"Don't be so anxious, Kero. The time just isn't ripe yet. We'll get another chance sooner or later."
Adam took missing the chance to form The Love quite well. He already roughly understood what that feeling was like, and even if he formed The Love now, he still wasn't qualified to use The Nothing.
"Then let's try..."
"Adam, are you still awake?"
Madam Li's voice sounded from outside his door.
Fortunately, Madam Li had always respected children's privacy and did not simply push the door open...
Well, perhaps it would have been fine if she had come in? Adam had no intention of hiding it from his family; he just had not figured out how to explain it yet.
"Oh, Mom, I'm going to sleep now."
Adam checked the time, and it really was time for bed. There would be plenty of time to try out the Clow Cards after returning home from Diagon Alley.
He had been incredibly curious about magic at first, so why was his heart so calm now...? Had the surprise been too much?
Lying in bed, Adam thought about what he would buy in Diagon Alley tomorrow, how he would use the Clow Cards he had just obtained, and Kero and Suppi...
"Ha~"
"Sigh~"
He did not know whether it had been an illusion, but just before drifting off to sleep, Adam seemed to hear a woman's faintly teasing laugh and a man's helpless sigh.
When Adam woke up the next day, he had already completely forgotten the illusion from before bed. Guided by his body clock, he got up early and went downstairs.
"Good morning, dear~"
"Good morning, Grandpa~ Good morning, Grandma~"
After sitting down at the table, Adam greeted the other members of the family as well.
"Just eat something simple. There should be plenty of tasty food in Diagon Alley."
As Emma placed bacon, fried eggs, and mashed potatoes before Adam, Old Reed said this.
"...Since Diagon Alley is where British wizards gather, I don't have high hopes for that."
Picking up a soft-yolked fried egg with his chopsticks, Adam spoke gloomily.
Adam's father was clearly British too, yet he ran a French restaurant that was doing quite well. That alone said a great deal.
How should he put it? In Madam Li's words: the food invented by these British people truly let you taste the resentment of ingredients that had died with unresolved grievances.
"Wizards aren't the same as Muggles. Diagon Alley has lots of delicious food! Like... uh... like..."
Old Reed had opened his mouth to refute him, but all that came to mind were snacks such as Fizzing Whizbees and Licorice Wands. His memories of proper meals were completely blank.
In the kitchen, Emma silently added a small pat of butter and several slices of toast to the pan.
After eating and drinking his fill, Adam followed Old Reed and Emma through the Leaky Cauldron to Diagon Alley, full of anticipation.
Using his wand to open the way to Diagon Alley, Old Reed said with a beaming smile:
"Welcome to the world of magic, my child."
Actually, I experienced the world of magic last night... but that wasn't the point.
The point was that neither the novels nor the movies had ever mentioned that this trash can was actually in use!
Adam, who was somewhat particular about cleanliness, did not look too pleased, but he still cooperatively put on a delighted smile.
Once he truly entered Diagon Alley, Adam's mood rose and fell.
At first, he was indeed delighted by the wondrous magic appearing around him from time to time. But perhaps his expectations had been too high; as he gradually got used to it, disappointment followed at the run-down atmosphere that assaulted him from all sides.
The real Diagon Alley was not as polished as it appeared in Universal Studios or the films. The narrow streets were crowded with wizards coming and going, and wherever he looked, there were stains and rubbish in the corners that had clearly not been cleaned in who knew how many years...
"Aside from the few shops that clearly have someone specifically clean their storefronts, and the magnificent Gringotts, most places look like they are stuck in the last century. I was even worried that a bucket of sewage would get dumped on me from above at any moment."
After returning home, Adam complained to Mr. Reed and Madam Li in exactly those terms.
"...Do they bathe?"
Madam Li swallowed the speech she had prepared and instead asked a rather delicate question.
Adam's expression made the question even more delicate.
"Doesn't that person bathe?"
After another source of stench passed by them, Adam tugged on Old Reed's sleeve and asked a nearly identical rhetorical question in a low voice.
"Um... you should know that some older wizards are rather traditional. They believe bathing affects their magic... though of course, most people are still clean."
Old Reed, who had been enthusiastically introducing everything to his grandson, also noticed that Adam did not seem as delighted as he had imagined. He promptly led Adam onward:
"First, we definitely need to buy you a wand. This is your true first step into the magical world!"
At those words, Adam's heart beat a little faster—he already had the Wand of Darkness. He wondered whether that would affect the selection of his wand.
"Oh, welcome—"
Perhaps because it was still the back-to-school season, Ollivander had dutifully been waiting behind the counter. The moment he looked up, he saw Adam and Old Reed behind him—Emma had gone to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Ollivander's Wand Shop was simply too small; several thousand wand boxes nearly filled the little shop, leaving no room for so many people.
"Twelve inches, dogwood, unicorn tail hair."
Ollivander seemed to truly possess the supernatural ability to remember every wand that had passed through his hands. Looking at Old Reed, he sighed with feeling:
"Mr. Reed, how long has it been since we last met?"
"It has been nearly fifty years since our last meeting, Mr. Ollivander."
Old Reed was somewhat sentimental as well. Then he patted Adam on the shoulder:
"Help my grandson choose a wand that suits him. The wands you make are always the best."
"I would not dare call them the best, but I guarantee they will be the most suitable."
A confident smile appeared on Ollivander's face as he looked at Adam.
"Then, Young Mr. Reed, which hand is your dominant hand?"
"My right hand, sir."
Adam hesitated. He was not sure which wand would be in his dominant hand when the time came, so when Ollivander took out his measuring tape, he asked:
"Can I use a wand with my other hand?"
"Oh, both of your hands are dominant? Very well."
Ollivander nodded and continued measuring Adam.
The length of his fingers, the width of his palm, the length of his arms... even the diameter of his nostrils and the circumference of his head. After a series of utterly inscrutable measurements, Ollivander handed Adam a wand to try.
Adam gave it a casual wave, and a sudden gale nearly blew the roof off.
"No! Not this one!"
Ollivander snatched the wand away, took out his own wand and waved it to restore the shop, then hurriedly produced another wand.
"Try this one!"
Adam made a smaller motion with the wand this time, but the commotion was no less intense—the violent explosion sent wand boxes flying everywhere!
"Shield Charm!"
The towering stacks of wand boxes toppled over and came crashing down on them. Thanks to Old Reed's Shield Charm, all three escaped unharmed.
Adam glanced around. Fortunately, the explosion seemed loud but harmless. Not a single wand had been damaged, and even the boxes were intact. Otherwise, he would probably have had to pay compensation.
"Ah, such immense power. This is beyond my expectations. Let me think..."
Ollivander took the wand back again and began rummaging directly through the collapsed pile of wand boxes—
"Try this one!"
"Boom—"
"Not right! Try this one!"
"Crack—"
"Still not right!"
Ollivander snatched the wand back once more, scratched at his not especially thick hair, and plunged headfirst into the pile of wand boxes.
Before you continue