Black Technology: Translation Konjac / Shuichi Kanda on the Road

Classroom of the Elite, Backed by Black Technology

Author: Seventh Movement

Synopsis:

For some unknown reason, he ended up in a parallel-world Japan and accidentally took over the body of a soon-to-be high school student who had died unexpectedly. By some further accident, he inherited none of the original owner's memories. Yet the first problem he faced after arriving here was... he couldn't understand the language.

Just as he was struggling to communicate with his family, a heavenly voice rang out: Black Technology System activated. Initial item, Translation Konjac, issued.

This is a story about someone of above-average intelligence and almost no fighting ability in Classroom of the Elite.

First Year, First Term

Chapter One: Black Technology: Translation Konjac

Shuichi Kanda, fifteen years old, a middle school graduate and soon-to-be high school student.

At that moment, Shuichi Kanda sat in his hospital bed, gazing at the cherry blossoms that had just bloomed outside the room without feeling a thing. As for the argument outside his door, he was frankly at a loss.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing? Where is this?

Shuichi Kanda had been in this state ever since he woke up.

There was no doubt about it: he had transmigrated. And after transmigrating, he hadn't inherited the original owner's memories. Listening to the argument outside the door, his scraps of knowledge from his previous life told him that they were speaking Japanese.

But this language, which sounded so familiar, was completely incomprehensible to him. He knew it was Japanese, but he couldn't understand it.

As the voices outside the hospital room gradually quieted, Shuichi Kanda grew increasingly anxious. What should he do? What should he do if they asked him something?

Just as he was at a loss over what to do, a pleasant voice suddenly rang in his ears. "Black Technology System activated. Initial item, Translation Konjac, issued. Claim it?"

Claim it, claim it! Of course he'd claim it!

After that instinctive response, before Shuichi Kanda had time to think, he felt a slight weight in his hand. A gray object about the size of his palm, shaped like a bar of soap, lay there.

Translation Konjac. Shuichi Kanda knew this thing like the back of his hand.

How to use it: eat it. Once eaten, it lets you understand all kinds of strange languages, whether foreign or extraterrestrial, and communicate in them as well.

And that wasn't all. Its effects applied not only to languages but to writing, too.

The approaching footsteps left Shuichi Kanda no time to think. He picked up the Translation Konjac and shoved it into his mouth.

It was soft, with a pretty nice texture, like jelly, and a hint of sweetness.

After Shuichi Kanda had settled back into his previous position, the hospital room door was knocked on twice. Several people walked in: a middle-aged man and woman, as well as an old man who looked rather unhappy.

They were probably relatives from the Kanda Family, though he had no idea how close they were.

"Shuichi, still can't remember anything?"

The kind-looking woman came to the bedside and asked him.

"Sorry..."

There wasn't much Shuichi Kanda could say. He really couldn't remember anything.

And Japanese—this was Japanese! For some reason, the words he meant to say came out in Japanese!

Seeing this, the woman could only sigh helplessly and step back.

Shuichi Kanda wasn't surprised that she knew he had amnesia. Although this was the first time he had met the three of them, the doctors had already asked him plenty of questions, so he could more or less guess what was going on.

"Hmph! I don't care whether you really can't remember or you're pretending. Don't expect the Kanda Family to keep taking in a jinx like you!"

The moment the woman stepped back, the old man came forward from behind her and snarled at Shuichi Kanda.

Shuichi Kanda frowned.

"May I ask who you are?"

"You! You..."

The old man seemed even angrier. He pointed at Shuichi Kanda with a trembling finger, but after stammering for a long while, he couldn't get anything else out.

"Father, please calm down." The middle-aged man hurried over to support the old man, who looked as if he were about to have another heart attack.

The woman hurried forward to explain, too. "Shuichi, this is the biological father of your adoptive parents."

At that, Shuichi Kanda understood. He also understood why the old man had reacted that way.

