Since Shinichi’s found an easy way to gain information through Mana Hacking, he decided to investigate the students too – a matter that he originally intended to postpone until later.
But even with Mana Hacking, it would still take a long time if he were to investigate every student alone.
As such he decided to focus on the students that stood out or those with suspicious history.
Most of such students were either fake students inserted by the student council or agents from different countries, but there was one mysterious student whose history seemed unnatural.
“—Fu!”
There was only one room at the highest floor of the Special Class building of the male dormitory.
The special class students lived in a separate building from normal students like Shinichi. It was proof of their status as the top students.
Perhaps the owner of that room was bad with overly big areas, but it didn’t feel like it was lived in much.
But then again, using up so much floor space wasn’t really a trivial matter unless one was a noble or wealthy.
“989, 990, 991—”
In a corner of that vast space, at the roof balcony, the master of the room swung his great sword wholeheartedly.
This student was none other than Shinguuji Ryou. As a top male student of the academy, he was a boy who possessed great abilities and high grades, and was the poster boy of the word ‘hubris’, or at least that was so until Shinichi came.
“—999, 1000!”
But in this room, not a hint of that overconfidence or self-appeal could be seen.
He swung that heavy sword wholeheartedly under this environment where the gravity was multiplied by photons.
There were a lot of waste in his movements, but not a hint of unsteadiness could be felt despite his overbearing strength.
“He’s a lot more diligent than I thought. Unfortunately, that training doesn’t really suit him.”
Shinichi sat upon a wooden chair and observed him from the balcony.
Just as he’d seen back during the spar when he’d just transferred, this student had the tendency of relying too much on strength.
It was rare for an Earthling to possess such high status, but unfortunately, it wasn’t being put to any good use.
Though it could also be said that he basically reached his current position through brute force alone.
Name: Shinguuji Ryou
Gender: Male
Earth Age: 16 years old
Height: 172cm (5.6 ft)
Weight: 55kg (121 lbs)
Strength: AAA (MAX)
Stamina: AA
Mind: A+
Magic Power: C
Resistance: AAA+ (MAX)
Agility: A
Skill: E+
After combining the statuses of Falandia and Garesto, this was the result.
Ryou inclined toward Strength and Resistance, but his status was high overall.
Magic Power and Skill were low, but the person himself didn’t know about their existence, so that was a given.
But because of that he could approximately only bring about 5% of his total strength.
“What a pity. If only he properly studied how to move his body, then he would actually become useful.”
Neither the person himself nor the people around him noticed the problem because he was too strong.
“A great hammer would suit him better than a great sword in a melee, and against human opponents, a twin-sword style would suit him better.”
Shinichi was gobsmacked when he realized that he was already trying to figure out ‘how to make him stronger.’
He didn’t climb up from the walls of the male dormitory for that.
He came here to investigate this student whose history over four years ago was a blur.
Shinguuji Ryou was a student who drifted off to Garesto four years ago.
The existence of the otherworld was already recognized then and Garesto’s custody system was also going smoothly.
But he found out about his high status there and wanted to stay to study.
Perhaps that was the reason why he had the most experience fighting raybeasts among the students of the school.
Perhaps that was also the reason why his Skill stat had a higher rank than others.
However such actions would be bordering on breaking the law.
After all, even if it was what the person himself wanted, there was still no denying that an Earthling wasn’t sent back home.
But then again, it was during a time of emergency – when there was an outbreak of raybeasts – that those actions were made.
One of the reasons why he called himself famous was because his name became widespread to both worlds after that event.
The army also treated him as a hero to cover up the fact that they failed to react in time.
The reason he was permitted to stay in Garesto for two years was also to thank him.
But as soon as he became old enough, he was immediately sent home and brought into school. Which brings us to the present.
Up to this part there was nothing wrong with his story, but the problem was the part before the dimensional drift.
His mother raised him by herself, but she passed away 9 years ago, and he was left without any relatives.
No information could be found on his father, and his other relatives were also a mystery.
There was information about his birth, but nothing specific.
You could say this was the limit of Mana Hacking.
It was difficult to investigate things that concerned information prior to the network adopting photons.
All of the public records have been transferred over, but all information pertaining to Shinguuji Ryou has been muddied from the start.
If the truth wasn’t in the data in the first place, then no matter how much Shinichi looked, he wouldn’t be able to find it.
“Why does it feel like someone is trying to cover up his history?”
