Forty-Second Spell: Class Rival
That night, Haru, Nayu, and Seita participated in the Astronomy Final with the other First-Year Secondary Students. But much like the rest of the class, it was boring as the teacher Seiza-Sensei merely looked at the star charts the students had been creating all semester analyzing them for their accuracy and detail. While Nayu, Hikari, Daizō, and Seita did remarkably well, Haru, Sumi, Cheng, and Rui barely passed the class.
For this reason, Haru had a hard time sleeping. He was then startled upon seeing Daichi's face looking down at him, just like she did when she woke him up on his eleventh birthday which now felt like a lifetime ago.
"Where did you come from?" Haru asked as he got up in bed. "And why did you disappear at the storage house?"
Like before, Daichi said nothing.
"Can't you speak at all? Is Warumo preventing you from talking wherever you are, or are you just a yokai trying to trick me?"
Daichi didn't answer either way.
"If you can't talk, then can you at least give me a sign that you understand what I'm saying? Like, nod once if you are Daichi."
Slowly, Daichi nodded.
"Are you actually here, or just a magical projection of some kind? Nod twice if it's the latter."
Nodding once, Daichi reached out and touched Haru's cheek.
He flinched from the sudden coldness of her hand. "What was that for? To prove to me that you're real?"
Daichi nodded again.
"So how do I know you're the real Daichi and not a yokai pretending to be her?"
Frowning, Daichi withdrew her hand and turned away to wipe her eyes like she was crying.
"I'm sorry," Haru apologized. "Please don't cry. I believe it's you, Daichi!"
"Haru," Cheng grumbled from his bed, which was next to Haru's. "Please stop talking and go to sleep already."
"Okay," Haru whispered. But looking back at where Daichi was sitting at the foot of his bed, she was no longer there.
After a quiet breakfast, Haru participated in the Remedial Charms Final where Fuwa-Sensei had the class demonstrate five spells based on the five elements of nature. Haru was quite tired, but he successfully managed to cast: the Fireball Spell Hiliè, which was a stronger version of the Firelighting Charm, the Wood Repair Spell Mokuwéixū, the Moving Mist Charm Moyayí, the Rust Removal Spell Saxiāo that Nayu failed to cast earlier in the semester, and to represent earth he chose the Porcelain Repair Spell Tōjiwéixi.
"What does porcelain have to do with earth?" Seita said after Haru finished casting the spell.
"Because porcelain is made from a clay mineral that comes from the earth," Fuwa stated. "So five points will go to Byakko for casting all five spells successfully, Ryuji-Kun."
"Thank you very much, Fuwa-Sensei," Haru bowed.
However, Nayu was too nervous to perform her spells in front of the class. So she declined to do it, which earned her an automatic failure and the loss of five points from Byakko making Haru's success ultimately pointless. Seita, on the other hand, performed his spells quite well earning him five points for Genbu. Though Nayu was able to succeed the Remedial Herbology Final where the effeminate male teacher Sabe-Sensei judged the tōmorokoshi no obake plants grown by the class that now had bizarrely shaped corn ears.
"How did you get your tōmorokoshi no obake corn ear to grow in the shape of a cat?" Sabe asked, looking at Nayu's plant with admiration. "It's super cute!"
"Well, remembering that tōmorokoshi no obake grow over dead things, I took some shedded hair from my cat familiar Tora and buried it in the pot with the seedling," Nayu explained anxiously. "I wasn't sure if the fur would change the plant after it fully grew, but clearly it did."
"You must've been a floriculturist in a past life to create something this precious," Sabe smiled. "Five points for Byakko!"
Surprised, Nayu lowered her head. "Thank you, Sabe-Sensei."
"On the other hand, your plant left much to be desired, Fumito-Kun," Sabe said, frowning towards Seita's wilting plant with sickly eyes on its corn ears. "You neglected your responsibility towards the plant, which is a big no-no in my class! So five points will be taken from Genbu and you fail the final exam."
Haru fought hard not to laugh at Seita's loss, who got briefly irritated.
"As for your plant, Ryuji-Kun, I would consider it…average," Sabe responded, touching the corn ears on Haru's plant which had snake eyes on them. "But it's enough for a passing grade."
In Remedial Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ryosei brought out a bunch of yokai which the students had to correctly identify from sight alone and write their answers on pieces of paper. After this was done their papers were fed to an Akashita, which was a yokai covered in black clouds with a gaping red mouth. Depending on how many answers were right or wrong, the akashita's clouds would either turn a lighter gray color to indicate a passing grade or he would spit out the test to imply failure. While Haru and Seita barely passed, Nayu didn't.
"Looks like you're going to be moving onto the regular classes after all," Seita said to Haru as the class cleared out. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised, given you're an Osozaki."
"Actually, I got a lot of help from studying with Rui and Cheng," Haru said.
"Don't be so modest, Haru," Nayu insisted. "It's a sign that you're becoming adept at magic at a faster rate than the rest of us, who've already spent four years learning it in the Primary School of Mahoutokoro."
"You must remember that if you passed a remedial class this semester, you'll be able to take the regular class for it next semester," Ryosei interjected, startling the three. "So you guys won't be separated entirely."
"True," Seita realized. "I guess I'll be seeing you in regular Charms, History of Magic, and Defense Against the Dark Arts since we passed those classes together, Haru."
Haru was surprised by Seita's response. "Did you just call me by my first name instead of my last name like Hikari does?"
"I did, and there's a reason for it," Seita said. "From this point on, you're my Class Rival!"
To be continued…
