The village has an open space for children to play.

　It is not a square, but it is not a special place for children to play. It's just a wide, round, bare, flat, bare earth place.

　The children of the village had already gathered there, and they were actively moving their bodies under this nice weather (or so we thought).

　There are about eight boys between the ages of five and seven gathered in the square.

　When they recognized Meir and I, they stopped playing and came over to us.

I heard you had a stroke, Gerald?

You look good. Let's play!

Jeez, Gerald, aren't you coming, Sierra?　I-I-I just caught a really big toad, and I want to give it to him...

Hey. You look like you're feeling better.

　Everyone gathers around, saying selfish things to each other. And the toads will be scared of you, so you'll never go near Sierra.

　Your brother won't forgive you.

'Hey guys, long time no see. Thank you for your concern. But I'd be fine now.

　While replying, I tried to 'see' everyone with strength in my eyes.

　Then, as I expected, I saw colorful magical light enveloping their bodies. The intensity of the radiance also seems to vary from person to person, with some people having a dull flickering light and others emitting a bright brightness in their eyes.

　But the strongest radiance among these is the one next to me, Myl. Although, it's still not as good as my magical light, though.

''Huh?　I'm not worried about you!　I just wanted to make sure you were okay!

Good to see you back on your feet, let's play!

And by the way, Gerald, you didn't give Sierra a beeping fit, did you?　If Sierra-chan collapses again, I-I-I-I...!

Hmm. You'll be fine.

　I don't know why there are two people here who make tsundere like comments. And you, Sierra, you're too loud. I won't allow you to go near Sierra, brother!

"Let's get out of this mess and get out of it!　The usual!

　Then Meir raised the ball he was holding under his arm above his head and said, "Whoa! The crowd erupted in cheers.

　By the way, this ball was made by Meiru. It was made of cloth, paper scraps and leaves wrapped around a string and fixed in place, but it was quite well made.

　Because of the achievement of making this ball, even though he was five years old, he was a leader in the village's mischievous group. On top of that, his natural physical prowess allowed him to compete with older children.

　I'm the only five-year-old in the village, and because of that I'm often treated as a set, my position is not bad.

Well, let's call it my return match. I'm sure you'll be able to see it for yourself.

What?　I can't lose!　Let's beat the crap out of Gerald!

　Starting with me and Meir's mouthpiece, we scattered into the square.
　The usual game has begun.

　--

　Let me explain the rules of "The Usual Game" here.

　At the end of the square, on the east and west sides, there is a log as big as a carrier sticking out of the ground.
　On the log, there is a circle painted a little higher than the head of the log, which is the goal.

　Two teams compete for the points earned by hitting the ball there.
　If you kick the ball and hit it, you get three points, if you play it with your head and hit it, you get two points, if you throw or play it in with your hands, you get one point.

　There is no foul, but the two players who are fighting for it throw the ball upwards to take it away from each other. It is a so-called jump ball.

　No other punching or kicking is allowed. Players may carry the ball in their hands or kick it around, but if they carry the ball in their stomachs, the ball is considered to be the other team's ball.

　That's about it. It's like a subtle blend of soccer, rugby and basketball.

　It becomes five against five, and the team is divided into left and right. The teams are always kind of fixed, with one or two players changing from time to time.

　And me and Meir are never on the same team. With us being the only two five-year-olds, there may be a sense of rivalry somehow.



　I noticed it a while after the match had started.

　I could see my opponent's movements more than usual.

　For example, when they feinted, when they launched a suicide attack, right before they kicked or threw the ball.

　The magic light that your opponent wears swings in the direction they are actually moving, or emits a strong light, and you are able to "know" the presence of your opponent.

　Until now, I think I could only 'feel' the signs. But now, from the magic light, I can see the opponent's movements a moment or two later.

　........This is the 'sensing' of magic power? I guess it's called 'sensing' and 'perceiving'.

''Let's go, Gerald!

　With the ball in his hand, Myl rushes in. The magic light becomes blisteringly strong.
　For a moment, Meal pretends to run through my right side. However, the magic light is wavering to my left side.

　But I'm still not moving. I'm not moving to the right or left, I'm standing firmly on the spot, waiting for the moment.

　And then Meir's magical light suddenly becomes strong again. When I thought, she let go of the ball from her hand and got into a kicking stance.

　But I had started moving just before that. She's about to release a long shot, her signature Meir's specialty - a shot that will pretend to run through my right side and then through my left side.

''Nah!''

　I quickly cut the ball that spilled out of Myl's hand and started to run. Myil's feet were swinging wide in the air.

　I pass it to my companion, who hits the ball on target.

'Whoa!'

