[Explosive Advantage] Engaging in a Mental Battle with the Strongest Evil Spirit Since Birth, I Exceeded the Measurable Magic Limit – The Humble Conquest of the Cursed Child - Chapter 23

Ame-chan

“Kai-kun, and Ame-san—just to review: Resonance Technique refers to combining one of the five primary elemental youjutsu with your own mana attribute.”

“Aye.”
“Yes.”

Kai and Ame sat cross-legged in front of Kurita, listening intently as he explained.

“In Resonance, it’s important to be mindful of three key interactions between attributes: Harmony, Alteration, and Rejection.”

(Hmm… Harmony, Alteration, and Rejection… what do those mean…?)

Before Kai could ask, Kurita kindly began to elaborate.

The Five Primary Attributes
Wind, Flame, Earth, Lightning, Water

Most people’s innate mana attribute falls into one of these five.

Rare exceptions include Ice, Darkness, or Light.

• • Harmony (融合):
    Attributes that are naturally close—like Water and Ice—can blend smoothly.
    → The aim is to enhance the effect through synergy.

• • Alteration (変質):
    Mixing elements like Flame and Darkness, which alters the nature of the spell.
    → You must decide which element is dominant and adjust accordingly.

• • Rejection (反発):
    Opposing elements like Water and Flame are typically difficult to combine.
    → Usually unstable, but in rare cases, can evolve into a completely new attribute.

“Thank you, Kurita-sensei.”

“!! I-It’s nothing, Kai-kun! That’s just textbook knowledge, really!”

“…So then, what I was doing would be Harmony, right?”

Ame looked to Kurita for confirmation.

“That’s right. Harmony is the most practical for combat use.
It’s relatively easy to perform, and the effects are strong—high efficiency for low cost.
It’s the best bang-for-your-buck style of Resonance.”

(I see… So harder techniques aren’t necessarily stronger.
Just like how, in my old life, some of the best earthquake safety gear was super affordable—like those $20 emergency lights that auto-activate during blackouts…)

Kai’s thoughts drifted for a moment, tinged with nostalgia.

“I have a question, Kurita-sensei. Is there any attribute that can harmonize with Darkness?”

“There is not.”

“Eh!?”

(Seriously!?)

“Darkness is incredibly rare to begin with, so the data is limited—but it’s said that it does not harmonize with any other attribute.”

“I-I see…”

{Our exalted Darkness attribute… consorting with inferior elements? Don’t make me laugh.}

(…There he goes again.)

“That’s why I think you, Kai-kun, should start by practicing Alteration. Try adjusting the balance between the two elements.”

“…Aye.”

(Alteration… “Decide which to prioritize and adjust the mix”… huh.)

“…Kurita-sensei, may I try it now?”

“Of course, go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

(Alright… I’ll try leading with Flame… and mixing in a bit of Darkness…)

“Flame Technique: Firefly Flame.”

““—!!””

(…)

Result: a perfectly average Firefly Flame.

{Pffffft! Tasuke, the way you were acting—you had that “I’m totally gonna nail this on the first try” energy, and it’s just… the most normal Firefly Flame ever!}

(…Shut up. You’re not helping.
Wait… haven’t we had this exact exchange before…?)

“Kai-kun, you’re doing fine. Everyone improves a little at a time.”

Kurita reassured him gently.

After that, Kai and Ame threw themselves into their Resonance training.

Ame tried combining her Ice and Wind attributes through Alteration—and was already starting to get results.

Kai could only stare in awe.

(Ame-san is amazing…!)

“Haaah… haaah…”

Kai and Ame both leaned forward, hands on their knees, exhausted from their intense training.

“You’ve both worked hard. Let’s call it a day.”

“Not yet…!”

“Kai-kun, resting is also a part of training, you know.”

“…!”

“There’s something called Overtraining Syndrome. It’s especially risky when you’re young…”

(…Kagami-sensei said something similar once, didn’t she…)

“I understand. But… would it be okay if I just did some image training?”

“I-Image training? Kai-kun, I’m surprised you know about that…”

Kurita glanced at Kai with a slightly suspicious look.

(Ah—crap.)

“Haha… uh, my private tutor taught me about it.”

“I see… Well, if it’s just that much, then it should be fine.”

“Thank you!”

“Alright then. Since you both worked so hard today, I’ve got a little reward for you.”

(…A reward?)

Kurita rummaged through his pocket and held something out to Kai and Ame.

It was—

“Candy.”

Candy.

(…Candy, huh? That’s… kind of childish…)

Kai gave a slight, awkward smile.

But—

“…Ah… Ame-chan…”

(Hm…?)

Next to him, Ame looked like she really wanted one. But seeing Kai’s lack of enthusiasm, she was clearly trying to hold herself back.

(……)

“Waaahhh! Candyyy~! Yay!”

Kai mustered the most childlike reaction he could fake.

“…!”

Seeing that, Ame finally accepted the candy from Kurita.

“Go on—it’s a reward, after all. You’ve earned it.”

Encouraged by Kurita, Ame timidly popped the candy into her mouth.

“…………～～～～っ”

Though no words came out, her entire face lit up with joy.

Watching her, Kai felt a gentle warmth spread through him.

(…Right. Ame-san is still just a seven-year-old girl.)

With that thought, he popped the candy into his own mouth.

“…Oh.”

(…Wow. I haven’t had one in ages… but this is actually really good.)

{…………～～～～っ}

(…Hm?)