God, just when I think he's done with his usual antics after the [Magecrafting] incident, he has to flub up some other way. After hearing that explosion, I drop everything and rush over to the second floor of the building. I'm not alone this time since Wallaby is with me. Unlike before, we're in a player-owned building and if there is collateral damage caused by my brother's antics, I will be held responsible for it. But just as I yell his name, my eyes widen at what I saw. Instead of seeing several soot and ashes around the stations, I see that nothing has changed. Sure, there are several leaves and trash left on the floor, but other than that, there are no signs of any damage so far. But that doesn't mean I can let my guard down.
"Huh. I could have sworn we heard an explosion around here," Wallaby speaks up as he looks around the second floor.
"Same here. But that explosion was loud enough to shake the whole building. So I know it's not some figment of our imagination."
Not to mention that it was that same explosion that led me to Kazu's first incident with one of his crafting [Masteries]. I'm about to give up until I notice some of the stations were destroyed with one of the desks burned black, several burned wands scattered on the floor, and a cauldron was thrown onto one of the destroyed borders.
"Oh god. What have you done, Kaz?"
I swear. If it turns out he has disobeyed my instructions, I'll...
"Azel!"
I break my thoughts as soon as I hear Ol' Wally and turn to see him pick up some kind of book from one of the burned stations. I see the worried expression on his face turn into horror once he sees it as I approach him.
"You know that book's owner, master?" I asked.
"Yes. The words on the cover are a bit jumbled, but I know this belongs to my kid. They never leave without it."
His kid?! He never mentioned a kid in his IRL stories until now. But if it's there, then that means...
"Kazu!" I scream in frustration. "That's it. I'm going to drag him out of this game and..."
"WAIT!"
Huh? That's not Kazu's voice. I turn around to see who it is. To my surprise, I see an androgynous white-haired kid coming out from a destroyed station, and they seem to be covered in soot.
"Y-You said "Kazu" and my name just now," they nervously said. "I-I can explain..."
I'm surprised to see a young kid covered in soot came out of the destroyed station. I was expecting Kazu to come out, but...
"Azel! You're alright!"
Before I can say anything, Wallaby rushes over to the androgynous child and hugs them. I guess that must be his "kid".
"U-Um... Yeah... Sorry for the small mess, Dad. I guess I might have to underestimate Kazu's methods..."
I chuckle sheepishly once he mentions my brother again. Just what did you tell them, Kaz?!
"U-Um... Sorry to interrupt, but you said that you knew Kazu's... crafting methods, right? Just how much did you learn from him?" I ask suspiciously, seeing how I haven't seen him ever since I got here.
"Y-Yeah... You see..."
Before they can start explaining though, we suddenly hear a bit of rumbling behind us. When I turn around, I see some of the station rubble starting to move by themselves. To my surprise, out came Kazu as he coughs some smoke from his mouth. I'm shocked, yet relieved to see him okay, even seeing his [HP] only gone down by half from whatever Azel cooked up there. Of course, once he sees me, I can tell he was starting to panic as he slowly stumbles away from me.
"O-Oh, hey, Wind... didn't expect you to show up. Well, we better get to our bunkers now. See ya!"
Like I'd ever believed that. Before he can scurry away, I grab his collar and pull him right in front of me so I can confront him for his latest antics. Of course, I give him a chance to speak.
"Look, in my defense, I didn't do any [Magecrafting] on my end! I was just trying to help out a fellow mage in need. I swear, I learned my lesson from the first time!"
I sigh once he finishes his statement. Guess that's all I need to know what happened in full context.
"I can see that. But even if you were just teaching him the [Magecrafting] basics from your experience, you should be aware of the consequences, too. You're lucky the whole building didn't explode because of the methods he learned from you."
"I-I know..."
Kazu hangs his head and frowns in response. I know his intentions behind it were genuinely good, but he has to be aware of the consequences of his actions. I'm not going to be around for long and...
"I think he gets the idea, kid."
Hearing his voice, I turn around to see Ol' Wally approaching me. This time, his jolly demeanor is replaced with a stern expression when he looks at me.
"I get what he did was wrong. But you have to remember that he's still human and a kid behind this fictional body. He's bound to make mistakes and so are you. Besides, he's not a helpless boy. Just seeing the look in his eyes is enough to tell me that he's got the guts and smarts to survive this fictional world. And the real world, too."
Kazu having the "guts" and the "smarts"? Huh, I'll give him the "smarts" part, but the "guts"? That's not how I see him. I don't even see him a strong mage or anything like that here.
