Mathematical! You're Terrible at Math!

I explained everything to them just as I had to Akiko, but this time I added details that I had obtained from Gareth.

“Is that everything?” Tsubaki asked, her tone serious but steady, as if the information hadn’t shaken her at all. Haruki, on the other hand, looked like he was about to shit himself.

“Dude, that’s insane,” he blurted, running a hand down his face. “And are you sure everything he told you was correct?”

“I mean, we were just attacked, so it’s not hard to believe that he was right about it.”

Tsubaki folded her arms. “We need to tell more people.”

“We can’t,” I quickly said. “If he ever finds out, who knows how much more trouble we’d be in.”

“Then we should at least tell people we trust,” she argued. “That way we can warn them.”

“Well, I just did.”

“So everyone in this room is the only one who knows?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s sad,” she muttered.

“It’s not like I know anyone else.”

Haruki leaned forward. “Did you tell Gareth? We could use someone like him on our side.”

“No, I couldn’t. Something about him seemed suspicious. He knew a lot more than he let on, and he was also really adamant about my working for the nation. He said that he couldn’t protect us otherwise.”

Tsubaki raised an eyebrow. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“I’m not really sure,” I admitted, shaking my head. “But he sounded desperate. It didn’t sit right with me.”

“That’s weird as hell,” Haruki muttered. “And the people who attacked you, they all blew themselves up?”

“Yeah. We’ve figured out they used negative magic. The thing is… negative magic should’ve killed them from the inside. They shouldn’t have blown up like that.”

Akiko leaned forward, eyes sharp. “Do you think they had good control over that type of mana? If they did, then they would have no problem blowing themselves up.”

I shook my head. “I wouldn’t say so. If they did, they would’ve used one of the negative mana elements. From what I felt from negative mana, it seems a lot more powerful than regular mana, so there’s no reason why they would be using normal attacks.”

“Then maybe someone triggered it remotely?” she suggested.

“That could make sense, but…” I frowned, remembering. “When they spoke, it felt intentional. Like they chose to blow themselves up.”

“Maybe they went in knowing they’d die,” Tsubaki said calmly. “They could’ve been sent in like suicide bombers. Their only job was to attack and die.”

“But that doesn’t line up if they’re Demon Worshippers,” I countered. “The whole point of worshipping the Demon King is to save themselves. Suicide missions wouldn’t benefit them at all.”

Haruki scratched his head. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“Tell me about it,” Tsubaki muttered. Then her gaze locked onto me. “Yakusei, do you think there’s anyone else you could tell? Because frankly, the four of us alone aren’t enough to handle this.”

As much as I wanted to keep this to myself, I knew that this fight wouldn’t be winnable if it were just us. We’re outnumbered and probably even outclassed. From that first encounter, who knows how much stronger they could be. Those guys could be low-ranking lackeys for all I know, especially since they were sent to die.

“I agree,” I admitted, “but I’m not sure who else to trust. Do any of you guys know anyone?”

“I do,” Tsubaki said, “and all of them are the stronger ones out of our generation.”

“Having strength is nice and all, but can they be trusted?”

“I trust them, but do you think you can?”

“I—don’t know.”

“Then we might end up losing this battle,” she said bluntly.

What should I do? I can’t just freely tell some stranger this information. But if we don’t get any help, we could end up dying.

My mind spiraled into a frenzy of panic. Every option had a downside, and each one could cost us our lives. If we trusted the wrong person, betrayal would kill us. If we kept quiet, fighting alone would kill us too.

Suddenly, I felt a hand gently rest on my shoulder.

“I don’t think we can do this alone,” Akiko said softly. Her tone was steady but tense. She knew we weren’t enough, and that desperation meant taking risks.

I let out a slow breath. “Okay. We can let your friends in on it. You’re sure we can trust them?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “In fact, you’ve already met one of them. He’s trustworthy.”

“I’ve met one of them?” Then it hit me, “Don’t tell me…”

“Yup. It’s exactly who you’re thinking of.”

“That crazy guy!? How do you know that he’s not already working for them? He knew about my vision, so he must be related to them in some way.”

“By chance, were you thinking about your vision when you talked to him?”

“Yeah, why does that matter?”

“It’s just my theory, but he probably read your mind and used it to provoke you into fighting him.”

“Read my mind?”

“Yeah, that’s his blessing. It’s called Cosmis Awarness, he can read the minds of anyone and create illusions.”

“So you’re saying that he isn’t working with them?”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like it. And besides, while we were talking one time, he seemed really eager to fight the Demon King himself.”

“Is this guy crazy?”

“Maybe,” she admitted with a faint smile. “But if anything, his obsession is fighting the Demon King, not siding with him.”

“I guess that does kind of make sense.”

“So are you willing to talk to them then?”

“Only if you know for sure they can be trusted, because I doubt I’ve met the rest of them.”

“You have my word.”