It wasn’t him hiding his own data, someone else was doing it.
Clearly, there was more to him than met the eye. Shinichi was certain of it.
But after coming here, he realized that there was something else amiss.
“Uu, ku, haa haa haa… Not yet!”
A strong will that remained firm despite swinging that heavy sword countless times.
Ryou cried out, ‘not yet!’ as he swung it one more time, but this time his legs gave.
“Why is he going so far?”
He was probably the sort who didn’t like others seeing him work hard.
But that alone shouldn’t be enough to drive him to work himself to the point he was panting and sweating buckets.
Evidently, this was not just a routine to maintain his status but to go beyond.
But reckless training could only harm one’s body.
A student at this school couldn’t possibly be unaware of that.
Besides, since he was already a student here, there shouldn’t be any reason to go even further.
“Ugh, damn it… This isn’t enough.”
No longer able to endure the weight of that sword, it slipped off his hands and fell to the ground.
The added weight immediately vanished, so only a light sound resounded when it hit.
Ryou tried to lift it up again, but his body no longer had any strength left and couldn’t move.
“Damn it, just what… Just what am I lacking!? Something like this would never reach him!”
“…”
He cursed and scolded his shaking legs as he tried to forcefully bring himself back up.
Seeing that, Shinichi scratched his cheeks and abruptly stood up.
“…For the mean time, just go rest for today.”
“Huh!?”
As soon as Ryou heard that voice, he lost consciousness.
A knife hand from the back had taken it, and the perpetrator wryly smiled.
“When I see someone working hard, it makes me want to help them…”
As meddlesome as ever, Shinichi muttered to himself in self-derision, then he picked up Ryou with one hand and threw him over the bed.
This was enough for him to lose all interest in him.
In the first place, the information about him wasn’t something he needed to acquire at all cost.
And when all he found after a little prodding was a boy who wanted to win against someone, he realized that poking his nose any further would be boorish of him.
Shinichi quietly returned to his room.
—But the power you seek can’t be found here anymore.
When you realize that in the end, what will you do?
Shinichi brazenly eavesdropped on this particular conversation since it looked like it was something confidential.
After all it was a conversation between the middle-aged principal of Garesto Academy and the mayor of the floating city, Kutoria.
What’s more it was an unofficial conversation held in a membership system bar within the city.
The two greeted each other and started downing one glass after another.
“Hmm?”
By the time Shinichi realized that something was off, it was already too late.
In less than one hour, the two men were already drunk.
“*Sniff. Everyone keeps complaining at me, but it’s not like I can actually do anything, you know!”
“I know right! They just do whatever they want!!”
Once two men becomes drunk, what would come next is obviously a conversation between drunkards.
At this point, Shinichi already had his suspicions, but he had no other business, so he leaned his back to the wall and impatiently listened to these two drunks.
They were voicing out their displeasure, so it was possible he might fish something out.
“It’s not a principal’s job to deal with a single student, don’t they realize that! And yet after just one month, they already want to kick him out! The youngsters these days really have no patience!”
“They’ve also been at been my throat because of the bombing incident at the end of last month! Don’t they realize I’ve been working hard all this time!?”
“…”
Shinichi inadvertently straightened his back and listened carefully. As for the reason, it needn’t be said.
“Exactly, Mayor! It was because of your ideas and efforts until now that the peace in the city has been protected!”
“Uuu! Thank you, Principal! You’re the only one who tells me that!”
A big adult and a middle-aged man were crying and consoling each other.
Normally, Shinichi would turn away or be disgusted, but he couldn’t do that this time.
“The government is also being unreasonable. Just how do they expect us to protect him when there are so many eyes watching!”
“Exactly! And complaints just keep pouring left and right. If they’re going to run their mouths off so much, then they should give us the funding for it!! Even the funds for the repairs for the bombing incident still hasn’t been approved by the congress!!”
Although the things they were talking about might seem to run parallel to most people because of their inebriation, to the person eavesdropping on them, it wasn’t running parallel at all.
“…Have you two drunk too much?”
“Sorry, Owner…”
“This is the only store that let’s us drink, *sniff.”
The owner of the bar lightly scolded the two, but when they responded to him in such tearful voices, he couldn’t find it in himself to continue.
Meanwhile, the things they grumbled about all struck a certain eavesdropper.
“…Ah, yeah, umm…. Sorry, I guess.”
Later.
A stomach medicine easy on the body was anonymously sent to the mayor and the principal.
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