The wind blew softly behind the stadium while Amity continued staring at me with a completely confused expression.
"…Excuse me?" she repeated slowly.
…Yeah.
Saying it out loud definitely sounded extremely weird.
I cleared my throat awkwardly before trying to recover the situation.
"Okay. I can explain."
"I certainly hope so," Amity replied immediately.
She crossed her arms even tighter while looking at me suspiciously.
"Why exactly do you want to meet my father?"
Valid question.
I took a small breath before slowly pulling a folded sheet of paper from my pocket.
Several mechanical sketches were drawn across it.
A pair of gauntlets.
But modified.
Heavily modified.
Amity glanced at the paper before raising an eyebrow.
"…What is this?"
"An idea," I answered calmly.
She took the paper and examined it more carefully.
Her eyes scanned every little detail of the design.
Then suddenly her expression shifted slightly.
"Wait…" she murmured.
She pointed at a specific section of the blueprint.
"This structure… it looks like a magical amplification mechanism."
…Ah.
She noticed it immediately.
Not surprising.
After all, her father was a genius scientist.
Like father, like daughter.
"Exactly," I replied with a faint smile.
Amity slowly lifted her eyes toward me.
"You understand this kind of stuff?" she asked with clear surprise.
…Technically thanks to the internet, videos, and my obsession with this series.
But that would've been difficult to explain.
"Let's just say… I like building things," I answered vaguely.
Amity kept staring at the blueprint for a few more seconds before slightly frowning.
"Even if I wanted to help you… my father is extremely busy."
Yeah.
I figured as much.
"And honestly, he almost never meets strangers," she added.
I slowly nodded.
"I know."
Then I calmly continued,
"That's exactly why I needed your help."
Amity looked away slightly, seeming uncomfortable.
"…You're probably overestimating me a little," she muttered.
Huh?
She immediately noticed my confused look before quietly sighing.
"People always think that because I'm a Blight, everything is easy for me."
Her voice had grown quieter now.
"But my father works almost all the time. And whenever he's inside his lab…"
She hesitated briefly.
"…he practically ignores everything else."
…Ah.
Okay.
Now I understood better.
Silence settled between us for a few moments.
Then Amity looked back down at the blueprint in her hands.
And honestly…
I could clearly see the curiosity in her eyes.
She was obviously trying to figure out what this invention was meant to do.
"…What exactly is this supposed to do?" she finally asked.
This project was inspired by enhanced combat gauntlets.
Modified in a way that would allow glyphs to be formed without needing paper every single time.
And if it worked…
It could drastically accelerate my growth in this world.
I took a slow breath.
"Yeah," I answered.
"It could allow someone without natural magic…" I began carefully,
"…to artificially use certain magical abilities."
Amity blinked several times.
Then—
"…WHAT?"
Yeah.
Reasonable reaction.
"That's impossible," she said immediately.
"Theoretically, yes," I calmly replied. "But if certain conductive stones, magical cores, and a transfer system are used—"
"Wait wait wait."
Amity immediately raised a hand to stop me.
Her brain clearly seemed to be processing too much information at once.
"Are you telling me you want to create an object capable of imitating magic?"
…When she said it like that, it really did sound insane.
"More or less."
Amity remained silent for several seconds.
Then she looked back at the blueprint again.
Very dangerous.
"…This is completely absurd," she murmured.
Then she looked back up at me.
"But if it actually works…"
Ah.
There it was.
She was already imagining the possibilities.
I smiled faintly.
"That's why I need to meet your father."
Amity stayed silent for a few more moments.
Then she let out a long sigh before handing the paper back to me.
"…I can try."
…Huh?
I blinked several times.
"Really?"
She immediately looked away with slight embarrassment.
"Don't get the wrong idea," she said quickly. "I'm only saying this because… the project is interesting."
…Yeah.
Sure.
Totally just for the project.
I barely managed to hide a small smile.
Then suddenly—
"CAPTAIN BLIGHT!"
A voice echoed from the field.
Amity flinched slightly before turning her head.
One of her teammates was waving at her from the distance.
"THE MATCH IS STARTING AGAIN!"
…Ah right.
I had completely forgotten she was in the middle of practice.
Amity quietly sighed before turning back toward me.
"I have to go."
Then after a short hesitation, she glanced at me again.
"Come back after classes," she finally said.
I looked surprised for a second.
"…To the field?"
"No," she answered immediately. "In front of the main entrance."
…Okay.
She had definitely agreed now.
Hehe.
My plans were finally starting to move forward.
And with significantly less violence than before.
Big improvement.
Amity started walking back toward the field.
Then after a few steps…
She slowed down slightly.
Without looking at me, she quietly muttered,
"And try not to get yourself blown up by another magic ball before then."
…
A small smile appeared on my face despite myself.
I'll do my best.
Amity finally returned to the field while I stayed still for a few seconds behind the stands.
And honestly…
That had gone much better than expected.
A lot better, actually.
I slowly lowered my eyes to the sketches still in my hand.
