Rebirth From Ordinary Person To The Strongest

Though I say "finally," there isn't anything particularly significant about turning six. My family of four had a birthday party for me, and I received a cake and birthday presents.

My birthday present was a silver necklace crafted from the Iho of Raikou Douji. In my previous life, I thought that guys who wore necklaces were all extroverts and my enemies, but who would've thought I'd end up wearing one myself? Life is full of surprises.

By the way, the reason it was made into a necklace was explained by my father during the birthday party:

"Other exorcists would typically make it into a ring or earrings to wear, but… You're still young, Itsuki. Piercings are out of the question, and rings won't fit once you start growing. So, I thought a necklace would be best."

I see. Now that he mentions it, a necklace does seem like the only option. I mean, a ring is out of the question, and piercings are painful and scary. Besides, I'm only six years old! Getting a piercing at six is way too extreme—it shouldn't even be an option.

So, I'm now diligently training with the shimmering yellow Iho of Raikou Douji literally hanging around my neck.

I'm training with Renji-san.

"Itsuki-kun, behind you."

"…Huh!?"

With a soft thud, I was knocked forward by a cushion that came flying at me from behind. I landed on a thick mat laid out in front of me, feeling its soft texture beneath my body. This mat is really soft.

For the record, I'm currently in the training hall of the Shimotsuki household.

"Didn't you notice that?"

"No, I didn't! I couldn't see anything…"

I stood up from the mat and said that to Renji-san. The reason I couldn't see anything wasn't just because the cushion came from behind—I'm currently blindfolded.

"Yeah, that's the point of this training. But there are monsters that can take away your five senses. To counter that, you need to sharpen your sense of 'Silveit.'"

"…Even if my five senses are taken away, my sense of 'Silveit' won't be affected?"

"That's because it's a sixth sense."

Wait, this is the sixth sense!?

The sixth sense refers to a supernatural sense, something like a gut feeling that makes you take a different route and avoid an accident or a dream about a distant relative who passes away at the same time you dream about them.

In my previous life, the term "sixth sense" had a bit of a negative connotation due to sketchy psychics getting attention on TV, so I wasn't too fond of the word. It sounded too much like the occult.

Though, in a world with magic and fairy tales as history, there's probably no point in calling anything occult.

"Alright, we're going again. Spread your 'Silveit' around like a barrier and sharpen your senses."

With that, Renji-san's footsteps disappeared. The reason I'm doing this training with Renji-san instead of my father is simple.

My house was destroyed.

When Raikou Douji attacked, the mansion where I had lived for six years was half-destroyed. My father and others are currently searching for a demolition company to rebuild it. I don't even want to think about how much money this will cost, but my father told me not to worry about it.

By the way, my mother has a dream of having an island kitchen and is already excited about the new house. It seems a bit early for that, though.

"Hey, pay attention."

While I was lost in thought, a cushion flew in from the right. Since I was distracted by unnecessary thoughts, I was late to react and fell onto the mat again.

This is hopeless. I still can't sense this so-called 'Silveit' at all.

"It's unusual for you to struggle this much, Itsuki-kun."

"…Ugh."

Yes, I've been doing this training for over five hours now. But no matter how long it takes, I want to master this sixth sense.

The one who suggested I enhance my sensitivity to 'Silveit' and train to sense it rather than relying on my vision was my father.

According to him, the subtle sensation of 'Silveit' can be internalized to the point where the body reacts automatically when fighting monsters.

To put it simply, it allows you to instinctively move your body whenever you sense danger. The benefits of this in battle against monsters are obvious.

After all, there are monsters that not only move quickly but also use sneak attacks.

Take, for example, the acorn-dropping monsters I fought in the forest. I only managed to deal with them because I noticed the 'Silveit' wrapped around the acorns in time—if I had reacted even a little slower, I would've been dead.

But by enhancing the sense of 'Silveit,' I could move based on intuition before even seeing the enemy's magic.

However, there's a problem:

"This time, it's above you."

A cushion dropped from above, landing softly on my head.

"You still can't sense it?"

"…No, I can't sense it at all."

