"You said that you had something special for me this time?" (Alto)
Alto's eyes bore into me, carrying no trace of her earlier oddities. I nod at her, a little flustered by the sudden change in our conversation.
"That's right..." (Mizuki)
Alto stares at me expectantly for several moments, but I just remain in thoughtful silence. Eventually, she rolls her eyes.
"Are you going to keep me in suspense, or do I need to tell Ilina about your dates with Cara?" (Alto)
Registering her annoyed tone, I snap out of my daze and smirk as I finish processing her comment.
"One, they're not dates. Two, Ilina already knows about that. And three, you're impatient." (Mizuki)
Alto raises an eyebrow at me.
"Even if that's true, do you think she'll enjoy the reminder?" (Alto)
I blink, then our eyes remain locked in silence for several seconds.
"Ehem...today, we're going to start our first research project." (Mizuki)
Alto gives me an annoyed look.
"We've been doing research." (Alto)
I can't help but scoff, shaking my head.
"Uhm, no. I've been giving you science lectures, and we've been practicing new magic spells based on that established science. Sure, I call these little gatherings of ours research sessions, but they haven't truly been so.
"What I've planned for today concerns something that I don't have an answer for...that my planet's science didn't have an answer for. Real, uncharted scientific territory..." (Mizuki)
Alto's eyes widen in surprise, before they begin to gleam with an almost zealous light. She steps a bit closer to me, her demeanor rather...intense.
"What is it?" (Alto)
I take a small, cautionary step back from her.
"Uhm, well...the prevailing opinion on Azura is that magical abilities are largely hereditary, something you're born with. But, I think that environmental influences may have a much more significant effect. I want us to test this...how much is magic power level influenced by the environment versus heritage?" (Mizuki)
Alto raises her eyebrows, then her expression turns thoughtful.
"Will we be using the...genetics...you told me about to research this question?" (Alto)
I sigh.
"Well, not really...even I can't recreate that science with magic alone. That said, we may be able to do something...similar. Does your country keep any detailed records of the magic power levels of elves, and those of their parents?" (Mizuki)
Alto purses her lips thoughtfully.
"Hmm...I believe so, yes. There's a census every decade or so, and if I'm not mistaken, that information would be included. However, access to it is quite restricted – you'd need the royal family's approval. Given your relationship with them, though, it shouldn't be too hard as long as you give a valid justification. How would it help us with the research you have planned, and what exactly are we testing?" (Alto)
I nod silently, mulling over how much I should tell Elira about why I want such information, when the time comes.
"If we organize that kind of census data for a large enough number of elves, and analyze it with some math from my world, we should be able to test my hypothesis. Specifically, I think that people born in environments with lower magic density develop greater magical abilities." (Mizuki)
Alto's eyes widen in surprise.
"You're saying that you think the lack of magic on your home world is the reason for your ridiculous magical abilities here? You don't think it's because you're a different species?" (Alto)
I nod.
"Right. I'm not saying that genetics have no effect, mind you. Otherwise, why would there be such a consistent gap in magic power between high elves and normal elves? Or between Elder Dragons and humans? I'm just saying that the environment may also be a big factor. I can't think of any reason why the people of my planet would have evolved to have magical abilities like mine – there's no magic, so there's no selective pressure. It makes more sense that it's an environmental issue." (Mizuki)
Alto gazes at me silently for several moments, her expression thoughtful. Then, her look becomes skeptical.
"How would the information you're describing test this theory of yours, then? Aren't all the elves growing up in the same environment?" (Alto)
I grin knowingly.
"Yes...and no. You've gotten relatively good with magic sense now, right? Tell me, what do you notice about the distribution of magic around you at any given time? The relative amounts in the air, flora, fauna, and people?" (Mizuki)
Alto raises her eyebrows, her expression becoming more confused.
"I believe...magic seems to be concentrated in living things, relative to the air. Especially the more complex those living things are. Plants are barely accumulating magic, if at all, while small animals like rabbits definitely have magic signatures. Humans, elves, demi-humans...sentient creatures seem to have the most robust magic signatures of all. What does this have to do with my question?" (Alto)
I nod approvingly.
"Perfect, that's exactly what I've noticed as well – the concentration of magic in a person, even someone with a relatively low magic power level, is significantly higher than the ambient magic in this planet's atmosphere. This matters because, when a baby is developing, before it's even born, what do you think is the greatest source of magic exposure in its environment?" (Mizuki)
Alto's eyes light up with realization.
"The mothers..." (Alto)
I grin at her.
"Ding, ding, ding...ten points to Hufflepuff {English}" (Mizuki)
Alto blinks.
"What's that mean?" (Alto)
I open my mouth, then close it again. I really miss pop culture references...
I sigh and shrug dismissively.
