Chapter 36: Magical Tool Research Club

On the first and second floors of the West Wing, various research club laboratories are gathered.

Mil and I decided to look at the nameplates of the research clubs in order from one end of the first floor.

“There’s a Swordsmanship Club and Martial Arts Club. We usually see them practicing in the schoolyard, but I wonder what they do in the research rooms?”

“Well, I’m not sure. Maybe it’s research on sword techniques and martial arts that utilize magic?”

Well, that’s the only thing I can think of. The rooms used by the research clubs as their laboratories are essentially the same as the classrooms we use for regular classes. It’s not that spacious, so they probably conduct practical research outside.

There are also some research clubs that mostly operate outdoors.

“Magical Beast Research Club… Are they researching magical beasts?”

“But what exactly are they researching about magical beasts?”

“Well, maybe their behavior or biology?”

If we understand that, it would be easier to deal with magical beasts, and it would be important, but it doesn’t seem like a typical student club.

Compared to the Swordsmanship Club and Martial Arts Club, it lacks glamour.

However, voices of many students can be heard from inside the laboratories, and when I glanced to the side, I saw the adjacent classroom labeled “Magical Beast Research Club Second Laboratory.”

It’s surprising that it’s popular enough to require two laboratories.

Next to it is the Performing Arts Club that Maron-san mentioned, and we passed by that laboratory and continued further.

“Magical Grimoire Research Club, Catalyst Research Club, Mana Research Club, Spirit Research Club, Ruins Research Club…”

“All of them seem to be research clubs with unknown activities.”

As we went upstairs to the second floor, there were also many peculiar research clubs, and we walked down the corridor while tilting our heads.

I think they all seem like magical academy research clubs, but I don’t really understand what they do.

It would be a simple matter to visit their laboratories and observe if we were invited, but there isn’t a research club that appeals to us enough to take that step.

We’ve come to the last laboratory, and both of us sighed in unison.

“Well, they were all research clubs that we didn’t quite understand.”

“Yes, that’s right. Well, maybe they are attractive to those who look at them.”

It’s just that there wasn’t a research club that suited our tastes.

Probably, other students who felt the same way formed new research clubs with their desired goals, resulting in the birth of many research clubs in this academy.

Anyway, since we have finished visiting all the research clubs, we turned around to leave when…

“Hmm?”

At the far end of the corridor, I found that there was one more laboratory remaining.

Rather than saying I found it, it felt like it miraculously entered my field of vision.

The Ancient Magic Research Club is using a large classroom, and at the very end of the corridor, there is only a small storage room with a small door left.

However, even there, a nameplate for the laboratory is hanging, albeit covered in dust. I felt drawn towards that laboratory and walked towards it.

Standing in front of the worn-out door with peeling surfaces and chipped corners, I looked up at the nameplate again.

“Magical Tool Research Club.”

Mil and I exchanged glances and tilted our heads in unison.

“So, this is also a laboratory, right?”

“It seems so, but why does it stand out from the other research clubs?”

“I don’t know.”

It clearly feels different, or rather, it seems to be treated poorly.

It’s as if it got pushed to the corner because of the other research clubs.

Judging from the name “Magical Tool Research Club,” it seems like they are researching magical tools.

As I absentmindedly looked up at the nameplate, suddenly, from behind the door…

“Nyaaaahhhh!”

“――Huh?!”

With such a strange scream, we heard a loud explosion sound, and Mil and I were startled, shaking our shoulders.

Thinking that something had happened, I instinctively reached for the doorknob and opened it.

Faint black smoke and a burnt smell drifted out from inside, indicating an abnormal situation.

“Um, excuse me, are you okay…?”

Eventually, as the smoke cleared, the full view of the room became apparent.

It had a long rectangular shape, with a square black table placed in the center.

There were glass shelves on the left and right walls, and inside them were dust-covered tools of unknown purpose.

And on the back wall, there was a small window, which a female student in a white coat was currently opening.

“Cough, cough! Geho, geho!”

The female student, who was coughing and trying to fan away the smoke with her hand, had disheveled gray hair that looked as if it hadn’t been taken care of. It was slightly messy and reached below her waist.

She had dark circles around her eyes, and she wore large round glasses as if to hide them.

