Mr. Magical Girl

Chapter:93. Effort Effort Noooo Effort (1)

“How do you become strong, Senpai?”

On a rare day off, in the living room, as I lounged on the sofa, my student casually walked over to me.

“Effort and experience.”

Of course, it’s the most obvious answer, but it’s not like I’m some kind of a heavy drinker or smoker, right?

“Hmm? Is that right? Now that I think about it, back in the day, I used to think that if you dug the ground and presented it as an offering, the doctors would like it.”

As I pondered seriously about such things, suddenly—

“That’s not what I was asking!”

A sharp voice interrupted my thoughts, accompanied by a snap that felt like it pierced my skin.

“Damn it, that startled me!”

“If you can’t control that, don’t use it!”

“This is the minimum output!”

“Reduce it further. At this rate, you can’t shoot at anyone else. Until then, just consider it a nonexistent ability.”

“Yes.”

Once I firmly cut him off, Han Ah-bang began to sulk, fiddling with his fingers.

It looked like I was being overly harsh, but I couldn’t help it.

Is there really any telepathy so strong that it could penetrate through my mind defenses and cause direct pain?

If I’m shocked, that’s one thing, but an ordinary person might faint or lose their mind.

In a way, it’s an overwhelming output that could probably be used as an attack technique.

“Still, you can’t use it in any other way, right? Like directly causing damage to the mind or manipulating it?”

“I can’t do that.”

“Where did you experiment?”

“I asked you a few times if you could separate out some beer:”

Did I blank out on that? I didn’t even feel it.

I casually reached out to grab Unho, who was lingering nearby, and tossed him toward Han Ah-bang.

“Catch.”

Poyo? I queried the sky.

“Huh? Yes?”

Luckily, Unho flew past Han Ah-bang and crashed into the wall.

“Gwaak? This isn’t good!?”

He screamed as he slid down.

Can’t even land properly, can he?

“Are you okay, Unho?”

The only person in this house who worried about Unho, Han Ah-bang, peered down worriedly.

“Don’t worry, I picked potatoes for my grave!”

“Sigh”

Unho, disregarding Han Ah-bang’s worries, stood up generously from the sofa and stomped around.

“Waking up to this mess! The violence is just too much!”

“Make good use of this chance to experiment.”

Amidst Unho’s cheerful screams, Han Ah-bang seemed to hesitate for a moment, closing his eyes and focusing his thoughts.

“Please don’t hurt…”

And just like that, it seems like a folk remedy rather than a mental spell.

“Poh? It seems like it’s not hurting at all.”

“Ugh, my back! It’s just all in my head! Help!”

Hmm.

Still not there yet. Since coming to Hokkaido, I’ve tried a few experiments, but it seems like using this for attack isn’t possible.

“Is there any kind of connected sensation or anything like that?”

I asked a few more questions, just in case.

“Yeah.”

Seems like he doesn’t even have the bare minimum of aptitude.

“I guess it’s just a communication method, isn’t it?”

I threw myself back onto the sofa, ready to enjoy this freedom: Sigh, too bad.

After hearing complaints from my student start to bubble up, I sank into the plush sofa that felt like a warm hug, letting out a sigh.

“Too bad, is it? Do you think telepathy with that kind of output is common? If it can even penetrate my mind, then practically only a few in the world can possibly block it.

Since they’re receiving training too, just think of it as some kind of skill.”

“Is that really the case?”

To my response, Han Ah-bang threw himself onto the nearby sofa, his voice full of resignation, relinquishing to its plush comfort, as if he wanted to gather his mind.

Well, if the newly acquired power is more of a supportive effect, then I can understand feeling a bit let down. However, one thing is bothering me:

Could it really be that it has no offensive capability?

With that kind of output, a telepathy without any additional effects? That’s just wasteful.

Surprisingly, the narrative has a strangely rational outcome.

If you have such powerful ability, there should definitely be a way to use it. So what exactly is that power for?

If it derived from the Happiness Drop, then the mental domination and emotional manipulation should naturally come along with it.

If that’s not the case, it definitely might not be that there are no other effects, but rather they can’t be used for some reason.

Perhaps, like the Happiness Drop, it was obtained as a result of later development.

