The World Defense Bureau had a counter where people who awakened to magic could get checked. I had always thought I might visit one day, but never imagined I'd be here at forty, questioning a sudden, inexplicable change in my status.
It was not what I had pictured, but I felt worried, so after I brushed my teeth very well, I set out for the Defense Bureau. I had drunk a bit in the morning without thinking, and I only hoped they wouldn't mistake my confusion for intoxication.
After getting ready, I took the train to the Agency's building.
"Here it is," I said.
The building was very big. I had not done anything wrong, yet I still felt shy about going in. I took a breath, gathered my courage, and stepped inside.
"Um, excuse me. I want to ask about my status," I said at the counter.
"Yes. What would you like to ask about?" the woman said.
"Well, today my magic status suddenly... changed. It wasn't zero anymore."
"Congratulations. It is rare, but some people awaken to magic at an older age."
"Oh, really? But I don't think mine is like that. I think it might be an error."
"An error? I've never seen one, but theoretically, it's possible."
"I think so too, but it's the only explanation I can think of."
"In any case, may we run a test?"
"Yes, please."
I followed the receptionist to the testing room.
"Please sit there."
"Okay."
I sat in front of a machine that looked like a tester. The test began, and the number showed right away.
"Eh... no way. This is..."
"How is it?" I asked.
"P-please wait. Let me test again."
"Yes, go ahead."
She tested me again, and the result appeared just as quickly.
"Ah... 999."
"See? It must be an error, right?"
"Error... maybe. But 999... that's..."
The woman who tested me looked lost and panicked. So my status really was strange.
"What should I do?" I asked.
"P-please wait. I will call my boss."
She hurried out. If a staff member panicked like that, my status had to be really bad. An error, huh. I had done nothing wrong, yet this felt so unfair. What would happen to me now?
As I waited, full of worry, the woman came back with a man who looked like her boss.
"Hanaoka-san, I've heard about your case. This machine rarely errs, and even then, the margin is within five percent. I'm confident your status isn't an error."
"What? Not an error? What does that mean?"
"It may be hard to believe, but your magic status appears to be 999 across all fields."
"You're serious?"
"Yes, I am."
"This isn't a prank, is it?"
"No, it's not a prank."
"What?!"
My voice rang out too loud for the place, but who could blame me? No way. If my status was really 999, then the daimadoushi (arch magician) shown in my job was also not an error! I was a daimadoushi with magic stats at 999? What did that even mean?
"Um, can I ask something? What's the maximum status?"
"You're the first I've seen with this, but theoretically, the maximum is 999."
"So my magic status is maxed out?"
"Yes, it's maxed out."
Oh no. The morning chuhai was hitting me now. My head felt fuzzy. I was maxed out. A 40-year-old virgin, single, and maxed out.
Wait... what does maxed out even mean?
I wanted to go home and drink. I wasn't an addict, but I needed something to process this. I couldn't understand it. No—if I was honest, I could understand it, but I couldn't make sense of it. I couldn't use magic at thirty, and now I'm a daimadoushi? It made no sense.