Longing for the Stars - Chapter 2

Sirius and I met when we were both ten years old, right after the academy’s entrance ceremony when we were guided to our classroom.

My personality or rather, my character was already mostly established by then. Even back then, I wasn’t the type to make a fuss, nor was I the social butterfly who actively went out to make friends. However, I think I was excited about being able to study magic, and I was looking forward to meeting others who had a talent for it.

But the first thing I thought when I stepped into the classroom was, “Who is this noisy guy?”

“Sooooo cool! This classroom is huge! Wait, can everyone really use magic? Can you make fire? I’m good at fire and lightning and a bunch of other stuff!”

For some reason, instead of sitting in his chair, he was standing up. A boy with short black hair looked at me, his golden eyes wide open—sparkling so much I wondered if there were actual stars inside them.

“Whoa! You’re super sparkly!”

“Huh?”

That was how Sirius and I met.

To be honest, I was proud of my own talent. I was born in the countryside with a small population and little entertainment. Born in such a closed-off town, I was treated like a child prodigy—if I do say so myself. There wasn’t much I was bad at. If I set my mind to it, I could handle anything smoothly; I was good at both studying and sports.

On top of that, I could already use magic even before the formal measurement, and my power was at an extraordinary level for a rural town. According to the mayor, I possessed the greatest magical talent since the town’s founding, and I never doubted it.

It was the same during the magic measurement. When the official from the capital saw my mana capacity through the crystal, he was clearly surprised and even praised me, saying, “This is wonderful.”

It would have been impossible not to let it go to my head.

I was incredibly full of myself. My dexterity, the fact that I could do almost anything quickly ended up working against me. Because of that, I fell under a delusion.

I believed that I was a chosen genius.

“The one who created the largest fireball was Master Louvre. Everyone else, keep working hard.”

“Listen up, everyone! A mage needs physical strength too. Close combat happens more often than you’d think. So, follow Sirius Louvre’s example and train your bodies!”

“For this applied offensive magic test, the top score in the practical division goes to Sirius Louvre. Everyone, give him a round of applause.”

I realized then, with painful clarity, what a “real” genius looks like: they overwhelm everyone else.

He cleared assignments using methods I never would have thought of. Techniques that I finally mastered after long periods of trial and error, he would memorize and perform perfectly after seeing them just once. The list of his overwhelming feats went on forever, yet he didn’t seem to think it was a big deal at all.

“Hmm, something’s not quite right. My dad’s magic feels more like… BAM!, you know? I think the speed of infusing mana is different, but I don’t get how to make it faster. Hey, you’re good at that kind of stuff. Do you know how?”

In every lesson and exam—aside from written work—this man was always ahead of me. His questions irritated me beyond belief.

That irritation wasn’t actually directed at Sirius.

I was angry and embarrassed at myself for being foolish enough to think I was a genius.

Even if I understood that in my head, my emotions couldn’t keep up. At the time, I was far too childish. My heart was thrown into chaos by the existence of a being that was overwhelmingly superior to me. The first I had ever faced in my life.

Even though my failure was my own responsibility, I began to envy Sirius more and more. It was almost pure jealousy.

It’s because he has parents well-versed in magic. It’s because he was born in the city and had an environment where he could sharpen his skills from a young age. You were lucky the moment you were born into that environment. But I wasn’t.

I’m from the countryside—a place better called a village than a town. There was no one around who could use magic, no place or opportunity to learn, and because it was the country, I had to help my parents with their work all the time.

I was in a much worse environment than you. You were just blessed.

If I had been given the same environment, I definitely would have been better than you.

“Must be nice, having it so easy.”

Those bitter words finally slipped out about six months after we enrolled.

My heart was completely worn down by the first sense of inferiority I had ever felt.

No matter what I did, I couldn’t be number one in anything except written exams. Even my position as the runner-up was a spot I barely maintained by cutting into my sleep to study, planning ahead, and always staying late to practice.

This academy, this class—it was overflowing with talent. If I let my guard down for a second, I’d be overtaken.

That’s why I couldn’t afford to compromise on anything. And yet, Sirius Louvre would sleep during class, forget his homework, and even skip steps during practicals only to show off his power through the end result.

