I returned to the academy and prepared to take the students out to the suburbs for extracurricular lessons on their days off. I created a field and surrounded it with a wall so as not to disturb the surrounding area. It was shaped like a baseball field.
Solare, who hated freely walking around inside the academy, should have no problem with this open field built outside the city. He should be able to concentrate on his magic without worrying about anyone's gaze.
I prepared it with that in mind, but on the day of the extracurricular lesson, Solare did not show up.
I’d properly informed him of the date and time, so he likely did not mistake the day. It would be fine if he’d simply forgotten about the extracurricular lesson, but it became a problem if he could not leave the academy, walk through the city, and come here.
He would stand out inside the academy, and he could not practice magic in the middle of the city. Should I bring him by carriage or something?
As I thought about this, Felter, who came to participate in the extracurricular lesson, crossed his arms and grumbled.
"...Where's Solare?"
Felter muttered in a displeased tone, and Shenley and Dean, who had also come for the lesson, exchanged glances with each other.
“Perhaps he has forgotten that we are holding an extracurricular lesson,” the instructor suggested.
At those words, Felter exhaled heavily through his nose and uncrossed his arms.
“…I’ll bring him.”
Saying only that, Felter turned his back.
“You mustn’t drag him out by force,” the instructor called after him, but Felter did not reply. Shenley and Dean looked uneasy.
“…Will he be alright?”
“Felter-senpai is so forceful…”
They muttered these things and then fell silent.
This lesson, although unofficial, it was Solare’s first lecture in a long time, so the instructor had decided to keep the group small. Thus, only Shenley, Dean, and the instructor were in the large venue. If Felter succeeded in bringing Solare later, the two of them would join, making five.
Felter had been called because he was the only person Solare knew, but perhaps that had been a mistake.
The instructor waited with slight unease for about thirty minutes.
Felter returned. He appeared to be alone—had he failed after all? That thought arose as he approached, but then another figure appeared behind him. A small silhouette, easily mistaken for a young girl.
“I brought Solare,” Felter announced.
Solare peeked timidly from behind him. Fear lingered in his eyes, and with a face ready to cry, he looked at each person in turn.
“Hello, Solare-senpai.”
“Ah, I—my name is Dean Stone.”
The two greeted him with slightly tense expressions. Solare remained hidden behind Felter and gave only a slight bow of his chin. Annoyed by his silence, Felter reached out and pushed him forward, almost slapping him on the back.
“W-wah wah wah…”
Solare stumbled forward, letting out a pale-faced shriek. Though he nearly tripped, the attention from everyone made him hurriedly straighten his back and stand upright.
“I-I am called Solare… n-nice to meet you…”
His voice seemed about to fade away. The three timid individuals exchanged greetings with a similar atmosphere and then looked at each other. Shenley remained calm, but Dean and Solare both fidgeted shyly.
Felter, arms crossed, scowled and opened his mouth.
“…I’m Felter.”
Everyone widened their eyes and looked back at him for a moment. Though all eyes were on him, Felter showed no sign of caring.
Solare relaxed his shoulders slightly and smiled.
“…I-I think everyone already knows that,” he murmured.
At his words, Shenley and Dean let out quiet chuckles.
“Felter-senpai is famous, after all.”
“I-I don’t think that’s what he meant, though…”
As the two laughed, Felter’s frown deepened.
Perhaps they turned out to be a surprisingly well-balanced group. The instructor had intended to gather students around Solare as the focal point, but the chemistry among the four seemed quite good.
The instructor approached Felter, who remained silently stone-faced, and quietly asked in a low voice, “How did you get Solare to come?”
Felter lifted the corner of his mouth smugly.
“He wouldn’t open the door, so I broke it down. When I did, he gave up and came out.”
“I see.”
The instructor nodded deeply. So the door was the problem. If he had no room to hole up in, he could not hole up.
As this thought passed, Shenley, looking slightly more relaxed than before, spoke.
“Um, what kind of lecture are we having today?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to the instructor.
“Let me see. Then, shall we play a game using magic today?”
“A game?”
They all blinked in unison, tilting their heads. Smiling at their reaction, the instructor turned his palms upward and channeled magical power.
A softly glowing blue sphere rose and floated above his palm. He held it up for everyone to see.
“Now, what is this?”
Dean opened his mouth.
“…Ah, is that an ice crystal?”
The instructor lightly shook his head. Then Solare answered.
“Is that the lightning magic I saw before?”
Everyone snapped their heads around to look at him. The instructor smiled and nodded.
“Correct.”
“Ohhh!”
Shenley and the others let out impressed cries. Solare looked down shyly, while Felter furrowed his brow.
“Lightning can be this small?” Felter asked.
Everyone’s eyes turned back to the instructor. He manipulated the glowing object. The blue sphere floated gently above his hand, then drifted toward Felter.
“This is ionized gas—called plasma. If you can enlarge this plasma without touching it, today’s lesson will be over.”
Everyone tilted their heads.
“Plasma?”
“Enlarge? How do we do that? With fire, you could add more heat, right…?”
Shenley and Dean muttered, pondering. As they considered, Solare raised one hand.
“What is the principle behind lightning?”
The instructor gave a faint smile. When dealing with the unknown, one must understand its mechanism.
“…Lightning is a type of static electricity. Rising and descending air currents—no, let me rephrase. Ice particles and dust cooled in the upper atmosphere rub violently against each other, accumulating electrical force, and finally become lightning. Therefore, not only in thunderclouds but also in volcanic eruptions, particles rub together within the smoke and generate lightning.”
Solare narrowed his eyes and nodded.
“…I see. In that case, if I use wind magic…”
“Exactly. Your thinking is correct. However, heat and other factors also have a major influence. In that sense, fire is also a valid approach.”
Solare fell silent, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Dean began to move. He approached the glowing sphere, reached out both hands, and took a posture as if to sandwich it. Narrowing his eyes, he concentrated.
“…Wind, fire… fast, hot…”
Muttering, Dean manipulated his magical power. The plasma phenomenon had already occurred. By refining magical power into it, he could interfere with the phenomenon.
In no time, everyone widened their eyes at Dean, who made the plasma grow. Felter, in particular, wore an expression that clearly asked, “How could he do that?”
When Dean finished and exhaled, Solare could no longer contain himself.
“Ah, um… how did you do it, exactly?”
Dean hurriedly waved his hands.
“Ah, well, let’s see… I imagined lots of little spheres colliding with each other, and sort of… created a flow of magical power that way…”
“Spheres…? I-it’s complicated. But I think I get what you’re saying. That is, if those spheres collide violently, that light will grow stronger, right?”
“Th-that’s right! Ah, I-I might be wrong, but I imagined it that way and channeled my magical power…”
Though hesitant, the students were interacting. For Solare, this was likely the first time in years he had done so.
Finally, he had come out of his room and spoken with someone outside. This was undoubtedly a major step forward. If the number of participants in these extracurricular lessons gradually increased, he would probably be able to attend regular lectures.
Feeling a solid sense of progress, the instructor naturally broke into a smile.