Electromagnetism

“Gah!”

A metal trash can slammed into Cedric’s back.

Thankfully, it was empty. The damage was mostly to his pride.

“Ow…”

He rubbed his shoulder and glared at the offending object as it rolled across the park path.

Cedric sighed.

“Seriously… what’s wrong with me today?”

He adjusted the rubber gloves on his hands and continued walking.

While they did their job protecting others from being electrocuted, they did nothing to stop the static from grabbing nearby objects and hurling them at him.

Another trash can rattled loudly a few meters away, vibrating toward him like a compass needle finding north.

Cedric groaned.

“It’s not usually this bad…”

His body crackled faintly with static.

Mana.

Every living thing in the world possessed it. Most people barely noticed it. Some learned to manipulate it.

And a few unlucky ones like Cedric?

Their mana refused to behave.

Arcadia—the largest nation on the continent and the undisputed capital of magical research—had spent centuries trying to understand mana. Scholars measured it, categorized it, weaponized it.

Great mages were born.

Wars were fought.

Civilizations advanced.

Yet for all Arcadia’s progress, no one had figured out how to stop Cedric from accidentally magnetizing half the park.

Another metallic clang echoed behind him.

“Ah—come on!”

A drinking fountain trembled.

Cedric hurried down the path before it decided to join the assault.

“It’s not usually this bad… it must be because of that notice… gah! My shin!”

“Hey mister, are you alright?!”

A young boy wearing a backwards hat, blue shirt, yellow shorts, and black sneakers came running after his skateboard, which had suddenly escaped from beneath his feet and collided with Cedric’s shin.

“Nngh… yeah… mostly…”

Cedric massaged his shin with one hand while picking up the skateboard with the other and handing it back.

“Be careful out there.”

“Mhm! You too, mister!”

The boy ran off happily.

Cedric stood there for a moment and looked at his right hand. The black rubber gloves did their job, but they were still a bitter reminder that he could never let his guard down.

“Ha…”

He sighed.

“I should hurry…”

While enduring further harassment from nearby metal objects, he crossed the park toward the business district where he worked.

A quiet bookstore sat on the corner of the street. It was the only job Cedric could manage without constantly worrying about his magic running rampant.

An old man wearing a blue flat cap, denim overalls, and a white-and-red checkered shirt was finishing opening the metal shutter when he noticed Cedric approaching. He smiled, revealing a missing front tooth.

“Hey Cedric, you made it just in time today.”

“Ah, boss. I’m sorry about yesterday.” Cedric bowed slightly. “I got a call from the high school and they had me fill out the transfer details.”

“Yes, yes, you mentioned it on the phone. No need to worry, boy.”

The old man waved his crooked hand dismissively.

“So, how will the new high school be?”

“Um… honestly, I don’t know. They said they wanted to keep an eye on my condition without disrupting my daily life, but I can’t imagine it being more disruptive than this.”

“Ah, but isn’t that good?” the old man said as he stepped inside the bookstore. “If they can do something about your condition, you’ll be able to live a normal life from here on.”

“Well…”

Cedric twisted his lips slightly—a habit he had whenever he was lost in thought.

“If they find a solution, that is.”

“Now, now. Don’t be too pessimistic. You’re young—you should enjoy your youth to the fullest.”

The old man nodded to himself as he walked inside.

“I remember when I first built this bookstore. My wife wanted to read books from all over the world.”

He placed the plastic rod he was holding behind the counter.

“I, in my inexperience, thought she meant this. When I showed it to her after opening the store, she just laughed and said…”

He paused.

“‘Any book read anywhere in the world is a pleasant journey with you by my side.’”

Cedric blinked in surprise.

He knew about his boss’s late wife, but he had never heard that story before.

“Boss…”

“Hey, I’m not trying to make you pity me.”

The old man sat on a creaky stool near the entrance.

“What I’m trying to tell you is this: go explore the world. You never know when your special someone might be waiting.”

Cedric looked down at the concrete pavement beneath his rubber boots.

But can I really achieve the happiness you’re talking about?

The thought surfaced quietly as a sharp memory of former classmates yelling at him flashed through his mind.

He shook his head, forcing the memory away.

Just a bad memory.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the bookstore and began sorting the books that had been delivered earlier.

Alright, Cedric. Focus.

He brought the metal racks outside before heading to the back to fetch the stacks of magazines for display.

“It reminds me,” the boss said while putting on a pair of glasses and opening the newspaper. “What was the name of that high school again?”

“It’s the Grand Academy,” Cedric replied as he used a box cutter to slice the cord tying the magazine bundles. “I was surprised when they told me my grades were on par with their curriculum.”

“All that studying paid off then.”

The old man chuckled.

“I remember when you first came here looking for work. Only you would offer to work in exchange for reading books.”

“It was a great deal for me back then.”

Cedric began arranging the magazines carefully on the rack to avoid creasing them.

“A student who could barely afford textbooks suddenly being able to read them for free… that was exactly what I needed.”

He glanced at the rows of thick academic books inside the store.

“Give yourself some credit, Cedric. If you weren’t so respectful with them, I never would’ve given you the job.”

The old man squinted at the newspaper.

“I really do need new glasses…”

“But it’s nothing special.”

