◇Mizushiro Hikari’s POV◇
After being led into a partitioned area, I underwent the examination and listened to the explanation. Eventually, the results were printed out.
The woman in charge, Watarase-san, frowned as she looked at the results.
「Ano… Is something wrong?」
「Well… It seems to be a job I’ve never seen before. I’ll need to confirm this—please wait for a moment.」
Saying that, Watarase-san stepped toward the back of the booth. I could hear a commotion from deeper inside the room.
When she returned shortly after, her hands were trembling, and her expression was one of complete shock.
「M-Mizushiro-san… A-Actually, you’ve been registered as the world’s first 【Mage】.」
…Mage? Like the kind that wear pointy hats and cast spells in fantasy stories? Or maybe like one of those magical girls from anime?
「Ehto… You mean that kind of mage?」
The scene from yesterday flashed through my mind—when Yuuki defeated that goblin with ice magic. That had definitely seemed like magic. But me? A mage?
「Yes, probably the kind you’re thinking of—the ones you see in anime and the like.」
「I see… But, um… what do you mean by ‘the world’s first’?」
「Currently, there’s no record of a 【Mage】 in the global database. There may still be others who haven’t been measured yet, but as of now, you are the only one in the world with this job.」
「I see…」
Then maybe Yuuki will turn out to be a mage too? If we both ended up with the world’s first jobs, that’d be pretty cool—it has a nice ring to it.
While I was caught up in those thoughts, Watarase-san’s smile faded, her expression growing serious.
「Mizushiro-san, from this point on, I’ll be speaking from my own judgment.」
「O-Okay…」
I was overwhelmed by the intensity in her voice as she leaned forward.
「First, there are some precautions you’ll need to take in your daily life from now on. Since you hold the world’s first job of this type, you will inevitably attract attention on a global scale. While your privacy will be protected, and the media won’t be allowed to broadcast this information, various governments and organizations will likely take great interest in you. That means there’s a possibility that you and those around you could be exposed to danger. Please be very careful not to speak about this carelessly or share it on social media.」
「Y-Yes… I’ll be careful…」
「Finally, because this is such an extraordinarily rare job, the government may summon you at some point. If that happens, we would appreciate your cooperation.」
I nodded slowly, the weight of the situation sinking in.
Watarase-san lowered her head apologetically.
「I can’t make any promises, but… if that happens, I’d like to discuss it with Yuuki… someone very important to me, before making a decision.」
The moment I said that, my face started burning up. Oh no—did I just say something super embarrassing?! Watarase-san’s expression shifted into a playful smile.
「Ara ara～, is he your boyfriend～? Or maybe your fiancé? My, my～」
Watarase-san leaned in, her eyes sparkling. The composed, professional image she had a moment ago was quickly falling apart.
「Wh-What?! N-No, he’s just my childhood friend!」
「Oh, really? How cute～ I love that kind of story～」
「Ahaha…」
(Help me, Yuuki!!)
For a while after that, Watarase-san kept prying into my relationship with Yuuki.
Eventually, I was released when another staff scolded Watarase-san. Since Yuuki’s examination didn’t seem to be over yet, I decided to wait for him in the waiting area, spacing out a little.
That’s when I heard a familiar voice.
「Huh? Hikari-chan? Long time no see～!」
I turned around to find a slightly tanned blonde girl in a sharp business suit—an outfit that didn’t suit her at all.
「Ehto… Who are you?」
「Ah, right, you wouldn’t recognize me～—it’s Shiratori Tsugumi.」
「What?! Tsugumi-chan?! No way!」
She was a former classmate from middle school. We used to be pretty close, but she transferred out when her parents relocated for work, and we lost touch after that.
「Wait, Tsugumi-chan, what are you doing here?」
「Ahaha～, my parents got transferred overseas～, so my little sister and I are staying at my grandmother’s house now～. We just arrived yesterday～.」
Tsugumi-chan smiled cheerfully. Back in the day, she had the vibe of a serious bookworm—but now…
「I see… But why are you at the ability testing center?」
「Oh, I’m working here part-time. Just helping out for a bit. My shift ended a little while ago. So, what about you, Hikari?」
「Ah… well, Yuuki seemed interested, so I tagged along…」
「Ah, I see. So you’re here to support your boyfriend? Did you finally get married?」
「Huh?! N-No, not yet!!」
I stammered, flustered, while Tsugumi-chan burst out laughing.
「Come on, we’re still in high school! We’re the same age—you know that’s not possible yet.」
「Ugh, don’t tease me.」
「Sorry, sorry! But wow, you really are the same as always—totally in love with Yuuki-kun.」
「Geez… Seriously…」
Of course, I knew she was joking, so I wasn’t upset at all. If anything, it felt nostalgic to laugh with Tsugumi-chan like this.
「Haha, this feels so familiar.」
「Right～? We used to talk like this back in our second year of middle school.」
「Yeah, but Tsugumi-chan… you’ve really changed since then. You look totally different.」
「I know, right?! When I started high school, I decided I’d try being a gyaru. I put a lot of effort into it—but it turns out, there weren’t any gyarus at my school～! But I kept up with my studies even with this look, so they just let me keep my hair dyed, figuring I’d change it back eventually～.」
「I-I see… (She’s gotten way more talkative too?!)」
「Ah—sorry, sorry! I know I should try to tone it down, but honestly, I feel more comfortable like this…」
Tsugumi-chan smiled apologetically. Knowing how serious she used to be, this was probably a bit of a rebound from all that pressure.
「It’s totally fine! Honestly, you used to seem really stressed out, so if you’re more comfortable like this, I think it’s a good thing.」
「Ugh… That’s exactly what I’d expect from a wife… You’re too good, Hikari…」
「I’m not a wife!!」
We kept chatting about old times, losing track of how much time had passed.
「Yuuki-kun’s taking a while, huh～?」
「Yeah… I wonder what’s going on?」
「By the way, Hikari—did you take the aptitude test?」
「Yeah, I did.」
「What job did you get? Oh, I got 【Tailor】, by the way. What about you?」
「I got… 【Mage】.」
「Mage?!」
Tsugumi practically shouted, drawing attention from the people around us.
「H-Hey, Tsugumi, not so loud!」
「Ah, sorry… but seriously?」
「Yeah…」
I showed her my certificate, and Tsugumi’s eyes went wide.
「Whoa… A rare job, huh…」
「Rare job?」
「Yeah, it’s exactly what it sounds like—a job that’s extremely rare or unconfirmed. My 【Tailor】 is considered a rare job too. Apparently, there are only about 10,000 of us worldwide.」
「Wow～… that’s pretty amazing.」
「No, you’re the amazing one…」
「Ano… excuse me…」
「「!?」」
At the sound of that voice, a shadow fell over us.
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