Amasawa Zero

Tokyo Advanced Nurturing High School, Class 1-A.

Although Ayanokoji Kiyoko could choose to be a recluse and skip class from the comfort of her dorm, Amasawa Reigetsu had no such luxury, nor any way to avoid it. Thus, after struggling to pry himself out of a tree, he coughed up a mouthful of old blood and headed toward his classroom.

However, Amasawa Reigetsu did not notice that the entire scene had been witnessed by a certain successor of the Blue Stream Style martial arts.

Morishita Ran: ＜(ºOº)＞＜(ºOº)＞

Walking into the classroom, Amasawa Reigetsu scanned his surroundings, found his seat, pulled it out, and sat down. It seemed his desk mate had not yet arrived.

The back row by the window—the hometown of protagonists.

Amasawa Reigetsu did not join the small, bustling cliques already forming in the class. Instead, fulfilling the aura of a protagonist, he gazed out the window to his left, resting his head on his right hand with a melancholic expression.

"Tap... tap... tap... tap... tap."

The sound of a cane hitting the floor was not loud, but it reached Amasawa's ears with perfect clarity. Based on the rhythm of the cane, he could make a basic judgment regarding the physique of the person about to enter.

Yet, as if the power of the heavens were at play, Amasawa Reigetsu's lips moved of their own accord.

"I really want to play Genshin (Cloud Genshin)."

Accompanied by this rhythmic cadence, a petite, white-haired loli walked in slowly.

She had short silver hair that flowed like moonlight, making her already snow-white skin appear almost translucent. Her entire being exuded an ethereal and incredible atmosphere.

Deep within her eyes lay a profoundness and composure that contradicted her youthful appearance. Although a gentle, tranquil smile hung on her lips, her gaze remained calm and self-possessed.

She was like a piece of exquisite porcelain with fatal cracks—seemingly fragile, yet she was using those eyes that saw through everything to calmly scrutinize everyone in the classroom.

Amasawa Reigetsu quickly sized up the silver-haired girl who had entered. She looked a bit familiar, didn't she?

Wait, that cane—

At the same time, the silver-haired girl's gaze landed exactly on Amasawa Reigetsu. Her pupils dilated slightly, complex emotions rippling through them before being instantly suppressed, though this did not escape Amasawa's eyes.

Sakayanagi Arisu.

Seriously? Why is everyone in this school related to the White Room? Is this a team-building event? If Yuki hadn't told him she was going to a normal high school to "smurf" when he went to comfort her after leaving the White Room, he would have gone to find her by now.

Yuki: Time to smurf!!

Amasawa Reigetsu: I didn't add a Genshin mod when I was using mental suggestion to treat you, did I?!

His thoughts drifted, and by the time Amasawa Reigetsu regained his focus, Sakayanagi Arisu had already walked up to him.

Unnoticed, the atmosphere in Class A had quieted down. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the cute yet inexplicably imposing girl and the boy in front of her who looked every bit like a protagonist.

"Rei-kun, sashiburi (long time no see)."

There was an irrepressible fervor in Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes, visible only from Amasawa Reigetsu's perspective.

"Ah—" Amasawa Reigetsu turned his head away awkwardly, not daring to meet Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes.

What is this fanatical, stalker-like gaze? He had only spoken to her once, hadn't he?

Everyone in Class A was staring unblinkingly at this scene, which felt like a battlefield of emotions. Being sharp, they smelled the scent of juicy gossip!

"BANG!!"

Just then, the door to Class A was kicked open with force!

Could it be a change in the world line? Is Ryuen Kakeru here to take on Class A right from the start!?

"14th successor of the Blue Stream Style martial arts, Morishita Ran, reporting for duty!"

In the blink of an eye, the superhuman Morishita Ran used a one-time-per-chapter Flash skill to teleport right next to Amasawa Reigetsu's desk.

Damn, save my life, desk mate! Amasawa held onto this unrealistic hope.

"Amasawa Reigetsu! Please accept this humble one's challenge!"

Amasawa Reigetsu only felt a blur before a figure teleported to his desk, accompanied by a thunderous opening line. He looked up, dazed, his gaze colliding with a pair of exceptionally sparkling eyes.

The person in front of him was wearing a neat uniform and looked like a cold, aloof high school girl—she hadn't even broken a sweat—yet she was currently posturing with the flair of a martial artist about to draw a blade for a duel. That slightly childish face was filled with an undeniable fighting spirit.

Amasawa Reigetsu: ...Man!

Sakayanagi Arisu: ...What can I say?

"I saw it all! You were punched by someone and embedded into a tree. It would take me a year to pry someone out of a depth like that, yet you just coughed up a bit of blood and walked out!? A master of Qi is truly terrifying! As a successor of the Blue Stream Style who must challenge the strong, I cannot suppress my fighting spirit toward you!!"

Class A fell silent. The world fell silent. Mashima Tomoya, standing at the door, also fell silent.

Is this human? Where is the future of Class A? Although Morishita Ran's traits were clearly marked in the S-System, seeing it in person was... quite shocking.

In the end, the commotion concluded as Mashima Tomoya walked into Class A to begin the homeroom session.

[Sakayanagi Arisu's Diary]

Security Level: Wait, why are you reading my diary?

Year xxxx, Month xx, Day xx, White Room

Today, Father brought me to that legendary place—the White Room.

The corridors, the walls, the ceiling; everything within sight was a suffocating, pure white. It was terrifyingly quiet here, as if the very air had been drained of all impurities, leaving behind only absolute rationality and cold order. Father said this was the cradle for cultivating true geniuses, the "utopia" poured over with the heart's blood of his old acquaintance—Teacher Ayanokoji.

I cannot acknowledge the philosophy here. Artificial geniuses—what does that even amount to? It is a self-contradictory product. Only that which is innate, unique in all the world, a gift bestowed by the heavens—that is what follows as genius.

I argued with Father, yet we continued our tour. But I knew that in my heart, a resolve had already been set—

I will prove this is wrong.

I sat in my wheelchair as Father pushed me to the one-way glass of the observation room. Father told me that as long as I stood here, I could see the true faces of the children inside, while they could not see me.

On the other side of the glass was a group of children engaged in a game of chess. They looked to be about my age, yet in their eyes, there was something inconsistent with their years...

Indifference.

A boring match. Artificial geniuses do not exist—

Until I saw that girl named Ayanokoji Kiyoko. Her strength... perhaps it is worth me using my full power.

I told Father I wanted to play against her. Father's face showed hesitation, which I could not understand at the time, not until I heard that emotionless voice from the other side.

"Checkmate."

"A new face? Did you get beaten by Ayanokoji?"

"Get lost."

"You look quite cute, but your manners are terrible."

I looked up and saw the light gray eyes of the person before me. Even though the words spoken were so unlike the White Room, the eyes could not lie...

Turbid gray.

"Stand up."

It was impossible to refuse.

My body stood up against my will, but my physical condition did not allow me to stand for long—

"Take this. I didn't expect to actually have a use for it."

"Who is stronger, you or Ayanokoji?"

I asked, as if possessed.

"9-1, I suppose. She'd beat me into a bloody mist in 9 seconds."

"Liar."

Silence followed.

I looked at the wooden stick in my hand, with its crude materials but exquisite craftsmanship.

"Amasawa Zero."