It was my fourth day of school since the entrance ceremony, the ability measurements, and finding out about my Evil Eye¹. Everything was moving so fast; the days felt incredibly dense, like time was slipping through my fingers.
I'd befriended Rekka and the others at the ceremony, then somehow made friends with Liesha-san on the morning of the measurements. That same day, I'd learned the truth about my Evil Eye, met Master Logan, and somehow ended up as his apprentice.
I wasn't acting like a "mob"² character at all. I wasn't even getting any "stan" time in! I didn't actually want to join the party; I wanted to lurk in the background, cheering the protagonists on from the sidelines while spitting out classic NPC dialogue…!
"Sakaki-kun? Are you okay?"
I was jolted out of my thoughts by Liesha-san, who was walking beside me with a worried expression. Honestly, the fact that she was showing up at my house so early in the morning was an emergency in its own right. According to her, Master Logan had asked her to keep an eye on me. Apparently, gaining the ability to toggle the Evil Eye on and off-combined with the way he'd reinforced my mana circuits-could lead to some nasty side effects.
My mana recovery rate was allegedly in a league of its own. If he'd left my circuits as they were, they would have shattered under the pressure, likely killing me in the process. Master Logan had "widened the pipes," so to speak, expanding and strengthening my pathways while significantly boosting my maximum capacity. Now, my total mana pool was deep enough that my natural recovery wouldn't cause it to overflow immediately.
Furthermore, thanks to the natural recovery boost I'd gained from the "Shackles"³, the faint trickle of mana that only a master mage could have sensed before was now a palpable, steady flow. Even Saki was stunned.
"Whoa, can Valhalla⁴ really turn someone with a pathetic mana pool like Big Bro into this? What is that place, some kind of super-soldier lab?"
She was being incredibly rude to both me and the school, but that was just Saki for you. Since she'd misunderstood my being late as a result of school training, I didn't correct her. It wasn't technically a lie. It was all thanks to Master Logan's "Shackles"-or maybe because of them.
Anyway, that was why Liesha-san had drawn the short straw of coming to pick up a background character like me every morning under the guise of "surveillance." I felt bad about it, so I'd stepped back inside for a moment to grab her a drink. In that brief window, Saki and Taku had intercepted her.
"Wow, you're gorgeous! My brother's a total dork, but please take care of him!"
"I can't believe a beauty like you is with my bro...! Please, look after him!"
"Um, wait? What...?"
What do these kids think I am? They were my beloved siblings, but they were killing me. Seeing Liesha-san stammer and blush was adorable, even if I felt like a jerk for putting her in that position. I mean, if a girl shows up at a guy's house to walk him to school and she isn't a childhood friend, people are going to jump to conclusions. And for the record, I didn't have some "childhood friend" heroine waiting in the wings like a dating sim protagonist.
Man, how am I going to clear this up when I get home?
"Actually, Liesha-san. Today's third and fourth periods are elective lectures, right?"
"Oh, right. They are."
"Do you mind if I take up that time?"
"Wait, what?! Um, I mean, it's not that I mind, but we're just friends, and that's so sudden..."
"I mentioned we needed the Alchemy Club's sub-leader to help break Professor Todo's curse. I want to use the free period to go meet him... Liesha-san? What's wrong?"
"...Nothing. Forget it. Keep going. You're right. Totally right..."
"Huh?"
She was alternating between turning bright red and staring at her shoes. What was her deal? Oh, I got it. She was still stressed about the misunderstanding with my siblings. I felt a pang of guilt-I'd definitely have to set them straight later!
We eventually reached the classroom, where I spent some time catching up with Rekka and the others. Once the second period ended, I made my way over to Liesha-san's desk. I'd already filled Rekka's group in after the first period, so they were heading off to do their own thing. I felt a bit conflicted about moving forward with an event that Rekka was supposed to handle, but Liesha-san had come to me for help. I couldn't just brush her off on Rekka now; that would be a total betrayal of her trust.
Even a background character has to have some standards of courtesy. I'd bring Rekka along when we actually had to face the boss, but the situation had changed. With my current stats, maybe I could handle the run with just Liesha-san... No, that was just arrogance talking. In the original story, it took the protagonist's strength combined with hers just to barely scrape by. Stay humble, Sakaki.
"Liesha-san, you ready?"
"Yes. I don't need to bring anything, right?"
"Just don't forget the password."
"Don't worry, I've got it. Let's go."
The two of us headed toward a specific classroom on the second floor.
"Excuse us," I said, sliding the door open.
The room was dim, the curtains drawn tight to block out the sun. In the furthest corner, a dense, obsidian shadow stirred in the gloom and slowly turned toward us.
