The classroom quieted down a bit.
Hilxi sat up straight, growing serious without realizing it.
She spread open the notes on her desk, picked up her pen, and prepared to write down anything useful.
“The Magic Unification Association basically accepts commissions to handle magic-related incidents and accidents…”
The instructor for New Recruit Training slowly introduced the scope of the Magic Unification Association’s responsibilities and the types of commissions they take on.
Hilxi propped her chin on her pen and listened quietly.
“Among the commissions the Association receives, murder cases are undoubtedly the most difficult to handle, because when you accept the commission, you don’t know whether the suspect is a Magician.”
Indeed, whether the murderer is an ordinary person or a Magician has a huge impact on the whole case.
If the suspect is a Magician but the investigation proceeds under the assumption they’re an ordinary person, progress will be painfully slow or even ineffective.
Hilxi nodded slightly in agreement with the instructor’s words and reached for her pen to take notes.
“What do you think is the first thing you should do when you receive a murder case? That blonde-haired student over there.”
Huh? The instructor actually interacts with students? Not bad.
Hilxi turned to find the so-called blonde-haired student the instructor mentioned, curious to hear the answer to the question.
Then, to her surprise, she noticed all the classmates were looking at her, and even the instructor was staring right at her.
Hmmm??
Hilxi slowly raised her hand and pointed at herself:
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
The instructor’s expression was terrifying, as if failing to answer the question would mean getting severely punished.
“What’s the first thing you should do when you receive a murder case?”
Hilxi instinctively stood up from her seat, confused, and repeated the question.
“I’m asking you!!”
How the heck am I supposed to know??
I’m a newbie! It’s the first class, and you ask me? Who else can I ask?
After a moment of blankness, Hilxi looked thoughtfully at the instructor.
Hmm… could this be a test of my improvisation skills?
First thing to do after getting a murder case…
Murder case, murder case… so dangerous. Should I just give up the commission and run? But saying that would definitely get me scolded, right?
“Go to the country where the murderer is located…”
Bang!
The instructor slammed the desk and snapped angrily:
“Ah? Who doesn’t know that? And then!?”
“And then catch the murderer.”
“…The process!? How are you going to catch them?”
The process… wait a moment.
Hilxi was stunned for two seconds before suddenly realizing.
This damn thing is aimed at me!!
She looked over at the other new recruits enjoying the show; their faces were filled with irritating grins. Among them was the orange-haired boy she had recently scolded.
He was grinning the widest, a look of schadenfreude so blatant it made her want to punch him.
Hilxi narrowed her eyes and shot him a glance, understanding exactly why she was being targeted.
So someone snitched on me. At this point, no matter what I say, it won’t help.
Just as she was about to give up and say something ridiculous like, “If you just kill everyone the murderer wants to kill afterward, the murderer won’t kill anyone anymore, and everyone’s happy,”
Hilxi suddenly noticed her pen moving on its own, and a few lines of words appeared in her notebook.
“Hmm… Cultural System Investigation?”
As Hilxi read the answer aloud, Monica behind her quietly put away her Magic Wand.
“That’s right, it’s Cultural System Investigation…” The instructor continued speaking, but Hilxi had lost interest.
She picked up her pen and scribbled a bit, then leaned back, holding her notebook.
Monica, sitting behind her, glanced over and saw a big heart drawn on the paper with the words “Thank you” written inside.
“…”
She lowered her gaze and kept taking notes.
Time passed steadily during the lecture. Soon, after Hilxi had filled an entire page with notes, the training session ended.
Today was only lectures; tomorrow would be Magic practice.
“All right, you’re free now.”
With the instructor’s announcement, the new recruits immediately grew lively, many getting up and heading out of the classroom.
“Hey, where should we go to have fun today?”
“I heard there’s a haunted house near so-and-so’s place. Want to check it out?”
“Awesome, count me in!”
Hilxi looked at the bustling classroom and lightly slapped her own face.
It’s turned into a marketplace again.
She glanced a short distance ahead. The instructor and Saya were chatting about something, but the noise was too loud to hear clearly.
Saya seemed to have a good relationship with that instructor.
Hilxi tidied her hair, then stood up, backing away and turning to stand beside Monica.
Her expression was grim, a shadow lingering over her face.
“Monica, let’s go.”
“Mm.”
She replied with a nod and got up, following Hilxi and Saya as they made their way past the desks.
“Saya-san, are you still going to do special training?”
Saya, who was talking with the instructor, turned and smiled upon hearing this.
“Yes, I’ll be following Witch Master Sheila for afternoon training.”
“Sheila? This one?” Hilxi opened her hands and gestured toward the blonde instructor next to them.
“I’m Sheila, Saya’s Master,” the blonde instructor said coolly, her condescending gaze making Hilxi uncomfortable.
