A Witch in Human Clothing

My father's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue.

Something twisted in my stomach. They don't see me as human because of my eyes. Here, that was enough. But anywhere else? The thought settled like a weight in my stomach. If they knew what I could actually do, what would they call me then? A monster? A threat? My magic form and element weren't even public knowledge yet. And still, they looked at me like I was something unnatural.

Reilan, standing quietly at my side, finally spoke up. "Then what do we do?"

Calamitas grinned, as if she had been waiting for that question. "Simple. We decide what they see before they decide for us."

The tension in the air hadn't eased, but Calamitas seemed unbothered. She crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly before sighing dramatically.

"Before we do anything, we need to fix that walking beacon of mana you call a daughter."

I blinked. "...Fix?"

Calamitas smirked. "Kid, you're practically screaming your mana signature at all times. No wonder people look at you weird."

Dad's expression tightened. He clearly didn't like where this was going, but even he knew it was necessary. Mom frowned beside him, arms crossed.

"She's never been taught suppression. Her body naturally radiates mana."

Calamitas waved her off. "Then it's about time she learns. This is the first step in not getting burned at the stake."

Mom inhaled slowly, but she didn't argue.

"Outside," Calamitas instructed. "We're doing this now."

The private courtyard was silent except for the rustling of leaves in the wind. I stood at the center, facing Calamitas, while my parents watched from a distance.

"Alright," Calamitas began, cracking her knuckles. "You're not controlling mana, you're concealing it. Think of it like… holding your breath, but with magic."

I nodded slowly, trying to grasp the concept. I'd always been aware of mana as a part of me—an extension of my being. But concealing it? That was new.

I closed my eyes, focusing inward. My mana pulsed around me, as natural as breathing.

Hold it in. Keep it still.

For a moment, it worked. My presence dulled, the mana settling just beneath my skin.

Then, it flared up again, resisting the restraint. I exhaled sharply, frustration bubbling up.

"Typical," Calamitas muttered. "Again."

I tried again.

And again.

Each time, my mana responded like an untamed force, slipping free the moment I lost focus.

Then—

[Notice: Host's body naturally exerts mana as a passive state. Suppression requires internal redirection.]

Internal redirection?

I focused again, following the guidance of the voice. Instead of simply pressing my mana down, I envisioned it cycling inward, folding over itself, compacting rather than dispersing.

A shift.

The overwhelming presence faded, contained within me.

Calamitas raised an eyebrow. "There we go."

I exhaled slowly, feeling… different. Lighter. More controlled.

"Good. Now you don't feel like a mana bonfire." Calamitas nodded in approval before glancing at my parents. "She'll need to practice this regularly, but it's a start."

I barely had time to process the change before Great Sage whispered in my mind.

[Notice: Current mana output has reached acceptable suppression levels. Would you like to retain this setting permanently?]

I hesitated...Permanently?

[Affirmative. If maintained, your mana signature will remain undetectable under normal conditions. However, choosing this option will prevent natural mana overflow. A forced increase will be required in intimidation situations.]

I swallowed. If I kept my mana low like this… I wouldn't attract attention. I could walk through the city without people whispering, without them staring at me like I was something unnatural.

I exhaled slowly, the weight of the decision pressing on me. In battle, it wouldn't matter. People would still act like I'm weak.

It was a risk.

But if I was going to control my own strength, I had to take control of how and when it was used. I refused to be dictated by fear—mine or anyone else's.

It was a risk I was willing to take it.

[Confirmed…Mana suppression will remain active unless manually overridden.]

"Kid?" Calamitas' voice broke through my thoughts. "You good?"

I nodded, decision made. "I'm fine. What's next?"

[Warning: Host is in immediate danger. Threat analysis: High-temperature combustion detected beneath current position. Evasive action is required to prevent injury.]

The words struck me like a jolt of lightning. Without thinking, I pushed off my back foot just as a column of fire erupted from the ground where I had been standing moments ago. The heat licked at my skin, the air around me warping with its intensity.

Then, as if remembering something, she casually rolled her shoulders. "Oh, and since we're doing this properly—might as well tell you what you're dealing with."

She raised her hand, fingers curling slightly. The area around me trembled, and I felt the unmistakable pulse of raw magic. It wasn't the same as my own. It was heavier, deeply rooted—like an unshakable force beneath the surface.

"I'm a Mage," she said with an amused glint in her eyes. "Using Fire."

I stiffened. Fire? That explained the intensity in her presence, the way she carried an almost untamed energy, like a wildfire waiting to spread. She wasn't just powerful—she was relentless.

"Hope you're fast, kid," Calamitas added, grinning. "Because I don't go easy."

I barely had time to recover before another pillar of fire erupted just behind me, forcing me into motion again. I grit my teeth, my feet skidding against the courtyard's stone floor as I dodged the unpredictable blasts.

Calamitas smirked, watching me move. "Not bad. But how long can you keep running?"

I couldn't. That much was obvious. My body was already tiring from the constant motion, and if this kept up, I'd be cornered eventually.

I needed to fight back.

The thought came as naturally as breathing, but as soon as it did, I hesitated. My father's rule. No magic. No exceptions.

I clenched my fists. My instincts screamed at me to retaliate, to force my way out of this. But if I did that… I'd be breaking my promise.

[Notice: Suppression field is still active. To cast offensively, a controlled release of mana is required. Gradual increase in output recommended to maintain stability.]

Right. I'd have to forcibly override my own suppression if I wanted to fight back properly. Could I even do that mid-battle?

Another pillar of fire erupted, searing just past my shoulder. I stumbled, barely avoiding the blast. Calamitas' voice cut through the smoke.

"Make a decision, kid. Because I'm not stopping."

