Chapter 2

 "—Hey, wake up. Geez, wake up already! Seriously, otherworlders are so fragile. Can't believe you fainted just from being summoned. Honestly, I doubt someone like you will be of much use." 

  The voice was dry and oddly deep for a woman. There's no elderly person like this in my family. Both of my grandmothers have passed away, and even if this was some distant relative, I doubt any of them would talk to me like this.

"…Nngh… Huh? Who… are you?"

"Oh, you are awake. What's your name?"

"W-Who are you? And where is this…?"

 An obaa-chan*1 in a deep purple robe that looked like a baked sweet potato, and a moldy-looking dimly lit wooden house. Surrounded by crystals and bookshelves, with both mice and cats around — looking closer, the mice appeared to be dead.

  I don't know this person or this place. Was I… kidnapped? By this granny? I lost to her? …No, that's rude. She might be the boss or something.

"You've got quite the expressive face. So, your name?"

"Is this… a kidnapping? I mean, I'm not even tied up or anything. What do you want?"

"You could call it kidnapping, I suppose. Now tell me your name. I've already answered you."

"Well... if this is a kidnapping, I wouldn't give out my personal information. Are you after money? My family isn't that wealthy, or... is it my body?"

"Stop talking nonsense and tell me your name. Fine then, from now on, you're Pochi."

"I'm Asuka Tachibana! …and you, Obaa-chan?"

"Obaa-chan!? I'm clearly an Onee-san.*2"

 When she said that, I took a good look at her face, but looking closely at all those wrinkles… yeah, no. Still, she might kill me if I argue back, so I'll call her Onee-san. "...Why did you kidnap me, Onee-san?" "It's more like summoning than kidnapping. This is what you'd call another world. See that magic circle below you? Where are you from? America? Germany? Britain? Bet they don't have circles like this there." "I'm from Japan. But, how do you understand Japanese, Onee-san?" "Japan? That's unfortunate. I hear it's a small country, a weak nation that lost a war. I don't know the language of such a place, however. It's a magic-translation spell. That's how we're able to talk. Turn it off and— voilà!"

  She snapped her fingers and opened her mouth.

"縺ｻ繧峨?←縺?□縺?ｼ" *3

"W-what...?"

"縺ゅｓ縺溘↑繧薙※縺?▲縺ｦ繧九ｓ縺?縺"

"Okay, okay! Turn it back on!"

"縺ゅｓ縺溘↑繧薙※縺?▲縺ｦ繧九ｓ縺?縺"

  Just like that, her words became total gibberish. Like something not of this world, unintelligible, like Arabic or something, though I've never actually heard it before.

  

  Then she snapped her fingers again.

"How's that?"

"I didn't catch a single word of what you said."

"Magic. Amazing, isn't it?"

"Is this a dream? Am I dreaming?"

"Huh? Don't be silly. This is reality. You probably haven’t realized it yet, but you're dead in your old world."

"...Wha–"

"Since you died, I was able to find your soul. That's how it works."

  It makes sense, but I don't understand at all. So, this must be a dream. This is all an illusion I created. That's why she's saying all this crazy stuff.

  But the senses feel strangely real… No, no. There's no way this is real.  This must be a dream. I didn't get kidnapped, there's no obaa-chan casting spells, no freaky languages. What was I even doing yesterday? Just regular school, I think. Whatever.

"Me? Dead? Are you dumb? Anyway, why did you call me here?"

"I want you to spy on the Holy Magic Academy. An otherworlder girl with no connections like you would be less likely to betray me."

"Should you really be telling me this, Obaa-chan~? I might betray you after hearing that."

"I've already cast spells on you, one to seal your lips and another that will kill you if you try to break the seal. What's more, I could just kill you now if you don't agree to spy on the Holy Magic Academy."

"That's scary! Okay, okay, I'll cooperate!"

"Oh, you're the most cooperative person I've ever met! Though you're also the first person I've summoned!"

"Oh well, the Holy Magic Academy does sound kinda fun, right?"

  Plus, that name exactly matches the school from The Great Love War. This dream's being way too influenced by that otome game. I'm starting to get excited.

"So, what do I need to do, Obaa-chan?"

"First, you'll need to learn magic to pass the entrance exam for the academy. I can handle the written test with my magic, but the practical magic test isn't so simple. Even after enrollment, you'll be expelled if you don't maintain good grades."

"Expelled... —EXPELLED!? That's too harsh for me~"

"Why would that apply to you? Oh, you mean the conditions?"

"No, never mind. Let's continue."

"Haa... Anyway, you'll start magic training right away. And there's one important thing to note."

"What is it?"

"I can only use black magic."

"Okay… and why is that a problem?"

"You'll probably have a hard time with it, but do your best. It's the Holy Magic Academy, after all."

  I wonder if I can even get in. Well, I probably can since this is a dream.

"So, when is the entrance exam?"

"It is a month from now. For now, I'll teach you the basics of magic, so follow me."

"Eh, now? A month away? That's so soon."

