6. Magic Research and Analysis – Part 1

“Ka-ching, clatter.”

As the sound of dishes being washed echoed through the living room, Marie and I hurriedly finished our meals. Mom looked at us with concern as we chewed and gulped down our food.

“Nom, nom!”

“Glup, glup!”

“Oh dear…”

We’re finished eating and placed our cups on the table almost at the same time.

“Thanks for the meal!”

Leaving our mother dumbfounded, we stood up from our chairs.

“Let’s go, Marie!”

“Okay!”

As we’re about to rush out of the room, I suddenly remembered and took the dishes to the kitchen sink.

“Good boy.”

“Okay, we’re off!”

“Have fun!”

With Mom smiling happily, we both left the living room and made our way to the storage shed in the courtyard. I filled my bag with a towel and bait for fishing. We also grabbed three wooden buckets and fishing rods before running towards the lake.

Once we arrived, I put down the buckets and caught my breath.

“Huff, puff… I’m exhausted.”

“Theon, you’ve been lazy and out of shape because you don’t exercise!” said Marie.

“I can’t deny that…”

It dawned on me that all the laziness I’d accumulated until now had caught up with me. I made a mental note to start training my body little by little.

“So, what do we do now? We still have a lot of time until evening, right?”

“I want to investigate the lake. I wanna know where those light orbs are coming from.”

“Aren’t they coming from the lake?”

“It could be from creatures that live in the lake. We can’t be sure until we investigate it properly.”

“Hmm, if you say so. Then let’s do it! What do we do first?”

“Well, let’s fill these three buckets with water from the lake. Then, we’ll put sand and rocks in one bucket, seaweed in another, and fish in the last one.”

“Alright, I don’t really understand, but I know what we have to do! I’ll go and get the seaweed!”

As soon as she finished talking, Marie started taking off her clothes. I panicked and stopped her from doing anything rash. Her smooth navel was exposed, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit flustered.

“What are you doing?!” I exclaimed.

“Well, if I don’t take off my clothes, I’ll get wet. The seaweed is at the bottom of the lake.”

“I-I know, but you don’t have to take off your clothes! I’ll do it!”

“But Theon, can you swim?”

I could swim in Japan, but only at an average level. However, I hadn’t swum outside much and never with this body before. But I’d probably be okay.

“I can. You’re a girl, so you shouldn’t expose too much skin in public.”

“…R-right. But there’s only you here,” she reasoned.

“It’s still not okay! Anyway, I’ll do it. Please take care of the fishing.”

“Mmm, I got it. You don’t have to look so scary though…” Marie muttered as she straightened her clothes.

She wore a slightly thick one-piece dress, but her underwear often showed. It didn’t bother me much as she’s my sister and I was just a kid.

Quickly, I stripped down to my underwear, which looked similar to modern-day underwear. The materials felt inferior though.

Marie glanced at me every now and then, but I paid it no mind as I entered the lake. Once the water reached my waist, I dunked my head in and saw some green things relatively close by. I grabbed some seaweed by the roots and put it in a bucket with water. In another bucket, I put sand and rocks, and the last one with only water.

“I can’t seem to catch any fish…” Marie muttered in frustration, watching at the fishing line dangling from a thick branch with a twisted hook at the end. Despite using earthworms as bait, she couldn’t seem to get any bites,

We’re lucky to come early, I thought to myself as I sat down next to Marie, gazing at the water’s surface. The light orbs that we saw the other day still hadn’t appeared. I just couldn’t help but feel curious about it.

Despite all that, I didn’t feel bored, thanks to her company.

She taught me about this place. I also learned how much she cared for me. Even if it’s dull and the phenomenon was completely unrelated to magic, it’s okay. I learned the importance of having a family.

“Why are you grinning like that?” She asked, noticing my smile.

“I’m just grateful to have you here.”

“W-what are you talking about?! It’s obvious! I’m your big sister, so of course, I’m here with you!” she responded, flustered.

I chuckled at her straightforwardness. Though she’s small, she’s my sister and older than me. Knowing that fact sometimes hurt.

“Thank you, Marie. For accompanying me.”

“I’m free, and it’s what you wanted to do, right? It’s natural that I’m here. Besides, if there were magic or something, I’d want to see it too. Doesn’t that make you excited?”

“Haha, yeah, I feel the same. That’s why I’m here.”

She didn’t know that I came from another world, but I’d better not dwell on it. It’s not something I could share with others, and no one would believe me anyway.

“I hope magic exists.” She said.

“If it does, I’ll show it to you first.”

“Hehe, you promise?”

“Yeah, I promise.” I said firmly.

We laughed together, and I realized that even without magic, I had something valuable to cherish – my family.

“I’ve got a bite!” Marie suddenly exclaimed as she stood up and pulled on her fishing rod with a sudden jerk. With each step backward, she struggled to reel in her catch, until finally, something leaped out of the water.

“Yes! It’s an Ettentraut!” She exclaimed with a big smile as she grabbed the wriggling fish and removed the hook before putting it into a nearby bucket.

