Chapter 3: The International Science and Technology Academy

I’m so depressed...

Yesterday, Mom had suddenly announced that the future of my education was going to change.

Why the hell do I have to go to some technology academy?! A teacher at my middle school had recommended me to a school ranked low enough for even me to get admitted easily, and I wanted to just go to that one. I’d be able to just go to school and then return home to go online or watch TV.

I was looking forward to having such a blessed high school life, so why do I have to go to a school that’s probably full of geniuses not just from Japan, but from all over the world?! Actually, I won’t even get admitted...

When I’d asked Mom, “How am I supposed to get admitted into that sort of school?” she had just said something like, “Oh, Kou, they’ve already decided to admit you.”

I hadn’t taken their exams, and with my grades, I would have failed them anyway. True, I was capable of speaking some foreign languages, but just barely on the level of a first-year student of an elite high school. Mom must have used her own name to pressure them into admitting me.

This is bad. Really bad. The academy is going to be against me, and I’m going to completely let down anyone who has high expectations for me. How could this happen?

“I know you’ve had to hold back in a lot of ways so far, Kou, but from now on you’ll be able to let loose and do the things you want to do,” Mom assured me.

She had said all these important-sounding things to me, but I didn’t know what she was expecting from me! If I could do what I wanted, then I wouldn’t even want to go to some academy.

Macho Man had sent me an email saying something like, “I’m glad you’re going to a school where you can do what you want to do. Your dad is cheering for you.”

I don’t even know what you’re talking about, Macho Man. Stop acting like you think you understand how things are. You don’t understand a thing. I’d say you’re on the level of a gorilla!

On top of all that, what’s with this list of necessary items in the academy introduction pamphlet? I can understand why I’d need a personal terminal with a capacity of over 280 TB. Actually, just that alone is going to cost over 800,000, but this next item is what gets me. A personal powered suit! They must be complete idiots. A single powered suit costs over four million. No one is going to buy something like that for a child. I don’t care how common they are; they’re still treated much the same as a car. I wonder if I can really trust Mom to prepare all of this. She can be a little eccentric sometimes. I hope she doesn’t buy anything weird... I suppose I’d better check with her.

I went down to the living room to ask her.

“The things you need for the academy, Kou?” she asked. “They’ve all arrived already. Do you want to see them?”

It seemed my mom had already prepared them. We went to the garage to check them out, and there were more than a few things there that appeared to have been chosen by someone whose values were more than just a little eccentric.

“First, we have this! It’s the new model of personal terminal by Luin Corp.”

Yes. I know it well. But didn’t they only just announce it this month? It’s a quantum-computer personal terminal with a capacity of 800 TB. But this is something that they’ve only just announced. It’s not on sale yet. Shouldn’t it be another five years before this reaches consumers? I mean, I love new things, and I’m happy, but...

“Next, we have this! It’s a Quartet Heavy Industries powered suit.”

Quartet Corp boasted the largest market share amongst companies producing powered suits, and the quality of their products was considered the highest in the world. Basically, they were known as the best in the entire world. What’s more, the thing that was in front of me was probably the highest level civilian use powered suit.

Just how much did this cost...?

I was afraid to ask. I didn’t think there was any way it could have been less than 100 million. I couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“M-Mom, thanks! Can we have dinner soon? I’m hungry.”

Basically, I’d decided not to face reality for now.

After dinner, I happened to find an article about the academy while using my terminal.

This is the place I’m supposed to be attending. It was an article about the academy that I really didn’t want to attend. I decided to read it thinking it would be good to at least get some idea of what the academy was like.

While reading, something in the text caught my eye: “Ranked No. 1 school with the most good-looking guys and beautiful girls;” “The most beautiful girl contest is a regular school event!”

...Well, Mom did say I have to go, no matter what, and the teachers at my school have said that it’s impossible to find another high school now, and they won’t help me. I’ll just have to give up and go to the academy. Seems there’s no use fighting it! It’s really no use! To the academy I go!

**

Principal, Kaori Yamamoto’s Point of View

I’m so depressed...

The other day I had been given an instruction directly from the Prime Minister of Japan. He had told me to allow a particular boy into the academy, without having him take any exams. I’d assumed it was another politician who wanted his own kid to have the distinction of being admitted here. With that in mind, I had firmly rejected the instruction.

For me, those who misused authority in that way were the people I hated the most. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that that was the reason the academy had been entrusted to me in the first place. So I had not yielded to his authority. I had told the Prime Minister that the academy valued equal opportunity.

He had responded, “This is a formal decision made not by Japan, but by the United Nations. You don’t have the authority to refuse. If you continue to refuse, you can be replaced as principal. I’m sorry, but please understand the situation.”

What in the world is going on? I’d thought, baffled. Since the founding of the academy, there had never been such a situation. I asked him to at least tell me the reason.

“An agent will hand over documents explaining the details to you directly tomorrow. Save your questions until then.”

With that, he’d ended the call.

Documents on paper in this day and age? It’s not electronic data? I had thought, baffled.

My doubts were erased the next day. The agent who contacted me claimed to be from the United Nations intelligence department; basically, he was a spy. Even after looking at the documents he passed to me, I still didn’t understand why such a person would be here.

“Kouki Arakawa.” The name of the son of the mother of quantum mechanics was written in the documents. The son of a genius. However, that was no reason for the United Nations to do his bidding. As I read further, the contents of the document were incredible.

Age 4: He constructed and completed the theory of Mother’s Equation.

Age 5: He designed a new type of fusion reactor.

Age 6: He completed a design for a next-generation powered suit.

Around the same time, he improved orbital satellite cannons.

Age 7: He began production of medical pods.

Around the same time, he developed a new model of fighter jet with variable wings.

