Did my life change?
I thought it had. Since arriving in this world, I'd come to believe my life could change significantly in just six years, but my current reality proves I haven't moved forward all that much, at least for now. In the mornings, I practice magic, and in the afternoons, if I have free time, I do fieldwork and train under the tree on the hill.
And what about my brother?
Well, Daiki does the exact opposite. He trains with a sword in the morning with Paul, and in the afternoons, he practices magic. Even though he always says it isn't his style, he spends his time trying to master it, albeit less frequently than I do. Sometimes I wish I had his drive to wield a sword, but I was never able to pull off what he calls mana reinforcement, so I simply gave up and stopped pushing myself.
My father looked at me a bit strangely because of that. Thanks to my brother, the weight of his expectations doesn't fall entirely on me, though sometimes I feel like Paul would have liked to have two swordsmen for sons.
Sorry, Father, but that won't be possible. You'll just have to settle for this.
That's why, lately, I've had to try different ways to support my movements with magic during combat. For example, expelling wind to accelerate my movements, generating a shockwave to abruptly change direction, or creating a swamp under the enemy's feet to immobilize them.
In fighting games, there are two main ways to get strong. You either find a way to win with a weaker character, or you train until you eliminate your own fundamental weaknesses.
If I want to beat my father someday, though my brother will surely manage it first, my main focus should be the first option.
Finding a way to win with a weaker character.
Finding a way...
Paul is a strong man. Too strong. As a father figure, he's a bit pitiful, but as a swordsman, he's first-class. I'm not sure how to be a good father figure myself, but he's clearly still missing something.
Perhaps I'm underestimating a father's love for his son, or maybe I'll never get to experience it, but I'm sure Paul would kill for us.
Don't disappoint me, old man. Don't disappoint me.
Daiki, on the other hand, went with the second option. He's going to train his body in earnest until he eventually surpasses him... and I'm sure he'll do exactly that.
More than sure, I'm hopeful. I feel he deserves it, but I worry he'll slip back into apathy, as if carrying a terrible past were the only thing his new life could handle.
Well, it doesn't matter. That's too much sentimentality, and I'm not ready for that kind of thing. Even less so if I want to surpass myself. That's why I plan to win another way. A more clever way, combining magic and tactics to beat Paul in a real fight. Even if it isn't pure swordsmanship, it still has its merits.
With that in mind, I'll train under the tree again today. Maybe my friend Sylph will be waiting for me there.
....
Daiki Greyrat
I was training when my father decided to get serious. Eager to make me improve, he lunged at me, swinging his wooden sword in my direction.
He was holding back. That much was obvious.
I blocked one of his attacks and answered with a counter that grazed his hair. In an instant, he replied with a thrust I barely managed to dodge, using my own blade to deflect the blow.
"Not bad. That was good."
"I lacked fluidity. I should be able to react, not let your attack..."
"Quiet." He planted his sword firmly on the ground. "Take a break. Your mother is going to get mad at me if she catches me still training you... Ah, and eat something, please."
I sighed and went inside without further complaint, dragging my feet after leaving the sword on the ground. As I walked, I began analyzing mana reinforcement.
Mana reinforcement, which boosts your physical attributes and lets you do incredible things, stems from three processes that happen automatically once you master it.
Step 1: Execute the technique.
Step 2: Channel mana.
Step 3: Impact.
The problem is that trying to execute it is different from it just happening naturally. For many people, it's a process that occurs simply because it does. They never analyze the phenomenon deeply. For them, it just happens, and that's it.
"I have to find a way to put it all together..."
"Put what together?" Zenith stopped me, resting her hands on my shoulders.
"Uh, mana reinforcement. I need to figure out how to activate it on command."
"Does resting fit into that plan, Dai?"
"I think so..."
"I see." She ruffled my hair. "Why don't you go hang out with your brother after you eat something?"
"Alright, Mother. I'll do that. I need to practice magic."
"There's no helping you," she said, shaking her head. "Well, let's go."
---
After eating, I headed to our usual tree.
"Dai-niisan..." Sylph was the first to spot me. She quickly stood up and waved, a smile lighting up her face.
Sylph had red eyes, and unlike when I first met her, they shone brighter now. It was as if she had finally found a reason to look toward the light.
The light...
I shook my head.
"Sylph, Rudeus," I said, nodding. "What are you two up to?"
"Resting. Were you training with Paul?" Rudeus asked.
I walked over and sat down, taking the sword from my belt and setting it on the ground. The tree's bark was perfect to lean against. Sylph sat down next to me at the same time.