The uniform under her white coat had a touch of green, so she was probably a second-year student. Could she be a member of this research club?

“Hmm, who are you two…?”

Noticing our presence as we entered the room, the female student turned to us.

While glancing at Mil, who was hiding behind me again, I answered the girl in the white coat.

“Well, we came to visit the research club, and we heard an explosion sound from inside, so we got curious and rushed in.”

“Oh, sorry about that. It’s something that often happens during research. Other members of the research clubs are aware of it, so it never causes a commotion…”

She was about to say something, but she suddenly stopped talking.

Then her eyes widened, and she quickly ran towards us at an incredible speed.

“Y-You said you came to visit the research club, right?!”

“Uh… yes.”

“Could it be that you’re interested in the Magical Tool Research Club?!”

“Oh, no, it’s just that…”

It’s true that we came to visit, but it doesn’t mean we entered the laboratory out of interest.

Before I could explain, the girl in the white coat interrupted and trembled with excitement.

“Finally, a long-awaited new member…! Will I finally be able to create magical tools with my comrades…?!”

“Um, I’m sorry to interrupt your excitement, but we didn’t actually come here specifically to visit this place…”

The girl in the white coat looked stunned.

“Huh, really…?”

“We were just curious about what kind of research clubs exist, so we came to stand in front of the door…”

To be honest, when I told her the truth, the girl in the white coat visibly deflated and lowered her head.

Then, she slumped to the floor, letting out a dry laugh.

“H-Hahaha, I see. There’s no way there would be new students who want to join this unpopular research club. And yet, I misunderstood and got carried away by myself… Ugh!”

“No, um, actually, maybe we can just listen to your story…”

In an instant, the girl in the white coat raised her face with glasses on, and her eyes above the dark circles sparkled.

“R-Really?! You’re willing to listen to me, even if it’s just for a conversation? Then please wait right there, I’ll prepare some tea right away!”

“She’s quite busy, huh?”

Watching the senior hurriedly moving around, I and Mil took seats on nearby chairs.

After a short wait, the senior with black and white hair came back with tea and sweets for the both of us, offering them with an elated expression that seemed to say she had been wanting to do this for a long time.

Since we couldn’t just back out now, I and Mil took a sip of the tea.

It was delicious, and the accompanying baked sweets complemented it well. However, the senior kept staring at us intently, which made it hard to relax.

Having tea time in this storage room-like space felt quite out of place, so I thought I should wrap up the conversation as soon as possible.

“If I may ask, did the explosion earlier happen during the creation of magical tools?”

“Yes, that’s right. I often make the same mistakes. I miscalculate the proportions when mixing materials such as magical beast components…”

I had a hunch, but it seemed that this person was quite absent-minded.

I glanced up and noticed that the ceiling was covered in soot, revealing the numerous experiment failures.

Anyway, onto the next question.

“The Magical Tool Research Club, is it a research club that invents magical tools?”

“More accurately, it’s research from coming up with ideas to creating and testing. Ah, but we don’t have strict rules. Basically, we just do whatever we want. I’m just making magical tools that come to mind and playing with them.”

“So, the research club is quite lenient. By the way, why is this the only research club that uses a storage room as its laboratory? It’s falling apart in places, and there are no other members…”

The question that I had from the moment I saw this laboratory.

It was clear that it was in a worse condition compared to the other research clubs.

Also, I couldn’t see any other members besides the senior, so I asked what was going on. The senior’s eyes looked a little lonely as she answered.

“There’s no one else here. The Magical Tool Research Club has only me now.”

“Huh?”

“It seems like it was a research club that was established about ten years ago, but no one joined the club until the founder graduated, so the name was just left behind. Then, I took it over and reestablished the club.”

Then, she looked around the small room and smiled with a hint of self-derision.

“So, even though I opened it, no one wanted to join, and this room was just assigned as the research club’s space because it was an unused storage room. It’s not really a prestigious research club or anything.”

“Why are there so few members, though? From what I can see, there doesn’t seem to be a significant difference compared to the other research clubs.”

Although the themes of their research may differ, it’s still related to magic, so I wouldn’t find it strange if people were interested.

That’s what I thought, but apparently, there was a deeper reason behind it.