I just can't perceive the weak sensation of 'Silveit.'

"Itsuki-kun, you have the 'True Eye,' right? You can see other people's 'Silveit,' can't you?"

"Yes! I can see it."

"That might be the problem. You've been relying on your vision, so you haven't noticed the weak sensation of 'Silveit.'"

"…I see."

I nodded deeply at Renji-san's words.

Come to think of it, I've always fought by seeing the 'Silveit' during training with my father and in battles against monsters. That's a strategy I could use because I have the 'True Eye,' giving me an overwhelming advantage against those who can't see it.

But if relying on it has dulled my other senses, I can only agree with his point.

One of the clients at the printing company I worked for in my previous life was an elderly president who loved to share his thoughts with younger people. One of his complaints was, "Young people can't read maps."

By "maps," he meant paper maps. According to him, "Young people who've gotten used to smartphones can't figure out their current location or plan a route when given a paper map. It's truly lamentable."

At the time, I thought, "Well, with smartphones around, there's no need to use a paper map," but this situation is similar to what I'm going through now.

I've become so accustomed to something convenient that when suddenly given something less convenient, I can't handle it.

"But you don't need to rush, Itsuki-kun. You're only five years old. Kids your age are usually just practicing 'Thread Techniques (Shijutsu),' not even using magic yet. No one's training to sense 'Silveit.'"

"I'm six years old now."

"Oh, right. You'll be a first-grader in April."

Renji-san let out a breath and then said, "You can take off the blindfold now," so I removed it.

"Let's take a break. Sharpening your senses is exhausting."

"Yes!"

I took off the blindfold and let out a deep breath. My body wasn't physically tired, but I felt mentally drained.

As I was taking deep breaths to fill my lungs with fresh air, Renji-san, with a mischievous grin, spoke to me.

"Hey, Itsuki-kun."

"Yes?"

"Just a little… Just a little is fine. Can you show me the lightning magic…?"

"Uh?"

It was the first time someone asked me for something like that, so I let out a weird sound in surprise. It's a strange request to ask someone to show them magic. And it's even more surprising coming from Renji-san. What's going on?

Maybe sensing my confusion, Renji-san continued in a whisper.

"Well, you know, you can generate lightning with 'Attribute Change,' but controlling it freely is something else entirely, right? So I'm really curious to see how it works…!"

Renji-san's eyes sparkled with excitement.

Ah, I see. Men will always be boys, no matter how old they get.

Understanding his feelings, I nodded. I couldn't help but sympathize.

I want to see cool things no matter how old I get.

"Just a little, okay…!"

Somewhat embarrassed, I quickly channeled my magic into Raikou Douji's Iho. The sound of 'Resonance' rang out as my magic merged with Raikou Douji's.

In the next instant, a crackling sound filled the air as lightning enveloped my entire body.

"Wow, real lightning… It's like your whole body is coursing with it, but doesn't it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt at all."

"Really? That's definitely magic for you… So, what kind of magic is this?"

"It's body enhancement."

"Huh?"

"I used the lightning to enhance my reflexes and strength."

"Hmm…? You used lightning for that?"

Of course, there are advantages to using lightning for body enhancement that you don't get with ordinary methods.

Would Renji-san notice?

Just as I wondered, Renji-san suddenly clapped his hands.

"Oh! So that's how it works!!"

Looks like he figured it out. As expected of him.

"This body enhancement only requires one thread of 'Silveit,' doesn't it?"

"Yes! Normally, you'd have to wrap 'Silveit' around your legs and arms individually for body enhancement, but this enhances the whole body with just one thread!"

"That's really clever!"

This magic doesn't have a name yet. I wonder what I should call it?

"Still, Itsuki-kun, it's impressive how quickly you've mastered the Iho… Did you find lightning magic particularly interesting?"

"Yes! It's incredibly useful!"

Renji-san and I laughed together, the sound echoing through the training hall.

Meanwhile, Aya-chan, who had been watching us, had a look on her face that said, "Why are you two getting excited over that…?" But I decided to pretend I didn't see that. Men are like that.