To see one's child die before oneself was heartbreaking enough. It was only natural for him to grieve, especially since he believed Shuichi had caused his son's death.

Honestly, the fact that he hadn't hit Shuichi was probably only because Shuichi was still a patient.

"Please... accept my condolences."

Shuichi Kanda had no idea what else to say, so those were the words he eventually managed to get out.

The hospital room soon fell silent.

"Kyoji, I'll take Father outside for some fresh air. As for Shuichi..."

The woman helped the old man up and gave the middle-aged man a few instructions before leaving the room.

Listening to their footsteps gradually fade outside, the man named Kyoji gave a light cough and explained the real reason they had come.

Shuichi Kanda, still in the hospital room, also learned why he had been lying in the hospital.

Half a year earlier, while out at the beach with his adoptive parents and their family, he had been caught in a sudden tsunami. His adoptive parents died on the spot, and because rescue efforts were delayed, he had lain unconscious in bed for nearly half a year before waking up.

Because of the incident, however, the Kanda Family's relatives had all refused to take in the underage Shuichi Kanda. In their eyes, he was a jinx. His birth parents had abandoned him, and even the kind adoptive parents who had taken him in had died because of him.

Well, the sea had been calm, and then a tsunami had suddenly appeared. Calling it the wrath of the gods wouldn't have been an exaggeration. It was no surprise that no one in the god-fearing Kanda Family wanted to take in such an ill-omened boy.

The three of them had come today to settle the matter.

The man was Kanda Kyoji, the older brother of Shuichi's adoptive father and the current head of the Kanda Family.

"Sakurare will be raised by the main family..."

"Who's Sakurare?"

"Kyoya's daughter. She's your younger sister, in a way."

So I have a younger sister? I wonder how old she is.

As Shuichi Kanda listened, he nodded to show that he understood.

"As for you, I've arranged for you to attend a closed, fully residential high school. Don't worry about the tuition. As long as you work hard, you'll still be able to build a good future for yourself."

Shuichi Kanda took the folder Kanda Kyoji handed him and pulled out the admission letter.

"Dear Shuichi Kanda, you have been accepted to [Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School]. Please report to the school before nine o'clock on the morning of the first day of term. Late arrivals will not be admitted."

Along with the admission letter, the folder contained a booklet of school information and instructions.

"There's a week left before term starts. Stay in the hospital and begin rehabilitation during that time. Afterward, I'll send over your uniform and whatever else you need."

This was a unilateral notice. Shuichi Kanda had no right to refuse.

After Kanda Kyoji left, Shuichi Kanda silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Although this seemed like an overbearing way to handle things, for Shuichi Kanda, it was practically the perfect start.

He had been worried that, without the original owner's knowledge, people familiar with him might notice something was off after he transmigrated. Now that problem had been solved for him.

This way, he wouldn't have to face a family of strangers, and he'd have plenty of time to learn about this world.

With the System backing him, who knew what things would be like three years from now?

Chapter Two: Shuichi Kanda on the Road

After Kanda Kyoji left, Shuichi Kanda began physical rehabilitation with the nurses' help. After all, he had been lying in bed for half a year, and his body wasn't exactly cooperating.

The week hadn't made Shuichi Kanda as healthy as an ordinary person, but he should have been fine with normal activities. He was just much weaker than most people.

During that week, no one from the Kanda Family came by again. They only sent someone to deliver Shuichi Kanda's identification documents, enrollment materials, and uniform.

The uniform fit well, and the documents were all in order. It seemed the Kanda Family had known he was awake for some time, even though they had only visited the day before.

Besides, it had only been three days since he woke up, and they had already taken care of his enrollment. After reading the school brochure, Shuichi Kanda could only conclude that the Kanda Family seemed to have a fair amount of influence.

They had actually managed to get someone into such a special school so close to the start of term. Impressive.

The week passed quickly, and his rehabilitation went smoothly. He was a teenager, after all, and by then Shuichi Kanda had completely regained control of his body.