I couldn’t stand his reckless behavior, and the words just came out.

“……?”

Large, round eyes like those of a predator locked onto me.

But he didn’t say anything back. Instead, he looked puzzled and tilted his head.

“……What do you mean by that?”

“………Huh?”

With his brow furrowed and his lips twitching, Sirius looked genuinely confused. I’m sure I was making an incredible face at him, because when Sirius looked at me, his eyes went wider than usual and he looked frightened.

“I mean, my dad is the captain of the knights and my mom is a noble, so I guess being born to them means I have a ‘good status.’ I think that’s objectively my ‘status.’ You already knew that, so why are you telling me something so obvious now…?”

“……I just realized how incredibly sheltered you were raised.”

At ten years old, I learned that sarcasm doesn’t even register with a genius.

So, back then, I decided this:

I’ll stop letting his words and actions get to me. I’ll steal whatever techniques I can from him, and after that, I just won’t associate with him. If the grades require us to be in a pair, I have no choice, but otherwise, I’ll avoid him as much as possible. That will keep my mind stable, and I’m sure my efficiency will improve.

Yes, I thought it was a brilliant plan.

Despite thinking that…

“Hey, hey, Stark! Tell me about the magical effects here!”

“Stark! I’m begging you, please help me with my studies! If you’re not there, my grades are gonna be bad! Like, really bad! I’ll fail! My dad, mom, and brothers will beat me up!”

“Hey, I was thinking—calling each other by last names is too formal, right? From today on, call me by my name.”

“Al! Whoa, no violence!!”

Sirius followed me around like a baby bird.

No matter how many times I tried to subtly distance myself, he would be right back at my side with the speed of a falling star. Because we were the top and second-ranked students, we were always treated as a set. And perhaps because I helped him study just once, that idiot started catching me by force whenever it was exam season.

“—Why can you do it in practice but not on the test?! You’re better than me at combining magic effects!”

“B-But…”

“What?!”

“But I always just do it by feel! It’s impossible to suddenly put it into words! I don’t even think while I’m using magic!”

“Whaaaaaat?!”

Geniuses really are annoying.

It seemed a genius had taken a liking to me, and I was stuck in a situation where I couldn’t get away no matter how hard I tried.

While Sirius had excellent grades, his personality was extremely short-sighted, reckless, and impulsive. His energy levels fluctuated wildly, and he said himself that keeping his performance steady was very difficult.

In contrast, I could always produce stable results. As long as I didn’t let that idiot affect me, my emotions would never lower the precision of my magic. Since I’m the type who learns by understanding things logically, I had no problems with studying. In everything I do, I am cautious and prepared.

The teachers seemed to appreciate how we were polar opposites. Though mostly, they appreciated me looking after Sirius.

A ten-year-old child had no chance against the schemes of adults, and before I knew it, my position as Sirius’s caretaker was firmly established within the academy. Once that happened, I didn’t even have time to feel the irritation or inferiority I once held for him.

Why? Because Sirius did whatever he wanted.

“You! Seriously, stop messing around!”

“I didn’t do it on purpose! I swear I didn’t!”

One time, he used a spell he had never practiced and gouged out a wall in the training grounds. Another time, a spell he cast on a whim shattered the academy’s windows. And then there was the time during martial arts practice where he got too excited, used magic to buff his body, and sparred with me. That was the one time I truly considered killing him.

Our aptitudes were identified during the magic measurement, and the classes we were assigned to didn’t change until graduation. The academy had dorms, and halfway through our first year, I was forced to share a room with Sirius.

Magic measurements reveal your aptitude. You are then placed in the class that best develops that aptitude to sharpen your skills. In other words, it’s a highly specialized education.

Therefore, our future career paths were naturally limited. I knew that, so I was prepared to some extent.

“Let’s get along from now on too, Al!”

“I have no desire to get along with you at all.”

“Even if you say that, you’re assigned to the same place as me, so shouldn’t you just give up?”

“Whose fault do you think that is?”

The workplace mentioned by the teacher, the location, and then the names read aloud.

“Good grief,” I thought, holding my head in my hands. I wondered what I had done to deserve having to babysit this idiot even after becoming an adult.