Age 10: He completed production of a new model of medical pod.

In June of the same year, the United Nations forces were mobilized when he experimented by releasing a chemical weapon into the garden of his home.

Age 11: He improved fifth-generation main battle tanks and conceived of quasi-sixth-generation tanks.

In March of the same year, he experimented by adding an antibacterial product to a public pool. The Ground Self-Defense Force was mobilized.

Age 12: In February, he launched a cruise missile disguised as a firework from the coast. This was successfully intercepted by submarines of the Maritime Self-Defense Force.

In August of the same year, he experimented by launching an improved cruise missile, which the Maritime Self-Defense Force and Air Self-Defense Force failed to intercept. The missile self-destructed 40 km off the coast.

Age 13: In January, July, and November, he launched into orbit three satellite rockets disguised as fireworks from the garden of his home at night.

In November, the United Nations Space Force used all of their resources to track these rockets; however, the targets were lost.

Age 14: He developed an anti-cancer medical pod. A small number of experimental units were made available to civilians.

Age 15: In January, he experimented by operating a prototype military-use sixth-generation powered suit in the garden of his home.

If all of this was true, that would mean the person known as Kouki Arakawa was using his mother as a cover for his activities.

The agent told me that this was all top-secret information, and that there would be serious consequences for me if it were to leak out. I had no doubt that I’d be killed.

Why exactly would someone with such capabilities need to be educated? When I had asked this question, I’d been told, “There’s no particular need to educate him in technological matters. We wish him to be given an education in ethics, and we leave it up to you as the principal to decide on how to do that.”

Now I see... Based on the information, he was clearly acting upon his curiosity with no consideration for the consequences. Launching a missile wasn’t something most people would do, but he had already launched two missiles by the age of 12. It seemed as though he had been annoyed that his first attempt was intercepted.

What in the world did he launch afterward when he was 13...? I’d love to ask him.

After having the agent leave, I considered possible teaching methods for the boy. Unfortunately, I had no ideas that seemed suited to someone whose mind got excited by glimpsing the darker side of the world.

“I suppose I’ll assign him to the elite class...” I murmured.

Basically, I’d decided not to face reality for now.

**

Miki Arakawa’s Point of View

I’m in such a wonderful mood. I can’t believe how far we’ve come!

From now on, Kouki would be able to study however he liked and create whatever he wanted to create. Certainly, he had done some slightly unethical things, but he would come to understand that as soon as he made some friends.

Until now, we’d placed pressure on the school and deliberately made it so Kouki wasn’t able to make friends. This had been to protect him from abductions and unwanted influences, but I was sure we’d made him feel sad. Now, it was no longer necessary to make him feel that way. We could finally give him freedom. The thought had gotten me all fired up while collecting the things he needed for the academy.

The new model of personal terminal; the first-rate powered suit; the bag; the shoes—they were all top brands. Kouki seemed pleased by the personal terminal, but didn’t seem to like the powered suit.

Despite being a special-order suit that had cost over three billion, it was just a civilian-use suit, after all. Kouki probably wanted to wear the military-use sixth-generation suit he had previously invented himself. However, that wasn’t the kind of thing you could wear in a school, so he’d just have to make do.

Starting with that, I was going to have him learn some common sense, little by little.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

After eating my breakfast, I spent an unusually long time standing in front of the bathroom sink. After all, first impressions were more important than anything!

I fixed my hair and brushed my teeth so that I wouldn’t look unclean. When I was satisfied, I returned to my room and put on my brand-new school uniform before returning to the bathroom sink and checking myself in the mirror again.

All right, no problems here. I look like a fresh, well-adjusted youth in every way...

“Mom, what do you think?” I asked her, and she smiled even more kindly than usual and told me that it suited me. I checked my watch and saw that I still had some time left, so I decided to watch horoscopes on the TV.

“Kou, the car that’s picking you up will be here soon, so why don’t you come put your shoes on?” she called.

I didn’t understand what she was saying. I’d heard nothing about this, so I tried asking her. It turned out that being my mom’s son, the son of “the mother of quantum mechanics,” caused some problems.

Ah, so that’s how it is, I thought.

Someone related to a world famous scientist entering a technology academy could cause some commotion. I didn’t want to get caught up in that sort of trouble, so I obediently waited for the car.

“What the...?”

When I saw the car that came to meet me, I immediately wanted to make a U-turn and return to the house.

It was a sinister looking, black-painted car. It was surrounded by two large vans, one in front and one behind. Just as I was about to take my head in my hands, Mom came out from the house.

“Your mom’s going out, too,” she told me before climbing into the black car, which immediately drove off. The large vans went with it. All that remained was an ordinary sedan.

Thank God! I’m so relieved!! That sinister-looking car that you’d expect some scary-looking guys to be riding in was here to pick up my mom! I thought I was actually going to have to show up to the academy in that thing...

“So, you’re Kouki? All right, let’s head for the academy.” An old guy with a black suit, black tie, and a bald head spoke to me while climbing out of the remaining car.

I quietly trembled in fear until we reached the academy.

**

“Hmm, 1-S... 1-S...” I murmured.

I’m lost. Why is this place so damn big?! Just how much money did they put into this academy? I thought as I wandered aimlessly. I don’t know what to do. I’d ask someone, but everyone keeps avoiding eye contact. Somehow, this reminds me of when I was in middle school... I must have something in my eye.

Just then, I heard footsteps running toward me from behind. I turned to see a beautiful girl standing before me, gasping for breath.

I had to stop myself from drooling over her. This is my chance to get to know a hot girl!! Struggling to keep a straight face so that she wouldn’t realize what I was thinking, I tried to ask her the way to my classroom.

“I’m sorry, Arakawa. There was no one to show you around because of an error on my part.” She spoke before I could, so I’d missed the chance to respond, and ended up simply nodding.

