08 Natsuki Kurosaki (1)
A mage’s morning starts early. Waking up at 5:00 AM before the sun rises, I pick up the mobile phone by my pillow and finish replying to the emails from friends that arrived during the night.
Then, after slowly letting my body acclimate to the morning air, I get out of bed and brush my teeth to fully awaken my consciousness.
Brushing my teeth first thing in the morning isn’t some mage teaching; it’s because I heard on TV that it’s good for your health. Anyway, I incorporate any habit that seems good for the body. I’m still groping in the dark to find what exactly increases my magical power.
The mages told of in fairy tales are often associated with the image of witches, and people tend to think we spend the middle of the night boiling toxic purple liquid in giant pots, but I don’t do such domestic things. Modern mages are reasonably modern.
The most important thing is to be healthy in both mind and body. This is common to both studies and sports. I go to bed by 10:00 PM at the latest to get at least eight hours of sleep. I personally try to sleep by 9:00 PM to wake up at 5:00 AM. Even a third-grader would probably stay up a bit later. But this is a must.
My school friends often say, “Natsuki-san, why don’t you reply to emails at night?” but I’m sleeping, so there’s nothing I can do.
From my perspective, my friends are the ones who are incomprehensible. Despite being creatures interested in beauty, high school girls tend to stay up late. That isn’t good for the skin, which is the foundation of beauty. If you want to be beautiful, sleep is ultra-important, and going to bed early is essential.
I am a high school girl too, but before that, I am someone aspiring to be a mage, so I am even more conscious of beauty than they are. In this world, there’s no such thing as being “too beautiful.” To put it bluntly without fear of being misunderstood: being a mage is a service industry. And an ancient one at that.
You elegantly perform magic for the powerful of the time to please them, and you keep them in a good mood with fortune-telling that has just enough credibility to be liked. For that purpose, appearance is important whether you are a man or a woman. Of course, some might think a wrinkled old mage seems more experienced and reliable, but that’s something you can do after you get old. While you are young, you should do what can only be done while you are young.
To that end, I start running after brushing my teeth. I run early in the morning because I want to avoid being seen putting in effort as much as possible. It’s essential to make others think, “She’s amazing even though she does nothing.” That makes me something mysterious.
Furthermore, it’s preferable to be able to exude a sense of specialness in every word and every step. This serves as a foundation for the future. In the modern age, the past is easily unearthed on the internet, so I must build a reputation of “She was amazing even in high school.” That said, since I only started working on magic in earnest after the high school entrance exams were over, I’d like people to be a bit forgiving about my low-consciousness days in elementary and junior high.
After 5:00 AM in winter, it’s pitch black, and my breath is pure white. Honestly, I don’t have a shred of desire to run, but since it’s a habit, there’s not much stress; rather, I feel restless if I don’t do it. To avoid getting caught up in anything strange, I cover my whole body in a tracksuit with no skin exposed, pull my hood low, and just keep running along the wide road.
After the run, breakfast. I quickly consume things that are good for the body and easy to prepare, like yogurt with honey, bananas, boiled eggs, and herb tea. And I do this before my parents wake up. If my life schedule overlaps with someone else’s, the timing for using the kitchen or bathroom clashes, and time is wasted.
While brushing my teeth again, I exchange morning greetings with my parents who have sluggishly woken up.
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For now, as long as I say “Good morning,” parents think they are communicating with their child, so it’s a loss to find this bothersome. Greetings are also like magic. And the cost-performance is great.
Then, once I’m ready for school, I leave the house. The time is still very early. I want my school arrival time to be different from others as much as possible. “She arrives before you know it, and leaves before you know it.” That will make me appear as a mysterious existence. A mage must constantly curate their own image. Also, the trains are empty early in the morning, making it suitable for calm study.
It takes about five minutes from the station to the school. Keeping the flowers placed by the crosswalk in the corner of my vision, I pass through the newly opened school gates. I head for the literature club room. Of course, being a cultural club, there is no morning practice, but since almost no one approaches the club room area at this time, it’s the perfect place for chanting magic.
I spent my time here alone until five minutes before homeroom started.
—At least, until a year ago.
When I opened the club room door, as expected, someone was already there.
Nagumo Sakurako. A junior by one year who, like me, aspires to be a mage.
With long, beautiful black hair that has a purple sheen and white skin like porcelain, her features are a bit old-fashioned and androgynous by today’s beauty standards, but she would certainly appear quite attractive. While there is effort on her part, those from mage lineages are usually blessed with their appearance. This indicates that mages are a type of “performing arts” clan.
In fact, it seems there is a so-called “Mage Slot” in the entertainment industry. A talent who can use magic, has a reasonably good appearance, and can say clever things. Such an existence is convenient for television. In a sense, entering that slot might be what defines the most successful mages today. Currently, a middle-aged female talent who rose from fortune-telling and says exactly what’s on her mind, and a male actor in his early 20s who can use magic, occupy that slot. Naturally, both have good looks.
Sakurako isn’t a conventional beauty, but she has a distinctive look, so she might be able to aim for that slot in the future. I have a fair amount of confidence in my own appearance, but my goal is strictly to live as a mage, and I have no intention of aiming for the entertainment world.
The literature club room is about a quarter the size of a classroom. In the middle, two long, thin brown tables are placed side-by-side, with eight folding chairs around them. However, in the last few years, all eight members have never been in the room at once. There are members on paper, but most are “ghost members.”
This girl didn’t join for literature either; she joined after finding out that I, a fellow mage, belonged to it.
“Good morning,”
Sakurako, who had been sitting in a chair reading a magic book, stood up and gave a polite, well-mannered bow.
“Good morning,”
I returned the greeting politely. Just because she is a junior doesn’t mean I take an arrogant attitude.
This is also a form of social training. Make as few enemies as possible and create as many allies as you can. If you are going to live as a mage, such a mindset is necessary.
This is because one can be subjected to all sorts of suspicion just for being a “mage.” In fact, when I had good grades in elementary school, I was told it was because I “used magic.”
Even if people know you can’t do much, many still consider magic to be something suspicious. Fortunately, I had more popularity than the classmate who cast doubt, so nothing came of it, but had it been the other way around, I cannot deny it might have become troublesome.
Therefore, I basically try to maintain a polite attitude toward everyone. Pride like “I’m older” adds nothing of value.
At any rate, Sakurako sat back down. She was waiting for me, but she was being careful not to rush me.
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