Chapter 180 - Chapter 179: The Existence Called Fee
The light enveloping Kistil's body gradually faded.
Once the light vanished, Fee appeared with a pop from Kistil's body.
"Fee!? Did you do this!?"
Mika, supporting Kistil's body, glared at Fee.
But Fee was just floating there, bobbing up and down...
Damn it! If this continues, I'll hurt Kistil.
It's dangerous to try and subdue Fee while holding Kistil.
Mika slowly retreated backward to his own bed, still holding Kistil.
Moving while supporting Kistil, who was taller than him, was quite difficult.
Still, wary of Fee, he never turned his back, carefully shuffling backward step by step.
During that time, Fee didn't move particularly, just drifting in the same spot, bobbing up and down...
Mika managed to sit Kistil on the bed with slow movements so as not to provoke Fee.
Then, supporting her body, he somehow managed to lay her down.
If she gets possessed again, it won't be good. What should I do?
I should have thought of a more serious way to subdue Fee.
If Fee is the same "thing" as the particles of light seen in the abandoned house, there's a high possibility she can't be destroyed with magic.
If it was simply that Mika's magic power wasn't enough to counter the magic forming Fee, it might work now, but...
He desperately tried to think about how to fight.
With his back to Kistil, Mika desperately suppressed the anxiety welling up from deep within his heart and continued glaring at Fee.
"...Mika, k... n..."
At that moment, he heard Kistil's voice.
"Kistil! You're awake!"
Mika suppressed the urge to turn around, keeping Fee in his field of view.
"...No... Fee-chan..."
"Kistil! You don't have to force yourself to talk----."
"No... Listen... Fee-chan..."
Kistil's voice was desperately trying to convey something.
Ah! Damn it!
Mika glared sharply at Fee, then went to Kistil's side.
Taking the hand extended toward him, Mika did so.
"Kistil, I'm listening. What is it?"
Kneeling beside the bed, he peered into Kistil's face.
Seeing Mika facing her, Kistil's expression became slightly relieved.
She took a slow, deep breath and showed Mika a lonely smile.
"...Fee-chan was just lonely..."
"Lonely...?"
Hearing words Kistil hadn't expected, Mika blinked.
Kistil's body was still sluggish, speaking in broken sentences, yet she spoke desperately.
The feelings of Fee, conveyed through possession.
Fee herself seemed not to know what she was.
She understood that there were many existences like Fee in the world.
Ordinarily, they were just existences drifting through the world.
Holding a faint sense of self, sometimes gathering and sometimes scattering, spending long, long times just drifting.
And then, they disappeared.
Such existences.
Becoming bright enough for people to clearly perceive light required quite a bit of magic power.
So, while they might shine temporarily, normally they return to a light level too dim to be easily seen.
Mika first met Fee at that abandoned mansion.
Because it was a dim mansion, the environment was easy to see.
Something different from the "Wraiths" seen occasionally inside the mansion came and approached Mika, swaying...
Then, suddenly, a massive amount of magic power was poured in.
Fee, who had been loosely absorbing and consuming magic power existing in the atmosphere, seemed to have changed because of this.
An existence that had just been drifting through the world had grown.
Fee slowly, slowly but clearly, began to develop a distinct sense of self.
At the same time, merely loosely absorbing magic power from the atmosphere was no longer enough to maintain her existence.
She started regularly sucking Mika's magic power.
The academy dormitory seemed to have many interesting things for Fee, whose sense of self was beginning to grow.
While drifting aimlessly here and there, she seemed to be found many times by the children in the dormitory.
She learned that being found could lead to being scared, so she tried not to be found.
Still, she was sometimes found even in the middle of the night.
And there was one more change.
She became able to suck only Mika's magic power.
At first, she just happened to suck Mika's magic power.
She happened to stick to Mika and happened to suck his magic power.
However, no matter how much she sucked from the atmospheric magic power, she couldn't get full, so she started preferring to suck Mika's magic power as high-concentration magic.
In doing so, something seemed to have connected between Mika and Fee.
Contact was no longer necessary to suck Mika's magic power, but in exchange, she became unable to suck magic from others.
Mika was stunned by the story told by Kistil.
"...Only my magic...?"
When Mika muttered that, Kistil nodded sadly.
Looking up at Fee, Fee was just drifting there...
If she can only suck my magic... If I disappear...?
There was no need to think about what would happen to Fee, who existed by consuming magic, if her supply of magic was cut off.
Even if Fee disappeared, it probably wouldn't affect Mika much.
But Mika's death would become Fee's death.
