Chapter 38: Researching Magical Tools

Leave a Comment / Level 999 / By IX

From the day we joined the research club, Mil and I started visiting the lab whenever we had free time.

We had completed the school requests and earned enough points, so we had some flexibility in our schedule.

While we still had to study for the end-of-semester exams, we could do that in the lab.

Moreover, since there was a senior like Pita Jia who had overcome the exams in her first year, we could consult her immediately if we were in trouble.

Not to mention, it was quiet and there was no one else around. This place was the perfect study environment.

And being in the Magical Tools Research Club, it was never boring.

“Haha! I’m a genius after all! I’ve come up with another incredible invention!”

“Um… Is it that pen you’re holding?”

“Exactly! I saw you guys studying and suddenly got an idea!”

Over the past few days since joining the club, I had gradually come to understand this senior in a lab coat.

Pita Jia-senpai had an extraordinary love for magical tools.

She would even sacrifice her sleep to immerse herself in research and creation, often resulting in dark circles under her eyes.

Unfortunately, her thought process, or rather her sense, leaned slightly towards the negative.

“A pen that can emit light, allowing you to study even in dark places! It can illuminate without using fire, and the operation is as simple as pressing the button on the end of the pen, making it easy for even children to use!”

“…Couldn’t you just rely on regular lighting?”

Despite my comment, I decided to give it a try.

Click.

As I pressed the button, the pen Pita Jia-senpai invented brightly lit up as if it were a light source itself.

“Oh, indeed, it’s bright and useful. It could be really handy when you can’t use regular lighting…”

Just as I was about to continue my sentence, I realized a little too late.

The hand holding the pen was burning intensely, as if it were being pressed against a hot iron.

“Ouch! What’s with this pen? It’s ridiculously hot!”

“Huh? No, that shouldn’t… Ouch! It seems that the scales of the magical beast I used to produce the light are emitting heat along with the light!”

Naturally, I couldn’t study with such a thing, so I pitied the discarded glowing pen and returned to my studies.

That’s how it went. Pita Jia-senpai was a researcher who constantly produced nothing but failed inventions.

Occasionally, she managed to create a practical magical tool, but for the most part, they were full of defects.

“I thought it was a good idea, but it seems to have failed again. Oh well, like all the other failed creations, I’ll put it on the shelf in the lab as a reminder to myself.”

“Are all those dusty items lined up on the shelf inside failed creations?”

No wonder there were so many mysterious and unidentifiable tools placed there.

At first glance, it was impossible to tell what kind of tool they were, and I couldn’t even realize they were magical tools.

“These are all my inventions, you could say they’re like children. By using these as fuel, I will eventually create revolutionary magical tools and carve my name into history as a genius inventor.”

“Revolutionary magical tools… Didn’t you say that most magicians can do what magical tools can do?”

“That’s true for ordinary magical tools. However, there are certainly inexplicable, revolutionary magical tools in the world that break even the norms of magicians. I have no doubt that I will be the one to create such revolutionary magical tools,” Pita Jia-senpai replied.

“…And you, who accumulate this mountain of failed creations, will be the one?” I couldn’t help but let those words slip.

Pita Jia-senpai collapsed to her knees, seemingly disheartened. Feeling sorry, I tried to rush over and say, “I’m sorry,” but…

“…I actually quite like Pita Jia-senpai’s magical tools,” Mil, who had been quietly reading her study materials next to me, murmured softly.

As soon as she said that, she covered her mouth and exclaimed, as if she hadn’t intended to say those words.

However, Pita Jia-senpai, in her dejected state, seemed to hear it as words of encouragement. She raised her head, and tears welled up in her round glasses-covered eyes.

“Oh, Mi…Mil-kun, you understand the value of these creations…! It seems that those who share the spirit of magical tool creation can communicate with each other!”

“No, it’s not like that…”

While Mil showed an indifferent attitude, Pita Jia-senpai was overwhelmed with emotion.

Eventually, she mustered her spirits and smiled.

“Thanks to Mil-kun, my motivation has grown even stronger! I must go gather materials to start a new creation!”

With a grand gesture, she dashed out of the lab.

As I watched her figure disappear, I rested my cheek on my hand and smiled wryly.

“Pita Jia-senpai really loves creating magical tools. But I wonder if she’s okay with studying for the end-of-semester exams…?”

