Energy-Saving Ideology of the Max-Level Individual

Spring sunlight filtered through the bus windows, casting soft light and shadows across the aisle. Pink-and-white cherry blossoms drifted down with the wind on both sides of the road, a few petals clinging to the glass before being quickly swept away by the airflow.

Orikasa Yuu sat in the window seat in the last row, his head leaning against the seat back as he stared blankly out the window at the cherry trees rapidly receding behind.

To outsiders, he probably just looked like he was spacing out.

In fact, he really was looking at "things"—except they weren't imaging on his retinas, but rather floating directly into the depths of his consciousness like an innate memory.

[Orikasa Yuu]

[Combat: MAX (Exceeding human physical limits)]

[Intelligence: MAX (Exceeding human peaks)]

[Spirit: MAX (Exceeding willpower limits)]

[Comprehensive Evaluation: No Weaknesses]

This information didn't hover in front of his eyes in the form of a glowing panel; instead, it floated directly into his consciousness like an innate memory, or an instinct as natural as breathing.

There was no need to focus his gaze, no need to stare at empty air. Even if someone were observing his pupils right now, they would only see the reflection of the cherry blossoms filling the sky outside.

...As expected.

Orikasa Yuu sighed softly in his heart.

Three days ago, he was still living an ordinary to the point of dullness life in another world. After an accident, he opened his eyes to find himself sitting on a bus bound for an unknown destination, with these inexplicable data items extra in his brain.

Along with a memory about this school.

Advanced Nurturing High School. A dream educational institution built with all-out government effort, boasting a hundred percent advancement and employment rate. A paradise on the surface, but in reality a Shura field where ability reigned supreme.

And his initial character sheet was maxed out.

Great.

Orikasa Yuu looked out the window without even the slightest curve lifting the corners of his mouth.

This way, even if I run into trouble, I can resolve it with minimum energy consumption.

His philosophy of life was very simple—the energy-saving ideology.

Do not do unnecessary things, resolve necessary things as quickly as possible, and leave behind no subsequent maintenance costs.

The greatest benefit of a max-level account wasn't the ability to run amok, but the peace of mind to slack off.

The bus was driving smoothly, and the atmosphere inside the carriage had vaguely divided into several factions.

In the window seat diagonally ahead, a black-haired girl sat with correct posture, her back straight, the lines of her profile as cold as if she were attending a funeral. Horikita Suzune.

Several rows further up, a seemingly drowsy boy half-closed his eyes, but Orikasa Yuu could sense that fellow's attention covering the entire carriage like a spiderweb. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

And...

Orikasa Yuu's gaze didn't move, still maintaining his "blank-out" state, but his peripheral vision had already captured that existence in the front-right corner.

Pink hair, low ponytail, black-rimmed glasses.

She curled herself into her seat, tightly hugging a single-lens reflex camera to her knees as if it were her only shield.

Sakura Airi.

Just like Orikasa Yuu, she was also an existence trying to erase herself from the carriage.

Orikasa Yuu's peripheral vision swept past her without lingering.

The two people's gazes accidentally intersected in the air for a split second.

Sakura Airi immediately lowered her head like a startled rabbit, a few strands of pink hair falling down to cover the side of her face.

Orikasa Yuu didn't respond, not even letting his eyelashes flutter, and continued staring out the window.

Energy-saving ideology rule number one: do not actively generate social energy consumption.

However, accidents always arrived without warning.

The bus rolled over a depression in the road surface, and the car body bumped violently.

"Ah—"

A short cry of surprise.

Sakura Airi's camera slid forward due inertia, the shoulder strap wrapping around the armrest of the front seat at some unknown point. She instinctively reached out to grab it, but her whole person was pulled forward by the strap with a jerk, her glasses sliding crookedly to one side.

"S-Sorry..."

She apologized in a panic, her voice as thin as a mosquito's, her fingers trembling as she went to untangle the tightly wound strap. But the more anxious she got, the tighter the strap wound, the metal clasp knocking crisp sounds against the armrest.