Oh, man... She’s going to think I can’t communicate.

I glanced at the hot girl and saw she was gazing off to the side.

She was definitely thinking something like, Wow, how pathetic. He can’t even manage a conversation. He can’t communicate!

I tried to relax and regain my composure. Then I asked her a question in my most cool and collected voice. “I understand your situation. Please let me know what I should be doing. Perhaps you’d be able to guide me?”

That was perfect. With this strategy, I’d made it clear that I understand the academy’s situation, and I could ask to be shown around by a hot girl. And this way, she couldn’t refuse. I’ll admit, it was a little underhanded, but right now, I needed to get to know this hot girl in front of me!

She seemed to be thinking about something for a moment, but then she came toward me, smiling, and told me she’d be my guide.

It always feels good to see a hot girl smile!

I followed behind her wordlessly and we came to a stop in front of the principal’s office. Just as I thought we were going to greet the principal, she simply entered the room without knocking, walked to the innermost desk, turned, and smiled at me before speaking.

“Welcome to the International Science and Technology Academy, Kouki Arakawa. I’m the academy’s principal, Kaori Yamamoto.”

**

VIP Escort Squad Baldy’s Point of View

The situation was tense, and everyone was on edge. There were 32 members of a special ranger unit from the Ground Self-Defense Force surrounding the house. In addition, I was one of 20 members of a VIP escort squad positioned about the perimeter.

“This is Baldy,” I said. “The package will be dispatched from the house imminently. Don’t let your guard down.”

Obviously, the name Baldy was just an alias inspired by my hairstyle. Anyway, that’s not important. Being so nervous was a problem, so I had to relax a little by thinking about something unrelated.

Our mission was to protect Kouki Arakawa. From now on, we’d be repeating this every school day morning for three years until he graduated the academy. From the materials that I’d been supplied with earlier, I knew all too well just how indispensable the subject we were protecting was to Japan, and all about his unethical brutality.

We absolutely can not fail.

The escorting method we were using this time was a simple method involving a decoy. As a decoy VIP, his mother Miki Arakawa was heading out first together with two escort vehicles. It had been his mother’s wish to be given this duty herself.

Afterward, Kouki Arakawa himself was to depart on a different route in just one vehicle. Although the main subject was to be transported by just one vehicle, stealth attack planes from the Air Self-Defense Force were in the air on standby. The planes were units designed for attacking ground targets and were able to offer protection over a relatively large area. In addition, camouflaged armored vehicles had been deployed at various places along the route.

“This is Special 1. Departure of the decoy confirmed.”

Miki Arakawa had departed as planned. Now I had to secure the subject.

“So, you’re Kouki? Let’s head for the academy,” I said to him, and he silently boarded the car.

Usually, when people saw someone with my sort of appearance, they’d have some reaction; but he was silent. He moved around restlessly as if trying to express his dissatisfaction. Putting him in a bad mood was a problem.

I think I’ll ask the intelligence department to dispatch a capable female squad member from tomorrow onward.

**

Kaori Yamamoto’s Point of View

How did it come to this?! I resisted the urge to scream while running around the academy.

When I’d received the report from the escort squad saying that Kouki Arakawa had arrived, the agent had simply told Arakawa which way to go and then left him as if they didn’t understand the importance of the matter. By the time the report had reached me, Arakawa was no longer in the same place.

The United Nations had told me directly that I was to handle him carefully, but things had already become a complete mess. To make matters worse, the escort squad had contacted me to say that he was in a bad mood today.

If we’re not careful, who’s to say he won’t spread poison gas through the academy as revenge?!

When I finally found him and ran over to speak to him, I feared it was already too late. As he noticed me and turned to face me, his expression became angry. His face seemed to say, Shouldn’t you have met me when I first arrived, you incompetent fool?

I quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, Arakawa. There was no one to show you around because of an error on my part.”

He barely reacted, merely nodding his head. As I frantically tried to figure out what to do, he replied, “I understand your situation. Please let me know what I should be doing. Perhaps you’d be able to guide me?”

To tell the truth, I was afraid and wanted to refuse. Being alone with him was just too much. But his words had left no room for refusal. Besides, if I made his mood any worse, one of his cruise missiles would have no doubt gone flying toward my house that night. My only option was to smile and comply.

I walked with him, and we had reached my office before I’d been able to think of a plan.

There’s no way out of this now...

I turned to face him, and did my best to smile before speaking. “Welcome to the International Science and Technology Academy, Kouki Arakawa. I’m the academy’s principal, Kaori Yamamoto.”

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

“Welcome to the International Science and Technology Academy, Kouki Arakawa. I’m the academy’s principal, Kaori Yamamoto.”

The hot girl—I mean, the principal—welcomed me.

Huh? Now what? Don’t tell me I’ve been making the principal show me around. She’s going to be so mad. She’s totally going to be asking herself, “Why do I have to waste my time on this student?” Well, I guess I’ll just smile. My secret forge-ahead-while-smiling strategy that I’ve been perfecting since infanthood!

“Thank you, Principal,” I told her. “Please allow me to introduce myself once again. My name is Kouki Arakawa. I hope you’ll find me agreeable for these next three years.”

Nailed it! I’d said the whole thing with a smile. Just show someone a smile and everything tends to work out, so why worry? It has worked up till now, so it’s bound to keep working!

I took a look at the principal...

Okay, that’s strange. It really feels like I’ve just messed up somehow.

The atmosphere was kind of like what you would get if you asked a stunning girl at a party for her phone number as a joke, and she’d simply looked at you, confused. The principal and I looked at each other without speaking.

After some time, the principal spoke to break the awkward atmosphere. “R-Right. I wonder if you’d let me ask you a question, Kouki?”

