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A living person suddenly exploded and turned into clusters of Snakes.
The mere thought of that scene sent a chill down Gokou Ruri's spine.
"Only those who also possess Magic—these 'mysterious' beings—can contend against Magic," Asakura said, unwrapping the bandage on his left hand.
"Besides that, a failed Magic release can also have quite terrible consequences."
The fine, scale-like texture on his skin was exposed to the girl's gaze.
"Repercussions… is that it?" The girl, with her rich experience in ACG, immediately understood Asakura's unspoken meaning and muttered thoughtfully.
Actually, Asakura's hand was not the result of a failed Magic release, but using it to scare the girl at this moment was quite effective.
"We've strayed off topic; let's get back to your question." Asakura re-wrapped the bandage and continued, "You inadvertently accumulated a large amount of magical power, which ultimately caused your Magic as a witch to go berserk, leading to your previous state."
"Then how can I solve this problem?" the girl asked.
At this point, Asakura noticed that the girl was no longer as reserved as before; instead, she seemed to be discussing a hobby with a fellow enthusiast, appearing subtly excited.
"Reducing your magical power will suffice," Asakura said.
"Normally, the amount of magical power that caused you to go berserk would keep you in cat form for at least a month, or even half a year or more.
However, fortunately, I happen to have a constitution that can absorb others' magical power.
Your excessive magical power was absorbed by me, causing your Magic to fail and allowing you to return to your original form."
Incidentally, Asakura chose to reveal his possession of Magic to the other party not only to gain trust but also to test how much magical power he had absorbed from her.
After all, the system did not provide him with measurement units for magical power like 'tons' or 'calories,' so he could only count it in units like 'approximately enough to release one Magic.'
Of course, the consumption of magical power for Magic is not fixed; objective conditions such as the number of targets captured by Magic, the casting range, whether there are auxiliary casting materials or rituals, as well as subjective attributes like mystery, law resistance, and the intangible yet real attributes of magical power, all affect the final magical power consumption.
The unit Asakura used here for measurement was merely the magical power consumption for casting Magic on a basic object like 'a pencil.'
If this data is recorded as 1, then the total magical power absorbed from the girl was approximately 500.
Considering that for Magic, there is no difference between an ordinary person and a pencil, if the current Asakura wished, he could instantly kill five hundred people with Magic, and the cause of death would be body disintegration, with all flesh, blood, and bones transforming into snakes—a horrifying scenario.
Fortunately, Asakura was not some perverted serial killer, so this situation was unlikely to occur.
"I see, is that how it is…"
Gokou Ruri also recalled that when she was a cat and was touched by him, she indeed felt something flowing out of her body.
Recalling it now, that was probably the so-called magical power.
"So, as long as I come to see you, Mister Magician, every once in a while, it will ensure that my Magic doesn't go berserk again?"
"You might have misunderstood something; I'd better make it clear."
Asakura cleared his throat, trying to make his demeanor appear serious, proper, and earnest, as what he was about to say might be a little… vulgar?
"Although simple physical contact can also draw magical power from your body, the speed is extremely slow.
Even with the most optimistic estimate, it would take at least a week to reduce your magical power to a level where Magic doesn't go out of control."
"But didn't I recover very quickly this time?" the girl asked, her violet-blue eyes gazing at Asakura in confusion.
"That's because this time, by a strange coincidence, a more efficient method of magical power transmission was discovered," Asakura's tone became somewhat ethereal, hoping the girl wouldn't show a suspicious look.
"What method?" she pressed.
"Fluid exchange," Asakura said very bluntly.
To be precise, it was the exchange of saliva and blood, but considering that most bodily fluids can serve as a medium for magical power, Asakura felt his guess should not be wrong.
"…" The girl's gaze turned a bit sharp, making Asakura feel as though her eyes were looking at a pile of large, non-combustible waste.
"Don't look at me with eyes like I'm a lecherous demon; I'm merely stating facts.
I have great respect for science and Magic." Asakura tried to make his tone sound like a gentleman.
"Why didn't the world end in 2012…" the girl said in a gloomy tone.
"There's no need to resist to that extent, and I didn't say this was the only way," Asakura raised his index finger.
"Actually, there were originally two choices.
The first is to perform fluid exchange at regular intervals to reduce the magical power in your body and maintain the stability of Magic.
The interval is not yet certain, but it should be controllable to about 1 to 2 times per month."
Then Asakura made a peace sign.
"The second is for you to come to the Association Clubroom as much as possible every day; just staying by my side can slightly reduce the accumulated magical power in your body and also control Magic to stabilize it…"
He paused and continued, "To summarize, the former involves drawing a large amount of magical power at once, only requiring you to meet me 1 to 2 times a month, but the process of drawing magical power is a bit… well, not so elegant.
The latter involves drawing a small amount of magical power daily, accumulating over time, requiring you to report here almost every day.
Both methods achieve the same ultimate effect."
Anyway, no matter which option was chosen, Asakura was confident he could bring the other party into the Association Clubroom, so he wasn't particularly concerned about the girl's final choice.
However, he guessed the girl was more likely to choose the former, as the latter wasted time and had certain restrictions on personal freedom.
Unless she was a chuunibyou patient particularly obsessed with 'supernatural,' 'Magic,' and 'the dark side of the world,' most would probably choose the former.
Speaking of which, this child seemed to be a character from some anime; he seemed to have occasionally seen her suggestive pictures, but unfortunately, he had spent most of his time watching shonen manga back then and hadn't really researched this area.
"I choose the second method," the girl said.
"As expected… huh?" Asakura was stunned.
"A maiden's purity isn't so easily abandoned, and even if I choose the latter, I can still take leave when necessary, right?" The girl showed a confident smile.
"Well… it's true that missing a day or two occasionally isn't a big deal," Asakura said, scratching his face.
"Then it's settled."
The girl smiled sweetly, "Please take care of me from now on, Mister Magician."
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