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Rating:
Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warnings:
Graphic Depictions Of ViolenceMajor Character Death
Category:
F/M
Fandoms:
無職転生 ～異世界行ったら本気だす～ | Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu | Jobless Reincarnation (Anime)呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime)
Characters:
Fushiguro TojiFushiguro Toji's Worm Cursed SpiritSylphiette (Mushoku Tensei)Paul GreyratZenith GreyratLilia GreyratRoxy Migurdia
Additional Tags:
Personal GrowthGrowing UpReincarnationToji Finally Gets a FamilyToji Keeps His RestrictionAnd most importantlyToji Loves His SonBig thanks to chat GPT for proof reading!
Language:
English
Stats:
Published:2025-04-25Updated:2026-08-13Words:60,187Chapters:13/?Comments:47Kudos:116Bookmarks:28Hits:3,991
A Jobless Assassin's Reincarnation
Papaflimzy
Chapter 2: Roxy
Summary:
Roxy is tasked with guiding Sylphy along the path of a mage.
Notes:
Yo! Didn't think this would happen, but a guy by the name of Alucardtarion asked for an update, so here it is. Hope you enjoy :)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"My name's Roxy Migurdia. Pleased to meet you," she said—voice even, if a little monotone.
Paul and Zenith stared down at the girl, while Toji watched from his perch high in his mom's favorite tree.
"You must be the home tutor," Paul said, sounding slightly puzzled.
"Oh, but aren't you awfully…" Zenith trailed off.
The girl—Roxy—was rather short. Her smooth skin and petite frame gave her the appearance of a high schooler.
'Well, this is interesting…' Toji thought. 'Is she all talk, or does she actually have what it takes to teach?'
He remembered Sylphy's raw magical talent and wondered if this girl could really bring it out.
'Guess we'll see.'
"H-Hello!"
Peeking out from behind Zenith's waist, Sylphy's pointed ears were beet red as she worked up the courage to greet her new master.
Roxy glanced down at her. "Are you my new student?"
Sylphy's mouth flapped uselessly for a second before she managed to squeak out a quiet, "Yes."
Roxy sighed and turned, leaning tiredly against the porch railing. "Yeah. Ya hate to see it. Some kid shows signs of being an early bloomer and their idiot parents think that means they're special."
'Whoa,' Toji thought. 'She's either a total idiot for saying that out loud, or she's not here for the money.'
"What did you say?" Zenith asked, voice sharpening.
Judging by how quickly Roxy tried to recover, it was obviously the former.
Moving on from that blunder, she led Sylphy out into the yard for an evaluation while Toji's parents returned to their tasks.
...
Sylphy sat nervously in a chair as Roxy paced nearby, delivering a lecture on general magic theory.
"Generally speaking, there are three main types of magic: attack, healing, and summoning. Spells—and the mages who cast them—are divided into seven ranks: Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced, Saint, King, Emperor, and God."
Sylphy's leg bounced anxiously as she tried to follow every word.
"To use any kind of spell, you need to tap into magical power. This can be your own innate mana or drawn from a dedicated magic circle for—"
Roxy paused, noticing Sylphy's trembling.
"Is something the matter?"
Over the short time she'd been sitting there, Sylphy had grown more and more tense. Never before had she felt such pressure—and now she was facing it alone.
Toji wasn't surprised when the tears started forming in the corners of her eyes.
Roxy shifted uncomfortably, guilt flickering across her face. Clearing her throat, she tried to reassemble her professional mask. To Sylphy, though, it just made her look upset.
"Anyway…" she said flatly, "I'll start by showing you an incantation. Repeat after me."
Sylphy nodded, swallowing back her nerves.
Roxy raised her staff, aiming it directly at Toji's tree—unaware of his presence.
"Let the vast and blessed protection of water converge where thou seekest. I call forth a refreshing burbling stream thereof here. Water Ball!"