I’m saved. If I’d had to endure that atmosphere any longer, I probably would have run home crying.

“What is it?” I asked.

This was a chance to tell her exactly what she wanted to know and score some points with her! Hot girls often have a lot of friends who are also hot girls. Besides, this was the principal who’d be taking care of me; I had to at least get on her good side.

“I’d like you to tell me a little about yourself.”

“About me? Huh?” I was dumbfounded. “Oh, sorry. What I meant to say was: ‘About myself? Certainly.’”

Whoa! Having a hot girl like the principal suddenly say, “I want to know more about you” was such a shock, I ended up replying carelessly!! I need to get myself together. I can’t look so tense; I’m a gentleman. I need to act like a gentleman and keep control over my facial expression.

“If you’d rather not, that’s fine.” The principal sounded a little flustered.

What does she mean, if I’d rather not? It’s a pleasure.

“What is it you want to know? What do you want to know about me?” I asked the principal while trying to keep myself from breathing too heavily.

She carefully considered her words before asking, “When you were twelve years old, you launched a firework from the coast. Why did you do it?”

Hm... twelve years old? Did I really do that? More importantly, how does she know things about me that I don’t even remember myself? I guess it doesn’t really matter. Let’s see if I can remember... Fireworks... Oh! That thing? She must mean the time when Macho Man was at home for once and he showed me one of the rocket firework assembly kits that he uses at work.

That had been Macho Man when he was working in remote regions like Africa and the Amazon. I think he had said he used them to drive away wild animals, but I’d only half listened to his story. Anyhow, the problem was that they’d flown at such high altitudes that they were easily spotted.

After he told me about it, I’d tried launching one from the coast, and it’d flown to a height of 80 meters. I could certainly see how it would be spotted while flying at such a height.

I’d talked to Mom about it, and she’d said that the height could be reduced if the speed was increased.

“Like this?” I’d asked, while sketching the shape of a firework and how it might look while flying.

I’d shown her my sketch, and after about half a year, she’d created a new firework. The firework made by my genius mom could fly at a speed of 1,200 km/h at an altitude of less than two meters and could automatically navigate around obstacles. When I’d tried launching that one from the coast, it had disappeared over the horizon with incredible speed.

Come to think of it, I clearly remembered that there’d been a bunch of lights randomly flying around that night; fighter planes, I guessed. I gave the principal a basic summary and she nodded appreciatively.

All right, she’s impressed that I’m a great son who’s considerate enough to work with his mom to help out a good-for-nothing father like Macho Man! I’m bound to score points with this.

“Well, what about the ones you launched from your garden when you were thirteen?” she asked.

That time it had started with one of the girls Macho Man works with telling me she wanted to see the Earth. She was always taking good care of Macho Man; so I’d discussed it with Mom, and she’d improved the rocket firework she’d made earlier.

We’d launched it with a small artificial satellite—handmade by Mom—loaded onto it. I remembered the girl had been happy when we’d sent her the image of our blue Earth from the satellite. She’d gotten all excited, saying, “You can even see the small details clearly!” Our hard work had paid off.

By the way, besides that satellite, I’d secretly launched another two rocket fireworks without telling Mom, but that was a secret.

“You won’t tell me about the things you launched besides the satellite?” she asked.

No way, anything but that! I absolutely can’t tell... Her eyes are filling with tears like she really wants to know, but there’s no way I can tell her!! I have to get her off the subject somehow.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Principal, it’s almost time for the school entrance ceremony to start.”

With perfect timing, a glamorous, blonde-haired older girl entered and called out to the principal.

**

Kaori Yamamoto’s Point of View

“Welcome to the International Science and Technology Academy, Kouki Arakawa. I’m the academy’s principal, Kaori Yamamoto.”

The boy responded mockingly, “Thank you, Principal. Please allow me to introduce myself once again. My name is Kouki Arakawa. I hope you’ll find me agreeable for these next three years.”

He was no doubt displeased with me. His face said: I figured that out from the look on your face and the atmosphere in this room. Haven’t you at least realized that? Stupid woman...

Somehow, I had to break the awkward silence. Out of desperation, I found a way out of the situation, but would soon wish I hadn’t.

“R-Right. I wonder if you’d let me ask you a question, Kouki?”

I had no idea what I was saying. My brain wasn’t functioning, and I couldn’t understand my own words. He urged me to continue with a false smile. I continued to speak, as if possessed by a devil.

“I’d like you to tell me a little about yourself.”

I was shocked by my own words. How could I say such a thing?! I’d just said something to the boy in front of me that I probably never should have said. His face was stern, but he complied.

Would I be better off backing out right now? The question weighed on my mind. On the other hand, as a researcher, my natural curiosity had been sparked and couldn’t be suppressed.

The demon child...

I remembered that that was what they called this boy. If I continued this discussion any further, there would be no going back. Not to mention, my role was to help hide this boy’s true form. Even so, I didn’t care. More than anything, I wanted to know the truth.

“When you were twelve years old, you launched a firework from the coast. Why did you do it?”

He answered my question with a grin.

After being advised of the shortcomings of cruise missiles used by his father and launching one himself, he’d found they fell far short of his requirements. He’d therefore designed an improved model and asked his mother to produce it.

The completed missile had had capabilities far superior to anything that already existed. It seems he’d regarded the desperate attempts by self-defense forces to intercept the missile and retain their dignity as being mere child’s play.

He confirmed this by saying, “I clearly remember the lights of the fighter planes that appeared that day.”

Clearly, he’d been confident that these were no more than an annoying swarm of flies, powerless to stop him. As a researcher, I felt some admiration for his absolute confidence in his own creation, and I simply nodded.