"Oh? Freshmen? This is my private room, you see, the elective lect-"
"Alchemy is equivalent exchange," I interrupted.
"!!"
"Alchemy is the pursuit of the Philosopher's Stone."
"!! And the heart of it?!"
""Alchemy is the best!"" Liesha-san and I shouted in unison.
"Aha! Comrades! Welcome to the Alchemy Club! Are you looking to join? You must have been recommended by an alum to know the secret greeting. I'm delighted!"
That wasn't quite it, but I didn't have a better explanation. In the original plot, Rekka befriended this guy after saving him while he was out gathering materials in the mountains. This was a "sequence break"-a shortcut I could only take because I knew the story. If I didn't use meta-knowledge, a "mob" like me would never have been able to make a connection with a guy like this.
"Haha, not exactly... but it's true that I have some connections in the military."
""!!""
Total lie. Liesha-san looked just as shocked as the senior, but I had to play the part. I'm sorry! I only know this stuff because I read the book!
"Anyway, Senior, you're having some trouble gathering materials, aren't you? We're here to help."
"!! I see. And what do you want in return?"
Fast. As expected of a genius, his mind was already racing.
"There's something I need you to craft using a specific material. We'll handle the gathering. You just need to make it."
"I'm always happy to tackle a high-difficulty recipe. It helps me level up. But... I can't guarantee I'll be able to make it."
"You can. If it's you, I know it's possible. It's the 'Ring of Sacrifice'⁵."
""!?""
Exactly. Instead of trying to dispel the curse, we would transfer it. That was the only way to save Professor Todo. However, the requirements for the Ring of Sacrifice were brutal. The enemies guarding the materials were absurdly strong.
"Are you serious? That's near the top of my 'must-craft' list, but... it's famous for the fact that almost no one ever makes it back with the ingredients."
I knew that. But the fact that people knew about the ring meant that, at some point, someone had succeeded.
"To be honest, I don't know your true strength yet... I see. So that's how it is. Heh... you're sharp."
He seemed to have reached some conclusion on his own. He probably realized that my offer to help him with his other materials first was a way to build a rapport before the big request.
"Fine. Since that's the deal, can I ask for a few favors right away? Give me a second to write up a list."
"Of course."
Liesha-san had been silent the whole time, looking bewildered. I'd have to give her a proper explanation once we started the hunt.
Summary:
Sakaki navigates his new life at Valhalla, dealing with the physical strain of his mana upgrade while being monitored by Liesha. After a comedic encounter where his siblings mistake Liesha for his girlfriend, Sakaki initiates a 'sequence break' by approaching the Alchemy Club sub-leader. He recruits the genius alchemist to craft a 'Ring of Sacrifice' to save Professor Todo from a curse.
Trivia:
- Sakaki's mana recovery is so high it would have killed him without Master Logan's circuit expansion.
- Liesha is acting as his monitor specifically because of potential side effects from his mana reinforcement.
- Sakaki is using knowledge from the 'story' to skip steps in building a relationship with the alchemist.
- The Ring of Sacrifice doesn't destroy a curse; it transfers it to someone/something else.
- The materials for the ring are guarded by extremely powerful enemies
Character Insight:
Sakaki shows a mix of 'mob' humility and calculated risk-taking. He feels guilty for 'stealing' the protagonist's role but prioritizes saving the professor. Liesha shows signs of romantic misunderstanding, becoming flustered when Sakaki asks for her 'time'.
Behind the Scenes:
The password exchange is a direct homage to classic alchemy tropes in manga/anime, specifically 'Equivalent Exchange'.
TL Notes:
1 ↩ Evil Eye: A rare magical trait (Magan) that grants special visual abilities but often carries heavy burdens or risks.
2 ↩ Mob: Slang for a background character or NPC who has no significant impact on the plot.
3 ↩ Shackles: Magical limiters or stabilizers applied by Master Logan to manage Sakaki's dangerous mana levels.
4 ↩ Valhalla: The prestigious magic academy where the characters are enrolled.
5 ↩ Ring of Sacrifice: A high-level alchemical item used to redirect a curse from a target to the wearer or another vessel.
Notes:
• Logan - An Archmage and Reo's master. An elderly man with a grandfatherly demeanor who possesses immense magical knowledge and power.
• Saki - Reo's younger sister, two years his junior. Handles housework and cooking. Has a kind but slightly blunt personality toward her brother. Highly concerned for her brother's safety. A middle schooler with Sage-level magic power who has been scouted by Valhalla.
• Taku - Reo's younger brother. Protective and prone to outbursts of anger against those who hurt his family. A middle schooler. Over 180cm (6 feet) tall with a massive, intimidating build. Skilled in sewing and housework.