Kanzaki's Judgment

The reason Kanzaki left so decisively was simple: Itozawa's excuse was clearly fake. A Heart Wall-type ability would never allow mental energy to probe into one's Mind Sea.

Yet, at that moment, even if it was just a fleeting glimpse, he was certain his mental energy had entered Itozawa's Mind Sea.

Therefore, Itozawa was either completely ignorant of his own ability, or he simply refused to tell the truth.

Based on his judgment, Itozawa had no idea how his ability worked, otherwise his acting would be too superb. Thus, there was no point in pestering him further.

Meanwhile, Itozawa finished his deluxe meal and felt energized.

He was about to pick up his tray, intending to see if the school had a conveyor belt system for returning trays. He also wanted to take this opportunity to observe the cafeteria's back kitchen, to see if he could uncover more secrets about the school.

However, the moment he stood up, a Phantom Waiter appeared beside him like a ghost.

The waiter moved swiftly and silently. Before Itozawa could even react, the waiter had already taken his tray.

Itozawa was startled and quickly reached out to stop him, but the waiter's movements were too fast; he couldn't reach it.

"Wait, I..." Itozawa tried to call out to the waiter, but the other party seemed not to hear him at all, simply turning and walking away on its own.

Then, the waiter's figure, along with the tray, slowly dissipated into the air.

Itozawa stood frozen, his eyes fixed on the direction the waiter had disappeared, but nothing happened.

He even looked towards the ordering window, but there was no sign of any Phantom Employees.

Helplessly, he gave up and headed towards the teaching building.

Everyone was still waiting for Shibata's reconnaissance results.

As expected, when Itozawa entered the classroom, he found his classmates already seated, the air filled with anticipation and tension.

They were all waiting for news from Shibata's investigation at the Natatorium.

Itozawa returned to his seat, greeted Ichinose, and like the others, his gaze occasionally drifted towards the classroom door.

Soon, Shibata appeared at the doorway. He looked somewhat disheveled, his clothes soaked and his hair messy, clearly having gone through something unusual.

The classmates immediately crowded around him, kindly helping him to his seat and eagerly asking what had happened.

After sitting down, Shibata took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself. A trace of fear still lingered on his face; the experience had clearly left him shaken.

He looked at his classmates, his voice trembling as he said, "The water in that pool... it's impossible to drain."

The classmates exchanged glances, all expressing disbelief. How could the water in a pool be impossible to drain? It defied logic.

They urged Shibata to calm down and slowly recount his experience.

Itozawa, Ichinose, and Kanzaki gathered around Shibata, listening to his account.

Ichinose was the first to ask with concern, "Shibata, you said the water couldn't be drained. What exactly happened?"

Shibata took a deep breath and began to describe his experience.

"I dived to the bottom of the pool and found there was no drain outlet.

But I didn't give up. I borrowed a high-power Water Pump from the Logistics Department.

The teacher in the Logistics Department gave me a strange look, but didn't say much and handed me the Water Pump.

When I returned to the Natatorium, I turned the pump to full power, but the water level didn't drop at all.

Then, just as I was about to give up, the water suddenly surged towards my mouth and nose like a mad beast. My Balance Ability was useless. I thought I was going to die there.

After an unknown amount of time, I regained consciousness. The Natatorium was calm again, and even the Water Pump was gone. Terrified, I ran back here."

Itozawa listened patiently to Shibata's narration. As he spoke about the Water Pump disappearing, his eyes flashed, and he suddenly interjected, "Wait a minute, Shibata. You said the Water Pump disappeared after you were attacked by the water? Besides the Water Pump vanishing, did you see any teachers from the Logistics Department there?"

Shibata shook his head, looking confused. "No, I was too panicked at the time to notice where the teachers were. The water suddenly receded, and then I realized the Water Pump was gone."

At this point, Kanzaki also chimed in, "Shibata, did you notice the direction the water surged from?"

Shibata frowned, trying hard to recall. "No, I was too scared at the time, I didn't pay attention to the direction."

Itozawa looked at Kanzaki. "Kanzaki, do you know something? What's going on?"

Kanzaki shrugged, appearing relaxed. "I can tell you, but first, I need to know how you blocked my ability."

Although he suspected Kanzaki didn't know, it wouldn't hurt to try. He had planned to reveal his own deductions anyway.

So, he decided to make a deal with Kanzaki.

"I can tell you, but you have to explain the pool situation first."

Kanzaki was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Itozawa to actually know, and his acting was truly seamless.

"Alright, I'll tell you. The water in this pool is actually controlled by a powerful Ability User.

This Ability User can manipulate water, most likely the Object Water Element ability, Water: Endless.

When Shibata tried to drain the water with the Water Pump, the user probably felt provoked and made the water attack him."

Itozawa frowned. "Then why did the Water Pump disappear?"

Kanzaki shook his head. "I'm not sure about that. It might have been done by that Ability User, or it could be some kind of school protection mechanism."

After hearing his answer, Itozawa nodded seriously, his expression solemn.

Just as Kanzaki thought he was about to reveal the reason, Itozawa suddenly replied with a serious tone, "I don't know."

Kanzaki froze, as if he'd misheard, and instinctively asked, "What?"

Itozawa repeated himself, "I said, I don't know what my special ability is like."

Kanzaki looked at his expression and confirmed he wasn't joking.

So, just as he'd previously judged, Itozawa truly had no idea about the truth of his special ability.

And he, in his haste, had been so easily deceived by Itozawa's crude trick.

Although there was no real loss, the feeling of being toyed with still made him grit his teeth in anger, a faint sense of familiarity dawning on him.

"Hmph, that answer doesn't count. Remember, you owe me an answer."