Swirl of the Root

  "... After exiting the gate that D created, what appeared before Akira was an empty white space with nothing in it."

  "Are you sure we're in the right place?" Akira couldn't help but think D was playing with him, as even though he could feel the distortion of space-time in this place, he couldn’t sense anything except himself and D.

  "Of course. Root-chan, if you don't come out now, I'll destroy you," D smiled sweetly as she threatened Root's consciousness, causing the space to tremble.

  "Queen, what brings you to my domain?" At that moment, a beautiful girl appeared out of nowhere, staring at D with visible displeasure.

  'Ryougi Shiki...' Akira thought, confused at seeing the protagonist of the anime Kara no Kyoukai here.

  "I'm not the real Ryougi Shiki; I'm Root's consciousness, and I use her appearance when I need to manifest in a physical form," Root's consciousness responded as if reading Akira's thoughts.

  "So, is your presence here related to the man behind you?" Root’s consciousness asked in irritation, glaring at D, suggesting they had a history that was, at the very least, not pleasant for Root.

  "That's right. My lover wants to obtain The Third Magic: Heaven's Feel," D smiled, affectionately hugging Akira's arm as if she were truly a girl in love. "And as his girlfriend, I have to help him, which is why we came here."

  "... " Akira and Root's consciousness stared blankly at D, knowing her personality and easily seeing through her unconvincing act.

  "I don't mind doing this, but it will make us even. Are you sure?" Root's consciousness asked, realizing this was a long-awaited opportunity. Still, there was concern about what D would demand in return, as Root owed her a favor.

  "No worries, no worries. My lover is going to give me something much better than the debt you owe me," D said nonchalantly, clearly not caring about the favor Root owed her.

  "I see..." Root’s consciousness nodded indifferently, content with merely getting rid of the debt owed to D.

  Root's consciousness raised its hand, and magical energy gathered, forming a glass orb that contained The Third Magic: Heaven's Feel.

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  "Here. By consuming this, you'll gain The Third Magic: Heaven's Feel," Root's consciousness said, tossing the glass orb toward Akira.

  "... " Akira caught the orb, glancing at D for confirmation. He didn't want to be deceived by Root's consciousness and trusted D more than a stranger he’d just met moments ago.

  Sensing Akira's gaze, D lightly nodded, understanding his thoughts without speaking.

  With D's confirmation, Akira didn’t hesitate. He tossed the glass orb into his mouth, which quickly turned into a sweet liquid, and swallowed it.

  Gulp

  [Ding!! The host has acquired a new skill: The Third Magic: Heaven's Feel.]

  [Congratulations! The host has obtained infinite magical power.]

  "I don't really feel any different," Akira muttered. Although he sensed endless magical energy within him, his magical output remained the same, even though the magic he used instantly replenished.

  "Having infinite magical power doesn’t mean you have infinite magical output," Root’s consciousness explained. "Many believe that obtaining The Third Magic would allow them to use infinite magic power. That's usually impossible, but reincarnators like you are different. By using and replenishing your magic repeatedly, you'll be able to achieve near-infinite magical output, as your magic capacity will expand endlessly through this method."

  "I see..." Akira mumbled, recognizing the truth in Root's words as he could feel his magical capacity growing when he fully depleted it.

  "Now that we've gotten what we came for, let's head back," D said as she created another gate to return to her apartment. "See you later, Root-chan."

  After bidding Root’s consciousness farewell, D left, and Akira followed quietly, as unlike D, he had no relationship with Root's consciousness.

  "Don’t come back again..." Root's consciousness muttered after D and Akira left, disappearing as if it had never been there, returning the empty white space to silence.

  _

  "So, I’m off to school," Akira said as he used Gate of Babylon to change from casual clothes into his school uniform.

  "Now that you mention it, I also have school," D mumbled. She, too, was a high school student under the name Wakaba Hiiro, although she attended a different school from Akira.

  "By the way, I’m thinking of transferring to your school," D said casually as she undressed and changed into her school uniform in front of Akira without hesitation. "And what do you think about moving into your place so we can live together?"

  "If that's what you want," Akira replied, not minding. The house was large, and there were plenty of empty rooms.

  "Then it's settled. I’ll have it all sorted out by next week," D said with a hint of disappointment, as she hadn’t managed to make Akira flustered by changing in front of him.

  "Alright, I’ll head out first," Akira said as he was about to leave but stopped. "I’m driving. Do you want me to drop you off at your school too?"

  "Of course," D nodded without hesitation, as she was trying to avoid using her powers as much as possible, making Akira’s offer welcome.

  "Then let’s go," Akira said, continuing on his way with D clinging to his arm affectionately, looking like a girlfriend who loves hugging her boyfriend.