"For now, yeah. I was told to rest."
"Yeah, you go a bit overboard sometimes. Want to join us? I'm about to teach Sylph combined magic."
"Alright." I settled under the shade of the tree. "Go ahead. I'll just watch."
Sylph didn't seem to care much about magic in that moment. She looked at me and smiled again, one of those smiles I don't quite understand, but that makes me want to keep seeing it.
"Dai-niisan... Do you know combined magic too?"
"I do. I'm not as good as Rudeus, but I'd say I have good control."
"That doesn't matter. You're good with a sword." Sylph looked at the practice sword I'd left on the ground. "Could I learn?"
"You want to learn?"
"Do you really want to?" Rudeus chimed in.
"Yes! Rudy will teach me magic, and you could teach me the sword, Dai-niisan. That way... I'd be just like you two. I want to do both."
I looked at Rudeus, who smiled approvingly.
"If you want to learn, I can teach you the basics," I said. "But the sword requires discipline. Daily practice. It isn't like magic, where you can see results quickly."
"I don't care! I want to learn from you."
"Alright. We'll start with the basic stance tomorrow."
Sylph practically glowed with happiness.
"So I'll be his magic teacher, and you'll be his sword teacher. Like good older brothers."
"Exactly. We complement each other pretty well."
"Dai-niisan." Sylph looked at me curiously. "Is it true you can split rocks with your sword?"
"I can. I use mana reinforcement, channeling internal mana to boost both my body and the object I'm holding."
"That's incredible!" Sylph grabbed my hand. "Will you teach me that too?"
"Eventually. First, you have to master the fundamentals."
"Yes!"
We spent the rest of the afternoon like that.
Rudeus taught her magic theory. From time to time, I added a more practical perspective on combat and survival, and Sylph absorbed it all at an impressive rate.
This is... nice.
Having siblings and teaching them. Being able to share knowledge and different points of view. In my past life, that wasn't possible, and I never would have experienced it even if I had kept living.
It wasn't that I didn't want to. I simply didn't have a life to begin with.
Ironically, the thing that made me feel the most alive was the very death that brought me here and forced me to feel again.
I don't know what would happen if I reverted to how I lived in my past life, or if the day came when I lost someone important. But if I need to get strong to stop that from happening, I'll try. With all my effort and all my knowledge, I'll try to be enough.
---
Rudeus Greyrat
At first, Sylph would run out of breath after casting just five or six basic spells. But over this past year, his total mana capacity had increased quite a bit. Now, he could practice magic for half a day straight without any problems.
"A person's total mana pool has a set limit."
That claim didn't seem very reliable to me, honestly. I was living proof that mana could grow with constant practice. Even though my brother hadn't increased his mana reserves, he seemed to have channeled all that potential growth into internal mana instead. I wasn't entirely sure how it worked.
When it came to technique, however, Sylph still had a long way to go. He was especially bad with fire. He handled wind and water perfectly fine, but with fire, he just couldn't get good results.
Why? Was it because of his elven blood? No. Everyone just has elements they excel at and others they struggle with.
"Sylph, are you afraid of fire?"
He shook his head, but held out his palm.
"A long time ago... my parents weren't looking and I grabbed something hot. It burned my hand... but I'm not afraid anymore."
Even so, he was likely still reacting with fear on an instinctive level.
"You know," Daiki chimed in, "I used to think like that too, but then I realized that traumatic or painful experiences can manifest as uncontrollable fears. That might be affecting your magic affinity... or maybe it's just natural."
"Do you have an elemental weakness too, Dai-niisan?"
Daiki took a long pause. So long I thought he wasn't going to answer.
"Water, I think. Yeah, maybe that one. I used to think it was fire."
Sylph and I looked at him in surprise.
"But I got over it," he continued, making a small flame appear in the palm of his hand. "I realized that fire has no malice. It's just energy. The problem was never the fire itself. It was the person using it."
"How did you get over it?"
"It just... happened."
Sylph stared at his own hand, processing his words.
"I want to be able to do it." He clenched his fist. "I want to be strong like you two. Both of you can use all the elements."
Daiki and I exchanged a look.
"Then we'll practice together," Daiki said. "I'll help you overcome your fear of fire, and Rudeus will teach you the theory. Between the three of us, we'll get it done."
Sylph smiled with determination.
"Yes!"
---
Several days passed after that. I dedicated that time to teaching him magic with the same passion Roxy had shown me. As for Daiki, he still hadn't taught him much about the sword. He told Sylph that he first needed to strengthen his body and search within himself for that energy, his internal mana, to empower his attacks.