“Well, who knows?”

Well, she’s already in her second year, so she must have achieved decent grades. There’s probably no need to worry unnecessarily.

With that in mind, I decided to return to my own exam preparations.

In the tranquil lab, now devoid of Pita Jia-senpai, Mil and I diligently focused on our studies.

As time passed, I turned to the side and found myself gazing at Mil, who continued to concentrate on her study materials. Unintentionally, I couldn’t help but smile wryly.

Noticing my gaze, Mil glanced at me for a moment and asked, “W-What is it?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just thought that it wouldn’t hurt to get a little closer to Pita Jia-senpai.”

And with that, Mil frowned as if I had touched a sensitive spot.

So she deliberately maintained a distant attitude towards Pita Jia-senpai, not directly facing her when talking and often addressing me instead.

“Unlike when you talk to me, it’s clear that you’re trying to keep your distance from Pita Jia-senpai. You rarely engage with her directly, and when you do, you often talk through me,” I pointed out.

“…Because if I get too close to someone, I end up bringing them misfortune,” Mil replied.

She’s still concerned about that, considering her past experience of bringing unhappiness to her friends. It’s understandable that she worries and feels anxious about it. And precisely because Pita Jia-senpai is a good person, it must make it even more difficult for Mil to interact with her.

“But then why did you willingly join this research club? I’ve been curious about that for a while. There was a possibility of involving Pita Jia-senpai in unhappiness, so was there a special reason?” I asked.

As someone who has avoided contact with others, I had been curious about why Mil decided to join the research club. If she didn’t want to interact with anyone, it would have been better to remain unaffiliated and quietly focus on her own studies.

“As I told Pita Jia-senpai, it’s true that my father was a magical tool craftsman, and I have had an interest in magical tool creation. There was indeed a risk of involving Pita Jia-senpai in unhappiness, but I thought it would be fine if I didn’t interact with her too much…” Mil explained.

“But it’s impossible to be in the same research club and not interact,” I pointed out.

At this point, it feels more like we’re not in the same research club but rather two strangers working on separate research in the same room. But well, if interacting closely with someone would only bring them unhappiness, there really isn’t any other choice.

After hearing that, I suddenly remembered something.

“Could it be that you brought me into the research club for that reason?” I asked.

“N-No, I just thought it would be fun to study magical tools together with you, Sachi-san…” Mil replied, trying to divert the conversation.

What a half-hearted excuse. She must have grabbed my arm to minimize direct contact with Pita Jia-senpai. She wanted to maintain the appearance of ignoring her as much as possible.

Staring at Mil with narrowed eyes, I continued.

“Furthermore, you mentioned that you wanted to help liven up the research club because you saw similarities between Pita Jia-senpai, who diligently works on magical tool creation alone, and your late father. That was the main reason, right?”

“Yes, that’s true. And also, I’ve been thinking for a while that I’d like to repair this,” Mil said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small cloth bundle.

When she unfolded it, inside were sparkling pieces of glass-like fragments.

“I’ve been wanting to repair this because I’ve cherished it for a long time.”

“That…,” I murmured.

It was a piece of the pendant that had been crushed under the foot of that detestable noble brat, Kaien Sifonard. The fragment could no longer be called a pendant, as only shattered pieces remained, carefully wrapped in the cloth.

She must have picked up the broken pieces after the pendant was destroyed.

“If you take it to a specialized magical tool shop, they could probably fix it for you. But I’d rather restore it myself,” Mil explained.

“So, you joined the magical tool research club to learn about magical tool creation,” I deduced.

“Yes. That’s why I ended up involving you, Sachi-san, as an assistant, and I’m truly sorry for that.”

“Oh, it’s fine, really. I was also a little interested in the magical tool research club, and I felt the same way when I heard Pita Jia-senpai’s story, so I understand,” I reassured her.

If there’s such an important reason, she should have told me about it. I already know how much Mil values that pendant. If she wants to join the magical tool research club to repair it herself, I’d gladly support her. Besides, as someone who has witnessed Mulberry-san’s outrageous magical tools, I truly am interested in magical tool creation.

“But we probably won’t be able to fully dedicate ourselves to magical tool research until we pass the end-of-semester exams,” I added.

“That’s right. If we end up getting expelled during that time, joining the research club will be meaningless,” Mil agreed.

And so, we focused even more on our exam preparations.