The Power of Knowledge

Unlike what the now-wary Kanzaki thought, no one had noticed his attempt to probe Ichinose.

But after failing twice just now, Kanzaki didn't dare recklessly probe any of the other students, even after everyone in Class B had arrived one after another.

As Class B's homeroom teacher, Hoshinomiya Chie, stepped into the classroom, the room, which had still been somewhat noisy, immediately fell silent.

With a gentle smile, Hoshinomiya-sensei began introducing the school to the students.

"Welcome to Kouiku, everyone." Hoshinomiya-sensei's voice was gentle as she calmly delivered words that shattered Itozawa's entire worldview. "The fact that you were selected to come here means you're all potential Ability Users. However, the more advanced an ability is, the harder it is to detect. That's why the school needs to guide and cultivate you."

She continued explaining, "The classes are assigned based on a combination of how difficult students are to control and the strength of their abilities. From A to D, they're actually ranked from strongest to weakest." She paused, allowing the students time to absorb this information.

"Every month, the school will give each student ten thousand Energy Stones. These will cover your daily expenses, such as food and lodging." Hoshinomiya-sensei continued, her gaze sweeping over each student to make sure everyone was listening. "Now, I'd like to tell you about a special rule."

She shifted her tone, sounding a little more relaxed. "If you really miss things from the outside world, there's no need to worry." She smiled. "You can exchange one Energy Stone for ten thousand in cash. But the school strongly discourages this, because Energy Stones are mostly unavailable for purchase on the open market. Unless you're especially fond of something, I wouldn't recommend wasting them."

A low murmur of discussion rose in the classroom. The students were having trouble processing what the school had just announced.

Itozawa sat in his seat, listening to Hoshinomiya-sensei's introduction in a state of utter confusion.

People often joked that this was a classroom where strength ruled, but that didn't mean strength could actually rule!

What parallel universe had he ended up in?

Their battle of wits had turned into a physical fight. Was all his training still going to be useful?

Besides, what use was an ability like his, which seemed to do nothing but defend against Mental Power attacks?

He'd just squared up to fight someone, only for his opponent to open his mouth and breathe out a ball of fire?

The thought was too absurd to imagine.

Meanwhile, the other students were also showing varying degrees of confusion.

Their situation differed from Itozawa's. It wasn't just the shock to their worldview; the knowledge of abilities itself carried a heavy burden.

For those with weak Mental Power, taking in so much information all at once was almost more than they could mentally bear. That was also why the school recruited students in such an unusual way instead of publicizing things widely.

Some people began to feel dazed.

Hoshinomiya-sensei noticed and released her Mental Power to bring them back to their senses.

Her Mental Power was unique and powerful, combining Ichinose's affability with Kanzaki's aggressiveness.

She could easily guide other people's emotions, helping them clear their heads when they were lost and confused.

Hoshinomiya-sensei's gaze swept across the classroom. Her Mental Power was like a warm spring breeze, gently brushing over every student's heart.

Under its influence, most of the students gradually regained their clarity.

Some of them began to understand the abilities they possessed. Some had awakened long ago but had remained unaware of it, while others awakened on the spot under the power of knowledge.

After their initial excitement, their eyes refocused, and they began paying attention to Hoshinomiya-sensei again.

However, when her Mental Power reached Itozawa, something even he hadn't expected happened.

Just as it had when he dealt with Kanzaki's Mental Power attack, his brain automatically began analyzing this foreign force.

Before long, he had fully analyzed the Mental Power. Then, just like Kanzaki's Mental Power, it turned into a dazzling pink piece on the chessboard.

He instinctively realized that he had complete control over this Mental Power.

Whether he wanted to sever it, assimilate it, or even invade in the opposite direction, it was all incredibly easy.

So when Hoshinomiya-sensei tried to influence him with her Mental Power, she felt as though it were a kite with its string cut, naturally losing its connection to her consciousness.

That was because Itozawa had chosen to sever it.

Assimilating it was too risky. He had no idea how strong his ability was, and if he couldn't assimilate her Mental Power, he figured he'd end up being assimilated by Hoshinomiya-sensei instead.

The same went for invading her in the opposite direction. If he didn't dare deal with Mental Power that was already isolated from its source, how could he risk provoking Hoshinomiya-sensei?

After he severed the Mental Power, the chess piece gradually dimmed. In return, Itozawa felt a sudden clarity. His Mental Power even grew slightly stronger, and his thoughts quickly recovered from the confusion, becoming clear and orderly again.

He looked around and noticed that, apart from Kanzaki, the other students were still gradually recovering under the influence of Hoshinomiya-sensei's Mental Power. He was the only one who had regained his senses almost immediately.

Only then did Itozawa realize that his ability might be even stronger than he'd imagined.

And Kanzaki was even stronger than he'd thought, too. The reason he'd ultimately made a fool of himself was that he was so used to playing dumb while hiding his true strength that he'd ended up making himself look like an idiot.

But the world had changed now, and it seemed he'd become more assertive as well.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared probe someone directly right from the start.

What Itozawa didn't know was that Kanzaki, whom he was so wary of, had already been driven to despair by the way he and Ichinose had behaved.

The reason Kanzaki wasn't affected wasn't that his ability was especially strong. It was because he'd encountered this knowledge long ago.

He'd performed pretty well back then, but he'd still been dazed for at least five minutes.

Itozawa had been dazed for less than half a minute after hearing all this. Didn't that mean his Mental Power was far stronger than Kanzaki's?

As for Ichinose, she was less resistant to knowledge about abilities than he was.

But...

She'd even assimilated Hoshinomiya-sensei's Mental Power along with it?!

Hoshinomiya-sensei's Mental Power seemed to be Charm-Type, the branch with the strongest influence over others. And she'd been assimilated instead?!

What kind of monstrous ability did Ichinose have? Had she really not noticed him probing her? Could she have already turned around and attacked him?

Unlike the terrified Kanzaki, Hoshinomiya-sensei was surprised, even delighted.

Her Mental Power had provoked different reactions in the other students, but in Itozawa, it was like a stone sinking into the sea, causing no ripples whatsoever.

With Ichinose, on the other hand, her Mental Power had visibly been assimilated. After assimilating it, Ichinose's aura had even been strengthened considerably.

"It looks like Ichinose's ability is probably Mind-Type. But Mind-Type abilities are usually purely supportive, and their users need someone with Heart Wall to protect them. This is the first time I've seen someone use an ability like Ichinose's to directly assimilate Mental Power for self-defense."

"Itozawa's ability should be Heart Wall. He can even sever Charm-Type Mental Power, so his ability seems pretty strong."

"It's a shame. He and Ichinose would have made a perfect team, but Ichinose doesn't need his help at all now. That leaves him in an awkward position."

Then she glanced at the despondent Kanzaki. "The young master of the Kanzaki family is probably Mental Type. He seems strong on offense, but his defense and perception are too weak. Itozawa would be a good partner for him."

When Kanzaki had withdrawn into himself earlier, she'd worried something might be wrong with him, so she'd briefly probed him with her Mental Power. The despondent Kanzaki hadn't noticed at all.