The first to take the stage was the representative of the Dream Magic Club. She looked like a mischievous young girl, her eyes sparkling with playful light and a mysterious smile playing on her lips.
She wore a deep purple robe decorated with golden patterns and a tall, pointed hat. An air of mystery and elegance surrounded her.
As soon as she stepped onto the stage, she captured everyone's attention. Her voice rang out, clear and sweet: "Welcome to the Dream Magic Club, everyone. Here, we'll explore the endless possibilities of abilities together and create incredible magic performances."
She waved the Magic Wand in her hand. A dazzling gemstone was set in its tip, and it shone brilliantly as she moved the wand. She picked a lucky audience member—a boy who looked both nervous and excited.
The boy eagerly went up onstage, looking forward to her magic trick.
Then she lightly pointed her wand at him, and the boy suddenly turned into an adorable little rabbit.
The audience gasped in surprise. The rabbit clearly had no idea what was going on and scampered all over the stage.
But it was obvious that a rabbit couldn't escape her control. She reached out and scooped it up.
Then she gracefully took the hat off her head and placed the little rabbit inside.
With a smile, she tossed the hat into the air. It spun around, and soon the rabbit hopped out. Oh, no—the one that jumped out of the hat wasn't a little rabbit anymore, but the lucky audience member, restored to his original form.
The amazing performance drew thunderous applause and gasps of astonishment from the crowd.
The representative bowed, then said, "If you've got an interesting magic trick or want to learn how to use your abilities to create magic, come join the Magic Club!"
Itozawa, Ichinose, and Kanzaki discussed the Dream Magic Club's performance. Itozawa thought the club seemed really interesting. "Those people from the Magic Club are pretty fun. They use their abilities to perform magic, and it looks even more entertaining than regular magic."
Ichinose's eyes sparkled too. "I wish I could do magic like that." But she quickly pouted. "My ability can't do any magic tricks. I guess I can't join."
Kanzaki analyzed it more coolly. "This club might teach us how to control our abilities more flexibly, which would definitely help us improve our strength in the future. Too bad it probably only teaches techniques and won't improve our abilities. Otherwise, I'd really want to give it a try."
All three of them thought the Magic Club seemed interesting, but unfortunately, it didn't look like a good fit for any of them.
The second to take the stage was the representative of the Miracle Circus, a young man dressed as a clown.
He walked lightly onto the stage. His clothes were brightly colored, his face was painted with exaggerated makeup, and a ridiculous hat sat at a crooked angle on his head. His eyes sparkled with mischief, and a carefree smile played on his lips.
As he walked, the atmosphere in the gym grew even livelier.
He suddenly stopped, stretched out both arms, and then slowly began to float into the air. The sight immediately caught everyone's attention, and the students cried out in amazement.
The clown easily shifted his position in midair, then called out to the audience: "Is there a brave volunteer who'd like to come up and join me in a marvelous performance?"
At the crowd's urging, one audience member went up onstage. A hint of curiosity showed in his eyes.
To his surprise, the clown asked him to fold his own body into a ball. The audience member was clearly startled, worry appearing in his eyes, but with the clown's encouragement, he bravely reached out.
The clown instructed him to bend his limbs however he liked. The audience member hesitated, but followed the clown's directions.
As the audience member moved, the clown's body began to change in astonishing ways.
His limbs were as soft as noodles. In no time, he had folded himself into a ball and arranged his limbs into the shape of a face.
The face's expressions kept changing. One moment it looked surprised, the next it looked happy, making the audience laugh out loud.
As Kanzaki watched the clown's performance, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes. "His ability is definitely one of the top Body Abilities. He has complete mastery over his body."
Itozawa nodded in agreement. "Shibata should join. Learning from this representative would definitely help his ability improve a lot."
As for themselves, though, they weren't very interested in the circus. After all, their abilities were both Mind-Type Abilities. The clown's performance was impressive, but they were more interested in clubs related to their own abilities.
After the performance, the clown returned to the stage. His voice carried a hint of teasing. "Thanks to our brave volunteer. I'm the representative of the Miracle Circus. Our club only accepts students with Body Abilities or Object-type Abilities. We're not considering anyone with other types of abilities for now."
As soon as he finished speaking, the students in the audience began whispering among themselves. Some of the students with Body Abilities looked excited and showed great interest in joining the circus. Those with Mind-Type Abilities, however, seemed disappointed. They knew the club wasn't right for them.
Next to take the stage was the representative of the Mind Combat Club. They appeared to be a pair of Twin Brothers, nearly identical in appearance, both broad-shouldered and heavily muscled.
When they walked onto the stage, they didn't put on a flashy display like the other club representatives. Instead, they immediately launched into a brief fight.
Watching them fight, Ichinose initially thought it was just a regular demonstration of Body Abilities and was about to watch casually. But Kanzaki and Itozawa quickly saw what was really going on. The brothers' fighting skills weren't very good, but their bout was clearly focused on a contest of the mind—or, more specifically, the Mind Sea.
The brothers' fight seemed simple and rough, but every attack and defense was accompanied by subtle shifts in Mental Power. Their eyes gleamed sharply, and every time their gazes met, it seemed as if an invisible contest was taking place.
Kanzaki and Itozawa watched with great interest. They both realized that the brothers' true strength didn't lie in physical power, but in their control over the mind.
After one bout, the brothers noticed the confusion among the audience, so they simply challenged them: "Anyone out there good at fighting? Even someone with a Body Ability will do. Come up and fight us."
The students who were good at fighting naturally saw that the brothers' skills weren't up to much. Thinking it would just be a weak pair fighting each other, they eagerly went up onstage. But before long, they were sent back down looking utterly confused. Four or five students in a row met the same fate, and at last, everyone gradually began to understand how the brothers really fought.
One of the brothers cleared his throat and called out, "The Mind Combat Club is looking for students with Mind-Type Abilities. We'll teach you how to protect yourselves using this approach. Our fighting isn't just a physical contest—it's a contest of the mind, too."
After hearing their admission requirements, Ichinose shook her head. The club's style didn't suit her, and neither did its training.
Kanzaki and Itozawa, on the other hand, were already highly skilled fighters and had no need for this kind of extra training.
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