Toji watched with interest as a ball of water began forming mid-air, quickly swelling from the size of a softball to that of a basketball.
"Wait, is she—?"
Before he could finish his thought, the spell launched—smashing directly into the base of the tree.
With a loud crack, the young tree toppled, Toji along with it.
...
Roxy spun back to Sylphy, flicking her cloak with dramatic flair.
"So, what do you think?" she asked nonchalantly.
Sylphy winced. "Umm… that was Auntie's favorite tree… She's gonna be really mad when she sees you broke it."
Roxy's eyes widened. Whipping around, she stared at the fallen tree with dread.
"Don't move—I'll be right back!"
Rushing over, she hoisted the broken trunk and muttered a healing spell. The severed halves glowed briefly, then fused back together. The tree straightened slowly, good as new.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned to return—only to spot something odd at the base. Covered in leaves, it looked like a log at first… until she noticed the shoes.
Her breath caught. "Huh?!"
She dropped to her knees beside the figure. "Are you okay?!"
Rolling them over, she came face-to-face with a very unimpressed Toji.
"Sup," he said flatly.
"Oh, thank goodness," she breathed, pulling her hat down to hide her embarrassment.
Sylphy came running over. "Rudy!" she called, waving from the other side of the fence.
Sitting up, Toji brushed the leaves from his shoulders.
"Next time, aim a little higher. That thing almost hit me."
Roxy adjusted her hat, apologetic. "Yes, my apologies. That was a mistake on my part."
Then, lifting her gaze: "But who are you, and why were you up there?"
Toji pointed toward the house. "If you can't tell by the resemblance, I'm the son of the two you spoke to at the door. And I was up there because I wanted to see what you were doing."
"Oh… I see. Then I apologize once again."
She tensed, no doubt realizing how close she'd come to blowing her second impression.
"Don't worry," Toji said, waving a hand. "I'm not mad. And we won't tell my mom about the tree. Right, Sylphy?"
"Huh? Oh—yeah!" she agreed quickly.
Roxy placed a hand to her chest and let out another deep sigh. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me," Toji grinned. "I never said our silence was free."
She froze.
…
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Roxy muttered, sighing as she knelt beside a wheat field ditch.
A soft blue glow lit her palms, water pouring steadily into the dirt.
As she embraced the role of magical spigot, the ground beneath her turned steadily to sludge.
Toji crouched nearby, scooping some of the mixture with his fingers and rubbing it thoughtfully.
"Keep it up, Teach. We're almost there."
Roxy just shook her head. "When we're done with this, we're even. Right?"
"Yeah, yeah," he said absently, still focused on the mud. "Just keep it going."
Eventually, the entire ditch was a thick, squelching mud pit—exactly what Toji had planned.
As they were finishing up the impromptu swamp, Sylphy came sprinting toward them from down the road.
"They're coming!" she called. "They'll be here any minute!"
Toji grinned. "Good. How many?"
"Um… about eight," Sylphy answered, slightly out of breath.
Toji clicked his tongue. "Tch. Was hoping we'd get the whole lot."
He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. The message will get through."
He turned to Roxy. "On my signal, yeah?"
She gave a tired nod. "Just hurry, please."
Toji motioned to Sylphy. "Alright. Let's get this party started."
James was having a great day.
His mom had made eggs and bacon for breakfast, his dad let him use the big axe to chop firewood, and now he and his friends were heading to the river to swim.
All in all, things were perfect.
Until he showed up.
That scary bastard who'd broken his nose—and worse, made him piss himself in front of everyone.
And now he had the nerve to show up again… with that green-haired monster girl at his side.
"What do you want, freaks?!" James shouted, trying to mask his nerves with anger.
The scary one—Toji—just laughed.
"You know, I thought I'd grown past playground insults. But hearing you say that brings back some very bad memories." He shook his head, grinning. "And you don't even know what's coming, do you?"
"Huh?" James blinked, confused.
"You remember what you did to poor Sylphy here?" Toji gestured toward the girl beside him.