I also tried asking about the rocket he launched when he was thirteen. It seems the rocket he’d launched from his garden was a spy satellite. If his father’s colleagues had wanted a spy satellite so badly, they probably had links to the intelligence branch of the United Nations armed forces. So for such a person to have exclaimed, “You can even see the small details clearly!” the capabilities of the satellite had no doubt been far beyond existing satellites.

Not only that, he’d reportedly launched three of them. I asked about the others, but he immediately told me it was a secret. It might have been my imagination, but he seemed a little agitated. In a low voice, he continued by letting it slip that it would all be over if anyone found out.

This was something that could cause even this person to become agitated to such an extent that he’d hid the thing by launching it into space...

I could think of only one possibility: A weaponized virus.

I was absolutely certain.

An unmanageable virus that was highly infectious or highly lethal—most likely both—had been discarded in outer space. I felt like I might cry. Not even the creation of something unmanageable by humanity was enough to faze him...

Are lessons in ethics really going to be enough? I looked at him, wondering.

Just then his appointed class teacher, Roberta Scarlet, entered the room and announced, “Principal, it’s almost time for the school entrance ceremony to start.”

**

Roberta’s Point of View

I glanced at the boy walking alongside me as I guided him and the principal.

He was the strangest person. Most boys would stare at my breasts, but he did nothing of the sort. In fact, he seemed completely uninterested in me as he walked by my side. This had never happened before and I was a little perplexed.

I could hardly ask him, “Aren’t you going to take a look at my breasts?” so I continued leading them.

The principal had said that this boy would be joining the class I was assigned to, but I still had little idea of what kind of boy he was. I wanted to take the opportunity to find out at least a little about him, but I didn’t know what to say to him, so I simply led them to the assembly hall.

Once there, I showed him to his seat and then went to take my own seat.

I wonder if I’ll be able to instruct a student like this strange first-year boy? I’m a little nervous...

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

The older girl showed me to my seat in the assembly hall, and I sat down.

Wow, those boobs were huge, I thought.

I figured she’d catch me if I looked at them, so I walked just a little behind her, tantalized by the sight of her breasts in the corner of my eye. When you walk like that, it appears to the girl as though you’re right by her side and just looking forward, so try it next time you want to steal a glance at someone’s breasts. Just don’t blame me if you get caught...

Anyhow, the ceremony was about to start. This was the beginning of my life at the academy, and yet there was barely anyone around me. Although the seats seemed to be arranged into classes, there were only fifteen people nearby.

Every other class had about forty people. What’s more, our class only had three boys. One of them had been making a “Buh hee! Buh hee hee!” laughing sound for awhile now. He seemed like someone to avoid; the type of person I was better off not associating with.

I also saw a long-haired girl sitting in the front row. From where I was, I could only see the side of her face, but I thought she was fairly cute. Everyone else seemed fairly normal.

We weren’t in a video game world or anything like that, so of course there weren’t any pink-haired girls, and none of the girls had tails or animal ears.

Well, that’s reality for you. If I ever get reincarnated, I want to be born in another world where I can cheat my way into my own harem... Wait, this already is another world. The history is different from my world.

I was zoning out thinking about these stupid things when an old guy acting as chair announced, “Next, we’re going to greet the new students. Our representative for new students, from the elite class, is... Megumi Aikawa.”

Wow, there’s an elite class? I guess it really is a world-renowned academy, after all. I was feeling a sense of admiration when the long-haired girl in my line of sight stood up. Huh... She’s getting up? Don’t tell me that this is the elite class?! You’ve got to be kidding me! Why would they put me in the elite class?!

While I was getting into a panic, Aikawa had taken the stage.

Wow, she really is cute. Wait! Forget that.

I decided that when this was over, I’d go to the principal and ask to be switched to an ordinary class, because this clearly wasn’t the right class for me.

Huh? Aikawa is looking right at me. Why is she looking at me? She really is just glaring straight at me; did I do something wrong? I can’t take it anymore... This is all too much. I want to go home.

**

Megumi Aikawa’s Point of View

At the invitation of the academy’s vice-principal, I climbed on stage. As I gave my speech and looked at the students, a male student caught my eye.

Kouki Arakawa...

The son of the genius Miki Arakawa. He’d been admitted to the academy without even taking the exams. Every other student had taken the exams and achieved appropriate scores before being admitted, but for some reason he hadn’t. He was here simply because his mother was a genius. Though it did seem likely that the son of Miki Arakawa would be an exceptional student.

What if he isn’t? If an ordinary person has entered the academy and joined the elite class, I’m not going to stand for it! Unless he has exceptional talent, I’ll drive him out of this academy immediately! Once this ceremony ends, I’ll talk to him and put things right.

I carelessly glared at him while thinking that over...

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

After the opening ceremony ended, I found my classroom and took a seat.

Thank God they had a proper seating chart on the wall...

The only problem was, the one who made “Buh hee!” noises, known as Saito, had the seat next to mine. The minute I sat down, I took my terminal from my bag and started reading a book, so it wasn’t a problem.

There’s at least one guy like that in every class. At least there are no delinquents in this academy, so I shouldn’t get bullied.

I was spacing out when a voice suddenly called out to me, “Arakawa, do you have a moment?”

I turned and saw Aikawa.

She’s the one who was glaring at me just now, but I haven’t even done anything. I was just thinking I’d like to get to know her, so if that’s all she wants, that would be great!

“You want something?” I asked, and then she started speaking angrily.

“Arakawa, you might think you’re special because you’re the son of Miki Arakawa, but this is the International Science and Technology Academy. And this is the elite class. Do you understand? Everyone here is special! I want you to understand that you’re not the only one who’s special here. Did you really not take any of the exams? That’s what I’ve heard. Actually, forget it! I don’t even want to hear your excuses. Every other student actually had to pass exams to get here! Are you really talented enough to deserve to be here? The first exam is next week, so please make sure you rank in the top 10 out of our year group. If you can’t manage that, do the decent thing and leave the academy. Bye.”

