[SS1] Finger Snap

These events take place after the main story of Silent Witch, so make sure you have read the entire main story before continuing. Keep in mind that some events may differ between the WN and LN.

Isaac knew that his master, Monica Everett the Silent Witch, had always been remarkably indifferent when it came to the necessities of life.

Her eating habits were particularly extreme. When engrossed in research, Monica casually skipped meals, and on the occasion she did eat something, it was just a bit of bread or nuts accompanied by a sip of coffee.

Until Isaac started using them, the kitchen utensils and her home’s built-in oven were all covered in dust.

Unable to overlook this, Isaac gradually brought various utensils and seasonings every time he visited Monica’s house. Thanks to him, the kitchen was now well-equipped and maintained.


Isaac cooled off the cake he baked, soaked it in citrus syrup, and coated it with a generous layer of sugar icing. He prepared coffee while waiting for the icing to harden.

He had heard that Monica’s coffee pot was a memento from her father.

Monica’s father, Benedict Raine… The scholarly man had gotten caught up in a certain conspiracy, and met an untimely death. Isaac was deeply connected to this incident. It was a name he couldn’t forget, no, a name he must never forget for the rest of his life.

Despite this, Monica had allowed Isaac to use the legacy of her late father.

Therefore, Isaac was especially careful and respectful when handling the coffee pot.

After pouring the coffee from the pot into cups and placing slices of cake onto small plates, Isaac headed to the living room.

He saw Monica sitting in a chair in the living room, concentrating on moving her figures.

Listening closely, Isaac caught Monica softly murmuring to herself.

“…Ugh… I used to be able to do it properly…”

“What are you doing?”

Isaac spoke from behind, and Monica stopped abruptly, looking up at Isaac with a hint of embarrassment.

Monica’s pale cheeks flushed with a sudden crimson, and her eyebrows drooped in a troubled manner.

“…D-Did you see that?”

“You seemed to be moving your fingers for some reason.”

Was that something she didn’t want others to see? As Isaac placed the tray with coffee and cake on the table, Monica twiddled her fingers while drooping her head.

“Well, you see… I used to be able to do it, but now I can’t.”

Something she used to be able to do but can’t anymore?

To be honest, the words did not resonate much with Isaac, who, being a genius, could effortlessly master anything. Be it studying, swordsmanship, or even cooking, he never forgot the things he’s learned.

However, Monica was not particularly skillful in anything other than magic and mathematics, so she did not share the same experience.

Things that used to come naturally suddenly becoming impossible.

…That must be a truly frightening experience.

“What is it you can’t do anymore?”

Isaac asked in a lowered tone, and Monica responded with a serious face.

“Finger snapping.”

“…Huh?”

Monica earnestly repeated the words to the perplexed Isaac.

“Finger snapping.”

Finger snapping. Whether that’s the formal term or not, it refers to the act of tightly pinching the middle finger and thumb together, then slapping the base of the thumb with the middle finger to produce a sound.

Isaac demonstrated by snapping his fingers.

“Like this?”

“Exactly.”

Monica nodded with a “Hmm” and tried to snap her fingers with her right hand. However, the sound was feeble and unreliable, far from the crisp sound of a successful snap.

Monica sighed sadly, “I still can’t do it…” and drooped her head.

“A year ago… I practiced a lot for the Supreme Council.”

The Supreme Council.

Isaac could never forget that day, when he learned of Monica’s true identity.

At that time, Monica behaved confidently as one of the Seven Sages, overwhelming everyone else in the room.

(…Come to think of it, Monica snapped her fingers a few times back then.)

When invoking magic, actions like snapping fingers or waving a wand actually have meaning. Performing these gestures when activating a spell makes it easier to visualize the “activation” of the spell.

Similar to pulling the trigger of a gun, snapping your fingers or waving your hands while activating magic makes it easier to invoke spells. However, for those skilled in manipulating mana, such gestures are unnecessary.

Moreover, in actual combat, it’s often disadvantageous to inform the enemy of your spells beforehand.

The biggest boon of Monica’s chantless magic was keeping her timing a secret, making such gestures even more unnecessary.

“Can’t you cast magic without gestures?”

Monica was one of the top mages in the country. Given her skill at mana control, she should be able to cast spells without moving a single finger.

So why did she need to snap her fingers?

Lowering her gaze at Isaac’s question, Monica looked embarrassed and fidgety.

“Well, I wanted to look cool during the Supreme Council…”

“…”

It seems that in Monica’s eyes, snapping fingers to activate magic was considered “cool.”

Certainly, Monica had been very impressive at the Supreme Council. Still, did she really need to practice finger snapping to that extent?

As Isaac struggled to find his next words, Monica continued with flushed cheeks.

“Um, Cyril-sama often snaps his fingers when using magic… so I thought it looked cool, you know…?”

“…Oh really.”

Although Isaac’s tone carried a somewhat uneasy aura, Monica seemed oblivious to it.

Isaac peered into Monica’s face with a question.

“Did Cyril teach you how to snap your fingers?”

“No, Cyril-sama was busy collecting petitions… So while we were making the Black Chalice, I asked Dee-senpai to teach me.”

“…”

Hubert Dee.

A man consistently ranking high on Isaac’s “People To Keep Away From Monica” list. Come to think of it, he also snapped his fingers frequently when activating magical devices.

Isaac fell silent with a complicated mix of feelings, as Monica continued to practice snapping.

“The momentum when hitting the base of the thumb with the middle finger is crucial, but maybe the angle of the middle finger is wrong… Hmm… Maybe I’m not gathering enough force before the downward swing…?”

With the same enthusiasm she puts into advanced magical studies, Monica was earnestly trying to relearn finger snapping. Her dedication was evident.

When Isaac chuckled, Monica looked up at him with round eyes and asked, “What’s so funny?”

Isaac casually brushed his bangs aside and squinted his eyes.

“Oh, I just find you cute.”

“Y-You don’t think I am… cool?”

It seems his beloved master prefers “cool” over “cute.”

Isaac held himself back from laughing as he responded.

“Of course I do, my master is the cutest and coolest in the entire world.”

Saying this, Isaac took Monica’s right hand.

The small hand, like that of a child, had visible ink stains from pens and inkwells. But this was the beloved hand that had saved Isaac.

How happy he was when this youthful hand reached out to him.

“If you want to practice snapping your fingers, allow me to teach you. Feel free to rely on me, now that I am your disciple.”

Isaac wanted Monica to rely on him for anything, no matter how trivial.


A few minutes later, Nero returned from a walk and found Monica and Isaac sitting face to face, silently moving their fingers. He tilted his head and mumbled, “What kind of magic is that?”

The subject of the Silent Witch’s first independent research project: Finger Snapping.

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