“What do you think about magical tools?”

“Huh? Magical tools? I just think they’re useful tools, to be honest…”

“I see, that’s good. I wonder if you grew up surrounded by incredibly useful magical tools, or maybe you’re from a rural area where you’ve hardly seen any magical tools. Either way, I’m glad you said that.”

What does she mean?

The way I perceive magical tools as extremely useful tools… Could it be that I’m mistaken?

Even thinking back to my life with Mulberry, magical tools seem to be essential items that help with daily life.

“Ordinary people who grew up in the capital or towns are somewhat used to magical tools, so they don’t find them particularly unusual. And they also understand the limitations of what magical tools can do, so they don’t have excessive expectations. It’s even more true for the students of this academy.”

“Why are the students of this academy less interested in magical tools?”

“In a nutshell, magical tools are not for magicians, but for non-magicians.”

Not for magicians, but for non-magicians.

That certainly makes sense.

Magicians can manipulate the once-supernatural power of magic with their own hands.

However, for those with low magical power or no formal education, magic is still an extraordinary power.

And magical tools are what allow anyone to handle that kind of power freely.

But still, for magicians who can produce supernatural phenomena themselves, magical tools don’t seem to hold much value.

“Research on swordsmanship or spell books is considered valuable in this academy because they benefit magicians. But since magical tools are for non-magicians without magical talent, they are not valued much here. The academy doesn’t provide much research funding for us, and the students’ interest has shifted elsewhere. No one would think of joining a research club like this.”

The self-made magical tools that Mulberry used at home were all amazing.

Thanks to them, we could live comfortably in the small cabin in the outskirts of town, almost on par with the luxury residences in the capital.

Perhaps creating practical magical tools like that isn’t as easy as it seems.

Come to think of it, Mil’s father also worked on creating magical tools independently, but he mentioned that making small tools was already a challenge.

It seems he believes that spending valuable time during student life on tool-making that may or may not be useful is much more meaningful to focus on studying swordsmanship or spell books.

After all, this is a school for improving as magicians.

“Most things that can be achieved with magical tools can also be done by most magicians. People who can enter this academy would particularly see no value in anything other than junk.”

“In that case, why did you want to join this Magical Tool Research Club, which only had its name left?”

“Simply because I love magical tools. Also, my family has been criticized by others, so I wanted to prove them wrong…”

“…?”

“Family?”

As I furrowed my brows, my senior continued to explain.

“My family was once celebrated for their achievements in magical tool development. However, the truth is that those magical tools were developed through a joint effort with another prestigious family, with the majority of the production carried out by them.”

“Huh…”

“But they proposed to split the development results evenly, which allowed us to gain recognition. However, people around us would whisper behind our backs, saying things like ‘They’re just a piece of fish droppings that benefited from others’ success.’ It’s true to some extent, but it’s also true that our family was involved in the development. I didn’t want our family to be criticized any further…”

“So you wanted to create an amazing magical tool and prove them wrong?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

…I see.

Now I understand why my senior is working so hard in the Magical Tool Research Club and why she is such a strong person.

I don’t have many fond memories of my own family, so I wouldn’t feel anything even if they were criticized. But if it were Mulberry, I can’t imagine how it would affect her. It would be unbearable.

Perhaps if it were Mulberry, she might have started her own Magical Tool Research Club, fully engrossed in the study of magical tools, with the intention of proving others wrong someday.

“Haha, sorry for sharing such a gloomy story. And yet, you listened quietly. Thank you so much.”

“No, it’s nothing…”

“Both of you, please join a more reputable research club. Otherwise, you’ll be looked at with strange eyes, just like me.”

Saying that, my senior started to tidy up the finished tea.

She probably didn’t want us to stay here any longer.

At first, she may have intended to invite us to join her research club, but as she spoke, she may have become more sober. She might be worried that if she lets us join her club, we would be looked down upon by others.

Unable to say anything, I froze. Then, unexpectedly, from behind me, a voice so small it almost got drowned out by the breeze through the window reached my ears.

“I-I want to join this research club.”

“…Huh?”

“I want to join the Magical Tool Research Club, please.”

When I turned around, Mil had a determined expression, as if she had made up her mind.