It Didn’t Have To Mean We Were The Same, You Know?

“Huh. Magic, is it.”

As she made stew with the ingredients they had bought, Aria murmured that.

“Yes. I really felt it—painfully—that I need some… straightforward way to attack.”

“Well, yeah, I figured. I also thought you were pretty hardcore the moment you picked Sword Breaker.”

“You thought that…?”

“Mm-hm. But I didn’t want to say anything and narrow your thinking, either.”

She laughed, adding that she would have stopped him if he’d said something really terrible—but her hands never paused.

In fact, the stew came together so quickly and smoothly that Kikori couldn’t even argue; his “previous-life knowledge” didn’t get a chance to shine at all.

“So, attack magic really is the answer…”

“That Break—or whatever you called it—is a wonderful spell too, though. You damaged the inside of their head, right? I think that’s amazing. Whether anyone will understand it is a separate issue.”

“…Yeah.”

“In that sense, I think it’s best for you to choose an attack spell you can visualize most easily.”

“Something I can visualize…”

What kind of spell would be easy to picture?

If it was earth, then stones? Shrapnel?

If it was wind, maybe a tornado.

Water was… a jet of water? That didn’t feel quite right.

Better to rely on a spellbook, Kikori thought.

Spells got into books because they had proven results—so he should just learn them properly.

…And then, as he thought that far, Kikori suddenly remembered Mirgu’s words.

That comment about Aria and Kikori having the same combat style.

In truth, War Cry was the core of Kikori’s fighting.

So then… wouldn’t the magic Aria used also suit him? Kikori thought.

“Um, Aria-san.”

“Yes? Oh—hand me the milk.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Thanks. So, what is it?”

As Aria stirred the pot, Kikori began, “It’s about what we were saying about magic.”

“What kind of magic did you use, Aria-san?”

“Me?”

“Yes. I thought… if it’s magic you used, it might suit me too.”

When Kikori said that… Aria stopped stirring and leaned in to peer at his face.

“Let me guess—someone put an idea in your head… Mirgu-san, wasn’t it? He told you our combat styles are the same.”

“Ugh.”

“Honestly. That man. But listen—there’s no need for me and you to be the same, okay?”

“Yes. I think I understand that.”

“Good, then. Well, fine. What I used was, hmm… the one I used most was Mjolnir, I guess.”

“Huh?”

The word sounded vaguely familiar, and Kikori blurted it out.

“The composite enchantment spell, Mjolnir. It’s a spell left behind by one of the geniuses who made a name for themselves in history.”