Room 208. Late Night.
'This scoundrel!'
Suzushina Yuriko gritted her teeth in the dark, listening to the rhythmic sound of Takahashi Yuuya's snoring.
He had actually fallen asleep. Just how much did this guy underestimate her? Or was he simply that confident in his absolute defense?
Lying rigidly beside him, Yuriko's mind raced, analyzing the brief clashes they'd had.
'No matter how I apply my vectors, my attacks become ineffective the moment they touch him. Kinetic energy, electrical energy, thermal energy... it all vanishes.'
'But... if his defense simply nullified all energy, how is he living normally?'
Her red eyes narrowed in the dark.
'Without kinetic energy, he wouldn't be able to stand on the ground; he'd just float. Without light energy reaching his retinas, he would be completely blind. Without thermal energy, he'd freeze to death.'
'But everything about him is normal. That means this guy's defense—just like my Vector Manipulation—has a subconscious safety filter. A system that automatically sorts incoming energy into "Harmful" and "Harmless" categories.'
'I don't understand... I completely don't understand the physics behind his ability. Tsk! Is this really the power of a Gemstone?'
Unable to break free from the arm draped casually over her waist, Yuriko could only grit her teeth and force her eyes closed.
...
The Next Morning.
Yuuya was originally supposed to report to school early, but his phone buzzed with a message from Komoe-sensei.
The monthly System Scan—originally scheduled for three days later—had been moved up to today.
Because of the "Accelerator Challenge Letter" that had hijacked the city's network last night, the General Board had ordered all schools to conduct mandatory testing. It was a thinly veiled tactic to confine students to their campuses and distract them from joining the anticipated riot at the District 7 Stadium.
Therefore, morning homeroom was pushed back, and the System Scan would take up the entire afternoon, ending at 5:30 PM.
"Hehe. I didn't expect to be able to sleep in. Thanks to you."
Yuuya waved his phone at Yuriko, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with a frosty expression, still wearing the maid outfit.
"Tsk." Yuriko clicked her tongue.
Although she loathed this guy, she had to admit his methods were terrifyingly effective. He had manipulated the schedule of the entire city overnight, and the Board of Directors didn't even know he was the culprit.
'I thought his ability was just a physics anomaly,' Yuriko thought. 'But his brain is just as abnormal. To hijack the city's mainframes from a smartphone... his calculation ability might rival my own.'
"You'd better wait here until it's time to leave," Yuuya advised kindly as he threw on his school uniform. "The Anti-Skill patrols are swarming the streets right now. You'll easily get caught if you step outside. See you this afternoon~"
Snap.
Using his spatial teleportation, Yuuya vanished from the room.
...
A Certain High School. Morning.
The weather was beautiful. Appearing smoothly at the school gates, Yuuya looked up at the blue sky, feeling quite cheerful.
'I'm pretty amazing for taming Suzushina Yuriko so easily...'
Actually, upon reflection, Yuriko wasn't that hard to figure out. She wasn't a mindless psychopath who killed indiscriminately. Outside of the Misaka Sisters, she rarely killed anyone; at most, she crippled the Skill-Out thugs who attacked her—and even then, it was their own reflected kinetic energy that broke their bones.
Her mind had just been twisted by the brutal reality of the Level 6 Shift Project. Her cold, ferocious exterior was just a heavily distorted protective shell.
'Aleister's methods of controlling his pawns are truly masterful,' Yuuya mused. 'It's pointless to struggle inside his web. Even Fiamma of the Right from the Magic Side was inexplicably used as a pawn to lure out the Archangels.'
'To avoid being a pawn, you need the strength to flip the chessboard,' Yuuya mused.
He thought back to the girl he had left in his apartment.
'But as for Yuriko... as long as you don't provoke her, she is surprisingly easy to talk to.'
Entering the school grounds, Yuuya found the athletic field already bustling. Staff were unloading large amounts of testing equipment from trucks, while the Student Council and Judgment volunteers directed traffic.
System Scans were always a massive logistical headache. By the time all the students finished their physical and esper power tests, the sun would be setting. Most students dreaded the exhausting exams, but since their rankings directly affected their stipends and scholarships, they patiently endured it.
Yuuya strolled over to the gathering area for Class 1-7.
Komoe-sensei was chatting with the testing staff, looking extremely proud. Their class actually had a few Level 2 espers, which was a point of pride for a normal, low-tier high school.
"Takahashi! Why are you always slouching around during the System Scan?!"
A loud, authoritative voice called out.
Seiri Fukiyori, the self-appointed enforcer of the class, marched over with her hands on her hips, radiating a barely concealed, aggressive enthusiasm.
"These tests always take forever anyway," Yuuya shrugged nonchalantly. "Coming early won't make the line move faster."
"You have no motivation at all! Get your act together! Wasting your youth like this is a sin, and I hate people who cut corners in life!"
Seeing Yuuya's casual demeanor, Fukiyori crossed her arms and forcefully shoved a carton of milk into his hands.
"Drink this to perk yourself up! Milk not only replenishes fluids but also provides vital proteins! Your lack of energy is definitely due to insufficient nutrition!"
"Fukiyori, you really like forcing health drinks on people, don't you?" Yuuya teased, inspecting the carton. "You don't happen to have a crush on me, do you?"
"I am just helping out a slacker classmate who is holding our class average down!" Fukiyori huffed, tugging proudly at her 'Class Rep' armband. "Don't flatter yourself!"
"Alright, quiet down, little kitties~!"
Komoe-sensei's sweet, childlike voice echoed across the group, silencing the chatter.
"The next phase of the System Scan will be supervised by Kiyama-sensei~!"
Hearing the name, Yuuya looked past the diminutive teacher.
Standing behind her was a young female researcher in a slightly wrinkled white lab coat. She had a gloomy expression, dark circles under her eyes, and looked as though she hadn't slept in a week.
"Kiyama Harumi..." Yuuya muttered, a knowing smile crossing his face.
.....
.....
.....
Support me and read advance chapters on patreon.com/ImmortalDaoWriter