Misaki Shokuhou stared blankly at the diamond cupped in her hands, her star-shaped pupils filled with bewilderment.
In Academy City, urban legends flourished thanks to technology far beyond the cutting edge of the age and common understanding, the many dark secrets hidden behind the scenes, and an environment populated mainly by students.
There were stories of a man who could cancel out any ability, a test subject for an immortality drug, and a frog-faced doctor with extraordinary medical skills.
But Misaki Shokuhou, who had read the memories of many researchers, understood that these were merely discrepancies caused by differences in what people knew.
For example, the Talent Workshop she belonged to was the truth behind the legend of a mysterious underground organization that could give people abilities, but setting aside the darkness in its depths, the Talent Workshop was actually an officially recognized research institution.
It was only because the public could not be told about it, and fools kept spreading distorted rumors, that things had turned out this way.
But now, Misaki Shokuhou took back all her former prejudices.
Because after witnessing someone squeeze a twig into a diamond with his bare hand, even her brain had inevitably frozen for a moment.
"What... is this?"
"A diamond."
Roland tilted his head in some confusion.
"It shouldn't be that hard to recognize."
Who was asking about that?!
Misaki Shokuhou had no doubt about the identity of the gem in her hands, which still held a trace of warmth.
In principle, squeezing a twig into a diamond was not impossible to explain. After all, it was only a molecular rearrangement of carbon.
But accomplishing that just by holding it in his palm was a little absurd, wasn't it? Didn't characters with that kind of brute strength normally only appear in gag