Chapter 10

---

In a corner of the snow-white world, a sense of unease.

A vibration, a sound of something moving.

Drawn to it, the world slowly fades away. At the same time, my senses gradually return.

In the drowsiness, the identity of the sound crosses my mind.

Ah, I see.

I move my heavy arm. I find my target right away.

"Is it morning already?"

Muttering to myself, I turn off the alarm on my mobile phone.

---

"Isn't that amazing, Seina?!"

Morning.

Despite the fact that our initial agreement was broken yesterday, Shou, Tooru, and Shuhei were still waiting for me in the dorm's common area.

Noticing this, as I approached, Shou shouted the moment he saw me.

Internally breaking out in a cold sweat, I silently glared at Shuhei. In response, Shuhei raised his shoulders and tilted his head.

It seems this was a different matter from last night.

"You can use magic just fine even without incantations, right?!"

"Aah..."

That's it.

I worried for nothing.

"Still, I was surprised. It's true that you were defeated quickly, but your initial combat skills were incredible."

Tooru said this, perhaps sensing the lack of enthusiasm in my response.

"I was also surprised that Miss Hanazono can use melee techniques."

"What's your usual style?"

Shuhei's question made me curious.

"Stuffed animals."

Ah, as I thought.

I nodded in agreement with his answer.

"Non-elemental, non-system magic. Miss Hanazono seems to possess a unique ability."

Shuhei glanced at my reaction.

"Rather, aren't you more knowledgeable about this?"

"Well, that's a tough one."

Non-elemental, non-system magic.

I think I mentioned before that magic can be attributed with elements. Magic without elemental attributes is generally called non-elemental magic, but there are two types of non-elemental magic: "non-elemental" and "non-system." While both lack elemental attributes, their meanings are entirely different.

"Non-elemental" refers to magic that simply lacks elemental attributes. It might be more accurate to call it a clump of magical energy. It refers to magic balls created by beginners or magic used without elemental attributes.

On the other hand, "non-system" magic, while categorized as non-elemental because it doesn't fit into any elemental category, can produce phenomena that normal magic cannot (while magic itself produces phenomena that are not normally possible, this is even more special). No matter how much you master non-elemental magic or add any element, it remains a special type of magic that cannot be achieved through normal means.

More formally known as non-elemental, non-system magic.

Non-elemental, non-system magic is not something you can achieve through practice.

Like innate magical power, this non-elemental ability is also an innate talent.

If you're not already at that level, you can't handle it. This applies to Mai's abilities and my 'Teleportation Magic.'

A realm accessible only to the chosen few.

While there are certainly mages who can produce similar phenomena through elemental attribution, achieving the exact same effect is impossible.

For example, even if you use a wind attribute to enhance your body and move as fast as possible, it's still just about speed. It can never achieve the fundamental change of rewriting events to make it seem like you were there from the beginning, as with teleportation magic.

The only and absolute magic.

To achieve the same effect, you must possess the same non-elemental, non-system magic. However, there are very few people who possess the same non-elemental, non-system magic. In fact, there are only a handful of mages in this realm.

"So? What's the name and ability of Hanazono Mai's non-system magic?"

"Ask her yourself. It's not something others should talk about. I won't even say whether she has non-elemental, non-system magic or not."

"Ugh. I knew it."

Shou seemed to have anticipated my response, as he let out a regretful sigh but didn't press further. Tooru and Shuhei also just looked like they had expected as much.

...You saw the stuffed animals, right?

Then you should have a pretty good idea of her abilities.

---

"Hey!! The hero has arrived!!"

"Huh?"

As soon as I entered the classroom, I was surrounded by my classmates.

"What do you mean by 'hero'?"

I asked the three who had entered the classroom late.

"Can't you figure it out from what everyone's saying? Hero."

Shuhei yawned, patted my shoulder, and moved to his seat.

"Well, I'll evacuate before getting dragged into this."

Tooru said with a bright smile, leaving everything to me.

"Haha. Good luck~"

Joking and looking foolish, Shou decided to ignore the situation.

"Wait, what's going on here—"

"Using body enhancement magic like that is amazing!!"

"Taking a hit from Miss Hanazono's magic is incredible!!"

"I never thought someone our age could perform such high-level melee combat!!"

"It's a shame you were defeated so quickly, but you looked really cool!!"

"Whoa!?"

I was taken aback by the intense gazes of my classmates.

Yesterday's match seemed to have significantly raised the estimation of my magical abilities. Amidst the numerous praises, there was something I couldn't ignore.

"Being recognized by Miss Hanazono, you must be something special."

"Huh?"

I let out an unintentionally flat response.

"To challenge Miss Hanazono like that, you must be more than just an ordinary person, Nakajo-kun."

"Wait a minute. What do you mean by that?"

"Being recognized? That kind of challenge?"

Driven by a bad feeling, I cautiously asked.

"Well, after you were carried to the infirmary, we were talking about your magical power, and Miss Hanazono said something."

"...What did she say?"

"That 'the Seina I recognize isn't just that.'"

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