— — — — — —
Kazuma took the floating cannon out from his Treasury. It wasn't shaped like wings as one might expect, but more like an oval orb—sleek, metallic, and humming faintly with power. The whole thing radiated a sense of high technology, its surface etched with intricate magical runes. The combination of tech and magic gave it a kind of otherworldly beauty.
"A magic floating cannon. Has basic auto-targeting, but you can also control it directly with your thoughts."
He examined the thing closely. "Three modes: gravitational, attraction, and repulsion."
"It can be charged externally or with internal power cells—but for me, I can just use mana."
Kazuma studied the cannon a little longer, then glanced toward a pile of ruins nearby. Perfect test target.
"Switch to gravity mode."
The floating cannon lit up red and hovered beside him. A low hum built in the air—and in an instant, the ruins in the distance were flattened as if crushed by an invisible hand.
"No mana bullets, no flashy energy blasts—just pure, righteous pressure from above."
"Hmm… not as destructive as a full magic beam cannon, but it's way more efficient."
Kazuma nodded in satisfaction. In gravity mode, the cannon unleashed a sudden field of crushing force, flattening everything inside its radius. Its raw strength wasn't world-ending, maybe comparable to Natsu's level, but the efficiency was absurd—same mana, ten times the output.
If he ever needed to fight seriously, he could summon thousands—no, tens of thousands—of these things. The sheer combined firepower and coverage would outclass any beam cannon.
"Alright, next—switch to attraction mode."
The light shifted from red to gold. A massive boulder nearby trembled, then shot toward him as if pulled by an unseen magnet.
"Not bad. The gravity mode's great for crushing, but this attraction mode can restrain enemies—or even rip them apart if I surround them." He smirked. "A cannon dismemberment technique… sounds nasty."
Satisfied, Kazuma moved on to the last setting.
"Switch to repulsion mode."
The cannon's glow turned blue again. A faint translucent shield shimmered around him, just in time for the giant rock to crash against it—and bounce away harmlessly.
"Attack, control, defense—gravity, attraction, and repulsion. This magic floating cannon really is perfect."
"Maybe I'll hand one out to each of the girls. Hmm… though they can't use thought-link control like I can."
"Still, if it's just one cannon per person, they should manage."
Then an idea hit him.
"Wait—gravity mode can adjust strength, right? I could even use this thing for gravity training…"
He spent half the night testing his new toy before finally putting it away, planning to distribute them the next morning.
...
Morning came.
"Alright girls, I've got new gear for you—magic floating cannons! One for each. I'll teach you how to use them."
He handed one to each of the hundred or so little girls. He could afford it—being rich and generous had its perks.
"What's this thing?" Enju poked curiously at the orb floating beside her. "It's… kinda cute."
"Wait—hey, I'm flying!"
Sure enough, she'd stepped onto the cannon and was slowly rising into the air, laughing joyfully.
"The floating cannon will automatically sync with you once activated," Kazuma explained. "It has two control modes. Auto—where it follows commands but feels kinda stiff—and manual, where you guide it directly with your thoughts."
"If you can multitask, you'll be able to fight and control the cannon at the same time."
"There are three attack modes—let me show you…"
After the short lesson, he left them to experiment on their own, while he went off to train using the gravity mode for body conditioning.
"This thing's so fun! Kayano, Kayo—look, I'm flying!" Enju zipped around gleefully, giggling as the cannon carried her higher and higher.
"Childish," Kayo muttered, though her eyes glimmered with interest. "That's a serious weapon, not a toy."
Still, temptation got the better of her. She slowly rose into the air as the gravitational pull lifted her up.
"Oh, come on!" Enju laughed. "Now you're playing too!"
"I'm not playing! I'm… testing its functions," Kayo said quickly, cheeks pink. "I'm going to be the guild's top scientist and doctor someday—I need to understand this tech!"
She tried to sound serious, but the sparkle in her eyes betrayed her excitement.
Meanwhile, Sanae was busy testing repulsion mode.
"If I form a repulsion field, it should deflect attacks automatically… oh, that's awesome."
After some experimenting, she noticed something interesting.
"Kayano, hit me! Let's test this thing!"
"Okay, here I come!" Kayano picked up a rock, wound up, and threw it hard—so hard it cracked the air with a boom.
She didn't hold back at all—Kazuma had trained them to strike decisively. Sanae, startled, dodged on reflex. The rock exploded harmlessly against the ground.
"Ah—sorry, reflex! Let's try again!"
Kayano nodded. "Ok, here I come."
Thud!
The rock slammed into the repulsion field and instantly turned to dust.
"Again!" Sanae called, taking note of the force distribution. Kayano threw another—same result.
"Yup, just as I thought." Sanae's eyes lit up. "The repulsion field works like our 'Iron Body' technique. It can cover the whole body or focus on one point."
"When it's spread out, defense is average—but if you collapse the field into one spot, the strength skyrockets."
"And if we reshape it dynamically, we could counter different kinds of attacks. The flexibility's incredible!"
The others stared at her in awe.
"Sanae, you're amazing! How'd you figure that out so fast?"
"Because you barely learned Iron Body."
"I knew it. Sanae really is our natural tank!"
Laughter rippled through the group as they started experimenting based on her discovery.