Then she stalked off.

Wow, I thought, amazed. Did she really just rant at me until she was satisfied and then walk away? I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen anyone so genuinely hysterical. I guess there are a lot of crazy geniuses out there like Aikawa and my mom. Anyhow, there’s just no way I can rank in the top 10 for the school year at this academy. Am I going to have to quit the academy?

For just a moment, those thoughts troubled me.

Then I decided, I couldn’t care less about her! Ordinary students can’t just go making decisions about another student’s future. I don’t know who she thinks she is, saying all those things after the way she glared at me. I might be a gentle person, but I’m going to end up kicking her ass!

I didn’t actually say any of those things to her... I was a gentleman, after all.

Aikawa’s threats don’t scare me in the slightest because I’m a gentleman! I told myself.

While I was still being troubled by these thoughts, homeroom ended, and everyone began to move out.

I guess we’re finishing in the morning because it’s the opening ceremony day. I’m tired, so I guess I’ll just get some lunch at the cafeteria and then go straight home.

Now seemed like a good opportunity to make friends.

I should ask someone to eat with me. I wonder if anyone would even be willing to eat with me just after I’ve been yelled at by Aikawa?

I looked straight ahead... everyone avoided eye contact.

I looked to the right... everyone avoided eye contact.

I looked behind me... just some lockers and a wall.

I looked to the left... I made eye contact with Saito.

Saito is looking right at me!

**

Shingo Saito’s Point of View

Arakawa was a nice guy. He was kind enough to eat lunch with someone like me.

I didn’t know what to talk about, so I tried talking about some animal-related trivia I’d learned from the giant bulletin board that I was always reading on my personal terminal. I didn’t think he’d actually be interested. I figured it would end with me being made fun of, like always. However...

“No way! You telling me that if you turn a pigeon upside down, they get confused and can’t move?!” he cried, taking an interest right away.

I got really into it and told him some more, and he showed interest in those things, too.

“You’re kidding! How would someone even find out that all polar bears are left-handed?”

After finishing lunch, I was about to go home when Arakawa asked me for my email address and portable terminal number. I was overjoyed to tell him. Before I headed to my car to return home, Arakawa even said I should contact him if I ever needed anything.

Up until now, I’d always been bullied. This was the first time I’d made a friend. I hated being bullied, so trying so hard to get into an academy with no delinquents had really paid off!

A weird girl called Aikawa had picked a fight with Arakawa, but I was sure that was just a one-off. On the other hand, if anything really bad did happen, I’d expose it on the bulletin board.

I thought I’d perhaps send Arakawa an email that night to tell him the URL of a website with lots of interesting trivia, and I returned home from school with a spring in my step for the first time in my life.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

Saito seemed like a really great guy! He taught me a ton of trivia that I didn’t know.

Sorry for assuming you were a weirdo at first, let’s eat together again tomorrow, I thought happily.

When I got home and told Mom about it, she smiled and said, “I’m so glad you’ve made a friend.”

It seemed I’d made a friend for the first time in my life.

Before I went to bed, I got an email from Saito with about 20 URLs to websites containing lots of trivia.

I was gradually drifting off while looking at them, when I remembered... I’d forgotten to ask them to change my class.

Oh, well... At least I’m in Saito’s class.

**

Today we had nothing other than a health checkup and an explanation about what we’d be learning in lessons. It seemed we wouldn’t be studying at the academy for real until next week... The explanation ended early, and students were told to use the leftover time to get to know each other.

“Buh hee! Buh hee hee!” Saito was there in front of me.

Don’t get me wrong; it wasn’t that I disliked him. It was just that we were two boys sitting in a sunny cafeteria drinking coffee. I wanted to go talk to a girl on the other side of the cafeteria who didn’t stand out much, but I couldn’t exactly leave Saito. Male friendship was about dedication! At least that was what Macho Man had told me. Even though the only thing he seemed dedicated to was his muscles.

“So the latest models of military-use powered suit are the first ones to have escape mechanisms?” Saito asked me, sounding all fired up.

I told him that was correct and explained some of the concepts behind the new powered suit my mom had invented. For some reason, Saito seemed to love anything military-related.

I’d only mentioned it absentmindedly, so I told him more about the military-use powered suit my mom had invented, and he really took an interest.

Previous military-use models hadn’t been fitted with escape mechanisms, just like Saito had said. Mom had seen one of my drawings of a powered suit with a person jumping out of the back and had asked, “What is this?” When I’d explained that it was an escape mechanism, she was so stunned that she became frozen.

After Mom had rebooted herself, she’d laughed and told me that such a thing wasn’t necessary. After all, she’d explained, military strategies used on the battlefield generally involved infiltrating an enemy camp with a single unit, so leaving the powered suit would mean instant capture or death.

“No, no! I’m not buying it,” I’d said. “Escape mechanisms are totally necessary.”

Then I’d zealously explained their necessity to Mom.

1. The cost of training pilots.

2. The stress reduction that results from being confident you can escape.

3. The benefit of information taken back after escaping.

There were other reasons, but reason three had been the most important.

Even after I’d explained this, she’d continued bothering me with her reservations about what would happen after abandoning the powered suit, so I’d blurted out, “Well, why not just wear another powered suit under the powered suit?”

The moment I spoke the words, she’d responded with an “Ah...” and then disappeared to her room for half a day. Then she’d finally emerged and asked, “Kou, what do you think of this?!” while showing me the new powered suit.

There was a reinforced exoskeleton to be worn before equipping the main suit. The idea was that the top half of the suit could be manually wrenched open from the inside, allowing the pilot to escape. To be honest, it was lame...

