Didn't we used to play with our fingers making a "pew pew" sound and pretend to shoot something?

The movement of people wakes me up. Looking beside me, I see Riz peering at me.

"Fufu. Hiro's sleeping face is so cute. You always have a slight frown on your forehead, but when you're asleep, you look so innocent."

I feel quite embarrassed. It's still early in the morning.

"Early riser, aren't you?"

She wraps her arms around me and our lips meet.

"I need to get ready for the day. Let's talk at breakfast."

She slips out of my embrace and heads toward the kitchen. Looking outside through the window, I see a cloudy sky with light rain falling. The weather might make it hard to gather anything today. Maybe this is a good chance to study magic instead. I should ask someone to show me where.

Carrying a sack filled with gathered fruits, I head toward the kitchen.

"Good morning."

When I call out, Teisha smiles and turns around.

"Oh, good morning. You're up early today."

"Yes, Riz woke me up. Is there anything I can help with?"

"Hmm. It's a bit of trouble, but could you fetch some water for me?"

Borrowing an overcoat, I take a wide-mouthed earthenware jar and head toward the communal well. Around the well, several elderly women are chatting while fetching water as part of their morning routine.

"Good morning."

"Ahoy, good morning. Hey, aren't you... the son of Ast? The one who's been helping us lately?"

"Yes. I've been staying here since a few days ago."

"Oh, you work at the Adventurers' Guild, right? I heard there's a new recruit bringing back a lot of Vaz herbs. Is that you?"

"Yes, sort of. I just happened to find a good spot for gathering them. It's great if they're useful."

"Hahaha. The Alchemists' Guild was really in need of them. Healing clerics don't come around this village often."

"The Self-Defense Corps also causes quite a few injuries during their culling. Thank you, thank you."

"Yes, yes. Speaking of Ast's place, there's Rizatia, isn't there? How is that going?"

A young woman in her early twenties calls out. Looking at her left hand, I notice a ring on her index finger. Is the culture around here similar to mine?

"We exchanged engagement vows yesterday."

"Oh, really? It seems so sudden for someone your age. You've only been here a few days, right?"

"Yes, but we didn't go further than that. Just an engagement."

"Ara ara. Thank you. Thank you."

They chat animatedly while taking turns to fetch water. When it's my turn, I'm grateful that the well has a roof and a hand-crank mechanism. The pulley hasn't been invented yet, I suppose. With a creaking sound, I crank the handle and pull up the bucket. After filling the jar with two buckets of water, I lift it by the handles. It weighs over 10 liters, so my back feels the strain. Huffing and puffing, I head back home.

"I'm back."

"Oh, thank you. That must have been tough."

"Not at all. I've been helped so much before."

When I lifted the jar, I noticed that muscle soreness had already kicked in. Just a day late. Still young, I guess. The house is filled with the warm aroma of breakfast.

Breakfast consists of rye porridge, bacon, and sautéed spinach with a hint of garlic.

"The weather's bad today. Hunting is off; I'll focus on tanning and equipment maintenance instead. We caught something big." Astra mutters to himself.

"What about you, Hiro?" Riz asks, causing Ast and Teisha to both give me a curious look.

"I want to study magic. Is there anywhere someone can teach me?"

"The second floor of the general store sells magical items. The owner there is also supposed to be a magician." Teisha answers. "But Hiro...?" She winks at me, and I can feel Riz blushing alongside me.

"They're engaged now; that's enough, isn't it?" Ast's remark saves the day.

"Well, if I stay here, I won't be much help with studying. I'll help my father instead." Riz gets up and heads toward the shed.

"I don't know how long this will take. I'll have lunch outside today. Thank you as always."

I stand up, borrow the coat again, and head toward the general store. The rain is getting heavier. The coat isn't waterproof, so my body starts to feel cold. Being a bit overweight makes me more susceptible to the cold. Well, I'm not exactly good in the heat either.

"Welcome back. You were here yesterday too. What can I help you with today?"

An elderly shopkeeper greets me.

"I want to study magic. I heard there's a magician here."