“I can talk to them tomorrow after classes, then. Let’s meet up at the training grounds. I’ll be there first thing in the morning, but you guys can come as soon as class ends.”

“Sounds good,” Tsubaki said. “But even if we tell them, what then? What can we actually do from here?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but for now all we can do is get stronger.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. Sorry if it’s not the answer you wanted, but we don’t have enough information to act yet.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, you’re right. But it irks me that we would just have to wait for something to happen. I worry that they may pick off someone who isn’t as strong as you guys, and who knows what they would do to them.”

“You’re right,” I muttered. “We barely survived. Someone weaker wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Exactly,” she said grimly.

I hated the situation we were in; I felt so helpless. Like every move I make was going to harm us, and every move I don’t make would result in someone’s death. But all we could do now is wait…

The next morning, I arrived at the training grounds earlier than planned. I needed as much time as possible to figure out this negative mana problem.

Think, think, what can I do? Adding more mana to my attacks only strengthens the negative mana and cancels it out. But can I release negative mana on its own?

Closing my eyes, I focused inward. I could feel the negative mana flowing through me. I tried to push it into my palm, but it moved differently, almost opposite. If normal mana flowed up, this moved down. If I pushed right, it pulled left.

Maybe when I focus on its flow, I have to do the opposite of my intention.

I tried again, guiding it against its natural flow. It worked, the power gathered in my palm. But the longer I held it, the more it burned. My skin seared as if my hand was being eaten from the inside.

“Shit… it burns,” I hissed. “What if suppressing it changes the effect?”

I tried condensing the mana, but nothing really changed. The burn only weakened a little, but it was still there.

What if I push regular mana into it? Force it out before it blows my hand off.

I poured more mana in, but my arm only darkened. The veins began glowing with a deep purple.

“Crap, my arm’s gonna blow!” I panicked, then quickly condensed my regular mana.

The moment I did, a dark blue blast erupted from my palm, tearing through the empty air.

I stared in awe. “Holy crap. I actually shot something out.”

“You got here a little early,” Akiko’s voice said behind me.

I turned right to her. “Did you see that just now?!”

“See what?”

“I shot out the negative mana!”

Her eyes widened. “Really? That’s amazing!”

“I know, right? I’m just a little confused about how I did it.”

“Do you remember what you did last?”

“Yeah. I condensed the negative mana and tried fusing it with regular mana, but nothing happened. Then I condensed the regular mana instead… and it shot out.”

“Do you think combining the two condensed mana made it easier for you to shoot it out?”

“Let’s find out.”

I focused again, condensing negative mana, then adding condensed regular mana. Another blast tore free.

“It worked!”

“Good job, but what about a regular blast?”

I tried again, this time condensing regular mana first, then negative. The result was the same, another dark blue burst.

“Was that one intentional?” she asked.

“Definitely not,” I sighed. “I tried focusing on my regular mana first this time, but it gave me the same result. I don’t get anything about this.”

“Should we ask Gareth for help? He seemed to know some stuff about this.”

I shook my head. “He was too adamant about my resigning. I doubt he’d help me get stronger just to defy him.”

“Yeah, good point.” She crossed her arms. “Then it’s up to us.”

“Looks that way,” I said.

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “I just wish I could feel what that mana is like. Maybe then I could help you control it.” After a pause, her eyes lit up. “Wait, I have an idea.”

“What is it?”

“Come here.”

I stepped closer, confused. “Sure.”

Without hesitation, she placed her hand on my chest.

“H-hey, what’re you doing?” I asked.

“I figured that if I use my ability on you, maybe I can sense the negative mana inside you.”

“Uh. Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Just give me a bit and I’ll see what I can do,” she said, closing her eyes.

“Alright.”

Her face grew calm, all focus and concentration. I’d seen her use her blessing like this before. It always looked effortless, as easy as breathing. But now, she was straining. Negative mana was foreign to her, and it showed.

The silence between us stretched. Being this close to her felt strange. Too strange. My gaze kept drifting to her face, to the way her hair brushed her cheeks, the steady rise and fall of her breath.

Had she always looked like this?

I guess it was my first time seeing her face up close like this. It made me feel a little awkward. I would expect Akiko to get nervous over something like this, but maybe I’m just being weird. It’s still a little strange to see her so unbothered, though; that’s probably why it felt a lot more nerve-racking for me. I guess she’s able to lose all her nerves and awkwardness when things get serious. Like that time at the orientation when she beat up Nensho, I would’ve never guessed someone like that would be shy and awkward.

Finally, she pulled her hand back. I exhaled sharply, realizing I’d been holding my breath. That felt like the longest minute of my life.

“You okay?” she asked, her eyes searching mine.

My eyes quickly avoided her gaze, “Yeah, just a little nervous.”

“Nervous?” she repeated, tilting her head.

“With you being so close and all,” I admitted, my voice trailing off embarrassingly weak.

Her cheeks flushed instantly. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’ll keep my distance next time.”