　As my team cheered, I sincerely bit down on the awesomeness of detecting magic power.
　That's how amazing this power is. Maybe if I used it in a children's game, I could easily overtake them all, even if I was the only one.

d*mn it, I gotta do it again.　I'll decide next time!

　That's when Meir said in frustration and threw the ball into the square from diagonally behind the target ball.

　Suddenly sensing the magic coming from above, I quickly looked up.

　Then a bird with its wings spread wide open appeared. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this in the next few days.

''Ah.''

　The bird soars up into the sky again as Meir lets out a dumb cry and starts circling on the spot, as if to provoke us.

'Give it back!　Give me the ball back!

　They all start throwing stones upwards, but not at a distance that they can reach. The only stone that Meir kicked with all his might reached that height, but the bird avoided it with a swing of its wings as if mocking its efforts.

''I, my ball is ah...''

　Meir was in tears, frustrated that the ball he had worked so hard to make was taken away from him, and he was standing on the ground in frustration.

Give it back, give it back........my ball!

　Her face was red and angry, and she looked really frustrated.
　She looked very, very sad.

　To a five-year-old, the importance of a mere ball is immeasurable.

　It's something that an adult would be able to put up with in silence, but it's inexcusable for Myl to understand.

　Seeing her like that makes my heart tighten. I can feel her sadness, and my heart becomes painful.

''........Okay.''

　I made up my mind and picked up the stone and became aware of my magic power.

　I focused my magic power to the area around my throat. Then I layer my 'imagination' on top of it.

　The bird that flies in the sky is shot down by the stone I threw. I imagined that I would be able to shoot down a flying bird with a stone.

Give me the power to shoot down the flying bird.

　It was as if the echoes of the incantation I chanted in a whisper, so that no one could hear me, seeped deep into my body.

　He could see that his body had become lighter and his physical abilities had been strengthened. It was incomparable to the time I had cast it on myself before, and even my vision became even clearer.

　Now I can clearly see the movement of a bird in the sky and the swaying of a single wing. How fast it was flying, how far away it was, and how fast and where it could even throw a stone to crush the bird's head....

　Gripping the stone in his grip, he squeezes it tightly, being careful not to shatter it, and his whole body is spun around.
　Then he released that repulsion all at once and threw the stone from his hand at the optimal time.

　The stone that was released was ''Boom! I made the most horrible wind noise I've ever heard, and I got close to the bird. The bird hurries to move its wings to avoid it, but it's too late.

　In the next moment, the stone I threw hits the bird's head. The bird, whose skull was shattered, began to fall straight down with the ball.

'Holy shit!'

　I heard someone scream. But my eyes kept looking at the falling bird.

　I realized the awfulness of the current, spell-laden spell. The bird's head was completely crushed by a stone, and I could see that a mere blow had killed it instantly.

　It was literally different in rank from the magic that he had used before with his magic power undetectable. In the past, it would have been impossible to activate so many images against a spell with so much imagery.

　At the same time, I was also having an 'aha' feeling.

　He had used magic in front of the people in the village. If they know that I can use magic, I don't even know if they will treat me the same as before....

'Awesome Gerald!　How did you do that?

'What?　Ah.....

　I noticed that Myl was talking to me, holding the ball I had regained to his chest.

　I was so relieved that I replied in a rather lazy manner. Regardless of the fact that I was not in a position to do so, Myl continued to speak.

You just threw a rock at me, didn't you!　That was so cool!　Seriously!　Hey, come on, give me some tips, tips!

You know, I don't know if that's a trick, or if it's just a coincidence, but...

　As expected, he couldn't honestly say that it was witchcraft. I could only muddle through the words.

'Tamatamaa?　Hmmm, I see. Oh well. But more importantly, that was really cool!　I'm in love!

I'm in love with... what?

'Oh, I'm in love!　Because you're awesome!

　Meir, who has assured me this cheerfully and leaned in close to me, puts her face close to my cheek.
　I couldn't immediately react to her unusual behavior, so I came to myself when I heard a light "chuckle" sound.

"Oh, you, you, what did you just...?

'What?　What my dad does to my mom all the time.

　My face heats up, gasping. I realize belatedly that I've been kissed on the cheek, which accelerates my blush even more.

'Nah, nah, nah, nyanle?'

　Hey, do your job, my tongue. Don't be biting on it.

"Huh?　I told you I was in love with you.

"~~~~!

"...?　Are you blushing?　What's wrong with you?

It's hotter than the weather!

'Oh!　

　This guy has no idea what he's talking about.





　--But I was the one who really didn't understand anything.
　I don't know that this is a sign.

　At that time, I really didn't understand what was going on.