Mission

Hoshimiya-sensei stood at the front of the classroom. Her gaze swept across the class, making sure everyone had come to their senses and accepted the school's arrangements, before she slowly announced the first assessment: "Your first task is to use your abilities to convince Sakagami-sensei of Class C that you can drain the school's swimming pool."

A wave of derisive chatter swept through the class. Some students even chuckled, thinking the task was far too easy and would be a piece of cake.

They were brimming with confidence, convinced that draining a swimming pool would be easy even without abilities, let alone now that quite a few of them had figured out what their abilities were.

Hoshimiya-sensei said nothing, merely smiling at their reaction, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

She didn't say much, only giving the students a meaningful look. There seemed to be a trace of schadenfreude in her smile, as if she were looking forward to seeing how they did.

"Since you think it's easy, get it done as soon as possible. Better yet, finish faster than Class A."

With that, Hoshimiya-sensei turned gracefully and walked straight out of the classroom.

Once Hoshimiya-sensei had left, the mood in the classroom grew even livelier. The students gathered in small groups, discussing their plans and strategies.

Some were already eager to show off their abilities, while others were thinking about how to complete the task more efficiently.

Itozawa sat at his desk, his brows slightly furrowed. He had a feeling the task wasn't as simple as it seemed.

Hoshimiya-sensei's expression had made him realize that the task might be hiding challenges they hadn't noticed yet.

As Hoshimiya-sensei's footsteps faded into the distance, Ichinose Honami stood up and slowly began to speak.

"Everyone, before we start preparing for the task, I think we should get to know one another first."

"After all, some of you may not yet know what your abilities are. We can only choose the best people to drain the pool once we understand everyone's abilities."

Her words brought a more serious air to the classroom. A boy immediately jumped to his feet. "I'm Shibata Hayato. I don't know what my ability is called, but my sense of balance is definitely an expression of it.

"I don't need anyone's help to drain the pool. I can handle it on my own. No matter what tricks the other side has, I can deal with them easily."

Ichinose didn't get angry at him for dismissing her suggestion. Instead, she smiled at Shibata. "Shibata, it's good to be confident, but we're a class. Let's hear what everyone has to say first, then decide what to do."

Under the influence of Ichinose's words and her aura of approachability, Shibata's attitude softened. He sat down, saying he was willing to follow the group's plan. The other students were also affected by her warmth and began introducing themselves enthusiastically.

Ichinose went next. "I'm Ichinose Honami. The school isn't what I expected, but I'm still looking forward to becoming friends with everyone.

"I'm not sure what my ability is, but I hope that whoever among us has a strong ability will step forward and lead our class."

Then it was Itozawa's turn. He stood up and spoke calmly. "Itozawa. I'm not sure what my ability is either. I only know that it seems to protect me from the effects of Mental Power, so that's what I'll introduce myself with."

Next, Kanzaki Ryūji stood up, his tone composed. "Kanzaki Ryūji. My ability lets me detect other people's Mental Power."

He paused. In truth, he knew his ability could do far more than that, but he had no intention of revealing anything else.

He glanced at Ichinose with a hint of helplessness, then continued. "I considered whether I should lead the group, but after testing things out, I found that when it comes to influencing others, Ichinose's ability is the strongest in the class. If we need someone to lead the class, she's the best choice."

Ichinose was slightly taken aback by Kanzaki's words. "Huh? Me? But I don't even know what my ability is."

Seeing her reaction, Itozawa decided to back Ichinose just as Kanzaki had, and help her lead the class as she had before.

After all, if the school's assessment was now about working together, Ichinose's presence was important.

"I agree with Kanzaki. Even my ability can't resist Ichinose's warmth.

"Whether that comes from her ability itself or her ability amplifying her kindness, having Ichinose lead the class is a good choice."

Shibata looked around at the others, then quickly agreed as well. "Yeah, I think Ichinose would be good, too. Let's do that."

Even Shirakami Chihiro timidly spoke up from nearby. "I-I agree, too."

Ichinose was taken aback again. "Huh? Shirakami, you—you do, too..."

Of course, the others had no objections either. Some of them still didn't know what their abilities were, while those who did had nothing overwhelmingly powerful that they could recommend themselves for the role. Besides, they had a good impression of Ichinose, so naturally they didn't object.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Ichinose could only agree. "All right, I'll do it. But you'll all have to help, too."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Once the matter was settled, Kanzaki turned his gaze to Shibata. "Shibata, if your description is accurate, your ability may be Dynamic Balance, a physical type. If we're only considering scouting the situation, you're definitely the best choice. If you're discovered, you'll be the one most likely to get away."

As Kanzaki spoke, Shibata proudly puffed out his chest, eager to set off immediately.

But Kanzaki soon doused his enthusiasm. "Still, you clearly don't know how to use your ability at all. What it actually does is help you achieve Dynamic Balance with the least effort, rather than simply keeping your balance, the way you've been using it."

Shibata only barely understood Kanzaki's explanation. He immediately stood up, wanting to give it a try on the spot.

He closed his eyes and tried to sense the power within his body, attempting to adjust his state as Kanzaki had described.

However, it didn't go well. His body wobbled, and he nearly fell over.

If his body hadn't instinctively maintained its balance, he might have taken a nasty fall.

Watching Shibata's attempt, Kanzaki couldn't help but rub his forehead. He realized Shibata might not have fully understood him, or might simply not be able to use the ability skillfully yet.

Kanzaki gave up on trying to teach him further. He sighed and said, "Forget it. Just do it your own way for now. You may need to figure out how your ability works through practical use."

Shibata looked a little dejected, but quickly composed himself and nodded. "All right. I'll do my best during the task."

The other students shared their abilities and ideas as well, while Ichinose carefully took notes and organized the information.

At last, everyone had introduced themselves. Ichinose had finished taking notes, though some students still weren't willing to reveal their abilities, and she didn't press them.

Others had no idea what their abilities were, which left them feeling somewhat discouraged.

A thoughtful glint appeared in Ichinose's eyes. Then she suddenly asked, "Since Kanzaki has checked everyone, can you tell us what abilities the others have?"

Her question energized the class. All the students who didn't know their own abilities turned to look at Kanzaki.

Kanzaki spread his hands, indicating he couldn't help.

He briefly explained, "Abilities are mainly divided into six categories: mind, body, matter, spirit, brain, and the special Spacetime category.

"My ability can at most identify which major category they belong to. The problem is that each category has too many subdivisions, so I can't tell exactly which ones."

He continued, "The only thing I can tell is that our class doesn't seem to have anyone with a matter-type ability. If someone could control the elements or create objects, it would be obvious, so it would be easy to tell."

Kanzaki's explanation left Ichinose and the others somewhat disappointed, but they soon recovered. Ichinose nodded in understanding. "In that case, we'll have to give up on learning the details of everyone's abilities in advance and focus on completing the task in front of us."

She turned to Shibata and encouraged him. "Shibata, we'll be counting on you this afternoon. We'll support you from the rear. I hope you can find out something useful at the swimming pool."

After hearing Ichinose, Shibata quickly straightened up and replied firmly, "I'll do my best. Don't worry."