"What do you mean?" James asked, still trying to play dumb.
Toji sighed. "Seriously? You don't remember the reason I broke your nose?"
James frowned, wracking his brain—then finally it clicked.
"Oh. You mean when we threw the mud?"
"Yeah, dipshit. The mud."
James shrugged. "What about it?"
Toji's grin widened. "Ever heard of the phrase, 'an eye for an eye'? Thought I'd give you a demonstration."
He turned toward the road and shouted:
"Fire!"
The sky darkened.
James looked up. What was moments ago a clear blue sky was now shrouded by a fast-moving black mass.
One of his friends gasped. "W-What is that?"
Before anyone could react, chaos erupted.
"Run!" someone screamed.
James turned just in time to see his friends tripping over each other in a mad dash to escape.
But he just stood there, staring upward.
SPLAT.
A massive glob of mud slammed into his face, knocking him flat on his back.
Then it rained.
Splat. Splat. Splat. SplatSplatSplat—
"Agh!"
"Ugh!"
"Ghh—!"
The clearing was filled with shrieks and groans as mud pelted the screaming kids from above, merciless and endless.
From a safe distance, Toji watched with a satisfied smirk.
"What do you think?" he asked, glancing over at Sylphy.
She looked from the chaos to him, then frowned. "Are you sure we won't get in trouble? The grown-ups are gonna find all the mud…"
He waved it off. "Don't worry. I already thought of that. And if it comes to that, I'll take the blame. This was my idea, after all."
Her eyes widened. She stepped forward and grabbed his arm.
"No! I-I'll take the blame too!"
Grabbing his arm, she looked determined.
Amused, he patted her shoulder with a smirk.
"Well, since you seem so willing, why don't you take all the blame?"
Sylphy's face paled.
"W-wait, no, that's not—!"
"Don't worry Sylphy! I don't mind." He gave her his most benevolent smile. "I'm sure Roxy'll appreciate it too, I'll make sure to tell her about your noble sacrifice."
With that, he turned and started walking away.
Sylphy stood frozen for a moment. Then:
"Wait! I take it back! I don't want to get in trouble!"
She ran after him, voice cracking with panic.
Back at the battlefield, the pile of mud began to shift.
Cough. Hack.
One by one, the kids dragged themselves out of the sludge, spitting out dirt and rubbing their eyes.
James stumbled to his feet, caked in mud from head to toe. Still dazed, he scanned the mess around him.
"James!" one of the kids yelled. "This is all your fault!"
He turned toward the voice—but the speaker was indistinguishable beneath the thick mud.
"Yeah! It's his fault they got us!"
SPLAT.
As he looked for the second voice, he was suddenly struck in a face by a ball of mud.
SPLAT
Then another.
SPLAT. SPLAT.
They were all throwing mud now. At him.
"Wait—what?! Stop! It wasn't—!"
Soon all of his 'friends' were throwing mud at him.
…
Once the kids were gone, Toji, Roxy, and Sylphy returned to the scene. With a brief incantation, Roxy cast a spell that dried the mud. It only took a few more minutes to sweep away the excess dirt—and just like that, all evidence was gone.
Back at the house, the trio found a spot under a tree and sat down. Throughout the ordeal, Roxy had been oddly quiet—aside from a few grumbles here and there.
Noticing her mood, Toji glanced at Sylphy with a smirk.
"So, Sylphy, how's your first day of magic training been?" he asked.
Leaning back in the grass, she stretched and smiled.
"Really fun! I didn't know magic could be so funny!" she giggled. "I hope Teacher shows me how to do the mud magic first!"
Roxy's eye twitched.
"Yeah, me too," Toji added, laughing louder than necessary. "It might not be fancy, but it's cool."
Her expression soured.
"I mean, if someone as small as her can do it, I know you'll be just fine, Sylphy."
That last jab seemed to hit a nerve.
