It's too deep, and I need some help to dig it out. Anyway, listen to me first, close your eyes, and then keep telling yourself in your heart, "I am a sorcerer, I have the spell", don't open your eyes until I say you can."

Although Yoshino was very confused, the way Hanako had just acted had already made him trust her.

At this moment, he didn't think much, so he closed his eyes and followed Hanako's instructions.

(I am a sorcerer──)

Here we go again.

It was the same as the first time he summoned Hanako, that sticky air, the strange rustling sounds in his ears, the flickering shadows.

(I am a sorcerer.)

He just continued to recite silently as he was told.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he felt his body lighten.

It was as if something was touching his cheek, light, soft, and a little cold—

"Open your eyes."

After hearing Hanako's instructions, Yoshino Junpei reopened his eyes and saw a transparent jellyfish that was glowing brightly.

At this moment, she is leaning on him intimately.

A bold guess came to my mind...

"This is..."

"Your spell." Hanako clapped her hands. "Congratulations, Yoshino Junpei. From today on, you are a sorcerer."

Geto Suguru, who watched the whole process from the side, still didn't understand how Hanako did it - because he didn't do anything at all.

The young man in front of him naturally awakened his talent as a sorcerer.

This is totally unheard of... he thought.

"Since you look confused, I'll start from the beginning. First, do you know what trick I just used on those bad kids?"

Yoshino Junpei thought for a while and said, "...genjutsu?"

"Yes." Hanako nodded, and continued with a teachable expression: "The essence of illusion relies on the power of 'belief'. If you believe that you will be frozen, you will really be frozen in the illusion. The more the person who is trapped in the illusion believes in it, the stronger the power of the illusion will be. I just use the power of the illusion to guide your talent to surface from under the ice sea."

He continued, "So, I couldn't tell you it was an illusion before it succeeded, otherwise you wouldn't be able to enter this state of 'belief' with all your heart, and my illusion wouldn't be able to achieve the best effect. Fortunately, it succeeded at once, congratulations."

Yoshino Junpei stared blankly at the boy in front of him.

(He was truly happy with himself.) he thought.

He is not so far away from being unable to distinguish such things.

Are all youkai such straightforward creatures...? In fact... they are more like real humans than humans.

"It's actually a jellyfish..." Hanako jumped off the chair, stared at the tiny jellyfish, and asked, "Can it get bigger?"

"Oh, sure." Yoshino Junpei learned it by himself and made his shikigami almost the same size as Hanako. It looked very interesting when it floated in the air.

Hanako: "Let it squat a little bit."

As Yoshino Junpei did as he was told, he thought: Can the word "squat" be used for jellyfish?

As a result, the jellyfish landed on Hanako's waist, and Hanako actually——

Just sit on it.

He patted the jellyfish's bulging head with his hand and commented, "It feels good."

Yoshino Junpei: "...My shikigami is poisonous."

"It's okay. There's no way it can hurt me." After saying that, Hanako clasped his arms over his chest and sat on the jellyfish like a fitness ball. He said, "Next, let's discuss the reward."

Yoshino: “…Huh?”

Kagome Ken, who watched the whole process, said: "..."

Wait, don’t they usually talk about the remuneration first? Isn’t this a forced sale?

"Don't worry. I'm not a monster that eats human hearts and livers. I won't let you repay me with these things. I don't have any weird hobbies like collecting people's eyeballs. Besides, you are the first commemorative guest. I think my service is quite considerate... What do you think?"

Yoshino Junpei: "...Yes."

"Our store is short of staff, so in return, I would like to invite Yoshino-san to work part-time in our store. As for the time... I would like to ask you to work part-time in our store until you graduate from high school. How about that? I changed your life and let you embark on the path of a sorcerer. I only buy out a few years of your labor, and it's just a part-time job. I think this is not too much, right?"

Yoshino Junpei agreed with him, and in fact he did think he had made a profit.

What teenager doesn't yearn for an extraordinary world...?

After signing the contract, Hanako took Yoshino Junpei into her protection circle.

