Chapter Text
Ibusuki Ata sat at the head of a long table with his fellow former magical knights. The meal had already been finished, candles blown out, cake eaten. Strewn across the surface were assorted gifts, all already unwrapped.
“Thank you, everyone,” he said, smiling. Sitting to his right was his boyfriend, Shuzenji Kyoutarou. They held hands under the table. “This was honestly the best birthday I could have asked for.”
Kyoutarou rubbed a circle into Ata’s hand with his thumb before trying to suppress a yawn.
“It’s about to get better!” a voice called out.
A light like a million sparklers shone from the rafters. A certain yellow otter fell from the portal, followed by a blue fennec fox. The two unlikely brothers landed on the table, and the light dispersed.
“Happy birthday!” Karurusu exclaimed.
“We come bearing a gift,” Furanui announced, as his brother continued to chant happy, happy, happy in the background.
“Hm,” Nanao mused. “You didn’t give any of us birthday presents, back when we were acting as your knights…”
“And no graduation presents for the two of us, either,” Taiju added. “You weren’t even in attendance.”
“Those were average birthdays,” Furanui huffed. “This is the birthday of a powerful magician.”
Everyone confusedly looked at Ata, who had an equally dumbfounded expression.
“You…were unaware of your power?” Furanui exclaimed.
“As a child, my parents always told me of our family’s history with magic—that’s why I wasn’t all too surprised when we first met, and you were using magic.”
“Magic outside of Honyara Land is real?” Martha asked.
“Yes,” Ata replied. “But to say that I’m a powerful magician…” He let out a dark laugh. “My parents gave up on me when I was young—I showed no sign of magical ability.”
It was Furanui’s turn to laugh. “That’s where you’re wrong. I can smell a strong magic aura on you—which is why I was a bit surprised when you asked for my power. In fact…” His gaze shifted to Kyoutarou, who was nodding off. “Take a look at what you’re capable of.”
Ata’s eyes widened. “Did I…cast a love spell? Does Kyoutarou not love me?”
Karurusu jumped in and cried out, “He truly loves you, don’t worry! Furanui was referring to his tiredness!”
“What.”
“Back when I visited to see the snow, I noticed how he was still tired,” the otter explained. “But since your grudge against him was gone, and you were courting him, it didn’t make sense!”
Ata squeezed Kyoutarou’s hand. “Are you saying that I caused this?”
Furanui sighed. “Words are powerful. During the final battle between Edelstein and Happy Kiss, you recounted what caused the rift between you two.”
“The bath,” Ata replied. “I still don’t—”
“Ah!” Ryouma exclaimed, remembering. “It was the next day. We met up with you before school, and you were mad. You said—”
Forget it —Ata whispered, the words echoing in his mind.
“And as a result, not only did Kyoutarou forget that you were upset with him,” Furanui explained, “but he—in a sense—also forgot his motivation in life.”
“But he’s only been this bad since starting high school,” Ryouma thought aloud.
“It wouldn’t be an instant switch,” Furanui replied. “I haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact spell—taking care of my son has started to take a toll on me—but it is one that gradually drains from the target.”
“What’s the end result?” Ata asked.
“Don’t worry about that,” the fox said, rushed. “As long as you wear this charm, it will put an end to the drain—and will assist in eventually reversing the spell entirely.”
He nudged a small, long box forward. It was wrapped in pale, iridescent lavender paper that matched Ata’s armor from back when he was Ritter Diamant.
Ata lifted the lid—it was wrapped in such a way that he didn’t need to tear the paper—and saw a wristwatch.
A dark blue band with a light blue, opalescent face, and gold hands.
“It’s beautiful,” Ata said. He gently took it out of the box and put it on his left wrist. “Thank you.”
“Now, something you should know…” Furanui started.
“You can’t take it off!” Karurusu chimed in.
Taishi groaned. “You can’t say that after he’s already put it on!”
“My brother misspoke. This is not like a Happy Brace—you are able to take it off, without our assistance. However, you shouldn’t.”
“Why not?” Ata asked, looking at the hands ticking away.
“Not only will this charm put an end to the drain and help with the reversal spell—it will prevent you from unwittingly casting any more spells before you’re able to control your powers. Since you said that your parents gave up on you being magically gifted, I’m assuming you never learned any proper spells? Or techniques to control your natural power excretion?”
“Correct.”
Words cannot describe how lucky we are that this is the only spell you've ever cast —Furanui muttered.