  I certainly want to enroll quickly and I've always wanted to use magic, but this pacing is wild. Hehe, dreams sure are interesting. This might be fun.

 

 Obaa-chan turned around and started walking. I followed from behind. Apparently, we were underground, and we climbed up a dim staircase into a slightly brighter room before finally stepping outside.

  Fresh air and forest. If this is reality, it's not impossible a place like this exists. Still, too much effort to question it right now. I take a deep breath of the fresh air.

"The air tastes good."

"There's no taste to air, you know."

"That basement was stuffy and awful. So, how do I use magic?"

"Black magic uses negative emotions — grief, rage, fear to cast spells. It draws energy from the earth, or even life itself, as a price. Holy magic is different, it uses the power of spirits, creating magic with minimal power."

"Got it."

"Black magic's strength is that even its basic spells can rival intermediate holy magic. However, as I mentioned earlier, a bit of life must be sacrificed as a requirement to activate it."

"......"

  Did this setting exist before? This is… surprisingly well thought out, for someone like me. I'm imagining words I've never thought about before. I must've absorbed it from books or games.

"To enroll in the Holy Magic Academy, you obviously need holy magic. But I can't use that."

"Wait, Obaa-chan. Aren't there books on holy magic? I won't be able to enroll otherwise."

"Some people have gotten in without it. Well… they either died or were expelled."

"Wait wait wait, they're definitely gonna find out!"

"Holy magic and black magic are categorized separately, but the essence of the spells is the same. They differ at advanced levels, but those green brats can barely use intermediate spells anyway. You're a bargain, a girl who is able to use basic black magic spells that’s equal to the intermediate power of holy magic."

"Hold-on, Obaa-chan. Then what level of holy magic would intermediate black magic equate to?"

"At that point, it's pure death. The spell will turn black and your life force vanishes. You'd be caught in no time. Don't use it."

"......"

  Is my magical career going to end with basic spells?

"I want to use the power of the spirits too."

"Spirits can only be used by those born in this world. Give up. It's impossible. You weren't welcomed by spirits in the first place. It might have been different if you were summoned by a royal court mage…"

"N-Ngh… haa... whatever. Teach me then, Obaa-chan."

"Alright, hold your hand out in front like this."

"Okay."

"Now say 'Fire,' and imagine it… like your hand's about to ignite. Focus the heat into your palm."

  I do as she says… imagining fire, heat, focusing it all into my palm.

"Fire!"

  As I say the word, flames shoot out of my hand at a terrifying speed. This wasn't like a lighter. More like a dragon's breath, just shooting out non-stop.

"WATER!!!"

   At the same time, a voice echoed out.

  Water pours down from above, and in my field of vision, I see trees that have burned to charcoal.

"You overdid it!"

"I-I'm sorry!"

"—And that's why black magic isn't exactly something you can just use easily. But hey, it's one of the perks of being from another world. Practically unlimited imagination. And since you can't rely on spirits at all, you have a terrifyingly high aptitude for black magic. So high that it just kinda happens naturally."

"Amazing."

"Look at your feet."

  I glanced down. The ground had turned black. Not quite ash… more like it had just gone dark. It formed a rough circle, about a meter wide, with me at the center.

"Did it... burn?"

"No, That's proof you used black magic. The goal is to fine-tune your mana so well you don't leave behind anything like that. If you can get to the point where you're snuffing out the life of a mosquito or a fly without anyone noticing, then you'll be able to use black magic without getting caught."

"I see..."

"If you get hungry, go inside and eat. Oh, and don't mess with fire anymore. If you have to try something, use water magic instead."

"...Okay!"

"I'm busy forging your whole backstory and credentials for this world and doing various things. See you later."

  With that, Obaa-chan went back into the house.

  Black magic — taking a life in exchange for using magic. Sounds kinda cool, honestly. Stuff like this always gets my blood pumping. And hey, since this is all a dream anyway, I can totally pull it off perfectly.

  Smirking to myself, I started casting another spell.

📝 Translator's Notes – Chapter 2

1 and 2. "Obaa-chan" and "Onee-san" Usage
You'll notice we've kept Japanese honorifics like Obaa-chan (おばあちゃん) and Onee-san (お姉さん) instead of translating them as "granny" or "big sis."

• Obaa-chan is often used to refer to an elderly woman in a slightly informal or affectionate way, though in this case, it's a little cheeky given how the character reacts.
  
  

• Onee-san typically means "older sister," but it's also used by some women to refer to themselves in a cutesy or vain way—especially when trying to seem younger than they are. We kept these terms to retain the cultural flavor and humor.
  
  

3. The Gibberish Dialogue
The "縺ｻ繧峨?" and similar lines are intentionally garbled Japanese—likely a visual gag to show what it sounds like when the magic translation is turned off.
Rather than attempt a phonetic or romanized version (which wouldn't convey the same comedic glitch effect), we left it as-is to reflect the intended confusion and unnaturalness. Consider it magical static!

Credits:

• Translated by Horie
• Typesetting by NegizToro
• Proofread by Popopo
• Quality Check by Ceylon

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