Despite the difficulties, Sylph practiced without a single complaint. Perhaps it was because he was the one who had asked to learn. Holding the wand Roxy had given me and the magic book I'd brought from home, he practiced with a serious expression as he recited incantations.
It was a beautiful sight. Even as a man, I could recognize that. With that green hair shining in the sun, those focused red eyes, and the sheer determination in every movement... he's definitely going to be popular in the future.
"Hey, Rudy, how do you read this?"
While my mind was wandering, Sylph pointed to a page in the magic book, looking up at me with pleading eyes. That gaze was dangerous, too. It made me want to hug him and protect him from the whole world.
"That says 'avalanche'."
"What's that?"
"When a huge amount of snow builds up on a mountain, it can't support its own weight and collapses. You know how in winter snow piles up on roofs and sometimes slides off all at once? It's kind of like that, but much, much bigger."
"Ah... Incredible! Have you ever seen one?"
"An avalanche? Of course I have... well, actually, no."
I'd only ever seen them on TV.
Teaching Sylph to read the magic book doubled as a reading lesson. Between Daiki and me, Sylph was getting a pretty well-rounded education.
"I did it!"
Sylph shouted with joy. Looking over, I noticed he'd successfully cast the intermediate water spell, Ice Pillar.
"You've improved quite a bit," I commented, genuinely proud.
Daiki, who had been practicing his sword forms a few meters away, stopped and walked over.
"Impressive. Your control has improved significantly."
Sylph practically glowed under our praise.
"Yeah! But, Rudy, the spell you used isn't in this book, is it?"
Sylph tilted his head, intrigued.
"Huh?"
When he said "the one you used," I realized he meant the hot water. I opened the magic book, flipped through a few pages, and pointed to two entries.
"Here they are. Waterfall and Heat Hand."
"...?"
"You use them at the same time."
"...Huh?"
He tilted his head again, even more confused.
"How do you chant the incantations for two spells at the same time?"
Ah, shit. I'd explained it based on my own perception. Of course you can't recite two incantations at the same time...
"It's combined magic," Daiki explained. "You cast one spell, then another. Or you execute one without chanting and then add the second. They aren't exactly simultaneous."
"Exactly." I nodded gratefully. "You cast Waterfall without reciting the incantation, and then you heat it with Heat Hand. Though chanting just one of them works too. You can fill a bucket with water and heat it afterward."
I demonstrated by executing them simultaneously without chanting. Sylph watched me with wide eyes.
"Teach me how to do that."
"That?"
"The part where you don't say it out loud."
It seemed Sylph wasn't willing to settle for alternatives.
"Alright... let's see. You know that feeling you get when chanting, when the mana gathers from your whole body into your fingertips? Try to recreate that feeling without chanting. When you feel the mana concentrate, imagine the spell you want to use, and then push it out through your fingertips. Let's start with something simple, like Water Ball."
Sylph closed his eyes and focused intensely. So much so that he frowned and squeezed one hand into a tight fist.
I don't think he'll manage it that quickly, I thought. Maybe my brother and I are only able to do it because we're from another world, so...
"I did it! I did it, Rudy!"
Sylph shouted excitedly, firing off volleys of Water Ball without chanting.
"Impressive."
"It's because Rudy and Dai-niisan are good teachers!"
We both smiled at that.
"Alright, then. Try using the spells you've learned so far without incantations."
"Okay!"
Honestly, if he could cast without chanting, it made teaching him much easier. I just had to explain what I was doing myself.
"Hmm?"
Right then, a light drizzle began to fall. I looked up. At some point, without me noticing, the sky had become completely swallowed by black clouds.
A moment later, the rain began beating down heavily.
"Damn it..." I muttered. "I got too distracted."
Normally, I'd adjust the weather so it wouldn't rain until we went back, but I'd completely neglected to do so while teaching Sylph.
"Wow, it's raining so hard..." Sylph commented, covering his head with his hands.
"Rudy, if you can make it rain, can't you make it stop?"
"I can, but we're already soaked, and crops won't grow without rain. As long as no one complains that the weather is causing them trouble, I prefer not to interfere."
Daiki was already on his feet, assessing the situation.
"Sylph's house is far. Ours is closer. We should head there."
"You're right." I looked at Sylph. "Is that okay? We'll let your dad know later."
"Yeah! Let's go."
With that, the three of us took off running toward the Greyrat house.
---
When we burst through the door, Lilia, the maid, was standing in the hall holding several large towels, as if she'd been waiting for us.