Someone in the carriage turned their head over.

Yamauchi Haruki whistled. "Hey, be careful."

Ike Kanji laughed along. "That camera looks pretty expensive. Can you afford to pay if you break it?"

Sakura Airi's face turned instantly crimson, her fingernails nearly digging into her palms. Her shoulders began to tremble—not out of fear, but that kind of stiffness bordering on suffocation when being watched by everyone.

Orikasa Yuu hadn't wanted to get involved.

Really.

He calculated it in his mind: from standing up to solving the issue would take about five seconds. But afterwards he might get spoken to, thanked, and have his face remembered. The social maintenance cost was too high.

However, he noticed Sakura Airi's breathing becoming ragged, as if she were about to pass out the next second.

...What a nuisance.

Orikasa Yuu silently chanted these two words in his heart, then stood up.

He did not make any unnecessary sounds, walked over to Sakura Airi in a few steps, and half-crouched down.

Eh...?

Sakura Airi was stunned, physiological tears still hanging in her reddened eye sockets.

Orikasa Yuu didn't look at her, nor did he look at anyone around. His left hand steadily supported the bottom of the camera to prevent it from continuing to drop; his right index finger and thumb pinched the tangled strap, giving it a gentle tug at a specific angle.

Click.

The moment the metal clasp came undone, he used his palm to cushion the camera's momentum, then gently placed it back onto Sakura Airi's lap.

Four seconds total.

He didn't say are you okay, didn't say be careful next time, and didn't even glance at her.

Stand up, return to his seat, sit down, and continue looking out the window.

Smooth and seamless, as if he had just casually steadied a vending machine that was about to fall over.

Th-thank you...

Sakura Airi hugged the camera, her voice so small it was almost drowned out by the engine noise.

Orikasa Yuu didn't turn his head, only nodding slightly to count as having received this expression of thanks.

Energy-saving ideology rule number two: stepping in is fine, but leave no subsequent maintenance costs.

The brief commotion in the carriage quickly subsided. Ayanokoji Kiyotaka seemed to glance over this way, but Orikasa Yuu's posture was too natural—no tension, no smugness, no emotional fluctuation worth caring about.

Just like a passerby casually pressing an elevator button.

Boring, and without value.

Ayanokoji withdrew his gaze.

Orikasa Yuu breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Good thing.

If he were targeted by that freak with abnormal observation skills, his subsequent energy-saving life would be greatly discounted.

Sakura Airi hugged her camera a bit tighter, shrunk back into her own corner, and didn't raise her head again. This episode seemed to consume too much energy for her; she buried herself into the seat as if she were about to completely vanish from the carriage.

Orikasa Yuu's gaze cast back out the window.

Energy-saving ideology rule number three: do not track sequels, do not confirm feedback, do not establish loops.

A small commotion arose again at the front of the carriage. That blonde Koenji Rokusuke was still monopolizing two seats, and Kushida Kikyo was leaning over saying something to him, probably about giving up a seat or something similar.

Koenji didn't even lift his eyelids: "The weak have no right to make demands of me. That smile you squeezed out just to please everyone hurts my eyes to look at."

Kushida Kikyo's smiling face stiffened for a split second, and the fingers behind her back quietly clenched. But the next second she raised the corners of her mouth again as if nothing had happened, though a hint of malice flashed deep in her eyes as she turned away.

Orikasa Yuu caught a glimpse of this scene from the reflection of the car window and closed his eyes again.

High-energy-consumption individuals probing each other. It had nothing to do with him.

The bus continued driving, crossing the cross-sea bridge. After a while, the speed slowly decreased, and an absurdly magnificent school gate appeared in his field of vision.

Advanced Nurturing High School.

Rustling noises sounded in the carriage, students began tidying up their luggage, and the atmosphere became restless.

Orikasa Yuu opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping past the magnificent school gate outside the window, and then sweeping over the classmates with various expressions inside the carriage.

Troublesome.

But still within an acceptable energy consumption range.