“Mister! Don’t just play around with Han Ah-bang; please teach us some skills!”

With a sudden shout, my field of vision began spinning rapidly.

What’s going on?

In my spinning view, I saw a white cloth crumpled in the corner of the illuminated ceiling along with the mascot Lin, and Bai Sihyeon, who appeared to be standing on the sofa, laughing.

They probably threw me off the sofa.

As I momentarily drifted in mid-air, a multitude of phrases began to rush through my head.

“So, where’s the master? You throw him away? Is the master a joke? Does it look like I’m playing with Han Ah-bang? Make your laugh disappear? Do you wake up like this every morning? How long will your laughter last?”

Calm down. Words like those are nothing but garbage if they’re directed at me.

As a senpai, I should calmly bear this.

After determining the right direction, I began to twist my body slightly to initiate a landing technique.

Summoning hammers in the air, I twisted my center of gravity with the weight created, using that force to spin and gracefully land in the living room’s center.

Just as the hammer I summoned landed on my shoulder—

“Is that what you want to train?”

“Let’s head down to the basement, damn students.”

I’m going to thoroughly train them.

“Now, now. Sihyeon, didn’t Ah-bang tell you not to come here?”

Right now, I’m getting flanked by Bai Sihyeon and Han Ah-bang.

Sihyeon grabbed me quickly and held on, while Han Ah-bang focused on the rear, forming a classic combination.

Not a bad plan.

As long as I can hit, I won’t hit my allies, and since it’s the most basic form of flanking, if there’s a small issue, it’s—

Bong.

I sensed the thrum of a bowstring pulled back, and simultaneously, arrows flew past me.

At the same time, Sihyeon poured all her strength into a hammer aimed at me.

Our timing was pretty good; the way Sihyeon charged wasn’t half bad either:

When the hammer and hammer collided, the recoil shot through and gave me momentum, and I unleashed all the power generated through my twisted muscles.

The combined effort was a pass.

Han Ah-bang, aiming carefully for my vital spots, also had the intention of inflicting damage, cleverly avoiding hitting Sihyeon as he came dashing in.

Judging angle and timing, the technique was flawless.

But one issue remains.

“So, are you going to catch me like this?”

In that brief moment, I pulled my legs back, flipping the hammers behind me. With that, my shoulder joints cracked strangely.

Twisting my upper body and releasing the pent-up tension, I twisted as my hammer hurtled toward me from the other side.

Gak gak gak.

The sharp trajectory produced a crunching sound of scraping the earth.

As the hammer headed toward my head, just before Bai Sihyeon’s hammer reached me, it abruptly soared upward.

BANG!

A bright, clear metallic sound rang out sharply.

In a short time, we twisted our bodies and made direct contact with the weapon in a head-on clash.

But the consequence of our actions was drastically reversed.

Sihyeon’s downwards swing collided with my upward swing.

Normally, Sihyeon’s weapon would win in a normal situation.

“Cwaak?!”

Instead, it was Sihyeon who was sent soaring into the air while I rotated on the ground.

Pivoting on my left foot for a 180-degree turn, my right leg followed with a kick to the ground.

With a thud that resonated through the earth, I confirmed Bai Sihyeon flying through the air and immediately focused my strength on leaping toward the retreating student.

“Huh? What?”

Han Ah-bang, startled, stood wide-eyed.

Yeah, I can see why you’d be confused.

How is it that I lifted the opponent into the air from that stance and was able to jump up like that?

Let’s leave that as the joy to be savored after the battle ends.

With an outstretched punch, I aimed to nail Han Ah-bang.

The energy that burst from my body completely transmitted to her upper body, pushing her back and causing her to fly backward.

“If you let the opponent fly behind, it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Remember that.”

With my extended punch, I forcibly halted Han Ah-bang’s momentum, creating a new pivot point that stopped her from fleeing and turned her into the air.

Now, the only thing left is—

A vertical drop that’ll send her flying headfirst.

BANG!

A sound that shouldn’t resonate on soft carpeting reverberated as Han Ah-bang’s head twisted sideways.

Just when I thought it was over, the support that had been holding her up disappeared.

With a rigid posture, she crumpled face-down onto the mat.

