"Tora-chan, how was today's class?"
"That much was easy to understand."
"Fuh, fuu~n, you're something else..."
She sighed lightly, as if trying to hide her frustration, and gave me a glare.
Honestly, I was a bit upset that my grades weren’t as good as hers.
On our way back from school, we started talking about being thirsty, so we decided to stop by the park.
As I was about to take my wallet out from my bag to buy a drink from the vending machine, something else fell out along with it.
"Ah!"
That thing! I rushed to pick it up, but his hand reached for it first.
"What’s this? Looks like a piece of gum."
He looked at it with curiosity, but I quickly snatched it out of his hand.
"Give that back!"
"What’s the big deal? I picked it up. So, what is it?"
For a moment, I hesitated whether I should answer him or not.
But... if I tried to brush it off too much, he’d probably become suspicious.
Besides, only I can use this, so...
"Well... it’s called a CA (Cellular Automaton) device."
I sighed inwardly as I realized I had just said it out loud.
"CA device?"
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
His eyes sparkled, and he stared at it intently.
"Umm, well, it’s a special tool given to students in the advanced class. It can... do a lot of things."
I stared at his face, hoping he would be satisfied with this answer.
"I’ll tell you this, but don’t mention it to anyone else. We’ll get in trouble with the teachers if you do. It’s a secret."
"Alright... but let me see it a little more."
He leaned in slightly, eager to take a closer look.
"...Well, just a little bit."
I sighed and handed it to him.
"Wow, it’s pretty light. Feels like plastic..."
He looked at it, turning it over with a sense of wonder.
"Slide the middle part."
I prompted him, and he cautiously slid the device.
Inside, a translucent pink stone appeared.
It looked like a marble that had been cut in half.
It was my stone.
"...Is that it?"
He sounded a little disappointed, as though expecting something more to happen.
"Yeah. That’s all, Tora-chan. Only people like me, in the advanced class—"
Just then, a child's crying voice reached us from across the park.
Looking over, a little boy had fallen and scraped his knee.
"It hurts..."
Tora-chan immediately sprang into action, and we both rushed over to him.
"Are you okay?"
I asked gently.
Looking at the boy’s knee, I noticed blood was starting to seep from the scraped area. I frowned instinctively.
He must’ve fallen in a bad spot; the wound seemed deeper than I expected.
"This is bad! Do you have anything?"
I had a bandage, but it wouldn’t stop the bleeding. What should I do...?
"Do you remember what happened earlier?"
I glanced up at him.
"We can’t deal with this now! We need to treat him quickly!"
Tora-chan’s voice was urgent.
"That’s why! Do you remember?!"
I asked him a little more forcefully.
"Y-yeah... I remember. The part about keeping it a secret?"
I confirmed his hesitant answer and took a deep breath.
I hadn’t planned to show him, but for the boy’s sake...
--- ROCK ON!
As I moved the slide on the CA device, a mechanical voice sounded.
"Rose Quartz!"
Along with my voice, the device broke with a cracking sound, and pink aura surrounded me.
I gently placed my hand over the boy’s knee.
The soft light wrapped around the wound, and it healed almost instantly.
"The wound... What...?!"
He gasped in surprise.
"Ha. This is the power of the CA device. Only students in the advanced class or those with a license can use it."
"Thank you, big sis!"
The boy, now full of energy, ran off happily, and I quietly deactivated the ability.
I retrieved the re-crystallized Rose Quartz, set it in the new CA device, and put it back into my bag.
I should make sure I don’t drop it again.
"See... that’s what I meant!"
I flashed a peace sign while smiling at Tora-chan, who looked at me dumbfounded.
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