Kazuma wandered over, overhearing the commotion. When he heard her explanation, his expression brightened in realization.
"Well I'll be damned… The next generation really does outshine the last."
He couldn't help but admire them. These kids were freakishly gifted when it came to combat intuition.
"Guild Master," Kayo piped up, tugging his sleeve. "Can I have one more floating cannon?"
"You could, but having more isn't always better," he said. "If your mind can't handle multiple links, it'll just backfire."
He could command thousands at once thanks to his mental strength and the Treasury of the King. But for the girls, multitasking like that wasn't easy—it was like trying to draw a circle with one hand and a square with the other.
"Two should be fine for me," Kayo said confidently. She was, after all, a dolphin-type Initiator, gifted with high intelligence and memory. Splitting her focus came naturally.
"Alright then," Kazuma said, handing her a second cannon before turning to go train again.
He only managed two steps before Kayo tugged on his sleeve.
"And I came up with a new way to use them."
Kazuma raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"See, in gravity mode the attack only goes downward, but if I use two cannons in repulsion mode…"
She raised her hands, and the pair of floating orbs around her hummed to life. Two repulsion fields flared between them, trapping a rock in midair. In the next second, the rock was crushed to dust under the opposing forces.
"Now it can attack from multiple directions," she said proudly. "The pressure's even stronger than gravity mode."
"And if I use attraction to lift enemies into the air first… then switch to repulsion…" Her eyes gleamed. "Total midair annihilation."
Kazuma couldn't help but smile. Repulsion, originally meant for defense, turned into a deadly offensive technique in her hands.
"Kayo, you really are a genius. Our future first scientist for sure," he praised warmly.
She ducked her head shyly. Her usual quiet expression didn't change much, but the sparkle in her eyes gave away her happiness. Kazuma chuckled inwardly. So that's what this was about—she'd gotten jealous when he praised Sanae earlier and came running to prove herself. Cute.
He patted her on the head. "You did great."
Just then, Enju came bouncing over, grinning ear to ear.
"If that's how you play, then I've got an idea too!"
She took a deep breath, crouched down, and leapt high into the air. Right on cue, her floating cannon shot under her, releasing a gravity pulse that yanked her upward. Then, midair, it flipped to repulsion mode and blasted her forward again.
Over and over she repeated the combo, bouncing like a pinball across the training ground, each jump faster and stronger than the last.
"See? I can jump higher and hit harder this way!" she bragged, hands on hips. "Pretty cool, huh?"
Kazuma laughed. "Yeah, that's actually impressive."
That was a whole new approach—and a good one. With the first few girls experimenting, the rest of the kids started testing ideas of their own, adapting the cannons to fit their personal combat styles.
Kazuma watched from the sidelines, genuinely amazed. A single person's creativity had limits—but a hundred brilliant little minds working together? That was limitless.
"By the way," he called out, "make sure you recharge your cannons once a week. They can technically last a month, but better safe than sorry."
"Got it, Guild Master!" All the girls answered in unison, their voices bright and energetic.
---
That night, Kayano and her team went out on a mission.
Gunfire rattled through the alley.
Bang! Bang! Bang!Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets sprayed through the air—but they all stopped dead, hovering a few meters in front of Sanae.
"Kayano, I tested it—changing the field's shape changes how much energy it uses," Sanae said quickly. "Against bullets, if I use a form that absorbs impact instead of blocking it, it's more efficient."
She smiled faintly. "And if I reverse the force, I can reflect attacks back… kind of like reactive armor."
Her repulsion field flashed—and the bullets blasted backward, striking down the gunmen who'd fired them.
"Wh-what kind of weapon is that?!"
"Run! Run!"
"We can't win against that!"
The attackers turned to flee—but before they could, invisible barriers shimmered into place around them.
They slammed into the unseen walls and spun around—only to find more on the other side.
The repulsion fields closed in, tighter and tighter, until the screaming stopped.
All that was left was… a mess.
"Ugh," Kayo grimaced. "Effective, sure—but gross. Let's not use that method next time."
Enju stood off to the side, pouting.
"I didn't even get to do anything! My Super Cute Bouncy Justice Combo Attack didn't even start before they all died!"
Kayano turned to her with a serious look.
"Enju, missions aren't for fun. Never underestimate one—carelessness can get you killed."
Her tone was firm but kind. Their recent successes had come easily, almost too easily. Kayano knew that overconfidence was the fastest path to disaster.
"Okay, I understand, Kayano." Enju nodded obediently, expression sobering.
Kayano smiled faintly. She didn't have the flashiest powers, but she was the glue that held everyone together—the big sister who always stepped up when they lost focus or confidence.
Everyone called her Kayano-neesan with genuine affection
---
Later that night, as they returned from their mission, two small figures followed behind her.
"Guild Master," Kayano said cheerfully, "I found two new little sisters on the way home. Aren't they cute?"
Kazuma looked up from his notes. One girl hid under a cap, head lowered timidly. The other had golden hair and bright blue eyes that sparkled even in the dim light.
He sighed inwardly. Kayano, do you have some kind of "adopt lolis" passive skill or something?
Out loud, he just smiled. "And what are your names?"
The timid one whispered, "I… I'm Fuse Midori."
The blonde girl puffed out her chest a little. "I'm Tina. Tina Sprout."
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