"It's not important...I'm saying that you're right. Basically, I want you to find as many people as you can in the census data for whom there's magic power level records on them, their mother, and their father. Then, we graph the correlation with their mothers, and compare it to the correlation with their fathers, which should serve as a nice control for the hereditary component of magic power levels.
If I'm right, we'll see a predictable difference in those correlations. Assuming that magic power isn't a gender-associated trait, which I've seen no evidence of, it's reasonable to attribute that difference to the influence of environmental magic during pregnancy." (Mizuki)
Alto stares at me blankly for several moments. Then, she smiles excitedly.
"That's brilliant, Mizuki! So, when are you going to...wait..." (Alto)
Her pupils constrict as she seems to come to a realization, and she leaps forward and grasps my hands. Her eyes bore into mine with an almost...uncomfortable, intensity.
"You said 'I want you to find', as in me! Are you leaving me in charge of this!?" (Alto)
I glance down at her hands, still holding mine in a vice grip, then give her an incredulous look. But, she merely meets my gaze with eyes so piercing it sends a shiver down my spine. She's clearly unperturbed by my discomfort. I gently peel her hands from mine, and roll my eyes at her.
"Yes, that was the plan. I trust you, and you did ask me to give you more independence. So, while I'm busy on my trip with Zara, I was hoping that you could oversee this – coordinate things with Ilina. Are you up for it?" (Mizuki)
I'm expecting her to snort, or make some kind of snide remark about her intellect. However, I'm destined to be surprised. A large, unreserved smile breaks out on Alto's face, her blue eyes practically sparkling with joy.
"Yes, yes, yes! I can absolutely handle this!" (Alto)
I raise my eyebrows, caught off guard by her unexpectedly earnest response.
Honestly, there's a third reason why I want to leave this in her hands – it's going to be painfully boring. Without computers, she'll have to manually aggregate thousands of data points, graph them, perform regression, and calculate correlation statistics. Such an ask would be enough to make even a math major cry...it'll take days, at least.
"Uhm...are you sure?" (Mizuki)
Alto's expression becomes annoyed.
"Of course I'm sure! I'm not passing up the opportunity to do an independent experiment like this! Now, tell me how I'm supposed to do this...what kind of math will I be using, and how does it work?" (Alto)
My lip twitches.
"Suit yourself..." (Mizuki)
So, I proceed to tell her what I want her to do...in detail.
How the data needs to be aggregated and graphed. What linear regression is and how she'll need to do its corresponding minimization problem manually to determine slope and residuals. How she can calculate a correlation statistic from those regressions. I even alchemize a thin piece of aluminum and carve the equations she'll need into it as a reminder. It's definitely unfamiliar enough to her that she has to ask several questions. But, since she's studious and does have some math background, she manages.
When I'm done, to my immeasurable surprise, the eager glint in her eyes hasn't dimmed in the slightest. She just takes the equation reference from me and nods vigorously as she scans it studiously. When she's done, she gives me a warm smile.
"Got it...you can leave this to me." (Alto)
I raise my eyebrows at her nonchalance, but...I can't pretend I'm not relieved to have someone else do all of that tedious math.
"Uhm, great then...I believe in you. Do you have any more questions?" (Mizuki)
Alto purses her lips thoughtfully for a moment, before giving me a quizzical look.
"Just one. I understand what we're researching now, and how, but...why? It's very interesting, but how does knowing the answer to your question benefit us?" (Alto)
Almost instinctively, I give her a deadpan glare. It seems that even on Azura, there's always a reviewer number two, isn't there?
I let out a deep sigh.
I guess it's not a genuinely unreasonable question, though. Especially considering how much time she's about to dump into this endeavor. Honestly, I haven't really thought about applications of the knowledge much.
I was just surprised when I first considered that humans on Earth genetically evolving to have magical talent like mine is improbable, as is a random Earthling like myself being a severe outlier for magical power. That must mean that a large environmental influence is at play, and the idea that my abilities are more nurture than nature feels...profound. So, my main motivation has been confirming that.
I purse my lips in thought, mulling over the implications of the idea, and considering Alto's question. After a few moments, I shrug.
"Truthfully, I didn't have a strong justification in mind for doing this. It just seems like an important thing that we should know. But, you can never predict when such basic information will be useful. For example, if magic density in the environment during development is confirmed to affect magical power as much as I suspect, it'd be theoretically possible for me to grant some elves magic power surpassing that of Elder Dragons." (Mizuki)
Her eyes widen into saucers.
"Wait...are you serious?" (Alto)
I nod nonchalantly.
"Well...it's a long explanation, but yeah. I think that, in theory, if I were to create a magic-free zone in your kingdom for pregnant women to temporarily live in, their children may be born like me. Or at least, much stronger than other elves. In practice, it's probably not quite that simple of a thing for me to do, but it's not like it's totally unfeasible either." (Mizuki)
Alto's eyes narrow seriously.
"Is that something you would actually do...help 'make' elven children so strong?" (Alto)