Panic surged. “No, it’s fine! Be as close as you want. I don’t mind if it’s you.”

…

Suddenly, I realized what I had just said.

Did that really come out of my mouth?!

I looked up at Akiko’s face, and it was bright red.

That must’ve made her cringe really hard. Look at that face she’s making, there’s no way she’s not disgusted with me right now.

“I-I don’t mean it weirdly!” I stammered. “I’m just happy you’re helping me, that’s all. I just meant I don’t mind being around you and stuff.”

We both froze.

“I-I don’t mind being with you either…” she said softly.

…

“Is that a bad thing?” I asked, “It sounds like a bad thing.”

“N-no,” she quickly shook her head, “I’m just saying I’m happy to be around you, that's all.”

“Th-thanks, I feel the same.”

Silence pressed down on us, broken only by the sound of the wind outside.

Finally, she cleared her throat and shifted the topic. “A-anyway. About your mana. I noticed something, negative mana feels like it has a charge. A negative, as you can expect. Regular mana feels positive, probably because it’s tied to life force. That’s why they cancel out inside you.”

A wave of relief hit me when she changed the topic. At that time, I didn’t know what to say or do next, all I could do was sit there and wallow in my shame and awkwardness. It was my first time feeling this way, so I didn’t know how to react.

“Hello?” Akiko said, “You heard what I said?”

“Oh uh yeah. Something about the mana’s charge.”

“Was I right about that?”

“Yeah, it sounds right.”

“Okay, good. And when you add more mana in, everything just cancels out, right? Mainly because your body produces more mana or negative mana to maintain balance.”

“Yeah.”

“But it’s different when it comes to its condensed version, right?”

“Yeah. So what’s your point?”

She flopped backward onto the ground, arms spread wide. “Ugh, I can’t figure out the rest.”

I lay down beside her with a groan. “Same here.”

We sat there in silence for a bit. She seemed to be thinking and muttering to herself while I was over here being useless. I still couldn’t get what happened out of my mind for a strange reason.

“So adding mana cancels it out, but—” she muttered to herself. “Wait,” she sprang up from the ground, “What if the process of condensed mana is similar to multiplication?”

“Huh?”

“Think about it, like it’s like math.”

“Math was never my strong suit.”

“Don’t worry, it’s really basic, even you’ll be able to get it.”

“‘Even I’ll get it?’” I shot back.

Her face turned sheepish. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just excited I finally thought of something.”

“I know I’m just messing with you. So what did you come up with?”

“So if we think of it like math, right, adding regular mana would be like addition in this situation. But when you add more mana, your body responds by producing the opposite, so it cancels out. Let’s think of your mana as numbers. Say you put in five, so your body immediately responds with negative five. And five plus negative five is zero, which means all the mana cancels out.”

“Okay…”

“So instead of adding, you multiply to release mana. So when we have a negative five and a positive five, instead of adding them together, we should multiply them. That way, nothing cancels out; in fact, it will grow even more than it would originally. You get what I’m saying?”

“Not really.”

“So think of it like numbers again, say the number five represents your negative and regular mana. When you have negative five and positive five mixed, what do you get?”

“Zero.”

“Exactly, so when you multiply negative fives times positive five, what’s your answer?”

“Negative twenty—OHHH, I see your point now.”

“Yeah, so when you focused on regular mana first earlier, it didn’t matter. Positive times a negative will always be negative, no matter the order.”

“So if I wanted to make regular mana,” I said slowly, “I’d need to multiply negative mana with more negative mana… so the result turns positive.”

“If I’m right about this, then it should work.”

“Okay, I’ll give it a shot.”

I focused my palm out and tried to imagine what my mana was in terms of an equation.

Right now, I have a positive and a negative five; I’ll condense both of them so I can multiply. Now I’ll need to combine two negative fives. But I only have one negative number. What if I turn the positive five negative, then combine both of them and make them positive?

As energy built up in my palm, a ray of mana came out. It was a dark blue, the regular light one.

“You did it!” Akiko cheered.

“No, you did it!” I grinned. “Your theory worked perfectly. I just added one extra step.”

“Extra steps?”

“I only had one positive and one negative ‘five,’ so I multiplied the positive five by a negative one to turn it into a negative.”

“Negative one?”

“Yeah. I realized I don’t have to use all the negative mana at once. By multiplying it with just a ‘negative one,’ I could flip the positive five into another negative, while still keeping the original negative five.”

“Oh, I get it.”

“Then I multiplied the two negatives together, and that gave me the positive result.”

“That’s interesting, I’m surprised you were able to pull off something that complicated.”

“Controlling the mana was the easy part, but visualizing it took me a while.”

“That’s interesting. I would expect visualization to be the easy part compared to controlling it.”

“I guess all the training I did as a kid paid off. I’ve been able to control my mana so well ever since I almost died using malif the first time.”

“You almost died?!"

“Yeah, but that’s a story for another time. I need to start training now that I know what to do.”