The Sorcerer's Handbook

On the Virtual World’s Continent of Time.

The moment Sonya opened her eyes, she eagerly turned her head. ”Tonight I—”

She shut her mouth almost as quickly as she had opened it.

The Watcher was sitting in the back seat with the Witch on top of him. The two of them were practically hugging.

”Huh? How did it turn out like this again? Watcher, Sister White asked me to check whether you are doing this on purpose.”

”It’s definitely a teleportation error! Probably because we’re all squeezing through the Gate of Truth together. If you don’t believe me, ask the Swordswoman! This never happened when I was with her in the Sea of Knowledge!”

The Witch turned to Sonya. ”Is that true, Swordswoman?”

Sonya replied, ”Witch, can you get off him first?”

”Oh, right!”

Lately, this had been happening whenever they entered the Virtual World. The Watcher and the Witch would practically end up tangled together. Sometimes she hugged him from the side, and sometimes she lay across his lap. There were all kinds of ridiculous positions.

Frankly, Sonya could understand it. When three sorcerers teleported into the Virtual World together, it was only natural that minor errors would occur from time to time. In that light, two people ending up in each other’s arms didn’t even seem that strange. The true problem was... Why am I always the one standing off to the side watching? If it’s an error, shouldn’t there be an equal chance it could happen to everyone?

Ashe sat back in the front seat and asked, ”By the way, Swordswoman, what were you about to say? If I remember correctly, you were supposed to have the Meteor Calamity match tonight.”

”Mmhmm,” Sonya nodded, suddenly feeling a bit uninterested. ”I won the quarterfinals. My last opponent tried to clash Miracles with me, but it seemed he only had half of his Gold Wing condensed.”

The Witch chuckled. ”So you were basically bullying him, weren’t you?”

Thanks to the sports car and the various absorption boosts from the Alchemical Throne, the trio was close to fully condensing their Gold Wings. On top of that, they possessed the Golden Fish Secret Poison, which allowed them to convert Silver Mana into Gold. Their energy reserves were already far greater than those of ordinary sorcerers.

Ashe flipped through the operator menu. ”Witch, when did you get the Golden Fish Secret Poison? Was it today?”

Dia nodded enthusiastically. ”Yep! A lot happened today, and I suddenly believed that you really did see the Golden Fish. Oh, right! Swordswoman, can you teach me how to flirt with men?”

The Claw-Stretching Club President blinked, meeting Dia’s sincere gaze. ”Can’t you ask your sisters?”

”They just think differently, but we all share the same knowledge. Whatever I know, they know too, and vice versa. Black told me that you look like someone really good at playing men, so I should learn from you!”

Sonya glanced at Ashe, then shook her head. ”No, I’ve never even been in a relationship.”

Ashe looked up at the golden rain flowing toward the sky. ”Tonight’s golden rain is even more dazzling than before. It reminds me of someone.”

Sonya said, ”Still, I can teach you a few moves for when you talk to him. They might help make a better impression. What kind of person is he?”

”(>▽