"...That... That's..."
What a cruel fate.
If her sense of self was still vague, it would have been better.
She wouldn't have to think about the meaning of entrusting her death to others.
But once she clearly recognized it and thought about its meaning...!
Mika's chest ached at Fee's terribly cruel fate, and tears overflowed.
"...It's my fault..."
"No... Mika-kun..."
"It's because I did unnecessary things back then!"
If I hadn't thought about destroying her in that abandoned mansion!
If I hadn't done those unnecessary things, Fee could have remained her original existence!
"Fee-chan is very grateful to Mika-kun..."
Kistil said in a gentle voice.
Mika just twisted his face in regret and shed tears.
The reason Fee sucked magic while Mika was sleeping was that it was easier to absorb.
It was easier to absorb while sleeping than when awake.
Mika sets his "Limiter On" conditionally when sleeping, but that was only because his consciousness controlled it that way.
It was hard to absorb while in "Limiter On" when awake, so she chose to absorb while he was asleep.
Of course, Fee didn't understand such fine reasoning back then.
It was easier to absorb after Mika fell asleep.
So, when Mika slept, she absorbed.
That was all.
Since she would be scared if found, it was more convenient not to be caught.
Now that she was connected to Mika, she could absorb regardless of "Limiter On," but it seems Fee didn't realize this until the day Mika found out she was sucking his magic.
After being caught, she somewhat gave up and started sucking freely.
The day Mika left the dormitory.
Fee had followed Mika.
Or rather, she seemed to have stuck to Mika quite frequently.
Suppressing her light to avoid being caught, she frequently sat on Mika's shoulder.
While looking around the new house, Mika went to the dormitory to submit a report, leaving Kistil alone at the house.
Thinking Kistil, who was crying from loneliness, looked pitiful, she showed her presence, even though she thought she might be scared.
Fee's sense of self had grown to the point where she could think such things.
When she was in the dormitory, she drifted freely around the dorm.
It seems she spent her time happily just doing that.
Since coming to this house, Kistil had often played with her.
But Mika treated Fee coldly.
She had some dissatisfaction about that, but it seems she didn't mind it that much.
And then, Nerisfeene arrived.
Mika, Kistil, and Nerisfeene were very close.
Kistil and Nerisfeene played with Fee, but Mika continued to treat Fee coldly.
She began to feel a little lonely about that.
Mika, Kistil, and Nerisfeene.
Fee wanted to be included in the three of them.
She was truly happy when Mika played with her as if remembering suddenly.
But Mika would soon start something else.
She wanted to play more.
She wanted to be paid attention to even more, even more.
Even though Kistil and Nerisfeene were there.
Still, Fee was lonely.
Mika hung his head and listened to Fee's feelings told by Kistil.
Tears wouldn't stop.
It was true that Mika had treated Fee coldly.
Even if he thought there was no hostility, a doubt of "maybe a monster" or "suspicious" remained in a corner of his heart.
He had already stopped thinking she was such a dangerous existence.
"...Sorry... Fee... I..."
"No... Mika-kun. Fee-chan doesn't want you to apologize..."
Mika also nodded weakly at Kistil's words.
Mika understood that too.
But he was filled with a feeling of guilt toward Fee.
Did I change Fee...?
An existence that had just been drifting through the world.
Into a single existence called Fee.
And that, she had become tied to Mika's life.
Wiping his tears, Mika reached out his hand toward Fee.
Fee, feeling hesitant, sat on Mika's hand.
Seeing that, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Mika looked up and exhaled the heat accumulated in his chest, haa---...
Holding the hand with Fee on it in front of him, he made a somewhat troubled face.
What should he say at a time like this?
"...From now on, I'll be a little careful."
When Mika said that, Fee jumped up slightly.
Seeing that, he smiled bitterly again.
"I'll try to play a bit more."
Fee jumped up slightly again.
Kistil watched Mika and Fee's exchange with a warm gaze.
"I'm glad, Fee-chan..."
At Kistil's voice, Fee jumped up slightly.
"So, is Kistil okay? Anyway, I understand the situation, but why did you possess Kistil...?"
Even if he couldn't convey it to Mika otherwise, he couldn't help but give a warning.
"I'm okay..."
"You don't know that. Where and what kind of effects might appear."
Kistil showed a smile to show she was okay.
But that smile wasn't her usual bright smile; it was weak.
"Probably, my body is sluggish, and Fee-chan is separate..."
"You don't know that."
He understood Kistil protecting Fee, but he really had to say this.
