was still shocked with that new information about him.
"W-What? Why are you shocked like that, Miss Kinoshita?"
Yuuko, who was once shocked, now immediately speaks in a serious tone.
"Transmutation... a process... no, a magic that was designed to forge, create and most importantly, use matter."
"Huh?"
No matter how hesitant she is right now, she really wanted to know a certain answer to the one question that comes to her mind.
"I do not let this take too long then... Akihisa Yoshii, are you also a practitioner of Magecraft?"
Akihisa remained silent at that point. Somehow, Yuuko felt like she is right as he provides no answer to her question.
／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼
14 July 2012; Hyougo Prefecture; Nishi Ward, Kobe City; Yoshii Residence; Residence's Living Room; 6:30PM – 6:45PM
~DING DONG!
After a few seconds of silence, Akihisa sighed and immediately decided to go to the door.
"Wait a second, Miss Kinoshita. I must see who was visiting here now."
~DING DONG!
"Y-Yes, sure..." said Yuuko was rather tense because of the question she asked to him just now, "It might be Hideyoshi though."
"Why do you think of that, Miss Kinoshita?"
"Just a guess..." said Yuuko followed by a thought, it is painfully obvious that he is also a Magus like me, Hideyoshi and some others I knew. After all, being chosen as the Punishment Inspector of the school never means nothing at all, given the truest intentions of the Fumizuki High School... not only the school guided us students to prepare ourselves to become well-adapted people to the modern society but also the school guided some, if not all, of us Magi to improve our capabilities in learning Magecraft through that certain system that the school had used since its foundation, even if the other students may have not realized that for themselves.
While it was true that a school guides its students to prepare themselves to become well-adapted people to today's society, having a school that actually provides guidance for Magi through the usage of the so-called Exam Summoning Battle system can make complications, considering the status of the Magi in the modern society. Magi themselves are basically heretics who hide themselves, or rather their capabilities to do strange things by casting spells, from the world.
To be precise, there are only five Magicians in the world. Things no one can do, things beyond the ability of modern science... The ones who can make such "miracles" are the ones most of the Magi call Magicians.
Miracles that can never be achieved, regardless of time or effort... it is called Magic.
Those things that are mysterious, but achievable with time and effort... it is called Magecraft.
It's complicated, but that's how it is, so it should be accepted.
Also, the modern world doesn't recognize the existence of Magi. As they believe, control, and learn things that are immeasurable, their existence is incompatible with the modern world. Because it's kind of meaningless. Going to a normal school and becoming a normal adult will bring one far more happiness than studying magic.
Technology is great. In the past few hundred years, it has been leading the way ahead of Magecraft. Nothing is impossible for humans. The miracles once only possible through Magic are now "tools" and not miraculous at all.
Still, magic has its good points. Just as there are things possible only through science, there are also things possible only through magic. As such, if science is moving toward the future, magic is moving toward the past. Something about the past and the future ending up at the same place, everything always running toward the zero point.
Most of these were taught to Yuuko Kinoshita by her mentor as she had been decided to work for the Mage's Association in the future, that is, aside from her ambition to become a novel author as well [3].
Somehow, she had already felt that the school's success to work for its truest intentions towards all of its students might be small, but to hide it to others, especially the other Magi aside from those who are in the Mage's Association (who had rather known about the school already) who seemed to have interest for the system it implemented.
Speaking of the system, none of the Magi in the school had an actual idea about the true source of the ability of the system uses in conducting those Summoning Battles other than the assumption that it is only science. Time will tell if the school will finally reveal that source no matter what. On that way, the society may or may not accept the school's truest intentions in regards to its concerns on Magi.
That's what her thoughts are all about right now.
She then looked at Akihisa who finally opened the door...
"Hello, we are here, Aki."
"Good evening, Akihisa."
"I'm here too, stupid older brother!"
...a certain pink-haired lady wearing bunny hairclip, a certain crimson-haired lady wearing ponytails and a certain crimson-haired little girl wearing twintails were standing on the other side of the door and wearing bright smiles themselves towards Akihisa as well as the little girl immediately hugged him, much to the surprise of the two who are within the home. All of the three are also wearing their casual clothes as well.
"Eh? Miss Himeji? Even Minami? Hazuki? What are you doing here?"
"We had already given our promise to help you in your studies, Akihisa. Don't you remember that yesterday?"
"After all, we were all concerned about what happened last time in most of your tests, Aki."
"To think that with Mizuki and someone else already here at this point, for Minami who has yet to master our native language to be of any help at this point... Huh! Hey! My joints!"
"I know! I know! But I am more adept in Science and Mathematics after all! So I can also continue provide help to you here too like Mizuki and...!"
"Yeah, I get it, thank you, Minami! I will gladly accept this kindness you granted me! So you don't have to make my joints any more flexible...!"
"Big sister! Don't hurt stupid older brother! Please!"
"I understand, Hazuki but stupid older brother does something to make your older sister hurt too. So the punishment should returned to him as well."
"Hmmm..."
Eventually, Mizuki realized something on Akihisa's words, curious about that person.
"Someone else? Who was it, Akihisa? Is it Sakamoto? Tsuchiya? Kinoshita?"
"Good evening, Miss Himeji, Miss Shimada," said a certain brown-haired lady who had finally appeared to them with a genuine smile on her face.
"Yuuko," said Mizuki who had immediately approach her as well, "so you decided to help him too."
Yuuko nodded and answered, "Yoshii really needed more lending hands at this point if he really needed to be saved anyway... Besides..."
She then looked at the two doves facing at one another, and smiled as she looked back to Mizuki.
"Besides?"
"Do not touch those silvery figures if you really wanted to see their beauty at their core, Miss Himeji, Miss Shimada, Hazuki."
Akihisa seemed to realized what Yuuko meant for those words.
In Yuuko's thoughts, Akihisa seemed to actually focus on Magecraft as his priority over anything else after all...
On Akihisa's thoughts, Yuuko knew a lot about Magecraft so he might need her hand in the future when it comes to concerns about it. After all, he is a Magus as well... an adept of the Element of Metal...
Until some more hours had passed on that night, the number of people on Akihisa's home had increased from just five to seven, with the addition of his older sister and Yuuko's younger twin brother who seemed to be concerned for his sister's decision to stay for a bit on his home.
Ever since that day, both Akihisa and Yuuko had become more acquainted to one another, although none of them had yet to initiate to have a conversation about Magecraft other than that one they had and considering their classes, it would be hard for them to talk about it...
TO BE CONTINUED on First Chapter Part III (17 August 2012)
／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼
REFERENCES
This entire part of First Chapter is based on the 2nd Chapter of the doujin Baka to Tesuto to Benkyoukai done by Mizoguchi Keiji, with notable expansions.
[1] Baka to Tesuto to Syokanjuu Light Novel Volume 4
[2] Baka to Tesuto to Syokanjuu Light Novel Volume 5
[3] Baka to Tesuto to Syokanjuu Light Novel Volume 10.5