Cursed 46: A Lazy Evening at the End of Summer

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Chapter 46: A Lazy Evening at the End of Summer

—
[Social]Lv1
|Sub-Blessings>
||> [Cooperation]Lv1
||> [Tact]Lv1
||> [Observation]Lv3

[Calculation]Lv1
|Sub-Blessings>
||> [Estimation]Lv2
||> [Arithmetic]Lv1
||> [Logical Reasoning]Lv2

[Japanese Language]Lv1

[Throw]Lv2

[Domestic Chores]Lv3
|Sub-Blessings>
||>[Cooking]Lv6
||>[Cleaning]Lv2
||>[Organization]Lv1

[Sixth Sense]Lv8

[Mystic Eyes]Lv10
|Supra-Blessings>
||>[Aria Recognition]Lv3

[Enchant]Lv7

[Kotodama]Lv4

[Sensitive to Danger]Lv8

[Spell Disruption]Lv2

*hidden:
[Abnormal Soul] Lv6
|Sub-Blessings>
||>[Overflowing Spirit]Lv8
||>[True Sight]Lv10
||>[Bestowal]Lv4
||>[Voice of Power]Lv3

—

“… Hey, Honoka?”

“Yeah?”

“Is it just me, or are my Blessings leveling up a lot faster, now?”

“That tends to happen once you undergo the unsealing ritual – not. Isn’t it because you’re abnormal?”

“…”

It might not seem like a lot at first, but the Sub-Blessings [Observation], [Cleaning], and the Blessing [Throw] have all gone up one or two levels.

Even though they didn’t go up at all for 12 or so years…

“By the way, what’s a Supra-Blessing?”

“Hm? Do you have one?”

Honoka flops her head over my shoulder as she peers down at the screen.

By the way, this isn’t the rental Blessing Scanner I’m borrowing from the state hospital.

This is… what would you call it… one of those things you can consider ‘black technology’ – a magic based electronic device.

Handed down by the Goddess Athena herself.

“Oooh… [Aria Recognition], huh? It’s not [Magic Eyes] or [Spell Discernment], unfortunately. Kousei, aren’t you on the way to becoming a mage killer?”

“How am I supposed to know? Anyway, what’s a Supra-Blessing, and what’s [Aria Recognition]?”

On one hand, it’s great that I can get Blessings as easily as that, compared to other people in this world, but on the other, what ARE these, and why do I get them?! – I have that sort of feeling towards my Blessings.

And it totally sucks that I can’t just ask the gods to give me something… like, how am I supposed to naturally get magic and stuff if I don’t already have it?

“A Supra-Blessing is like an added on Blessing to your original Blessing. Unlike Sub-Blessings, you don’t automatically get Supra-Blessings – they’re usually bestowed on you separately, but in your case…”

Yeah, yeah, I get it, I’m abnormal.

“So what is it?”

“[Aria Recognition] means you can recognize spoken and written arias as spells. That’s actually quite overpowered, since you can tell when someone is trying to cast a spell or activate a device.”

Even if Honoka is impressed,

“…But that means I still can’t tell when a spell or something is already activated, right? That only means I’ll be able to detect it if someone is currently activating it.”

“… … Yes, you do choose weird places to be insufficient in.”

Shut up.

“But why did I get this?”

“… Isn’t it because of all those weird things people make you appraise?”

Honoka frowns a little as she answers me.

A “Pyoyoyon!” comes from my phone as Honoka manages to get a 4-chain combo – oi!

I’m trying to have a serious conversation here!

This otaku fox…

At least she hasn’t discovered gacha games.

“Haaa…”

I sigh heavily as I clear the black-tech Blessing Scanner and tuck it back into its case.

Recently, Daiki-san doesn’t get home until 8pm, so it’s just me and Honoka lounging in the living room.

Is… everything going alright over there?

I mean, Daiki-san never returns with any wounds, but he’s fighting monsters, you know? I mean youkai.

“By the way. What did you mean by ‘mage killer’?”

I decide to ignore Honoka’s gaming and just ask for her to clarify her earlier statement.

“Well, if you got in a fight with a mage, with [Aria Recognition] and [Spell Disruption], wouldn’t you be unstoppable? Although you have to get [Spell Disruption] to a usable degree. Rejoice, Mage Killers are pretty rare -”

“So I’m going to be even more ‘wanted.’ Great.”

Going by what Honoka is saying, a ‘mage’ would be someone who has to use magic or spells or something.

That means I’m still vulnerable to people who have more ‘superpower’ type skills that don’t need arias to activate them.

For example, using [Kotodama] technically doesn’t need an aria. By the time I use it, it’s already activated.

Even if I can disrupt the spell after its activation, getting laser-blasted in the face or something isn’t really reversible.

Also, like Honoka said, my [Spell Disruption] is only at the level where I can only just barely do it.

“…Ah. By the way, Guchi-kun was crying about make-up homework. ‘Ask Kousei to help me~’ he said.”

“…”

Higuchi, huh?

A classmate of mine, and a co-worker at the cafe Honoka works at.

He also had trouble with the final exams before summer break.

Or like, why didn’t he just ask me at school?

Or more like, why didn’t he ask his ‘best friend’ (I think), Endo?

…No, wait.

Endo definitely wouldn’t help him.

“…He reaps what he sows…”

I say, but both Honoka and I know I’ll probably end up helping him out…

I did think it was weird that he was playing so carefreely all summer, but I guess he DID take us around town and stuff…

I just sigh as Honoka laughed and handed over my phone so I can text Higuchi.

It ends up being an all-nighter to walk Higuchi through the homework.

Ugh… why did he leave it off so much…

As I watch Honoka snoozing on the couch, I can’t help but give a small smile.

I feel like my life has gotten quite complicated lately, but I can’t say it’s gotten worse.

As the summer heat changes to a comfortable temperature, I find myself quite looking forward to the future.

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<a/n: (1/2) This was a short interlude chap, but it felt super lacking, so extra chap this week.
I mean, it’s already written and all… The Bookseller Arc starts next>