"Oh, you think it's easy, huh? For 'small people'?" Roxy stood up and grabbed both of them by the collars. "Alright, let's see how you two midgets do. Time for a test."
She awkwardly dragged them to an open area, then straightened her cloak with exaggerated dignity.
"We're going to assess your aptitude. You should remember this from earlier, but I'll say it again. Listen and repeat after me!"
Raising her staff, she chanted:
"Let the vast and blessed protection of water converge where thou seekest. I call forth a refreshing burbling stream thereof here. Water Ball!"
A sphere of water formed in the air, grew to the size of a basketball, and launched off into the distance.
Turning back to them with a smug smile, she declared, "Your turn!"
Sylphy immediately began sweating.
"I-I…" She froze under the pressure.
Toji didn't even react—he just turned to Sylphy. "You heard her, give it a try. Don't stress about it, just breathe."
Following his advice, Sylphy closed her eyes and took a few steady breaths. Whether it was his calm tone or the breathing, it helped. She opened her eyes, raised her hand, and said:
"Let the vast and blessed protection of water converge where thou seekest. I call forth a refreshing burbling stream thereof here. Water Ball!"
Not a single stutter. As if rewarding her effort, the air shimmered. Water swirled and pulled into a tight sphere, nearly matching Roxy's. Then it launched with a satisfying splash.
She stared at the path it flew, awestruck.
Clap clap clap.
Toji grinned at Roxy. As expected, her eyes were wide.
"I did it!" Sylphy cheered, leaping into a hug and tackling Toji to the ground. "You saw it, right?!"
He chuckled, patting her back. "Yup. You were amazing."
"Wait... is she actually a genius?" Roxy muttered, still stunned.
Toji stood and helped Sylphy to her feet. "Didn't you read the letter?"
That snapped Roxy out of it. She fixed him with a look. "Fine, but you still haven't tried."
Her smirk returned. "So? Show us what you've got."
He shook his head. "Nah. Me and magic don't mix. And you were only hired to teach her, remember?"
Roxy waved that off. "Don't worry, this lesson's on the house. I'm curious to see if you've got any hidden potential."
Her smile was polite. Her eyes weren't.
He sighed. "Ask again and I'll tell my parents you're trying to scam money out of them by making me take lessons."
She froze. "Y-You wouldn't…"
He didn't blink. "Up to you."
She visibly shivered.
Dropping to her knees, she cried, "Fine, fine, you win! If you slander me, I'll lose all my credibility! No one will hire me! I'll be forced back into adventuring!"
Apparently, despite looking young, Roxy had once been an adventurer. From what Toji's mom had said, she must've been a skilled mage. But clearly, the job didn't suit her. Which made this teaching gig more than just a job—it was her lifeline.
Toji sighed. Now he just felt kind of bad for her.
"Alright, alright. I was kidding."
He paused, an old thought surfacing.
"But I do have a question."
She blinked, wary. "What?"
"Do you need to say the chant for the spell to work?"
She hesitated, surprised by the normalcy of the question. Clearing her throat, she answered, "Yes. There are some cases of what's called 'silent casting,' but it's rare and not well understood. For most mages, incantation is necessary."
Toji nodded, rubbing his chin. "What about shortening the chant?"
Her brow furrowed. "It might be possible. I've read that incantations were longer in the past, then shortened over generations. I'm not an expert, though."
'If mana is anything like cursed energy,' Toji thought, 'then it should be possible to get a feeling for using it without the incantation. Those 'extremely rare' mages must have just been born with an abnormally high sense of mana which helped them figure it out.'
Though he was unable to use cursed energy himself, he'd studied it to no end in his previous life due to his occupation.
'Maybe we just look at this like learning to ride a bike without training wheels.' He reasoned.
He turned to Sylphy. "Hey, when you said the chant, did you feel the mana move?"
"Um, yeah. I think so."
"Want to try something?"
She nodded.
