Before Flying Class

Having found the path ahead, Adam did not immediately throw himself into a frenzy of study.

After all, he wanted to study magic to secure a better life for himself. With the Sorcerer's Stone in hand, he had plenty of time to enrich himself gradually. There was no need to sacrifice his current enjoyment just to save time.

The Wednesday of the second week of his first year was the first time Adam had encountered Wizard's Chess in his life.

"Check!"

At Klon's excited shout, Adam's white king on the board looked at the enemy piece that had moved before it and could not help trembling on its throne. This was already the fourth time today. If the rules had not bound it, it would have run away.

Adam glanced over the situation on the board and, after analyzing it, said,

"I lost... Klon, you're really good at Wizard's Chess."

"Ehehe~ I'm not that good~"

Klon shifted awkwardly on the sofa.

"You're really good too, Adam. You only just learned the rules, but you're already playing quite well."

Adam smiled and stroked Kero and Suppi, who were curled into balls on his lap, then waved his wand to reset the Wizard's Chess set.

Wizard's Chess reset itself after a game ended, but it took some time. People like them, eager to start the next match, could only reset it themselves, or take out another set.

"Oh, right, Adam. How's your Potions Class homework coming along?"

"I've already finished it, so you'd better hurry up."

"Ah~ What about you, Eugene?"

"Finished."

"Mm... all right, then I'll write mine after dinner."

Klon did not have a habit of copying other people's homework. He had only asked to check everyone else's progress—if everyone had finished, it was about time for him to start as well.

"Hey, why are you all in the dormitory? Everyone outside is talking about tomorrow's flying class!"

Bernard and Uther returned to the dormitory and animatedly recounted the stories they had heard in the Great Hall to the three inside.

"They're all lying to you. Even wizards' parents wouldn't let children fly broomsticks before they started school."

Klon commanded a pawn forward without even looking up.

"Think about it, broomsticks are basically the wizarding world's cars. What parent would let their child drive before getting a license? It's way too dangerous!"

Persuaded by Adam, the knight hesitated before moving forward to block the opposing pawn.

"Mm."

Eugene nodded in agreement.

"What?"

Uther and Bernard were stunned. So many people in the Great Hall had solemnly sworn that their stories were true. Had it all just been a storytelling session?

"Come to think of it, it's one thing for Bernard not to know, but Uther, aren't you from a wizarding family too? Didn't you know?"

Klon raised his head in confusion.

"They sounded so convincing. I thought things might be different in Britain..."

Uther sighed and sat down on the sofa.

"Oh, right, Adam. The House-elves in the kitchen asked us to give this to you."

Uther rummaged through his pocket, took out a box, and handed it to Adam.

"What's inside? Are you making a new dish?"

"New snacks."

Adam opened the box, revealing that it was packed full of chestnuts.

His grandmother had given him this box. It had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it, so this whole box of chestnuts should last him for quite a while.

"A cake would need other ingredients, and I was busy this afternoon, so I didn't have time... How about making some candied roasted chestnuts instead? We can make them fresh tonight and eat them right away."

After all, stirring them with magic would not be tiring.

"Great!"

His roommates thought: Whatever candied roasted chestnuts were like, anything Adam made was worth eating.

That night, the scent of honey, syrup, and chestnuts filled the entire dormitory. The freshly cooked candied roasted chestnuts had split open, their golden flesh peeking through the cracks, and they could be opened with just a light squeeze.

Popping a peeled chestnut into his mouth, Adam found the soft, sweet flesh still slightly hot. As his teeth ground it down into smooth chestnut paste, the sweetness of syrup and honey mingled with the faint sweetness created as starch broke down in his saliva. The distinct layers of sweetness brought an extraordinary sense of happiness.

"Ah~ No, if I keep eating like this, I'll get fat! I think I've already got a little belly!"

Uther, who had accidentally eaten an entire pound, clutched his slightly rounded stomach and wailed on his bed.

"Don't talk nonsense. You're not fat at all. That's just a normal reaction after eating your fill. It'll go away once you've digested it."

Adam thought for a moment, then defended himself.

"Besides, even if you do get fat, Hogwarts food has way more oil and sugar than anything I make. At most, I only bear secondary responsibility."

"Wuwuwu... I'm going to start losing weight!"

Seeing how upset he was, Adam could not bear it and said,

"All right, all right. At worst, I just won't call you next time I cook."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll eat your portion for you. I wasn't planning to watch my figure anyway."

Klon, who never grew taller no matter what he ate but never got fat either, said excitedly.

"No! Adam, you have to call me when you eat!"

Adam: "..."

He really did not understand people trying to lose weight.

"Tomorrow will be the first flying class of my life. I hope the weather will be good."

Bernard sighed. Riding a broomstick... even though he had accepted that he was a wizard, it still felt so magical.

Other than those afraid of heights, how many people could resist the temptation of flight?

"Hopefully."

Adam did not know exactly when he had fallen asleep. In any case, when he woke up, the sky was still dimly lit.

"Hmm?! Why are you all up earlier than me today?"

Adam was surprised to discover that he was the last one awake. Startled, he glanced at the alarm clock by his bed... His body clock was fine. He had woken up at around the same time as yesterday.

"Today's flying class. Everyone was too excited to sleep."

Bernard said as he put on his socks.

Come to think of it, Bernard had initially been an impeccably dressed young man. Things like sock garters and shirt stays had even made Adam, a country bumpkin, think they were some kind of special equipment... Yet after being assimilated by the four of them, Bernard had also started casually pulling on socks and simply throwing on his shirt.

Uther, who still refused to leave the dormitory without putting on makeup, had leapt from second place to first in the ranking of time needed to get ready to go out.

"Wonderful! There aren't even many clouds today. It's definitely going to be a bright, sunny day!"

Klon stood with his hands on his hips as he looked out the window.

"Won't that mean it'll be really sunny?"

"I don't think Britain's sun can make you any darker."

Uther rolled his eyes at Klon.

It seemed that the entire first year had flying class today. Things were still fine in the common room, where there were relatively more honest people among the little badgers, but once they reached the Great Hall, they could hear countless students bragging to their classmates about their experiences riding broomsticks.

For instance, one little student with platinum-blond hair was sharing a legendary tale about dodging a Muggle helicopter while flying on his broomstick.

"At that distance, he'd get sucked into the rotor blades."

Bernard's expression turned complicated. He did not know much about broomsticks, but he knew about helicopters.

Those people really had all been making up stories...

"Didn't we already know that?"

Adam patted Bernard on the shoulder.

"Come on. Our flying class is first period in the morning."