"However, if you want to unlock his true potential, you have to be more than just a protector. You have to encourage him. Teach him how to decide on his own. If you don't, and you keep scolding him over minor mistakes, then chances are he won't able to grow an independent adult."
An independent... adult? I guess he's right. Even if this isn't really a minor mistake, I might as well cut down on the scoldings from now on. I just sigh in defeat as I stare at Kazu.
"Just... don't do this again, okay, Kaz?"
To my relief, his depressed expression perks up into a smile, and he says, "Yeah. I'll try to clean up the station as my way of apology."
"No, we'll clean it up." Azel approaches my brother as they turn to the damaged station. "It's partially my fault for destroying one of the stations. I am a [Force Blade] member and I have to make sure I have a part to play in the guild."
I smile at their touching gesture. Guess that's one less dilemma to worry about.
"Thanks, Azel. I have to honest with you, you're the first male friend of the same age as me I have in <Volo> yet."
That is true. I'm glad that he's not alone anymore. Though for some reason, instead of giving another smile to Kazu, Azel's eyes widen and they rub the back of their head as they blush.
"Um... About that... I'm not actually male. I'm not even a female either."
Wait, they are not male or female? Could that mean...
"H-Huh? I don't follow..."
Of course, Kazu is a bit confused about this. Before I can explain, Wallaby steps forward and approaches my brother.
"It means that my kid is non-binary. That means they have no gender. They came out about it to me a few months ago, so I've gotten used to it now."
I can see why he didn't describe them as "son" or "daughter" when he first mentioned them. Before I can say anything though, Wallaby notices me and asks, "I can see that you're not as confused as to your brother."
So he has noticed, huh?
"Let's just say I had my own non-binary experience."
I do recall how I befriended a non-binary classmate of mine during my first day in high school. I barely interacted with them, but we do some school projects together from time to time. So I can understand where Kazu's reaction after that revelation.
"I-I hope this doesn't change your views on me, Kazu..."
I can understand where they're going with this. From what my classmate and Damon told me, not everyone can accept genderfluid people once they came out. Heck, I can say the same with most of the LGBTQ+ community. That's why sometimes, I have to do my research on this topic when I try to approach my classmate and any other LGBTQ+ students and players I might run into. I want to know what to do and what to say to intervene just in case. But to my surprise, Kazu just nods no and smiles.
"It's no big deal. Azel is Azel and I can accept you as a friend no matter what gender you are."
I'm a bit surprised at Kazu's reaction. He is confused, but he still accepts them. But I am happy with his response and I think they feel the same way. Though, they might be reacting a little too much.
"K-Kazu... Y-You do?"
"Of course! Besides, we're both mages in [Isekai]. All I care is that I have two friends here I can rely on and people to hang out with when Wind's not around."
Two? Oh, right. I forgot about his interactions with Annie. That boy really needs to read the room with her sometime. Still, it's a nice response from Kazu. Guess that's one step towards acceptance.
"Y-Yeah! I want to discover what this world has to offer, too! Once we turn 12, we should start by discovering more about our characters' race!"
"Sounds like a good plan! What do you think, Wind?"
Me? Well, I'm not sure what to say. Though, I do have a few words about the idea.
"If you can do well in your schoolwork, I guess I'll let you have the reigns once you have your birthday next month. Just... make sure to limit your [Magecrafting] from now on, please."
"Got it!"
I sigh in relief as I watch them talk more relating to [Isekai Online] stuff. God, I think I found a second Kazu in Azel.
"Heh... Looks like Azel found someone in his age to play with in here, huh? Guess this game will be a bit busy from now on," my master said as he approaches me, at which I nod without hesitation.
"Yeah. Not to mention a bit more unpredictable on my end."
I sigh again just as I hear Azel gasp.
"I almost forgot! I need to see if my new staff is more powerful than my previous ones!"
"Then let's check it out! I think it's still under the rubble."
Oh, god. I quickly follow them as they go to test it out to make sure they don't do anything crazy. Yeah, I have a feeling that their new friendship might lead us into a whole new territory of unpredictability.
----
Wind's Masteries
[Archery] Level 18
[Woodcrafting] Level 7
[Swordsmanship] Level 16
[Cooking] Level 6
[Wind] Level 15
[Physical Enhancement] Level 15
[Hunting] Level 14
[Blacksmithing] Level 6
----
Kazu's Masteries
[Arcana] Level 19
[Thunder] Level 16
[Wind] Level 14
[Alchemy] Level 13
[Magecrafting] Level 10
[Magical Affinity] Level 17
[Scribe] Level 4