"Close your eyes. Focus on that feeling. Say the chant if you have to, but try to recreate the sensation without using the words."
Roxy silently watched.
Sylphy closed her eyes and concentrated. A minute passed. Toji felt the mana stir—but then Sylphy slumped.
"I can't!" she groaned. "Even saying it in my head didn't work."
Roxy nodded. "As expected. The pronunciation is essential."
But Toji's eyes narrowed. 'She was close.'
"Let's try again." He stepped forward, gently raising her wrist. "Say the chant slowly. Focus on the path the mana takes."
Sylphy nodded and repeated the incantation, deliberately and with care. As she did, Toji traced the flow of mana around her.
The spell cast successfully. Water shot out.
"Feel it that time?" he asked.
"Mhm," she nodded.
"Good. Now remember that feeling. Follow the same path. See if you can draw it out again."
Sylphy closed her eyes. The air shifted. Mana stirred. But it was different—calmer, more stable.
He released her hand.
Then, slowly, water lines coalesced and spiraled into a ball.
Her eyes shot open.
"I did it!" she beamed, launching it skyward.
The water burst into mist as it rose, and for a moment, a small rainbow shimmered overhead.
"Great job." Toji smiled, patting her back.
Roxy was frozen.
"H-How?" she muttered. "You don't just teach silent casting…" Her eyes locked on him. "Wait. Are you secretly a Divine Mage?!"
He burst out laughing. "Yup, absolutely. But don't tell anyone—I'm keeping it secret."
Sylphy gasped. "Really?! Rudy, that's amazing! Auntie says Divine Mages are basically gods!"
Toji couldn't decide if he should ride the joke or ruin the illusion.
Roxy deadpanned. "Are you being serious right now? Because I can't tell."
He just yawned loudly. "Anyway, I'm beat. Gonna grab lunch and take a nap."
Sylphy pouted. "But it hasn't even been that long! I still want to learn more magic!"
He pointed at Roxy. "Well, your teacher's right there, isn't she?"
Sylphy glanced at Roxy, then back at him. "Yeah… but she's not as good as you."
Toji laughed as Roxy visibly flinched.
He straightened his back and put on a dramatic tone. "While that is definitely true, Roxy is still best suited for your level. Once you're a full-fledged mage, then come see me."
Then, lowering his voice just enough for Roxy to hear:
"And Sylphy—don't say that. You're hurting her feelings."
With that, he turned and walked toward the house, leaving Sylphy and a red-faced Roxy behind.
…
After that, things began to change in the Greyrat household.
Though Sylphy was the student, her own home wasn't large enough to accommodate Roxy for extended visits. So, having already paid a fair sum for the tutoring, the Greyrats made another generous offer: they would house Roxy themselves.
Toji wasn't aware of this—so he was surprised to see Roxy sitting at their dinner table that evening.
"So, how did Sylphy's first day of training go?" Lilith asked with a teasing smile.
The source of her amusement was obvious: the heavy air hanging around their blue-haired guest.
Roxy sat hunched forward, barely poking at her food. The confident arrogance she'd carried earlier had completely vanished, replaced by a quiet, empty expression.
She didn't respond for a long moment. Whether it was from delayed processing or simple exhaustion, Toji couldn't tell.
"Well…" she finally muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.
The vague answer only made Lilith more concerned.
"Is something the matter?" she asked gently. "You seem… under the weather."
Roxy sighed. "There's no problem. Really. I just… had an eye-opening experience today. I'm still processing it."
Lilith blinked, uncertain how to reply.
Toji, unable to resist, stepped in with a grin. "What she means is that Sylphy did something today that even she can't do. I think it humbled her a little."
All eyes turned to him—then shifted to Roxy for confirmation.
"Is that right?" Paul asked. "Is Sylphy really that gifted?"
Roxy didn't lift her gaze. She simply nodded once, solemnly.
That seemed to lift the tension in the room. The atmosphere grew lighter, and conversation soon returned to normal—save for one defeated mage still silently contemplating her life choices.