Cedric brought out a whiteboard and placed it on the sidewalk.

“If anything, treating books carefully should be normal.”

He picked up a set of waterproof markers and began writing the magazine volumes on the board. Beneath them, he drew a small doodle of the series’ protagonist: a light-brown-haired woman wearing makeup, a golden hairpin, a tactical vest, and a military cap.

“You’re too humble,” the old man said, peeking over the newspaper. “I’ll miss you when you stop working here. These old hands can’t draw like that.”

“I’ll make sure to visit once in a while.”

Cedric stepped back to admire the finished drawing before heading inside to prepare for the day.

“Ah, boss—how’s your daughter doing? I heard she was admitted to the Grand Academy last year.”

“Luka? Well…”

The old man scratched his chin.

“She hasn’t been home for a couple of months. Said she needed extra time to finish whatever project she’s working on.”

“I’ll give her an earful when I meet her there.”

“Haha! Please do. You have my permission.”

Cedric smiled as he tied on the store’s orange apron.

Most days, working here felt more like a hobby than a job. When there were no customers, he simply sat behind the counter reading.

But today was different.

Whenever new magazine volumes were released, customers flooded the store with unrelenting enthusiasm.

“I want one!”

“Two magazines, please!”

“Do you have the previous volume?”

As expected, the bookstore quickly filled with customers. Most were between fifteen and twenty years old, and most of them were male.

Fortunately, Cedric had grown used to this chaos.

“Cedric,” the boss called, noticing the crowd. “I’ll handle the front. Go grab more volumes from the back.”

“Sure thing.”

Cedric hurried to the storage room.

But when he checked the shelves, he realized something.

“Oh.”

He raised his voice.

“Boss! I need to go to the garage!”

“Are we out already?”

“Yes!”

“Alright, be careful. They’re doing some repairs on the sidewalk outside.”

“Got it.”

Cedric grabbed the garage key and stepped outside.

The garage storing extra merchandise was only a block away.

Construction workers were repairing a broken pipe in the sidewalk. Cedric gave them a wide berth, careful not to get too close to their metallic tools.

But while focusing so much on the tools, he tripped over a tree root.

“Woah!”

He nearly fell face-first into the mud.

Fortunately, he managed to twist his body mid-fall. His apron stayed clean, but both gloves were ruined.

“Hey lad, you okay?”

One of the workers glanced over.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine, thanks.”

Cedric looked down at the stained gloves.

Oh man…

He reluctantly pulled them off and stuffed them together so he could clean them later.

Then he hurried to the garage.

Thankfully, no metal objects attacked him there.

“Let’s get this over with…”

He reached for the key.

Static snapped against his fingers.

“Yeowch!”

He almost dropped the key but clenched it tightly and forced the lock open. Grabbing a stack of magazines, he rushed back out.

Just a few meters more and you’ll be back at the store. You can do it, Cedric!

He locked the garage and carefully made his way back—avoiding tools, mud, roots, and workers.

Just when he thought he was safe, he noticed a skateboard rolling toward him from behind a young horned woman.

His eyes widened.

The board zipped across the pavement and locked onto him like a missile.

“Watch your feet!”

The woman glanced back and stepped aside just in time.

Seeing the skateboard coming, Cedric smirked confidently.

Not this time!

He jumped.

But instead of shooting past him, the skateboard suddenly snapped beneath his feet.

“Oh no!”

His right foot landed on it.

He slipped.

The stack of magazines flew forward—straight into the skater.

“Whoa there!”

The horned woman caught Cedric before he hit the ground.

“You okay?”

“Ugh! Sorry, I—”

Cedric froze when he realized she was holding his arm.

“I’m sorry!”

But instead of the usual painful spark, the woman seemed unaffected. Only the strands of her brown hair rose slightly from the static.

“Oh?”

She tilted her head, watching the floating strands.

“Are you a deviant?”

“Y-yes.”

The skater stormed forward.

“Hey man, what the hell?!”

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Freaking mage…”

He snatched the skateboard and shoved the magazines back into Cedric’s chest before stomping away.

The woman sighed softly.

Then she extended a hand toward Cedric with a confident smile.

Her long brown hair was swept neatly to one side, revealing a pair of thick beige horns protruding from either side of her head. Her beige school uniform gave her a professional air, yet the way she looked at him was curious—like someone studying an interesting puzzle.

“I appreciate your concern,” Cedric said awkwardly. “But I can manage from here, thank—”

Before he could finish bowing, she grabbed his hand again.

The sudden contact caused both their hair to stand up with static.

“Oooh… interesting.”

Her sharp hazel eyes examined the top of his hand as her thumb rubbed against it.

Electricity danced between them, but there was no painful discharge.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen a lightning deviant. My name is Shizuka. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Cedric chuckled nervously.

“Cedric. It’s, uh… a pleasure to meet you too. But could you maybe let go of my hand?”

“Oh—sorry.”

She released it immediately.

“Force of habit.”

“It’s okay. I was just surprised.”

Shizuka bowed politely.

“In any case, thank you for letting me experience your mana firsthand. It was nice meeting you, Cedric.”

“Same here.”

She smiled and continued down the street.

Cedric watched her walk away, momentarily mesmerized.

Then reality struck him.

“Oh no… the boss…!”