Countless fireworks rose into the night sky, painting a scene like a blossoming sea of flowers.
Their dazzling colors were a feast for the eyes, and everything was bathed in this seemingly joyful and perfect atmosphere.
Gazing quietly at the fireworks overhead, Natsume Sonoko, unlike the beaming smiles of those around her, found herself plunged into confusion. Her mind raced without a moment's rest.
It was already midnight. Normally, she'd be fast asleep by now, but today was different. Today was supposed to be the day of the year when the old gives way to the new.
The festive spirit was thick in the air. Vendors participating in the festival had set up stalls stretching over a hundred meters across the open ground, and the area, not particularly large to begin with, was packed with crowds eager to join the fun.
Right now, Conan had been dragged off by three of his classmates to try goldfish scooping. Kogoro Mori was dead drunk at a roadside yakisoba stall, and Ran was squatting beside him, looking after him with a resigned sigh.
Not far away, the temple bell began to chime, signaling the official arrival of the new year... or so you'd think.
"So it wasn't actually New Year's today after all. And here I got my hopes up for nothing."
Natsume Sonoko clutched her head, a displeased smile twisting her lips. The more she knew, the more troubles she seemed to have.
Trapped within this millennium-old magic circle, Sonoko endured the agony of having her perceptions altered nearly every day, forcing herself to correct her own cognition despite the intense mental discomfort.
It was like having her entire worldview reset daily, with her own brain constantly insisting she was wrong.
After over a month of this, Sonoko realized her computational power had improved significantly. This wasn't just thanks to 'Capacity Down'; this bizarre, forced cognitive recalibration played a huge part too.
"This feels awful. So wrong."
Just minutes into the 'new day,' Sonoko's perception had already snapped back to reality. The downside, unfortunately, was that any genuine sense of festivity had completely vanished.
Weaving through the bustling crowd, Sonoko pulled her focus away from the lively festival. She cast one last, longing glance at the various fun-looking stalls nearby before steeling herself to carry out the pre-arranged plan.
"So the operation has already begun."
Her eyes drifted back to the fireworks in the sky, and she immediately understood.
Based on their prior discussions, Sonoko had spent considerable time digesting the meaning behind Kanzaki Kaori's words. The two of them had verbally cobbled together a plan.
While much of it still baffled her, one objective was clear: cause the magic circle to temporarily fail or fall into chaos.
The original caster of this ancient spell had long been lost to history.
The one currently powering the magic was actually Conan himself, though he remained completely unaware of this fact. Not being the true caster, he was even affected by the magic himself.
Their task now was to use Conan's connection to the circle to throw it into temporary disarray.
The fireworks continued to bloom overhead. Amidst the fireworks, some peculiar patterns and symbols flickered, hidden within the bursts. They vanished almost as soon as they appeared, and nearly everyone failed to notice them.
The sole exception was a boy who looked like a child but possessed wisdom beyond his years—the young detective, Mitsuhiko.
"Look! Those firework patterns are weird!" exclaimed Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, who had happened to look up while admiring the display. He was one of Conan's classmates.
The other members of Class B, Grade 1 at Teitan Elementary also looked up, puzzled by Mitsuhiko's sudden outburst.
"They look like normal fireworks to me," Genta Kojima squinted for a good while but couldn't spot anything unusual.
"Can't you see it? The special patterns inside the fireworks! Maybe it's someone asking for help!" Mitsuhiko insisted, growing anxious.
Hearing the discussion, Conan set down his goldfish scoop net and stood up, turning his gaze to the sky. A thoughtful expression crept onto his face.
"Could those patterns and symbols hold some special meaning?"
Conan stared intently for a long moment. As his eyes remained locked on the symbols, his vision suddenly grew blurry. He stood completely still, rooted to the spot, his mind going blank.
"The magic formula is complete. Proceed with the plan as discussed."
Just as she accepted a roasted corn cob from a stall vendor, Natsume Sonoko's phone rang. It was Kanzaki Kaori.
"Understood." Sonoko's face took on a serious cast, determined not to mess this up.
"Conan, what do you think those patterns mean?" Mitsuhiko asked, pointing at the ongoing fireworks show.
After waiting a long time for a response that never came, Mitsuhiko turned back, annoyed, only to see a figure with hair tied in a bun approaching.
"So this is where you are, Conan. It's very late, we need to head back now. You're Conan's friends, right? You should all hurry back to your parents as well."
Natsume Sonoko spoke with an air of authority. Even though she was just a middle schooler, among a group of elementary schoolers whose average age didn't exceed seven, she was the undisputed senior.
"Well, we'll be going then."
"See you, Conan." Mitsuhiko waved at Conan. Seeing that Conan was still ignoring him, he left in a huff.
The fireworks began to die down, and the surroundings gradually grew quieter.
Conan now seemed somewhat dazed. He had been temporarily hypnotized by Kanzaki Kaori's spell.
The hypnotic effect wasn't ideal on Conan; he could easily break free, requiring Kanzaki to constantly maintain it.
"Next step is to have Conan perform a magic ritual himself."
Sonoko carefully recalled the instructions Kanzaki Kaori had given her. She retrieved a large assortment of strange and bizarre objects from a nearby corner.
These had been acquired by Kanzaki Kaori during one of the brief periods when time had reverted to normal, sourced from a group called the Amakusa-Style Remix of Church.
According to her, these special artifacts, combined with a specific arrangement, could form magic.
Though the name 'Amakusa-Style Remix of Church' reminded Sonoko of her upperclassman from Tokiwadai, Amakusa Yu. She wondered if there was any connection.
Manipulating the air currents, Sonoko meticulously controlled Conan's movements and path.
She guided him to place specific artifacts at various designated points and to draw a magic pattern on the ground.
Within minutes, a strange ritual formation began to take shape on the earth.
For some magic rituals, the caster didn't need any special abilities; even an ordinary person could complete them. The potential was so great it could even pull an angel down from the heavens.
"And... it's done."
Sonoko looked on curiously. The ritual on the ground was set up as required, but nothing seemed to have changed.
"Almost forgot. Conan still needs to shatter the clay doll placed at point three."
The moment Conan's hand pressed down forcefully on the clay doll, the surrounding scenery faded away like a receding tide, transforming into a void of gray.
The grayness began to spread, as if carving out a piece from the entire world.
"Did we succeed?"
Sonoko looked excited. She had had enough of this life where her perception was constantly being altered.
Kanzaki Kaori appeared not far from Sonoko, indicating she had released the hypnosis on Conan.
However, Conan's state was now peculiar. He floated mid-air as if gravity had ceased to exist for him. A faint, illusory figure holding a shield materialized beside him. This spectral form lasted only a few seconds before merging into Conan's body.
"This ritual summons a shield-bearing angel, representing protection. While we aren't under attack, it blocks the influence of other magic," Kanzaki Kaori explained.
The world around them began to crumble. The already gray and murky surroundings slowly fragmented into countless, visible pieces scattering through the air.
"But if this shield-bearing angel disappears, won't we just get pulled back into the anomalous time loop?" Sonoko asked, deeply concerned.
"No. The angel's shield has also severed our connection to that ancient magic circle."
The world before them had completely collapsed. Everyone's thoughts ground to a halt. Before they could process anything more, their vision plunged into utter darkness.
When she came to her senses, Natsume Sonoko found herself lying on the floor, a blanket draped over her.
"Am I back?"
Scrambling up, she quickly checked her phone. Seeing the time displayed normally, she let out a long, deep sigh of relief.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.