…Now I actually had a real chance to meet Alador Blight.
Just thinking about it made my heart beat a little faster.
Because if this project really worked…
Everything would change.
I carefully put the papers back into my jacket before taking one last look at the Grudgby field.
The match had already resumed.
And in the middle of the magical chaos…
Amity was still completely dominating the game.
Purple magic circles appeared around her with almost unreal fluidity.
Every spell felt natural.
Precise, instinctive.
…It was just frustrating.
Not at her.
But at myself.
Because despite everything I knew…
I was still incredibly weak compared to the real witches of this world.
I clenched my fists slightly.
Not for long.
Then I finally turned around and started walking through the Hexside campus.
And this time…
I actually took the time to observe the place.
Students were chatting everywhere in the outdoor hallways.
Some were casting small spells just for fun.
Others were carrying strange creatures like it was completely normal.
…Which it probably was.
I passed several open classrooms where different lessons were taking place.
In one room, students were handling bubbling potions.
In another, someone was literally summoning a giant skeleton.
…Yeah.
Education in the Boiling Isles was slightly different from Earth.
As I continued walking calmly, more and more eyes started turning toward me.
And honestly…
I understood why.
I was probably the only human within miles.
A group of students whispered as I passed.
"Is that him?"
"The guy who got destroyed by a Grudgby ball?"
…
Rumors spread fast.
Very fast.
I sighed internally before slightly speeding up my pace.
But suddenly—
"Hé you."
I stopped immediately.
…Hm?
I slowly turned my head.
Three students stood a little farther down the outdoor corridor.
Hexside uniforms.
Arrogant looks.
…Ah.
That kind of people.
The boy in the middle looked me up and down with a mocking smile.
"You're not a student here, are you?"
"Very good deduction," I replied calmly.
One of the others chuckled.
"Isn't that the guy who got destroyed by a single magic ball?"
Okay.
That was clearly going to follow me all day.
The first boy stepped forward slightly.
"So you're the one who talked to Amity Blight."
…Ahhh.
Now I understood.
Honestly?
I should've expected this.
Given Amity's reputation at Hexside…
Just talking to her would already attract attention.
"So what?" I answered simply.
The boy's smile faded slightly.
"And normally, people like you know their place."
…
Ah yes.
That kind of people.
I let out a tired sigh.
"Listen," I said calmly. "I've already had a long day, so if possible I'd like to avoid trouble."
The boy almost looked offended by my response.
"You really think you can—"
His group slowly started surrounding me.
"I'm tired of this," I said as I pulled a glyph from my pocket.
"You're the ones who started it, so don't complain about what happens next."
The leader of the group began rushing toward me, raising his hand to cast a spell.
But suddenly—
WHOOSH.
A small purple orb flew between us at incredible speed before exploding against a wall nearby.
BOOM.
Everyone flinched immediately.
Including me.
…Okay, what was that now?
The three students turned sharply.
And at the end of the corridor…
Amity stood there.
A magic circle still active in her hand.
Her gaze was ice cold.
Extremely cold.
Total silence.
Then Amity spoke calmly:
"Do you have a problem?"
…Oh.
Oh, they were dead.
The three students immediately paled.
"N-No Amity!"
"We were just talking!"
"Then talk somewhere else," she replied coldly.
…Good lord.
They all nodded quickly before running off almost in panic.
Silence returned to the hallway.
Amity let out a small sigh before looking at me.
"Seriously…" she murmured. "Do you always attract trouble like this?"
I thought for a moment.
"…Yes, that happens a lot."
Amity closed her eyes for a second, looking exhausted.
Then unexpectedly…
A small laugh escaped her.
…Huh?
She seemed surprised herself before quickly returning to a neutral expression.
"Anyway," she said immediately. "Classes are about to start. You should probably not stay here too long."
I nodded slowly.
"Understood."
Then after a small hesitation, I asked:
"Looks like your training is over… so what about the plan?"
Amity looked away slightly.
"I said I'd try," she replied quickly.
…Which probably meant yes.
A small smile appeared on my face despite myself.
And strangely…
Amity looked away even more when she saw it.
"Alright… let's go," Amity finally said.
"Uh… where exactly?" I asked in confusion.
Amity blinked like the answer was obvious.
"To my house," she replied naturally.
…
…Wait what?
My brain froze for a full two seconds.
"Huh?"
Amity seemed to realize what she had just said.
And immediately—
Her ears turned slightly red.
"I-I mean—" she quickly said. "If you want to meet my father, he's obviously at the Blight Manor!"
Seeing her embarrassed expression, I couldn't help it and started laughing loudly.
"Eh? Why are you laughing?" she said, frowning. "I didn't say anything funny."
"It's just funny seeing your expressions," I said. "I could watch them for hours."
At that, Amity's face turned even redder.
"Okay! Time to go. Are you coming or not?!"
"Yes, yes, I'm coming."
And well…
The more time passed, the more I started appreciating my life here.
And who knows…
What the future might bring.