Kikori, That’s Not Fair.

“Mjolnir…”

That “genius” was almost certainly a reincarnator, Kikori thought.

It reeked of the same naming pattern as Hero Shou’s “Gungnir” and “Gram” that he’d read about before.

So Kikori decided to ask.

“So that’s… that Hero Shou guy, right?”

“Yes, exactly. It isn’t in that book you were reading. Looks like they made it, but it didn’t end up being very useful.”

“Uh… what kind of spell is it?”

“Simply put, it’s a spell that boosts a weapon’s attack power and usability. It’s also a spell that suits people who aren’t particularly attached to their weapons.”

Kikori also knew the name Mjolnir from his previous-life knowledge.

If he remembered right, it was the weapon of a god called Thor, but… that had been a hammer, didn’t it?

“Then it’s perfect for me. It’s not like I don’t take care of my weapon, but I’m not exactly obsessed with it either.”

“Yes, it suits people like that. But…”

“But?”

“The mana cost is pretty brutal, you know? I think you can use it, Kikori, but it’ll probably be only once. That’s a trait of this kind of spell too—it’s designed so the stronger your mana is, the more power it produces.”

“That’s fine.”

Even if that was true, if it was a spell Aria had relied on… Kikori felt an almost prophetic certainty that he would become “that way” too.

So he told Aria honestly, just as he felt it.

He wasn’t arrogant enough to believe she would understand without him saying it.

“Because it’s a spell Aria-san believed in, I can believe in it too. That’s what I think.”

“Kikori…”

“I don’t have much confidence in myself. But I do trust you, Aria-san. So if it’s magic you used… I can make it my partner too.”

So please teach me.

As Kikori said that, Aria turned off the heat under the pot and hugged him tight.

“Haa… Kikori, that’s not fair. Not many people can hear that and still say ‘No,’ you know?”

“But I mean it.”

“That’s why it’s not fair. Words can be dressed up however you want, so normally they don’t hit this hard. Especially for someone like me—someone who made ‘emotion’ into a weapon—I’m sensitive to that kind of empty ornament.”

“That’s…”

“But I can tell yours is real. That’s why it’s not fair. That’s why you’re precious to me. I won’t do it because I know it’s better for you, but… I’m dying to go back to being an adventurer, you know?”

“I’m jealous of Kuon-san,” she added.

Hearing Aria say that… Kikori found himself thinking something that was probably almost entirely correct:

“If I ever teamed up with a girl, I have no idea what would happen…”