“No, something more like this,” I said. “Can’t all the components just pop off at once?”

Mom had been depressed by my reaction and headed back to her room. Then, several hours later, she’d reappeared just as I was getting worried that it was almost lunchtime, and she’d shown me another design while explaining it to me.

“Well, what about this?! All the parts are blown off by igniting gunpowder in the seams. With this system, you can even attack using the parts that fly off before escaping.”

“Yes, like that! This is the one! It’s cool. It’s ground-breaking.”

Mom had accepted the praise and begun preparing dinner happily.

“Though, at the same time, why not make it so each part can be easily replaced when it breaks?” I’d asked.

In the end, dinner wasn’t made until it was late at night. The finished product was the prototype sixth-generation military-use powered suit ARAKAWA, known as the Arakawa model. The Arakawa model was currently being used as a reference for military-use powered suits developed around the world.

“But Arakawa, wouldn’t that make you the one who came up with the concept of the new powered suit?!” Saito cried, rising from his chair.

He was wrong. All I’d done was make suggestions, and even if I hadn’t made those suggestions, Mom would have been able to come up with those ideas herself. The true creator of the powered suit was my mom herself.

“You’re sure about that?” Saito asked.

“Yes, Saito. If I went around saying, ‘It was all down to me!’ I wouldn’t be able to go on living with my mom. It would be completely immoral. Listen closely, this is someone who built a nuclear fusion reactor at home in her spare time.”

With that, Saito seemed to accept what I was saying.

More importantly, isn’t that your third cake? I thought. They’d told him during the health checkup that he was overweight. Have some self-awareness...

**

Shingo Saito’s Point of View

When Arakawa told me about the powered suit, I was shocked. I’d been sure it had been created by Arakawa’s mom, but it seemed Arakawa had thought of it. He’d explained it to me like it was nothing.

I wasn’t sure if Arakawa even realized. Manufacturing suits to increase the longevity of each component had been completely different from the concepts of any other suit up to that point. For example, until now, it had taken weeks to repair heavily damaged suits, but replaceable parts had made it so the process was finished in hours. I was what you might call a military geek, so I knew just how important that was.

To put it briefly, unlike other models of suits, the Arakawa model suit could be loaded with a bazooka or with a machine gun just by exchanging the arm, so a single unit could act as a replacement for various different suits.

Yet, rather than bragging about his achievement, Arakawa humbly said, “It was my mom who made it; I did nothing.”

I was sure that Arakawa was downplaying his achievements for the sake of someone useless like me. I didn’t mind at all that he was showing such concern; it made me happy.

That’s why I simply replied, “Oh, is that so?”

It was hard to keep from smiling wryly! It was so amazing, after all. I ate my third cake with a grin on my face.

**

Alice Alford’s Point of View

Arakawa and Saito were sitting nearby. It seemed the conversation had switched from trivia to powered suits.

I wanted to join in. I’d never really stood out at all, so I’d had trouble making friends. It wasn’t that I hadn’t had any; it was just that my friends didn’t stand out, either. Teachers would often forget we existed during lessons outside of the school, and we’d be left behind.

This orange juice I’m drinking is kind of bitter...

That’s why, today, having just entered the academy, I wanted to make my presence felt and work hard at making friends. But before I knew it, I’d ended up by myself as always. I was trying my best, but every student in the academy had a strong sense of individuality (in a good way), and they were way above my level.

I have to do something! I thought to myself while listening to their conversation, but I couldn’t find the right timing to start talking to them. Even if I was to go over there, they were talking about powered suit stuff that I didn’t understand. Pretty much the only thing I could talk about was pharmaceuticals, which happened to be my specialist subject...

While I was thinking about it, the conversation seemed to have switched to a lighter topic. Saito had started eating a cake, so I made up my mind to get up and go talk to them.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

“Hey, mind if I talk to you?”

Without me noticing, a super cute girl had appeared in front of me.

“Huh? Who’re you?” I asked the girl, while suppressing the eagerness growing inside me.

Saito got excited and laughed like, “Buh hee hee hee!”

Cut that out, I thought sternly. Get yourself together.

“I’m Alice. We’re in the same class... Do you remember me?”

There was a girl this cute? I don’t remember her.

Likewise, Saito replied with, “Buh hee?”

That “buh hee” makes it sound like you’re making animal noises...

In response to our awkward expressions, she simply said, “I don’t mind. I... don’t really stand out.”

I’m so sorry, Alice! I didn’t mean it like that, I thought in horror. Come on, Saito! You should apologize, too!

We gave her our frantic apologies and she replied, “Um... Please be my friend!”

This is it! This is it, this is it, this is it! Just what I was waiting for. I had started to think I’d go through my academy life with Saito as my only friend.

Just as I tried to respond, Alice tilted her head and said, “Would you be okay with that, Saito?”

“Buh hee?!”

Saito!! I’ll never ever forgive you!

“You too, Arakawa. Would you be okay with it?”

Sorry, Saito. You’re forgiven... Sorry for getting carried away by myself.

**

Alice Alford’s Point of View

“Oh, so you’re an expert on pharmaceuticals, Alice?” Arakawa asked me with great interest.

I might have become a specialist, but I’d never really accomplished anything. On the other hand, Arakawa’s mom and Saito had done so many amazing things. In particular, Saito had been featured in an electrical engineering magazine the month before. I mentioned that.

“Seriously? You got into that kind of magazine, Saito?” Arakawa asked. “You should have told me.”

“W-well, the magazine had your mom on the cover, Arakawa. I just had a small part at the end, and I was more embarrassed than proud.”

The two of them were really getting into the discussion. It was the ideal friendship right there before my eyes.