The only thing he regretted was that something seemed to be wrong with the System.

On the day term started, Shuichi Kanda put on his school uniform. The striking red jacket and tie, paired with his somewhat pale complexion, gave him a sickly sort of handsomeness.

It was just that he couldn't accept those dark green pants. Damn, they were hideous!

After a bit of fussing, Shuichi Kanda finally boarded the bus to school.

Since he hadn't boarded too late, Shuichi Kanda managed to get the last available seat, a priority seat, the equivalent of the seats set aside for the elderly, disabled, pregnant, and other passengers in need back home.

Shuichi Kanda felt not the slightest embarrassment sitting there. I really am weak, after all. Mm!

As the bus continued on, it gradually filled up. It wasn't quite as bad as a sardine can, but it was packed.

Shuichi Kanda also noticed that most of the new passengers were wearing the same uniform as he was. Some were boys, some were girls. Their identities were obvious.

Just as Shuichi Kanda sat quietly, waiting for the bus to reach his stop, a scolding voice rang in his ear.

"Don't you think you should give up your seat?"

The voice, so close at hand, startled him. He instinctively looked up toward the speaker.

Wow, that's a lot of cleavage!

Leaning back a little, Shuichi Kanda got a better look at the woman in front of him: an ordinary office worker, not even a student at his school.

Damn busybody. Shuichi Kanda didn't even want to deal with her. But since she'd mistaken him for someone who would just take it, he lazily raised his head, a faint smile on his lips.

"Why should I have to give up my seat?"

"What do you mean, why? You're sitting in a priority seat, aren't you? Even elementary school students know you're supposed to give priority seats to people older than you!"

"You're taking that out of context. Priority seats are there for people with special needs, such as the disabled and the elderly. They're not seats reserved just for old people. You're twisting my words, ma'am." Shuichi Kanda wagged his index finger as he casually shot back.

"M-ma'am? Who are you calling ma'am? I'm only twenty-three!"

One remark from Shuichi Kanda was all it took to make the office lady lose it. Her expression turned increasingly menacing.

Well, they were at most ten years apart, and she'd even put on a nice bit of makeup before leaving home today, only to be called a ma'am to her face by a high school student.

Not much physical harm, but a whole lot of emotional damage.

As things grew more and more ridiculous and seemed about to get out of hand, the girl seated diagonally in front of Shuichi Kanda, wearing the same uniform as him, quickly spoke up to change the subject.

"But you just admitted that priority seats are for people with special needs, such as the elderly. So by your own logic, shouldn't you give your seat to the old lady?"

After saying this in a conciliatory tone, the girl gave Shuichi Kanda a sweet smile. An ordinary fifteen-year-old boy would probably have blushed, stood up, and surrendered at once.

Shuichi Kanda, however, wasn't falling for that. He wasn't angry, either. He had said that on purpose, hoping someone would jump into the trap he'd laid. Since someone was practically begging to be scolded, he couldn't disappoint her.

So, after looking her over, he smiled again. "Then why haven't you considered that I might be someone with special needs? With the bus this crowded, if I really wasn't feeling well and something happened after I gave this old lady my seat, would you take responsibility for my life?"

Shuichi Kanda's sudden escalation, turning the matter into a question of life and death, caught everyone around him off guard. Not only the people nearby, but several other passengers seemed to be drawn in by his words.

Some thought he had a point; others felt he was exaggerating.

The female student who had urged Shuichi Kanda to give up his seat seemed taken aback as well. Awkward smiles appeared on their faces one after another.

The ma'am on the other side looked as if she still wanted to say something, but the old lady beside her seemed unwilling to let things escalate. She quickly tugged on the woman's sleeve. "It's fine, it's fine."

When they fell silent, Shuichi Kanda's smile faded. He took out his Bluetooth earphones and put them on, clearly done talking to them.

Listening to the music in his earphones, Shuichi Kanda closed his eyes to rest. Just like that, the whole farce fizzled out without a proper ending.