…
The addition of a new resident in the Greyrat household was… jarring, at least for Toji.
Not that it was terrible. Roxy was actually really quiet—so quiet, in fact, he often forgot she was there. Except, of course, for the rare moments she'd show up to ask him about magic.
What baffled Toji was how easily his knowledge of cursed energy translated into this world's magic.
Take incantations, for example. Roxy, who still couldn't pull off silent casting no matter how hard she tried, had now turned her focus toward developing a new method—one that used shorter, abbreviated chants.
Thanks to his success teaching Sylphy, she often sought his opinion.
"The method you suggested worked!" she said one day, crouching beside him under the shade of a tree. "When I abbreviate the words in the chant, the spell still functions. But it seems to react oddly depending on the wording."
Lying back against the trunk, Toji chewed lazily on a blade of grass.
'It really is a lot like cursed speech,' he mused.
"You're thinking about it too technically," he said, spitting the grass out. "I don't think the words themselves are what matter—it's the caster's understanding of them."
Roxy narrowed her eyes. "So… you're saying I need shorter words with more precise meaning?"
He closed his eyes, thinking it over.
'With cursed speech, the effect depends on the user's cursed energy and the target's comprehension. But here, it seems to depend only on the caster's grasp of what they're saying.'
"Still too narrow," he replied. "Let me ask you—do words have meaning by themselves, or do they get their meaning from the person using them?"
Without hesitation, Roxy answered, "From the person using them, of course."
"Then why should the specific words matter, if the meaning comes from you?"
She blinked, stunned into silence.
Then, suddenly, she jumped to her feet.
"I'm going to try something real quick!" she announced, then paused mid-turn. With a swift bow, she added, "Thanks for your help!"
And with that, she sprinted off.
Toji exhaled and settled back into his nap. A quiet chuckle escaped him as he closed his eyes.
'Never in a million years did I think I'd end up teaching kids.'
…
From there, the days of teaching and learning continued. Sylphy blossomed quickly into an excellent mage.
Toji helped where he could, offering his insights to both Sylphy and Roxy—something they both requested often.
Meanwhile, Paul continued to train Rudy, teaching him the three main sword styles: Sword God, Water God, and North God.
Toji had mixed feelings about them. Each style had its strengths and weaknesses, but compared to the martial arts and cursed techniques from his old world, they felt... lacking. Still, he made mental notes to experiment with them later.
Paul, impressed by how fast Toji picked them up, praised his skill constantly. That had been a mistake on Toji's part—he hadn't realized these techniques were considered prestigious here.
He still remembered the cold dread he felt after overhearing Paul and Zenith discussing sending him to a sword school.
The thought of losing these peaceful days made him shiver.
And it was getting harder to hold back. His physical abilities were already so refined that he suspected he could hold his own against Paul in a real fight.
It shocked even him—he hadn't been this strong in his previous life until he was in his teens. Now, at five, he could crush thick branches like twigs with only one hand.
With no clear explanation, he chalked it up to Paul and Zenith's genetics.
Eventually, two years passed in a flash, and the fruits of Sylphy's training were finally put to the test.
Toji followed behind her and Roxy who were on horseback as they made their way out to a large open field on the edge of the village.
They dismounted by a tree, tied the reins, and walked out a bit farther. Toji remained near the horse, watching from a distance.
Roxy raised her staff. Mana stirred in the air as clouds formed overhead. Thunder rolled, and rain began to fall as a powerful hurricane was created. The horse neighed in panic and broke free—but Toji caught the reins and held it steady.
The storm faded as Roxy drew back her mana. Then, turning to Sylphy, she gave her an encouraging pat on the back.
Sylphy stepped forward, holding up her wand tipped with a green crystal, which had been gifted to her by Roxy. She raised it confidently, made a deliberate motion, and summoned her own storm.
Toji smiled. "There ya go, Sylphy. Just like we practiced."
