"Please!" I said.
"Yes, of course. Then let's begin at once," Kitaoji said with a small smile.
I sat up straight and turned to him again, ready to learn from Kitaoji. It had been a long time since I last did any real practice, so I was excited to see what we would do today.
"Please sit there and close your eyes," he said.
"Okay."
"Now, stay like that and focus on the blood flowing out from your heart. The flow of magic is linked to the flow of your blood. If you become aware of your blood, you can begin to feel your magic."
I did as he said. I closed my eyes and tried to feel my heartbeat. I could feel the beat, but when he said to feel my blood, I had no idea how to do that.
"How is it? Can you feel it little by little?" Kitaoji asked.
"I'm sorry. I can't feel anything at all."
"No, no, that's normal at the start. Please open your eyes. Let's try a handshake."
"A handshake?"
He reached his hand out at once, so I took it. At that moment, I felt something like a warm wave move from his hand into my body.
"How is it? Do you feel anything?" he asked.
"Yes. A warm wave is coming into me."
"As expected from you, Hanaoka-san. That is magic. I just sent magic into you. First, you need to feel that warm wave along with the blood in your body."
"I'll try."
I closed my eyes again and focused on my heartbeat. A moment ago I felt nothing, but now, with each beat, something warm seemed to move through my body. This was my magic.
I focused on that feeling. After a short time, the unclear warmth slowly became stronger and easier to sense.
"Hanaoka-san, how is it now?" he asked.
"Yes, this time I could feel it."
"No, no, that is wonderful, Hanaoka-san."
"It's not a big thing..."
"To feel your magic like this is actually very hard. Most people need more than a month to feel it even a little."
"What!? Really?"
"Yes. So you are still special. I knew you were good, but I did not think it would go this smoothly."
"I don't really know what to say, but I'm happy if it worked."
"Then today, let's keep training so you can get used to this new feeling."
"Yes, I understand."
In the end, we only sat and felt the flow of magic for the rest of the day. But by the time we finished, I could feel my magic clearly whenever I focused.
Kitaoji said that soon, I would be able to feel the flow of magic even without thinking about it. It was the first time I ever felt like I made real progress in magic practice, so I was truly happy about it.
Notes:
• Kitaoji - Older, small man. First introduced as school’s odd‑jobs/handyman. Kind, surprised by Hanaoka’s power. But later, he is the school principal; acts as Hanaoka’s magic instructor, guides him to sense his own mana.