C68
Shirone knew that so-called experts who frequented such places would end up losing everything, even their underwear. Of course, with Iruki's Savant Syndrome, no one would be able to win when comes to calculating the probability, but there is a reason why people call it gambling. Probability was just probability, and to win in gambling, one needed the temperament of a gambler who could sense victory. Shirone could vividly imagine Iruki winning money little by little only to lose it all at once.
"I won't go. You two go. I won't do anything like gambling."
"You don't have to gamble. Pretty girls are said to pour drinks and give shoulder massages. Are you really not going?"
Hearing that made Shirone even less inclined to go.
"Ah, sorry. I'm really too tired. I need to keep sleeping. Have fun."
As soon as the word sorry came out of Shirone's mouth, they couldn't change his mind. After all, Shirone was the most exhausted while preparing for the presentation. Nade and Iruki were also lacking sleep, but their work was divided between physical labor and intellectual labor.
On the other hand, Shirone, who had to raise the level of photon output, had to undergo intense training that consumed both physical and mental energy for a month. Moreover, at the last minute, he had entered the realm of infinity and poured out his mental power, so it was natural that he was completely exhausted.
"Alright, got it. Get some rest. Anyway, we'll be back, so just remember that."
"Yeah. Win a lot and come back. Buy me something delicious."
"Hahaha! Don't worry! When you wake up, we'll be magically rich."
Hearing the sound of the door closing, Shirone buried his face in the bed again.
‘They're rich anyway, but why making such a fuss.....'
Shirone fell into a deep sleep again.
------------------
That night.
"Huuuu. Huk."
Shirone tossed and turned in his sleep, sweating coldly. The nightmare that hadn't come when he had fallen asleep like fainting began to fill his sleep time and rose to his consciousness again.
"Huuuu..."
Shirone grimaced and shook his head left and right. Humans were nothing in the vast universe. That void of deprivation wrapped around Shirone with an intense shock.
The nightmare was being sucked into a single point again. Time flowed backward, and he reached the beginning of the universe. A light was seen, and the light turned into a swaying thread and then into foam, filling Shirone's field of vision. It was only light. And the next moment, a powerful explosion erupted in the empty space of nothingness.
"Huuuuk!"
Shirone raised his upper body. His wide-open eyes were still watching the afterimage in his memory. Only after feeling the damp sensation of his sweat-soaked pajamas did he slowly turn his head towards the window.
It was a morning filled with the chirping of birds.
"Phew. I thought it would just pass by."
He ended up having a nightmare for no reason. A strange sensation enveloped his entire body, making it shiver.
But Shirone was no longer afraid.
He had heard the cause from Armin, and on the day of the presentation, he had managed to escape the realm of infinity at his will.
Shirone calmly observed the phenomena happening to himself as he gained some control over his strength.
'The universe in my dreams. It's definitely a scene representing the beginning of the universe. And the gauge symmetry.'
Although there was no logical information, he felt a faint connection. It is probably the work of organizing information that occurs in the unconscious. As he remembered Armin, who said he would come to realize it himself, his mind settled down and the feeling of discomfort disappeared.
Shirone went into the bathroom. He slept so deeply that he didn't even know how many days had passed, and his condition was quite good. As he brushed his teeth, he rummaged through his memories, and realized that Iruki and Nade had stopped by.
'Was it a dream? Or did they really go?'
The blurred faces of the two, who said they would go to the casino and hit the jackpot, came to his mind.
'I should have gone with them. What am I going to do now?'
After leaving the bathroom while brushing his teeth, Shirone suddenly looked back at the bed and stopped what he was doing. Small dust particles floating above the bed were spinning. The window was closed, so it wasn't due to convection.
Shirone, forgetting to brush his teeth, rushed over with foam in his mouth. Looking closely, it was definitely moving. He put his hand out into the center of the rotation. Just when he thought he didn't feel anything, suddenly a strong sense of discomfort was felt.
"Ugh!"
Shirone bent his upper body, vomiting toothpaste foam.
What on earth is it?
It was as if he had personally touched the nerve where the tooth had been pulled out, as if he had confirmed what he knew for the first time.
'This is it! Something I already know but don't know the name of. But what is this?'
Shirone frantically gestured into the air. But he no longer felt any strange sensations. After calming his mind, Shirone went back to his bathroom and washed himself in hot water before leaving. All the while, he kept thinking about the phenomenon he had just discovered.
'It's not wind, pressure, or temperature. But how can the dust move?'
It wasn't just floating. It was clearly moving in a rotating form, driven by some force.
After being immersed in thought for over an hour, Shirone changed his clothes and came out feeling frustrated. There wasn't a single student outside the building, as classes were in full swing.
Feeling unfamiliar, Shirone moved to the main gate. He was suspended for a week, so he was free to do anything for the remaining four days. Since the water has already been spilled, Shirone decides to use this time as a break after his special training.
'But where should I go?'
The first thing that came to mind was his own home. The thought of his parents' faces made him want to go there very much.
'No. That's ridiculous.'
Although it would only take half a day to get there by carriage, there was no reason. He couldn't just go home and say, ‘Mom, Dad, I've been suspended.’ Also, visiting the Ogent family would be awkward since Rian and Reina weren't there.
"Ah, that's right!"
Shirone suddenly realized his destination and snapped his fingers.