Lightning cracked. Wind roared. Then, as her hand lowered, the storm vanished—leaving only silence.
Sylphy turned to Roxy, eyes shining with hope.
Toji, despite the distance, could hear her clearly thanks to his superhuman hearing.
"It's kind of bittersweet," Roxy said. "In two years, you learned what took me a lifetime to master. Congratulations, Sylphy. You're now a Saint-class water mage."
Sylphy squealed with joy and launched herself into Roxy's arms. The two laughed together in celebration before returning to the horse.
Upon seeing Toji, Sylphy lit up again and tackled him into a hug.
"Rudy! Did you see?! I made the cloud! I did it!"
He returned the hug with a smile.
"Yeah, I saw. You were amazing."
Roxy mounted the horse, adjusting the reins.
"Nice catch with the horse. Would've been a pain walking back."
Toji smirked.
"I'll just add that to the pile of favors you owe me."
She sighed.
"Please don't. I don't want to be part of any more of your schemes. The village still thinks poorly of me after 'the incident' last year."
Toji nodded solemnly.
"Yeah, that one's on me. I didn't expect the cow to show up."
"Or the carriage," Sylphy added.
Roxy shivered.
"Let's not talk about it. I only just stopped having nightmares."
After helping Sylphy up onto the horse, the three rode home.
…
That very evening, they stood at the front door, saying goodbye.
Roxy held the same suitcase she had the day she arrived—only now, Toji and Sylphy were taller, and Sylphy no longer hid behind Zenith.
"You can't go!" Sylphy cried, clinging to Roxy's waist with tears streaming down her face.
Zenith stepped forward with a panicked expression, Paul standing behind her with a matching look.
"Roxy, you know you're more than welcome to stay here," Zenith said.
"That's very kind of you," Roxy replied, gently peeling Sylphy off her. "But I'd like to travel for a while—to grow stronger and refine my magic."
Paul stepped forward, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
"My apologies, I'm sorry our son has dragged your reputation through the mud." Though his words could come across as mocking, the sincerity in his tone told otherwise. "It's understandable you would want to leave after what happened last year—"
"No! Absolutely not!" Roxy cut him off, flustered. "I'm purely leaving because I want to better myself, not because of that!"
Paul and Zenith exchanged sympathetic glances.
"A-Anyway," Roxy said, regaining her composure, "it's time I go."
She gave Sylphy a big, final hug, then turned to Toji and cleared her throat.
"Rudy. Though you're much younger than me, I'll admit—you're wise beyond your years. Your insight has helped me grow more than I expected. I leave a better mage because of you."
She reached behind her neck, unclasping something hidden by her collar.
"I've already gifted Sylphy a wand," she said. "But I'd like to give you something too."
She placed a necklace in his hands.
"…Uh. What is it?" he asked, blinking.
"It's an amulet from my village," she said. "Think of it as a thank-you."
Looking at it stirred something in him—a strange feeling that made his chest tighten. A wave of memories hit him all at once.
"I'll treasure it," he said quietly.
He didn't know why he said it. He just knew he had to.
"I was hoping you'd say that," Roxy smiled.
Then, with a final wave, she turned and walked away.
The four of them watched her go. But as she shrank into the distance, Toji glanced down at the necklace in his hands. That tight feeling returned—and without thinking, he broke into a sprint.
When he was close enough, he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled:
"Hey! Teach! Don't think this covers your debts!"
Though she didn't turn around, Toji knew she heard his words… because she began walking a lot faster.
Letting his hands drop, he clutched the necklace to his chest, then slowly tied it around his neck. As soon as it settled into place, the tightness disappeared.
He looked after her retreating figure, then smiled softly.
"See ya, Roxy. Gonna miss ya."
And with that, he turned and walked back to where his family was waiting.
Notes:
If you liked it then don't forget to leave a comment, they are literally the only reason I even continued this. Have a blessed day!
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