Third floor, Astronomy Club activity room.
The amber sunset cast scattered rays of light through the curtains into the room.
A girl dressed in a black gothic lolita dress—looking nothing like a teacher—appeared at the doorway.
Natsuki Minamiya raised her hand and flicked the switch—click—the fluorescent lights buzzed to life, flooding the classroom with bright white light.
After turning on the lights, Natsuki scanned the room and immediately spotted the three figures seated at desks spaced a meter apart.
Her gaze settled on Luo Shu, Utaha, and Eriri's faces.
"I thought this would be one-on-one tutoring, but it's triple the workload instead?"
"Though I brought this on myself, this tutoring session is rather unpleasant."
Muttering to herself, Natsuki walked to the lectern, picked up her bag, and pulled out three prepared transparent glass bottles.
Inside the bottles, a brown liquid sloshed gently with her movements.
"Before we begin, I'd like to gauge your understanding of this world's common sense."
At this, Eriri and Utaha blinked before simultaneously turning to Luo Shu in the middle.
Facing their stares, Luo Shu gave a wry smile and said:
"Natsuki-chan, you'd better treat us all as complete beginners."
"Don't add 'chan' after my name."
Natsuki Minamiya instinctively retorted, then frowned at Luo Shu before saying:
"Now I'm starting to believe that 'you know me' claim."
Only those disobedient students from her original world would add the affectionate 'chan' suffix to her name.
Luo Shu's use of this familiar term inexplicably evoked a sense of nostalgia in Natsuki Minamiya.
"Very well, in that case, I'll treat you all as complete beginners."
As she spoke, Natsuki Minamiya placed three bottles of unidentified liquid on the trio's desks:
"Since you're starting from zero, your first lesson will be about identifying danger."
Turning to face them with a stern expression, she continued:
"From now on, I'll explain danger identification using the theories of Eastern Sorcerers from this world."
"Apply the essential oil onto your eyelids, then close your eyes."
Without hesitation, Luo Shu opened the glass bottle, poured some onto his fingertip, dabbed it on his eyelids and shut his eyes.
The oil brought a distinct cooling sensation, somewhat like applying menthol balm.
Beside him, Utaha and Eriri followed suit, applying the oil before closing their eyes.
"Now focus your mind on your eyes. Without opening them, strain as if trying to read a distant blackboard clearly."
Following Natsuki's instructions, Luo Shu tensed his brows, his eyeballs pressing against his eyelids.
"Good. Now open your eyes slowly - remember, gradually, bit by bit."
Luo Shu slowly opened his eyes to see Natsuki Minamiya standing at the lectern with something unusual about her appearance.
From his perspective, three quietly burning flames had appeared - one above Natsuki's left shoulder (red), one above her head (blue), and one above her right shoulder (yellow).
"What do you see?" Natsuki asked, now holding a pointer which she used to indicate her head.
"Blue flame," Luo Shu answered softly.
"Three flames. You mean the blue one above your head," Utaha added.
"Um... same here," Eriri murmured, unable to elaborate further.
"Excellent. The first Spirit Sight attempt was very successful."
"Remember this sensation and perspective - it's an essential ability for sorcerers."
Pointing to the flames on her shoulders and head, Natsuki explained:
"Eastern philosophy speaks of three treasures in the human body: essence, energy and spirit."
"Essence refers to the fundamental substances that maintain life's physical form - specifically the physical body."
"Energy means the latent force circulating within the body that harmonises its parts. You could interpret this as vitality."
"Spirit denotes consciousness, mental faculties, perception, even the soul itself."
"From the perspective of spiritual perception - Spirit Sight - essence manifests as the red flame on the left shoulder, energy as the yellow flame on the right, and spirit as the blue flame above the head."
"Fundamentally, they are not actual flames, but rather spiritual radiance emitted by the three components of your body from a spiritual perspective."
"The phenomenon of all three fires existing and burning slowly indicates, to some extent, a person's state of health."
As Natsuki Minamiya spoke, she stood on tiptoe to write on the blackboard with chalk, vividly sketching a human figure:
"A dim red fire indicates physical injury, a dim blue fire signifies mental harm, while a dim yellow fire suggests your body is becoming weak."
"Most dangers we encounter and the types of injuries sustained can be discerned by observing these three fires."
Natsuki Minamiya pointed with her teaching rod at the steadily burning yellow fire on her right shoulder, emphasising:
"If the yellow fire dims, flickers, and gradually extinguishes, it's highly likely a spirit or supernatural being is draining your vitality."
"A flickering blue fire means your mind is being disturbed by an object or another lifeform. This interference is usually hallucinations, so if you notice this after activating Spirit Sight, be cautious—because outside Spirit Sight, everything you see could potentially be an illusion."
Here, Natsuki Minamiya pointed her rod at the blue fire above her head:
"As for a dim blue fire, that indicates a direct mental attack. These are the most troublesome, as enemies who employ such methods usually have lethal intent."
"And if the blue fire grows progressively smaller, it means your mental energy is being siphoned by something. At that point, you should consider whether your mind has been parasitised or if you're trapped in some hazardous environment."
"Ever seen horror films? Like Ju-On or The Ring? If such entities existed, their attacks would typically target the blue fire to inflict mental damage."
Hearing this, Eriri instinctively shivered, glancing up at the blue fire above her head—a fist-sized, steady flame.
'Thank goodness,' she thought.
Meanwhile, Natsuki Minamiya continued her lesson:
"As for the red fire flickering, dimming or weakening, that's even more obvious—it signifies physical harm. Knife wounds, gunshots, even invisible illnesses—all such injuries manifest in the red fire."
At this point, Natsuki Minamiya picked up the teacup on the lectern, which contained her brewed coffee.
She took a small sip, then looked at the three students absorbing the information below:
"Any questions?"
After a moment's thought, Luo Shu raised his hand:
"Is it possible for two fires—or even all three—to start flickering or shrinking simultaneously?"
Natsuki Minamiya paused mid-sip, her insulated cup freezing in mid-air.
Then, she smiled with a hint of pity:
"In that case, let me congratulate you."
"Congratulations on encountering the Abyss."