Filtering Magic

(Sun Yao)

The volleyball that Sirius tossed back was easily caught by Miss Antarctic Star, looking as if it were not heavy at all.

Her magic doesn't seem to be simply about increasing weight, but rather manipulating the mass of an object relative to a specific target. In other words, are Miss Sirius and I the only ones who feel that volleyball is heavy?

That makes sense...

If it were simply about increasing mass, the volleyball would be crushed by gravity, making it a more flexible and maneuverable tool than it appears.

The idea of retaliating with the magic of the Antarctic Star was shattered.

Miluno leaped high, preparing to launch a new round of smashes!

"Ceruno!"

At Miss Sirius's suggestion, I added some floating cushions. No matter which one the smash hits, the angle and softness will cause it to fall into Sirius's Light Orbit and begin to dissipate the force...

Bang--

The result was unexpected; the volleyball flew out of bounds the moment it touched the air cushion, becoming a dead ball.

Call out--

Then came the referee Ms. Yin Wei's whistle.

"Tentacle out of bounds! Miluno and the Antarctic Star team score one point!"

"Huh?"

I was stunned for a moment before I realized that these air cushions were like part of my body. The Antarctic Star reduced the mass of the volleyball relative to the air cushions, so when the ball hit the air cushions, it bounced away and naturally went out of bounds...

"Intentionally hitting the ball at someone and then letting it go out of bounds."

Miss Sirius explained, "It's a scoring technique in volleyball; it's very common."

"How should we deal with this?"

"Lower the air cushion height, tilt it inwards."

I tried it, but the effect was not obvious, and I continued to lose points.

The score quickly fell to a 16-9 deficit.

Miss Miluno's goal had changed from hitting the ball into the court to hitting the book onto my air cushion and then out of bounds. The volleyball was fast and light, and with the elasticity of the air cushion itself, it was hard to react in time.

"Call..."

Although I haven't been exercising much, I'm still a little out of breath.

Miss Sirius tried to create a side net to stop the ball from flying out, but Miluno and the others used light and heavy attacks back and forth... If the Ultra-Heavy Shot were to break through the air cushion, it would need her Light Orbit to catch it; she couldn't use all her light to build the side net.

We must think of a solution...

"Don't be nervous, Ceruno- chan."

Miss Sirius comforted her, "Think calmly, what else can your magic do?"

I wonder if my bubbles can filter out those troublesome magic spells?

Miluno and Ceruno's magic is attached to the volleyball, seemingly inseparable, but if my bubble only "rejects" the magic, will the volleyball itself be able to pass through?

I'll give it a try... My magic requires belief to work!

A volleyball, its weight indistinguishable from the others, came crashing down. I set new rules for intercepting the air bubbles, and the volleyball, upon contact with the air cushion, passed Past without stopping.

But the speed slowed down, or rather, it returned to normal.

It worked!

Miluno's "acceleration" and the "mass" of the Antarctic Star completely destroyed the magic attached to the volleyball. My magic can even "reject" ethereal magic!

The application of magic was expanded once again, which far outweighed the joy brought by victory.

Sirius reacted quickly, swiftly positioning herself to lift the volleyball, creating an opportunity for me to counterattack. I seized the moment, took a step, and jumped, attempting a spectacular spike.

"Ha!"

Bang--

The ball didn't go over the net, hehe~

The final score was 19 to 21. Sirius and I won by a narrow margin of two points because Miss Antarctic Star used up all her magic. Miluno alone was unable to cope with the numerous Phantom Ball and lost points in succession.

She stood in front of the net, looking up in a daze.

"We lost..."

Sensing her resentment, I also became uneasy.

"Miss Miluno, I'm so sorry, oh dear!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was given a sharp tap on the head.

"Here we go again. You did really well, so why are you apologizing to me? Using magic to dispel magic... Wow, that was impressive."

I am delighted to receive praise from Miss Miluno.

"Hehe, it was just something I came up with in a moment of desperation."

Miss Yin Wei brought over two glasses of lemonade.

"The ability to remain calm and think rationally in critical moments is a quality the Association sees in you, Ceruno. You are the key to winning this match, so be more confident!"

"It's not that exaggerated..."

Although I said that, I was actually quite happy inside, as I rarely receive praise. It was a pity that Yezi couldn't see it, but thankfully there was a recording, and I'll definitely let him watch the playback tonight!

Behind Ms. Yin Wei was the Golden, a lively dog that was frolicking around us. However, it was all wet, and Ms. Zara seemed to have poured water on it to cool it down.

Miss Miluno took the cup but didn't drink it. Instead, she turned and handed it to Antarctic Star, the penguin girl who also needed comfort. However, her friend Sirius was nowhere to be found after the competition.

"Where is Miss Sirius? She didn't say a word about what she did afterward..."

Ms. Yin Wei replied, "The Association has contacted us, but I don't know what it's about."

I was actually looking forward to the barbecue afterwards.

It seems to me that having a maid do the barbecuing yourself on the beach is a romantic and charming thing to do.

"Then let's wait a bit."

Miss Miluno helped Antarctic Star back to the parasol for a rest.

I strolled alone on the beach, where golden sand met the blue sea, and the waves lapping against my calves felt wonderful.

"Woof~"

"Goldie?"

The Golden caught up with me, wagging its tail and swaying around me. I simply sat down in the seawater, grabbed its head and rubbed it for a while, then it splashed water all over me.

Although I hadn't had much contact with dogs before, I've always loved these furry animal friends, so Sirius said he wanted to give the Golden to me and Yezi, I naturally agreed without hesitation.

However, Yezi's concerns were not wrong. We are still students and do not have much energy and time to take care of a big guy. Fortunately, Sirius proposed the "foster care" plan, which gave us the opportunity to take the Golden home temporarily.

"Hehe, good boy."

"Woof!"

Dogs are easy to understand; they don't have the same complicated thoughts as humans. For example, right now it just wants to play, which is why it's nudging my chest with its dark nose... I guess.

"Have you had enough? I'm starting to suspect you're a lecher."

It was still a bit awkward, but I still pushed the dog's head away.

"Wait, what's that?"

Beneath the surface near the reef, something is rapidly approaching Nabu Island, its trajectory clearly visible, like a torpedo.

"... Monster?"

"Woof! Woof!"

The Golden noticed this and began to roar at the sea.

They shielded themselves and the Golden with a Magic Membrane as defense against potential attacks, but unexpectedly, that guy disappeared behind a huge reef on the west side of the beach...

"Woof!"

The Golden charged Past.

"Wait! Danger!"

I tried to stop it, but the cool seawater was up to my calves, and I couldn't outrun it.

When I reached the reef, I didn't see anyone. However, the Golden that had climbed up seemed to have made a discovery; it was carrying something in its mouth...

Wow! I swallowed it!