In this Second Chance at Life, where I can see skills as clear as day, everything feels like a breeze. And to make it even better, I’m spending my days joyfully with my First Love. - Chapter 7

“We can’t thank you enough for your kindness. If it weren’t for your help, who knows what might have happened to my son? We are deeply grateful.”

Fresh out of the hospital after my one-day recovery, I joined my father in visiting the Kobayashi family to express our gratitude. After Dad delivered his heartfelt thanks, he nudged me, saying, “Yasushi, you have something to say too, don’t you?”
I stepped forward and, in my most formal tone, echoed his gratitude. My dad’s eyes widened in shock.

“Oh my, what a polite and clever boy you have!”

“Polite? …Yasushi?”

Excuse me? I graduated from university in my previous life! Just because I made a fool of myself with the giant swing doesn’t mean I’m clueless. Okay, maybe it was my fault for not being cautious, but still!

“Since you’ve gone through the trouble of visiting, why don’t you stay for some snacks?”

“Oh, we couldn’t possibly—”

“I’d love to!”

“Hey!”

Cutting off Dad’s polite refusal, I eagerly accepted. What followed was a surprisingly delightful visit. Ichika joined us as we shared snacks and played card games. Before leaving, we even promised to meet up again the next day.

Does this make us childhood friends now? I wondered. The thought made me feel a bit giddy, though I couldn’t shake the feeling that this scenario resembled a certain “Hikaru Genji” situation.
On the way home, I tried to squeeze in some training, but Dad whacked me over the head, scolding, “You just got better! Take it easy for once!”

The next day, as usual, I woke up at six, ran for two hours, devoured breakfast, and headed to the park where I’d met Ichika. I spent the morning working through my routine: dragon flags, pull-ups, squats, and then some magic practice. I shaped magic into liquid, rolled it around, and even tried sitting on it—though it lacked the density to hold me, leaving me flat on my backside.

Around mid-morning, Ichika arrived.

“Yasushi-kun! …What’s that?”

“Oh, Ichika-chan. You mean this? Wait, you can see it?”

She pointed at the swirling purple energy I was manipulating. My first thought was that she was simply guessing based on my movements. But her description made it clear—she could see my magic.

“What is it? That weird purple thing?”

“That’s magic. Want to give it a try?”

“Can I?”

Her enthusiasm was infectious, and I eagerly agreed.

Teaching Magic: A Natural Prodigy

Teaching Ichika was almost too easy. Unlike me, she could see magic without intense focus and picked up the basics in moments.

“Try looking for a little flicker of light in your chest and moving it,” I explained.

“Like this?”

It took her all of three seconds to do what had taken me weeks to master. Within minutes, she had gained the [Magic Enhancement] skill and could shape her magic into liquid form.

“Are you kidding me? Are you some kind of genius?”

I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy. She’d achieved in minutes what had taken me half a year. Yet, I also felt proud—watching her succeed brought an unexpected sense of joy.

Wait… is this what it feels like to watch your child grow up?

Hold on—I’m 26! That’s not old enough to be considered a parent, right? I’m still a young man… probably.

After three hours of magic practice, Ichika’s stats looked like this:

Name: Ichika Kobayashi
Stamina: 15/15
Strength: 6
Magic Power: 36
Agility: 5
Level: 1
Job: None
Skills:
• [Flexibility Lv. 1]
• [Stamina Boost Lv. 1]
• [Strength Boost Lv. 1]
• [Magic Enhancement Lv. 2]
Unique Skill: [Keen Eye]

Her growth was astounding. Perhaps seeing my [Magic Enhancement Lv. 4] had helped her develop the skill so quickly. If that’s the true potential of her [Keen Eye], then it’s an incredible ability—practically a cheat code for accelerated learning.
In fact, it was so impressive I briefly wished I could trade my [Repeated Trials] skill for hers.

My Progress Afterward
After returning home, I checked my updated stats:

Name: Yasushi Sashima
Stamina: 23/49
Strength: 42
Magic Power: 49
Agility: 36
Level: 1
Job: None
Skills:
• [Appraisal Lv. 6]
• [Agility Enhancement Lv. 3]
• [Stamina Enhancement Lv. 5]
• [Strength Enhancement Lv. 4]
• [Super Recovery Lv. 6]
• [Calculation Lv. 9]
• [Mental Resistance Lv. 8]
• [Magic Enhancement Lv. 5]
• [Farming Lv. 4]
• [Physical Resistance Lv. 2]
• [Teaching Lv. 2]
• [Flexibility Lv. 1]
Unique Skill: [Repeated Trials]

Teaching Ichika had earned me the [Teaching] skill, and my [Magic Enhancement] level increased as well. Additionally, when she offered to teach me ballet stretches in return, I gained the [Flexibility] skill.
Her teaching style was intense and left me sore, but knowing it came from her made it oddly tolerable.

New Skills, New Lessons
Gaining [Flexibility] reminded me of how stiff I was and the importance of avoiding injuries. Adding stretches to my routine seemed like a wise move.

This experience also made me realize something crucial: there are skills and growth that can only come from interacting with others. While my solitary training aligned well with my [Repeated Trials] skill, it couldn’t teach me everything.

Moving forward, I resolved to maintain my connection with Ichika—not just because of her unique abilities, but because I genuinely enjoyed spending time with her.