Since you are treating your own people, you should be as warm as the spring breeze.

"Oh, there's one more very important thing." Hanako sat on the jellyfish in a happy mood. He looked at Geto next to him and asked, "Is this kid going to a technical high school in the future? It would be a waste of his talent to continue to study in an ordinary school. Besides, I think it's good for him not to go to such a bad school."

However, when talking about the new school, Yoshino Junpei still feels a little scared.

Xia Yujie comforted him, "There are very few students in the technical high school. Generally, there are only a few students in a grade. As partners who spend every day together, everyone has a good relationship. I think Yoshino will like it there."

Yoshino Junpei asked, "...Can I go and see that school? And I have to discuss the transfer with my mother."

"Ah, just in time."

Hanako jumped off the soft jellyfish.

"I heard someone calling me. If I'm not mistaken... it was at the Jujutsu High School."

…

…

"After all, this is a men's restroom..."

"Didn't you say you wanted to try playing the ghost story game here?" The girl with glasses leaned against the door, looking at the boy and the panda in her class. "If you want to play, just play by yourselves. Why did you drag me along?"

"Because..." The panda pointed at himself and said, "I'm not human, and I can't say the words to summon Hanako."

Maki: “…” Really.

Their reasons were so convincing that Maki couldn't find the words to refuse, otherwise it would seem too inhumane.

"I know! That's what I said!"

She had no choice but to go forward and take the apple from the panda's hand, and read out the words from the forum post -

"Hanako-kun, Hanako-kun——"

"I have apples, if you can hear my voice--"

The panda whispered, "You said it wrong, Maki! It's not that, it should be 'The apple is for you'!"

The dog, Scolopendra, behind the panda, agreed: "Salmon!"

"Are you done yet--"

Maki was about to throw the apple away and tell them to give up such childish games immediately and use the time for self-cultivation.

However, at this moment, the compartment next to it was enveloped by a strange force. Black smoke and liquid flowed on the wall and finally dissipated. Behind the open door, it turned into a small room. A boy with red eyes was in the center, as if he knew what would happen.

Just when they thought the other party would say the signature line from the BBS and ask them what they wished for, the boy pushed out a boy in school uniform next to him and said to them, "Is your school still recruiting students? He wants to enroll."

Yoshino, who was pushed out, said: “…” No, didn’t you say you wanted to go back and discuss it with your family?

Maki: “…”

This is different from what is said on the BBS.

The panda, who showed great adaptability, was able to continue the conversation. He said very reliably: "I'll ask the principal. Do you mind if I send him a message?"

After getting Hanako's consent, the panda took a photo and sent it to Principal Noctua.

[Panda: [Picture] It would take a lot of time to explain, so... this child wants to go to school now, do you want to come over?]

After receiving the message, Noctua opened the picture.

In the photo, there is a boy controlling a jellyfish shikigami standing in the center, there is a boy next to him, and in the far corner of the photo - there is a boy wearing a fox mask.

Noctua: ...No, there are three people here. Can you tell me who is going to enroll?

And, he didn't know if it was an illusion, but the boy wearing the mask gave him a sense of déjà vu.

...Is he an acquaintance?

The author has something to say:

Three in one big fat chapter, basically four in one (laughs)

The big jellyfish should feel good.

Let’s talk about our three current children.

Axue: I really have no sense of human morality, and I don’t have much interest in following them. I neither hate nor like humans. If I treat humans well, it’s purely to complete my job.

He probably looks at humans the same way humans look at ants... He might help ants move just because he's interested, or he might just step on a few ants to death.

Hanako: He died at a very young age, so he didn't have many human values, so he hated humans, but he also admired some people (in short, he was very arrogant towards humans). He is essentially a hot-tempered brother, and he is particularly protective of the people he likes, and has a bit of a childish temperament.

Xiao Bai: He is the most humane of the three, but he will never give in when it comes to principles (referring to revenge). He is the type of person who admits his mistakes well, but will never change, and is the typical "I was wrong, and I will do it again next time" type of person.