YM778.TV Chapter 15: The Third Meeting
"What is it, Itsuki-kun?"
"Do you know what \'betrothed\' means?"
"Of course I do! It means we\'ll get married!"
Ah, she knows.... She really knows.
Her innocent response left me speechless. Seeing this, the golden-haired priestess laughed.
"Oh, both the Shimotsuki and Satsuki families are looking far into the future, aren\'t they?"
However, the room\'s atmosphere wasn\'t one for laughter. The other family heads were deep in thought, considering her words carefully.
Their predatory gazes shifted between my father and me. It was terrifying.
"Ha, ha, you\'re quite popular," my father chuckled as if it were someone else\'s problem.
Is this really something to laugh about!?
"It seems neither the Shimotsuki nor the Satsuki families have coordinated with the Kisaragi family," one man observed.
"Indeed. There will be opportunities for that," another agreed.
"But remember, the future head of the Kisaragi family is a \'Seventh Rank\'. Even if he only has male heirs, a concubine should be permitted," another added.
Despite being right here, the conversation about my future continued without me. The adult world is terrifying!
I wanted to interject, but these men looked like yakuza. I was too scared to speak up.
Seeing my discomfort, Renji-san shrugged and laughed. "Come on now, these are just kids talking."
The heavy tension in the room lightened at his words.
"Besides, Itsuki-kun is a \'Seventh Rank\'. It would be a loss for the country\'s future if he only had children with one person. Don\'t you agree, Yamato?" Renji-san asked, turning to the head of the Satsuki family.
Yamato sighed, admitting defeat. "That\'s true. We should discuss the betrothal matter further."
"Yes, Itsuki-kun has the potential to become an exceptional exorcist. This isn\'t something for individual families to decide. It should be discussed in today\'s meeting," Renji-san added.
"...You\'re right, Renji."
So, what now? I couldn\'t tell if the matter was resolved or not, but the intense gazes from everyone told me it wasn\'t.
As I stood there, bewildered, the priestess spoke up.
"This is getting interesting. But is it a conversation for the children?" she said, looking around.
"Shall we let the adults continue the discussion alone? The children can join their mothers and play until we\'re done," she suggested, smiling.
"Yes!" I responded, grateful for the excuse to leave.
We exited the room, stepping into the hallway connecting the main house to the annex. Ahead of me, I saw Rin-chan running full speed towards her mother\'s room.
Wow, no formalities, huh? Kids sure are free-spirited...
But considering she was only five, it was unreasonable to expect more.
As I pondered this, Ayachan approached me from behind.
"Itsuki-kun."
"What is it?"
"I\'m serious!"
"Uh, what?"
But with that, Ayachan ran off too.
"Wait, Ayachan!"
There was no response, only the sound of her footsteps fading away.
What was that about? What did she mean by being serious? Serious about what?
The betrothal? Tell me, Ayachan!
But she was already gone. Chasing after a girl who just ran away didn\'t seem right.
Left alone in the hallway, I stood there, unsure of what to do.
"What should I do...?"
Ayachan was likely in the room with the other mothers. Following her might seem like I was chasing her.
But standing in the hallway until the meeting ended wasn\'t an option either. The discussion could last until nightfall.
Thinking it over, an idea struck me.
Oh, right! I should practice my magic!
Today, I used magic for the first time. I needed to solidify that feeling in my body.
So, I asked the nearby man in a black suit.
"Excuse me, is there a place where I can practice magic?"
"Yes, follow me," he said.
I expected some hesitation, but he agreed so readily that I was taken aback.
"Huh? Is it really okay for me to practice magic?"
"Yes, Akane-sama has instructed that the heirs visiting today are free to use the training grounds."
I see. No wonder it\'s allowed. So, the golden-haired priestess\'s name is Akane.
That\'s the first time I learned her name.
"Here we are," the man said, leading me to a spacious area with wooden mannequins lined up. The ground was leveled, and there were targets for archery and bamboo poles like those in iaido videos.
"Can I really use all of this?"
"Yes, feel free to ask if you need help with anything."
"Thank you!" I said, bowing before stretching out my Silveits to grab a bamboo pole.
"Can I cut it?"
"Go ahead."
With permission, I transformed my Silveits into blades and sliced through the bamboo cleanly.
The man in black watched, impressed, and clapped his hands. It was embarrassing.
"As expected of you, Itsuki-sama. You\'re adept at transforming your Silveits."
"...Transformation?"
It was a term I hadn\'t heard before.
"You don\'t know? Then, you\'ve been doing it by instinct..."
He seemed confused but kindly explained.
"What you just did is called \'attribute transformation.\' Transforming your Silveits into blades. It\'s the foundation of magic."
"Are there other types of transformations?"
He nodded at my question.
"Yes. Do you know how magic works?"
"You extend your Silveits and... then..."
I trailed off, unsure.
"You\'re half right. Magic is performed by transforming your Silveits. There are two types: \'attribute transformation\' and \'elemental transformation.\'"
"Attribute transformation and elemental transformation..."
"It\'s easier to show than explain," he said, using his Silveits to grab the bamboo I had just cut.
"This is \'elemental transformation: fire.\'"
As he spoke, the bamboo burst into flames.
"Whoa! Is fire the only elemental transformation?"
"No. There are five basic elements: fire, water, wind, wood, and earth. From these, you can create \'compound elements,\' but that\'s for advanced exorcists. Start with the basics."
"Wait, I can already do that."
"Really?"
I extended my Silveits to the bamboo and set it on fire.
"...You can already use \'elemental transformation.\'"
"And I can do this too," I said, demonstrating the explosive magic I had shown in the meeting room, combining fire and wind elements.
The man in black watched, astonished.
"...You\'ve mastered \'compound elements\' as well? You are truly remarkable, Itsuki-sama."
He bowed deeply.
Being praised made me happy, so I thanked him.
"You\'re incredible. Most exorcists start learning magic at seven and take a year to master all basic elements..."
He looked at the scattered bamboo pieces.
"Can you use other \'compound elements\'?"
"No, just this one," I admitted.
"And \'elemental transformation\'? I can only use \'fire\' and \'wind.\'"
"How about mastering the other three elements before your father returns?"
His suggestion made my eyes sparkle with excitement.
"I\'ll do it!"