It felt like she owed this woman a lot of money.
“So you’re Saya-san’s Master. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Hmph.” Sheila stopped looking at Hilxi, said goodbye to Saya, and left.
“Your Master has quite a temper,” Hilxi whispered after she’d walked away.
“Master Sheila is actually nice…” Saya quietly defended.
“No sign of that at all.”
Hilxi said nothing more and turned her gaze to a boy sitting nearby.
Because Hilxi was blocking the way out, the boy didn’t dare come out.
Hilxi gave him a meaningful look, then left with Monica and Saya.
“Tch.”
The orange-haired boy finally stood up and walked out of the classroom.
Leaving the Association Branch, the three flew on their Broomsticks through the air, gliding past trees and houses to reach a lively street.
Though it was midday, the street was still bustling. Vendors sold vegetables, fruit, and occasionally, street performers did acrobatics.
The three looked down from above. Saya landed on the street, and just as Hilxi was about to follow, she hesitated.
She glanced at Monica with a worried expression and asked,
“Monica, are you okay?”
Although Monica didn’t like noisy places, they still needed to eat.
Monica glanced back at her, expressionless, then nodded and followed Saya to the street.
Seeing this, Hilxi smiled.
Almost forgot—she’s lived in this country for over a month now, so there’s no need to worry about her.
The three landed on the street.
The noisy calls of vendors filled the air. Hilxi occasionally looked at the goods for sale as they walked along with Saya.
On the way to eat, Hilxi bought some Apples with her money. She had planned to buy some ingredients to cook herself, but Saya stopped her with a serious face.
The reason: to avoid showing up in tomorrow’s Newspaper.
“Let’s eat lunch there.”
Hilxi pointed to a restaurant. Saya and Monica agreed without objection.
Just then, cheers erupted nearby.
“Great! Amazing!”
“Incredible! Is that Magic?”
“Do another one!”
Not far off, a man wearing a comical Mask was performing acrobatics.
He would make objects disappear, then pull them out from somewhere else. He could even conjure pigeons out of thin air. It was miraculous, as if he could do anything.
“Wow, a Street Performer?”
Ever the curious one, Hilxi immediately joined the applause, watching the performance with interest.
“Hey! Aren’t you eating, Hilxi-san?” Saya called out and followed, Monica right behind her.
Even witnessing such an impressive act, Monica remained cold, as if everything was a clumsy performance in her eyes.
Saya, however, put her hands on her hips, looking proud.
“I can do tricks at this level too!”
Hilxi was surprised and looked at her:
“You? Can you reach two meters high without jumping or standing on tiptoe?”
“…” Saya’s face fell, and she looked plaintive. “I’m hurt.”
“I can,” Monica chimed in.
“Ah, even Monica…” Saya’s face dropped even further. She lost all energy and wandered off to draw circles on the ground.
The impressive performance ended quickly. As the performer bowed, most people left with smiles, while a few dropped Coins into the box at the front.
“That ended so soon? I didn’t get enough,” Hilxi complained and was about to leave.
Her steps suddenly stopped.
Monica stepped forward, took a Silver Coin from her pocket, crouched down, and placed it in the box.
A Silver Coin?
Hilxi was a little puzzled.
By last world’s currency conversion, one Silver Coin was roughly equal to one yuan.
So generous? Could Monica be a secret millionaire?
“Thank you, thank you.”
The man with the funny Mask bowed repeatedly to express his gratitude, but Monica turned and left without responding.
Seeing her return, Hilxi wanted to ask why she gave so much money but felt it might make her look bad, so she just moved her lips but said nothing.
“Eh? Monica, you gave a Silver Coin!?”
Saya only just noticed and exclaimed.
Good job, Saya. You really are my good partner… Hilxi gave her an approving look.
“He needs the money,” Monica gave an explanation, sort of.
But that’s obvious… If he didn’t need money, why bother performing acrobatics?
Hilxi shook her head, then took out a Silver Coin and dropped it into the box.
“Thank you, much appreciated!” The man bowed again.
Hilxi smiled at his thanks:
“No need to thank me. The performance was very good. I liked it.”
Hearing the praise for his skills and appreciation, the man’s lips curved up slightly, though his Mask concealed his face.
He bowed once more:
“It is my honor to be liked by you.”
“Eh! Hilxi-san too??”
Saya was confused. Why was everyone so rich?
Does that mean she should toss a coin in too?
Just as she hesitated, Hilxi’s voice came from ahead:
“Let’s go, Saya. Time to eat!”
“Eh, wait for me!”
Watching Hilxi and Monica walk away, Saya pulled a Silver Coin from her pocket and flicked it with precision into the box.
Her voice followed the clinking sound of the coin:
“No need to thank me!”