It was the bookstore.
Of course, there were plenty of books in the school library, but buying a book at a bookstore had been a long-held dream of Shirone's.
Suddenly, the memory of being delighted by an old book his father had bought him when he was a child brought a smile to his lips.
He was delighted with one book, but in fact, he had a desire to buy more.
But now it was possible. Thanks to the significant amount of pocket money Temuran sent him each month, he had saved up quite a bit.
If he bought books in the commoners' district, he could fill a basket, even if he only used a small amount.
'Come to think of it, this will be my first time buying them. My own books.'
Borrowing from the library wasn't bad, but as someone who loved books, Shirone had a strong desire to own them.
Having made his decision, he moved quickly. In an instant, he passed through the aristocratic district and entered the commoners' district.
The street where he often rode his father's cart when he was a child was still the same as it had always been. Shirone confidently entered the bookstore, tapping his purse full of gold coins. The aunt recognized Shirone. He was a child who had spent hours standing and looking around every time he came to the city, so his face was memorable.
"Welcome... oh my, isn't it Shirone?"
“Hello, Auntie.”
"You've grown so much I hardly recognized you. Your father hasn't been seen for a while, I thought he'd moved to another city. He always bought a book whenever he came."
"He won't be coming anymore. So I'm here to buy some myself."
"I see. You still love books, huh? Go ahead and look around."
"Thank you. I will."
Shirone walked around the bookstore smiling happily. A price tag was attached to each pile of books, but looking at it, books in good condition were expensive, regardless of the content.
Although only a minority of commoners could read, in a large city like Creas, there was still a decent amount of business.
But as expected, there were more popular novels than academic books, and the few academic books available only covered basic subjects. Shirone realized that the books displayed in the Alpheus Magic School Library were much more advanced than he had expected. Although there were no books related to his major, he was happy with any book and ended up buying a novel with a magician protagonist.
It seemed to be a popular book, as there were multiple copies available, and the prices were set according to their quality: high, medium, and low. Shirone, who had extra money, chose the cleanest, newest book and handed over a gold coin. The price was reasonable since it was a bookstore frequented by commoners, but books were originally a precious commodity. Moreover, it was a new book, so the price was 10 times higher than the lowest quality one.
"Oh my, you're buying such an expensive book? Did someone send you on an errand?"
"No, actually, this is my first time buying a book. So, I wanted to read a clean one even if it's a bit of a stretch."
"I see. That's admirable. Not many people spend money on books. Anyway, read diligently. That's how you get smarter. Being smart is important for when you get married, so you don't make your wife suffer."
The aunt, completely unaware of the fact that Shirone attends magic school, the cradle of geniuses, laid out a long speech with the pride of a bookstore owner. However, Shirone happily listened to even that, as if he was in a good mood, and came out with his book.
'This is my book.'
A book that was neither borrowed nor read by anyone else, but his own. Just feeling the weight of the book made his heart flutter like a child.
"Huh? Isn't that Shirone?"
Hearing the voice calling his name, Shirone looked to the side. A group of children were gathered around a cart. He looked closely at their familiar faces and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Wait, Altor? Martin? Even Lumina?"
They were children from Hwajeonmin village where they hung out when they were young.
"Wow, it really is Shirone!"
The children swarmed around Shirone. Most of them were the same age, with a difference of only a year or two at most. But in the time they hadn't seen each other, their sizes had changed beyond recognition. In particular, Alto, the leader of Hwajeonmin children, had grown into a giant that even adults would struggle to handle. Only Martin, who had always been small, was similar in size to Shirone.
Altor put his arm around Shirone's head and shoulder.
“You punk! What happened to you? You haven't visited for years. Even if I ask Uncle Vincent, he just said you were living in the city."
"Hahaha. Sorry about that. That's how it turned out."
Although their way of greeting was rough after such a long time, Shirone was just as happy to see them. Martin, who had front teeth like a rabbit, looked at Shirone's attire and exclaimed in admiration.
"Wow, you've made it. Anyone who sees you will know that you are a noble.”
"Really? I don't know about that."
Hearing that he looked like an aristocrat, Shirone was puzzled. Because he had never thought of himself like that before. However, it seemed that he had unwittingly taken on the air of a noble after going through the Ogent family and living in the magic school.
Lumina, the only girl in the group, spoke up.
“Shirone has always looked like an aristocrat. Anyway, it's good to see you're doing well."
“Yes, thank you, Lumina. You have become pretty too.”
Lumina's face turned bright red. The Lumina Shirone remembered was a young girl with lots of freckles and chubby cheeks. But now, her skin had only become a bit rough, her freckles had disappeared, and she had lost weight, looking like a full-fledged girl.
Altor burst into laughter.
"Shirone, your lies have gotten even better! Well, even in the past, there were no kids who could stand up to your words either. What's so pretty about this tomboy?"
"Shut up! Who are you to judge me as a tomboy?"
As Lumina unexpectedly became angry, Altor looked embarrassed.
"No, I was just kidding..."
"Forget it. I don't want to talk to you."
"Fine! Don't talk. I'm ashamed to be around a girl like you anyway!"
Shirone's mood brightened as memories of the old days came flooding back. Although it seemed like they were fighting at first glance, this was the daily life of the children from Hwajeonmin village.
---
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