Curious, I asked, “Is it a common fish?”

“Yes, it’s a freshwater fish that can be found anywhere.” She explained.

I mulled over this information. If it’s a common fish, it’s unlikely to be related to the glowing orbs. I couldn’t imagine such a phenomenon occurring everywhere. If it did, our parents would surely know about it. However, when Marie explained it to them, they seemed confused. It seemed highly likely that the glowing orbs were a unique phenomenon to this lake.

“Should we catch a few more?” She asked.

“Sure.”

“Alright, let’s keep going.”

As we continued to fish, we chatted about our day and other topics. Unfortunately, we didn’t catch any more fish. As evening approached, we decided to stop fishing to avoid disturbing the phenomenon.

We waited patiently as the sun began to set. Soon the light orbs appeared on the surface of the lake, rising up into the sky. It was a beautiful sight. The phenomenon seemed to occur every day, but one would need to observe it throughout the year to confirm. Perhaps it’s a temporary phenomenon that occurred under certain seasonal, environmental, or other conditions.

“Look, the fish isn’t glowing,” Marie observed as she peered into the bucket.

“I think we need to recreate the same conditions in the bucket as those in the lake,” I suggested.

As I pondered whether the phenomenon could be related to a fish or another substance on the lakeshore, I asked Marie, “Are there any other fish in this lake besides Ettentraut?”

“There are many, but catching them all would be difficult.”

Realizing that diving into the lake might be the only option, I decided to take the plunge. I removed my clothes once again and headed towards the water.

“Hey, it might be dangerous!” Marie warned me.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“But it might not be safe though!” She protested.

“I’ll be fine. Probably.”

She didn’t wait for me to say anything else and took her clothes off. She’s in a camisole and underwear, revealing just enough to make feel embarrassed.

“I can’t let you go alone, Theon!” she declared with a determined expression.

I knew there’s point in arguing with her at this point. I sighed and accepted that we’d have to dive in together.

“Okay, let’s go together.”

“Hehe, you should’ve said so from the beginning,” she chuckled and grabbed my hand.

I squeezed her hand in response, feeling a bit awkward at first, but quickly getting used to it. After all, she’s just my sister.

We waded into the lake together, moving slowly towards the floating orbs. Walking through them was surreal, and the excitement was intense. I didn’t know what the phenomenon meant, but it felt like what I’d been looking for was right here.

I reached out my hand towards one of the glowing orbs.

“Wait!” Marie exclaimed as she tried to stop me from touching the glowing orb.

“It’s warm and a little ticklish, isn’t it?” I commented as I felt the orb in my hand.

Marie looked concerned and asked, “Oh, it’s not hot? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, actually. It feels kind of nice,” I reassured her.

She hesitantly touched the orb, and her expression softened as she did so. “It’s really warm. Like a hot bath.”

As soon as we touched the orbs, they disappeared. I walked over to where the orb was floating and tried to look underwater to see where it was coming from. Although the lake was relatively clean, it’s not very transparent, with ripples and bubbles making it difficult to see.

As I peered into the water, I realized that the light wasn’t coming up from the same place. It was a little further away.

Marie was also trying to look underwater with me, but she soon gave up, exclaiming, “Ugh! No, I can’t do it.”

“Hmm… I can’t see it well either, but I think I figured out one thing. The orbs are probably made by aquatic animals, including fish. I believe it’s from a moving creature, not a plant,” I explained.

“Why do you think that?” Marie asked curiously.

“Because the orbs don’t come out from the same place. It’s always moving. I don’t know which creature they are coming from, though.”

“I wish we could see it better,” Marie said with a sigh.

“Yeah, me too. Anyway, I think it’s enough for today. We figured out something, at least,” I suggested.

“Really? I don’t really understand, though,” she said, tilting her head with a question mark floating above it.

We then went back to the lakeside to dry ourselves off and put our clothes back on.

“Um, thank you for helping me today,” I said, expressing my gratitude.

“No need for thanks. We’re family. We don’t need to thank each other!” she replied.

“I know, but I still want to thank you. I’m grateful to have you as my sister. We don’t have to hold back when it comes to expressing gratitude, even if we’re family, right?” I insisted, looking straight at her.

She averted her gaze, looking flustered, but I could tell she was happy. Her smile gave her away.

“Right. Anyway, let’s head back. What are you going to do with that bucket?” she asked, changing the subject.

“I’ll take the fish back just in case. I want to observe them,” I replied, holding the bucket tightly.

Since the seaweed wasn’t the cause, we could return it to the lake.

“Okay, then let’s return the other buckets,” she suggested, and we quickly emptied the buckets.

Despite not catching much, I wasn’t disappointed at all. In fact, I was happy. It’s the first time since coming to this world that I felt so much excitement. It wasn’t just because I’d learned about magic, but it’s because I’d someone to share this experience with.

At that moment, I pledged to hold this memory dear for the rest of my days. And so, we began our trip back home.