Chapter 19.2 – Training Day with the Accidental Harem

As Ilina says the incantation, a basketball-sized distortion appears in front of her that looks like a large soap bubble. On the surface of the bubble, I can see distorted images of several items, with a coin purse being the one I recognize.

Ilina seems to focus on the bubble while reaching towards its surface, then her hand disappears briefly inside and pulls out the coin purse I saw. Sure enough, it's no longer visible on the bubble surface.

She drops the coin purse back into the bubble surface, and then I can see its distorted image reappear on the bubble. Afterward, she seems to relax and the bubble shrinks and disappears. That was awesome!

Also, 'part thyself, cosmic cloth', really? That basically screams that you're stretching the fabric of spacetime, which begs the question of where these incantations come from? I guess that's a puzzle for another time, though.

For now, I need to confirm what is going through Ilina's mind as she casts this spell, what is she intuitively visualizing? I smile excitedly at Ilina, and I nod my thanks.

"Okay, that was truly spectacular Ilina, thank you! I think I was right about how this spell works, but before I try it myself, could you explain to me how you feel and what you're thinking about when you use it?" (Mizuki)

Ilina's eyes go wide in surprise when I mention using it, but she appears contemplative after my question for a few moments. Then, she looks back up at me and answers.

"Hmm…I guess kind of like the spell says, I feel like I'm stretching a piece of cloth apart with magic until it starts to tear, and that's when the sphere of the item box begins to emerge." (Ilina)

Bingo, that's got to be it.

I nod at Ilina appreciatively, then turn towards an empty space in the clearing. I close my eyes, and I visualize my magic surrounding that space in about a 2-meter-wide sphere. Much like teleportation, I imagine my magic 'grabbing' the fabric of spacetime in the area.

This time, instead of imagining it and another area of space being pressed together, I imagine this space being stretched outward from the inside. It's like stretching a piece of cloth, but in three dimensions.

I begin to feel resistance, and I pour in more magic as I focus on stretching the space further. After a moment, there's a sharp drop in resistance, like a tear, and I hear gasps from Ilina and Alto. Can't stop now, though.

I focus on 'tearing' the fabric even more, until it seems to fill the whole space I surrounded with my magic. I hear a sharp yelp from Ilina, and I open my eyes. There's an item box distortion like Ilina's in the space I intended, but it's almost two meters wide. Ilina speaks up.

"M-Mizuki…that's…" (Ilina)

I ignore her and let out a very satisfied laugh as I pull my coin purse off my hip. Using gravity magic to levitate it, I float the coin purse into the distortion, and see its image appear on the bubble's surface. Perfect.

I walk over to the distortion, then place my hand just 'inside' the surface, and I will my magic to float my coin purse back to my hand, like before. After a moment, I feel the coin purse and pull it out of the distortion.

I can't help but break out in another gleeful laugh. I toss the coin purse back into the distortion and release the item box spell. Then, I turn to Ilina and Alto with a huge smile on my face.

"Ilina, thanks so much, you have no idea how helpful this is going to be!" (Mizuki)

Ilina's face has gone pale, and Alto is just shaking her head in exasperation.

"Mizuki…you got it your first try, without an incantation…and…it was huge. Can you please explain this?" (Ilina)

Alto nods her assent at Ilina's statement. Yeah, I did promise to explain it, so I don't mind.

"Yes, I was right about how your spell works. Essentially, one of the things we're aware of on my world is that the space around you and time itself are not separate things. They're part of this concept called 'spacetime'. When you jump, and feel like you're pulled back towards the planet, that's from the planet itself distorting spacetime. I think your item box spell is stretching spacetime apart until cracks form, then storing items in those cracks." (Mizuki)

Alto and Ilina's mouths are hanging open in shock. Alto recovers first, seeming to have made an important realization. She speaks to me excitedly.

"Mizuki, so when you're flying are you just altering this 'spacetime' of yours so that it pulls on our bodies like the planet does? That's exactly what it felt like when you first lifted us into the air, like the planet itself was losing its grasp on us!" (Alto)

She's a quick learner, so working with her is going to be a blast. I nod at her approvingly, and she beams with pride.

"That's right, Alto, but it's more like spacetime pushes you than the planet pulls you. Still, I can already tell you're going to do well with this stuff. In case you're curious, when I teleport, I'm using my magic to grab two areas of spacetime and fold them together, then I temporarily form a hole and move between them." (Mizuki)

Alto is practically hopping with excitement at this point. No doubt, she's fantasizing about being able to fly herself. I glance at Ilina, and she has a deathly serious look on her face.

"Mizuki, can you teach me a combat spell now, based on what you've learned?" (Ilina)