"Welcome back, young masters... I see you brought company. The hot water is already prepared. Please, go up to the second floor and wash up before you catch a cold. The master and madam will return soon, so I will be busy with dinner preparations. Can you manage on your own?"
"Yeah, no problem."
It seemed Lilia had seen the storm rolling in and anticipated we'd come back drenched. She isn't a woman of many words, nor does she usually strike up conversations, but she is a highly competent maid. Without us needing to explain a thing, she took one look at Sylph, ducked into the back, and returned with a third towel.
We kicked off our shoes, staying barefoot, and dried our hair and feet with the towels Lilia handed us.
"Go upstairs carefully. The floor is slippery," Lilia warned before disappearing into the kitchen.
We headed up to the second floor. In the center of the room I share with Daiki sat a large tub filled with hot water. Showers don't exist in this world, nor does the custom of filling a full bathtub, so this is what we use to wash up.
Though, according to Roxy, hot springs do apparently exist. Well, for someone like me who doesn't care much for showers anyway, this was plenty.
"Alright, let's get cleaned up before we catch a cold," I said.
That was when I noticed.
Sylph had frozen completely still by the door. He wasn't moving. He didn't even seem to be breathing. He just stared at the tub of water with an expression that reminded me of...
"Sylph? What's wrong?"
"Rudy, before you invite her in, there's something you need to know. Given the circumstances, and considering she doesn't know what's going on, I have to tell you."
"Brother?" I looked at him, completely confused. "What...?"
Did he just say "her"?
"This is your chance to tell him, Sylph."
"I... I... I was just nervous. Everything happened so fast that... Wait, why are you saying that?"
Daiki leaned close to her ear and whispered something I couldn't catch.
"Oh... Did he seriously think that?"
"Could someone please explain to me what's going on?"
And they looked directly at me. Both of them. My heart started to race.
A secret? What kind of secret required this level of seriousness?
"Rudy... if I tell you, will we still be friends?"
"Of course we will."
"It's just that... well, I'm a girl, Rudy. I thought you knew. I didn't realize you thought I was..."
"WHAAAAAT?!" I snapped my head toward my brother. "And you didn't say a single word this whole time, even though you saw me completely convinced she was a guy?!"
"I figured you'd realize eventually, but I decided to use it to your advantage."
"To my advantage?"
"Yes. Tell me, if you'd known she was a girl from the beginning, would you have treated her the same way?"
I opened my mouth.
"Of course I..."
The words died in my throat.
I couldn't say it.
Because, honestly, I couldn't answer that with absolute certainty.
I wanted to say yes, but back then, I probably would have made her uncomfortable and ruined everything. It wasn't that Sylph was pretending to be a boy; I had just blindly assumed she was one this whole time, and she'd never realized the misunderstanding until my brother pointed it out.
Of course my brother noticed... he's a stickler for details.
"Exactly. You needed this," he said.
He was right.
Of course he was right.
My older brother, who constantly struggled to connect with people emotionally, had understood something about human relationships that I, with all my experience... well, my experience as a hikikomori in my previous life... had completely overlooked.
"But, Sylph, I..."
"Sylphiette."
"Sylphiette." I used her full name for the first time. It felt more... real, somehow. "I'll call you Sylphy."
"What were you going to say, Rudy?"
"You're very beautiful."
Damn it, it slipped out... Oh well.
Sylphiette blushed and looked down toward the door. Instantly, her shoulders began to tremble. Then she spun back around, beaming at me, and threw herself into my arms.
"Thank you! Thank you, Rudy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
I hugged her back, feeling her small shoulders shaking.
Over her green hair, I looked at Daiki. My older brother was watching the scene with an expression I couldn't entirely decipher. But there was something in his eyes. Something warm. Satisfaction, maybe. Or relief.
"Thank you," I mouthed silently.
And I closed my eyes.
---
That night, after dinner.
Paul walked Sylphiette home to explain what had happened to her parents.
Now, lying in my bed, with Daiki in his right across from mine, I stared at the wooden ceiling, trying to process everything that had happened that day.
"Hey, Daiki, are you awake?"
"Yeah. What's up?"
"I have a friend..." I trailed off, then switched to Japanese. "For the first time in two lives, I have a real friend, and she doesn't want to run away from me."
"Yeah."
"One who trusts me."
He just nodded in the dark.
"Wow... how thrilling," I deadpanned.
"Yeah, I guess."
"Daiki."
"What?"
"I noticed Sylphy calls me Rudy, but she calls you Dai-niisan. What do you think that means? Why did she never call me 'brother'?"
"I couldn't tell you."
And with that lukewarm thought, I let sleep take me.