"Yes. Then please go up the stairs at the back of the store."

I walk through the back of the general store and climb the steep stairs. In front of me is a counter, and a man in his forties with a sharp gaze looks at me.

"Welcome. What can I do for you?"

"I want to learn magic. I came here because I heard you could teach it."

"Hmm. So you're a prospective student? My name is Pardis. And yours?"

"Akihiro."

He squints, studying my appearance before speaking. "You already have 'magic circuit control' activated, don't you? The mana and magical energy are circulating. Where did you learn that?"

"I didn't really learn it. It just happened due to some circumstances."

"Oh, troublesome. Stop talking like that. Be casual. It's rare for someone to say it just happened on its own. I've heard that living in areas with high mana concentration can cause such things. Is that your case?"

"No, not exactly. Ah, it was the gods' whim."

"The god of magic circuits? I don't understand the details, but this is interesting. You probably don't need basic training for 'magic circuit control.'"

"Basic training?"

"Going to a place with moderately high mana concentration and endlessly sensing the mana. Then training yourself to convert that into magical energy through imagination. If you've already activated it, all you need is continuous use to become skilled."

He lifts the counter's lid and walks toward the back room. The two rooms are connected, with desks and blackboards inside. At the far end, there's a target.

"Do you understand the difference between magic and sorcery?"

"No, I don't."

"Magic is just law. Each spell's form, recognition, activation — all of that is determined by the laws set by the gods who govern them. Sorcery uses the established spells defined by these laws and manifests phenomena by aligning one's imagination with them. It's like the difference between program specifications and syntax?"

(TN: Remember that Sage sensei does some auto translating here, so its programmer speak for Hiro, but probably a different analogy; this happens frequently with magic incantations)

He walks toward the blackboard.

"Do you have any attribute control?"

"Wind."

"Wind? Not something I'm good at... Let me show you an example. Pay attention."

Facing the target, Pardis extends his right arm.

"Attribute: Wind. Pressure definition. Shape is a sphere with a diameter of 5 cm. Fixed at the upper part of the right hand, 20 cm away. Moving forward at 80 km/h. Execute."

As Pardis chants, a golf-ball-sized whirlwind of wind appears on his right hand and shoots toward the target. On impact, it makes a loud thunk before dissipating.

"How about that? It would send someone flying if it hit!"

"It's amazing. I've never seen anything like this before."

"Let me explain the spell basics."

He walks to the blackboard.

1. Decide which attribute you'll use.
2. Imagine how you'll utilize that attribute.
3. Imagine the shape of the manifested object.
4. Imagine where it will appear.
5. Imagine how it will behave once manifested.
6. If there are no inconsistencies in your imagination, execution is triggered instantly upon command.

"Speaking it out loud helps solidify the imagination within yourself. Those who can perfect their imagination internally don't even need to chant."

"Do you want to try?"

"Yes!"

I stand before the target and make a "pew pew" gesture with my finger.

"Attribute: Wind. Pressure definition."

I imagine compressing a spherical mass of wind to 5 mm in diameter.

"Shape is a rounded cone with a radius of 5 mm and height of 7 mm at the tip."

Imagining it like a bullet's tip.

"Fixed at 10 cm forward from the index finger. Moving forward at 250 km/h."

I aim for the center of the target without wobbling my finger.

"Execute."

There's no recoil, but as soon as I say "execute," there's a loud bang. The tip of the target is gouged out in a radius of about 5 cm. Looking at the backside, it's slightly perforated.

"What? What? You're just starting out, right? And you used wind? How did you manage that? I thought wind was just something to throw around. It even penetrated the target!"

I feel really tired and my head hurts a bit. Plus, I'm feeling pretty queasy.

"Ara. Didn't you compress the pressure quite a bit during definition? Converting mana into circuits takes a lot of stamina. This is where practice and balance come in. Still, it's impressive for your first try. Was this also the god's will?"

He chuckles and leads me to a sofa, bringing some tea.

"Rest for a bit. It's normal for beginners."

I take his advice and rest for a while.