This wasn’t due to my strength; it was purely from gravity’s rampage. Her neck might be fine, but I’d wager her solar plexus feels worse.

“Mister! Not yet! It’s not over.”

“It’s over.”

After a while, Bai Sihyeon, who had been flung away, finally ran back and I hammered a punch into her solar plexus, knocking her unconscious.

Even if my partner collapses, it doesn’t mean I will immediately become uncool; it seems Bai Sihyeon still has a ways to go.

“The plan itself wasn’t bad. There’s nothing wrong with the classic combination.”

“Oh, Yumil and Chung Solim could challenge like this. The result wasn’t bad either.

The issue is that Bai Sihyeon seems to lack a skill that would allow her to grab Ah-bang.

And because she’s avoiding the line of fire, we’ve positioned the sniper behind.”

In this scenario, a close-quarters hero, unable to do her part, leaves the sniper’s position exposed.

The message is that if we can eliminate the sniper first, it’ll work out just fine.

Yumil could hold his own, but Bai Sihyeon is still far from that level.

Her sniping capabilities are still far behind Chung Solim.

“Do you really think because of the skill difference you could capture her while preserving your dignity? are you kidding? Sihyeon, the monster you’re up against is a raw O. No matter what, if everything else fails, drop the weapons and tackle the enemy head-on!”

Line of sight?

That’s something to think about after knocking them down. If you’re a sniper, then dodging your own team’s line of sight is your job.

But why is it so eerily silent?

Normally, there’d be girls raising their hands asking questions.

“Bubububing.” Two students who had fainted were visible.

Seems like I overdid it.

“Mister, that’s just too much!”

“I think so too…”

As I repeated the sermon from earlier to my finally awakened students, grumbling ensued.

It seems I’ve inadvertently stressed them out while I wasn’t looking.

“Sorry.”

I can’t even manage my own strength.

This won’t do.

If there’s something I’m curious about—is it because today is a holiday that you all want to train so badly on a day off?

In the weekdays, I’ve been training them so fiercely that if I even call on them during the holiday, it’s perceived as training.

“Thunder God, if you’re about to leave…”

“We might need a delay here! If we don’t, we won’t be able to gather our strengths!”

I think the same.

With the delay of the upcoming storm, they don’t want to let this opportunity slip away.

Hmm. I guess this is the result of my management.

After returning home, I should’ve carried it out at least a week’s worth of time.

Even so, regardless of entering Hokkaido, the outcome would still be the same.

Simply, the students would feel that the real deal is coming; I think they’ll fully recognize it.

“So, that’s it.”

“They should rest, you know!”

When I raised my voice, Bai Sihyeon also dropped her smile and lowered her head:

It’s still not over. You lot.

“Sihyeon, have you properly used the basic spells you learned this time around during the fight?”

“I couldn’t concentrate well while engaging in real combat; my hands might catch on fire.”

“You need to fix that! What kind of training is it if you can’t even control it? Can’t you trust your partner’s recovery abilities?”

“But—”

“Exactly! Are you still trying to dance on the battlefield without any skills? You’d face immediate defeat if you can’t communicate after firing those arrows!”

“But you told me not to use it.”

“That’s obvious! But can’t you at least use it offensively? Throw it at me to create some openings? Have you given any thoughts on how to use it?”

Agh.

If I were in my current state, I could probably just shoot with my mouth.

Even if they have the talent, these fools still can’t use it properly.

“How many times have we been through this training? Do you think repeating the same scenario will make you strong? Do you think a hero would treat it as a joke?”

What can fools who can’t even use their own powers expect from reckless training?

“Again, just make yourselves comfortable on the bed and rethink your own power. The last time you used your powers here, you were hopeless.

What you all need now is probably a good visualization.”

I might sound like I’m being bossy, but the truth is I don’t even fully understand it myself.

Magic? What’s that exactly?

I slightly know that it’s related to visualization through knowledge, but since I can’t use magic, all I can do is provide this kind of foundation for them.

“So, that’s it. This is my order to you all.”

I left my two students behind and headed alone to the elevator.

Though I know that the hateful and baffling hail would pile up,

I should let them rest like this.

When the final hurdle approaches at breakneck speed, we know best how to face it.

---