Before I could act, a sharp crack echoed through the courtyard.

"Enough."

The heat in the air shifted instantly. Calamitas stopped mid-motion, lowering her hand as the fire dissipated in an instant. My breath came heavy, my body still tense from the relentless evasion.

I turned toward the source of the voice—father.

He stood at the edge of the courtyard, his arms crossed, his eyes sharp and unreadable. His gaze flicked between Calamitas and me before he exhaled slowly.

"For this session," his voice was steady, measured, "your restriction is lifted. Use magic. I want to see what you're capable of."

My breath caught. He was giving me permission? The weight of his words settled in my chest, heavy and unexpected.

Calamitas smirked, clearly pleased. "Well, well. Look at that. Your leash just got a little looser, kid."

I barely had time to process the change before the anticipation bubbled up inside me. My body reacted before my mind could catch up, a surge of mana bursting forth, unrestrained. Too much.

The suppression I had worked so hard to maintain shattered in an instant, and a wave of raw energy exploded outward. The air around me distorted violently, the ground beneath my feet trembling as the sheer force of my magic pulsed in all directions.

Calamitas let out a low whistle, stepping back slightly. "Oh, now we're talking."

Satoshi's eyes narrowed, but he didn't step in. He was watching. Measuring. Waiting to see if I could bring it back under control.

But instead of pulling back, I leaned into it.

The energy surged through me, my body moving before I could think. This felt right. My feet barely touched the ground as I launched forward, closing the gap between me and Calamitas in an instant.

She barely had time to raise a hand before I struck, my tails—four now—lashing out with precision. The ground cracked beneath me as I twisted mid-air, adapting seamlessly to the weight shifts. My movements weren't just faster—they were calculated, like I had been fighting this way my entire life.

Calamitas grinned, blocking one tail with an arm coated in fire. "Hah! This feels familiar. Just like fighting a young Tomaszewski and Saegusa."

The words barely registered. My body moved on instinct, my mana responding effortlessly. Control wasn't even a thought—it just was.

Calamitas' eyes flicked over me, taking in every detail. "And here I thought I was training a noble heir. Turns out, I've got a natural-born warrior on my hands."

I didn't stop. I couldn't. My body moved on its own, adapting mid-strike, my tails shifting with unnatural precision as I twisted through the air. My mana flared again—more instinct than thought. And that's when I felt it.

Something different.

A pressure built inside me, coiling, waiting, as if it had been there all along, dormant. My vision blurred for a moment as my tails moved—not as extensions of my body, but as gravity-bound constructs, shifting the weight of the battlefield itself.

The ground beneath me… bent. No, warped. My mana wasn't just affecting me anymore—it was anchoring, distorting, bending gravity around me. The space around my body distorted, as if the force of my magic was rewriting the flow of gravity itself.

Calamitas' smirk faltered for the first time. Her next attack didn't land—because she missed. Not because I dodged, but because her strike veered off-course at the last second.

"Oh... now that's interesting," she muttered, her eyes narrowing.

The distortion around me flickered, unstable, before snapping back into place.

[Notice: Circumstances have met required conditions. Prerequisites surpassed. Unlocking Unique Skill – Celestial Foresight.]

My breath caught in my throat. Celestial Foresight? A pulse of something sharp ran through me, as if a piece of knowledge had just slotted into place, waiting for me to understand it. My breath was ragged, my body overheated from the strain.

And it scared me.

"Chiori!" My mother's voice cut through the haze.

I barely had time to register that Satoshi had stepped forward as well, his sharp gaze locked onto me. He wasn't looking at Calamitas anymore. He was looking at me.

The battlefield was still shifting around me, but I barely noticed. My mana was surging, my instincts burning in the back of my mind. My breath came in sharp, ragged bursts, my vision still tinted with the residual effects of whatever I had just unlocked.

I wasn't thinking—I was moving.

I turned my gaze toward my father.

The strongest person here.

The target I knew instinctively would force me to grow.

"Warning: Mana threshold approaching critical levels. Continued use will result in Mana Exhaustion Syndrome."

Great Sage's voice echoed in my mind, but it was distant—like a whisper against the roar of my instincts.

I launched forward.

My tails lashed out, my magic surged, and my body moved faster than I could ever remember. The weight of the battlefield was my own to dictate. I felt it—the moment my attack was about to connect.

And then—

Fire.

A sudden, overwhelming heat cut through my momentum.

I barely had time to register the force slamming me into the ground as the sheer impact rattled through my bones. My breath was stolen from my lungs before I even hit the ground, the world blurring into a chaotic mix of motion and heat.

The battlefield didn't shift anymore.

Because I couldn't move.

A shadow loomed over me, and I barely managed to force my heavy-lidded eyes open to see Calamitas standing above me, arms crossed, gaze sharp and unimpressed.

"Overstepping your limits already?" she asked, tilting her head. "Rookie mistake."

I tried to push myself up, but my limbs wouldn't obey. My body was too heavy.

"Notice: Mana output has exceeded sustainable levels. Immediate shutdown initiated to prevent fatal MES."

Great Sage's words barely registered past the exhaustion weighing me down.

"You think I'd let you keep going?" Calamitas scoffed, crouching down beside me. "You'd drop dead from MES before you even touched him."

I gritted my teeth, frustration clawing at my chest. I had barely begun to understand what I could do, and already, my body had betrayed me.

A new shadow fell over me, and I didn't need to look to know dad was watching.

Arms still crossed.

Expression unreadable.

"You lost control," he said, his voice calm. Too calm.

Not disappointed.

Not angry.

But assessing.

Planning.

"We'll fix that."

And with those words, the weight of exhaustion finally dragged me under, and the world faded to black.