"My body being sluggish... I think it's because Fee-chan taught me how to make water."
"...Water?"
What are you talking about?
"Probably... that means using magic..."
"...Eh?"
Magic?
Really, what are they talking about?
"Kistil, what do you mean? What is water? What about magic!"
Mika dropped Fee and asked Kistil.
Fee briefly brightened her light in protest, but ignore, ignore.
By the way, Fee, you have some responsibility too!
"Fee-chan tried to teach me... how to use magic."
"Huhhhhhhh???"
Mika couldn't help but raise his voice.
His voice cracked from being too surprised.
It seems Fee had been listening to the conversation during dinner.
She heard Kistil's words, envious that Mika and Nerisfeene could use magic.
So, she possessed Kistil to teach her the feeling of how to do it.
For Fee, manipulating magic was a matter of course.
She could handle it without any particular consciousness, but she was operating it with her own will.
Floating, moving, adjusting light intensity, spotlights, and mirror balls, it seems she was doing all of that using magic.
So, she entered Kistil and tried to operate Kistil's magic as well.
Kistil was asleep but understood in a dreamlike state that Fee was trying to teach her how to use magic.
She remembered the feeling after actually doing it.
"W-wait!? Did you actually do it?"
When Mika asked that, Kistil nodded.
Mika hurriedly ran out of the room and burst into Kistil's room.
Creating a Lighting Ball and looking at Kistil's room, a considerable puddle of water had formed on part of the floor.
Mika hurriedly returned to his own room, reached into the Magic Bag, and took out a magic power recovery potion.
"Drink this! Your body being sluggish is probably because you've run out of magic power!"
When Mika first manifested magic, he was so exhausted he could barely move afterward.
He didn't know about the existence of such convenient things as magic power recovery potions, but drinking this should restore his health immediately.
Mika supported Kistil's back and helped her sit up.
Then, he made her drink the magic power recovery potion.
Kistil looked a bit painful, but her expression soon calmed down.
Seeing that change in expression, Mika let out a sigh of relief.
Mika had thought Kistil's condition worsened due to possession, but it was just magic power depletion.
He couldn't help but squat down on the spot.
"Jeez... Don't scare me like that."
"Yes, sorry, Mika-kun."
Kistil said apologetically.
Since part of the cause was also Mika's fault, he couldn't complain much.
"...Huh? But, why?"
Muttering at the snag in his mind, Mika spoke.
Teaching how to use magic.
The puddle in Kistil's room.
This, too, was fulfilled.
Fee was lonely, and she conveyed that to Mika.
By possessing Kistil, her feelings were shared with Kistil.
This, too, was fulfilled.
He could ask Kistil to explain tomorrow.
Mika, who had been thinking for a moment, looked at Kistil.
"Um... I have something I'd like to ask."
"What, Mika-kun?"
Kistil seemed to have completely recovered from her sluggishness, wearing her usual expression.
"Why did you come to my room in the middle of the night?"
Flash!
At the same time Mika asked that, Fee briefly shone brightly.
Then, she flew quickly in front of Kistil, moving busily.
What's wrong?
Kistil smiled bitterly at Fee like that.
"Yes. I understand Fee-chan's feelings, but I have my own reasons for that too. ...It was so embarrassing!"
And so, Kistil told the truth.
It seems Fee wanted to touch Mika.
Due to her nature as light, physical contact was impossible.
Well, strictly speaking, she was touching, but there was absolutely no sensation of "touching."
So, Kistil, who shared Fee's feeling of loneliness, seemed to have agreed.
To go meet Mika.
"I thought it was just wanting to touch Mika-kun's body a little... Ah, hugging, rubbing cheeks, and all that... W-well, I've never done anything like that!"
Even Kistil, who basically took a stance of being on Fee's side, seemed a bit angry.
Well, if someone hugged me like that.
Even I feel a bit embarrassed just thinking about it now.
No matter how starved for skinship she was, I understand why Kistil is angry.
"...What on earth are you making such a fuss about..."
At that moment, Nerisfeene, who had been woken up by the commotion in Mika's room, came rubbing her eyes.
"N-nothing! Sorry, I was noisy!"
"Sorry, Nerisfeene. I'll be quiet now."
Mika made Nerisfeene turn around and pushed her into the room.
Then, he and Kistil wiped up the puddle in Kistil's room.
It seems Kistil couldn't wake up in the morning because she went to bed late.
Nerisfeene prepared everything for breakfast.
Thank you, Nerisfeene.
Kistil, thank you as always too.
It's okay to oversleep sometimes.