Must be nice. I wish I had something like that.

“That reminds me, Arakawa,” I said. “Your mom has done some pharmaceutical work, too, right? I guess she does some of her research at home?”

He readily told me all about it. She did research even in her own room at home, and would sometimes forget to prepare dinner. Sometimes she would suddenly inject drug products into her own body, and would say it was okay because it was safe. She often went to him for advice...

“Wait!” I burst out. “What did you just say?”

“I said, she uses her own body—”

“No, not that! The part after that!”

“The part about me giving her advice?” he asked.

How would he be able to give advice to that kind of genius? Maybe Arakawa is a pharmaceutical specialist too...

I asked him.

“No, I’m definitely no specialist in pharmaceuticals,” he replied.

I guess she just likes to ask him because he’s family, I concluded, but then Saito spoke as if he didn’t believe what he was hearing.

“You developed a new model of powered suit while claiming you’re not a specialist.”

“Look, I’ve told you!” Arakawa started insisting, but I didn’t hear a word. I’d gotten the impression that what he wanted to say was, It’s not my specialist field, but my abilities surpass those of the renowned genius, Miki Arakawa.

Come to think of it, I remembered that when I’d still been in my home country, the adults in the research lab had said, “Miki Arakawa just publishes the research of her son, Kouki Arakawa, in her own name. He’s the real genius. Actually, he’s a demon child.”

Back then, I’d thought there was no way a child who wasn’t any older than me could be capable of such things, but from Arakawa and Saito’s reactions just now, I could see it was the truth.

I was now filled with awe as I looked at Arakawa.

**

Observation Squad, Intelligence Officer’s Point of View

My job was to analyze the information sent to Kouki Arakawa’s personal terminal and to report to my superiors. Although I was obligated to submit any and all information, he’d recently launched a new model of spy satellite just for us, so I’d been kindly eliminating information that boys of around that age tend to search for before making my reports. I had to say, he had some rather refined interests...

Blonde-haired bunny girls in fishnet stockings... It’s like he’s an old man!

“Let’s see, today’s email...” I murmured.

There was an email from his friend Shingo Saito.

Looks like animal trivia. I’ll send it to my terminal.

There was nothing else of note.

I guess I’ll move on to his browsing history. Hm, what’s this? He spends a lot of time looking at this “Make Your Own Laxative Lecture Course!” page. Where does he tend to go after looking at this page? “How to Mix in Medicines so They Can’t Be Seen: Perfect for Kids Who Hate Medicines;” “Dealing with Your Father;” “The Perfect Crime Manual: How to Bury a Corpse.”

“Commander, it’s me.” I had contacted the commander without a moment’s thought.

“Hey! What’s up?” He spoke in his usual carefree voice, but he really had no idea of the extreme danger he was in.

“Please block access to all of the websites I’m about to tell you,” I said. “With the exception of one, none of them are criminal, so it’s enough to just shut down the servers.”

He listened, seeming to be annoyed that I was reading them out to him, but when I said, “Dealing with Your Father,” his voice started to sound like the voice he would use to give commands in the field.

The commander’s life is probably safe for now... Next, check personal information. This looks like his diary. This is strange. I’m sure this wasn’t here last time I looked, but it was updated two days ago. Oh, I see, this has been transferred from another terminal. I’ll have to check that one later too. The contents look quite old... I wonder if there’s anything about me in here. Aha, what’s this?

The entry read, “Today I met a young lady who said she was one of Macho Man’s work colleagues. She was saying she really wanted to see the Earth from space. I’ll talk to Mom about it.”

Oh, young lady... This kid sure isn’t blind.

Another entry said, “I spoke with Mom, and it seems she’s going to improve the rocket firework. I wonder if the lady will be happy?”

Yes, Kouki, I was happy.

“The launch was successful! When the lady saw the images from the satellite, she said, ‘You can see so clearly!’ When she smiles like that, that’s when she looks her most beautiful.”

That’s so cute! How was this kid so cute?! I just want to eat him up.

That put me in a good mood, so I secretly gave him a new “school swimsuit” entry below “bunny girls” in the contents of his hidden Study Materials folder in his bookmarks.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

Today was the day of my first exam at the academy.

The number of hours of courses you had to take would change depending on your exam results. The academy had put together a special curriculum for allowing students to improve in their specialist fields. The subjects in which they scored the highest in the exams at the start of each year would be eliminated from their curriculum.

For example, Saito would probably get out of computer-related and math-related classes because electrical engineering was his specialty field. Alice’s specialty was pharmaceuticals, so I expected her to get out of chemistry and languages such as English and German.

As for me... I didn’t have a specialty! I wasn’t even going to be able to keep up with the lessons at the academy.

Maybe I should just quit with dignity. Actually, no. I finally made a friend, so I should do my best. Alice has been emailing me every day recently... I wouldn’t want to quit the academy at this point. Saito is here too...

Given that, I’d begun to study in earnest. Even on weekends, I’d gone as far as finding all my old textbooks to study from! Then came the first day of the tests.

“...”

I can’t even read the test problems!!

Why are even the problems written in English? When you ask me math problems using that sort of English, I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do!! These morons, I don’t see what’s so great about being bilingual... This might be the international standard language, but why use it for... Oh right, this is the “International Science and Technology Academy.” Having English as their standard makes sense. In that case, how come they usually don’t use English? They should be using English to explain things in lessons. Actually, I’d be in trouble if they did... I thought to myself while staring at the test in front of me.

“N— Na— Does this say ‘name’?” I muttered.

I’d found the part where you probably had to write your name, but I wasn’t sure if I was right about that. I’d normally understand these things. For example, I was capable of putting a few basic words together and reading them. But this was like suddenly being thrown into a page in some foreign language after following a link to a slightly naughty adult website! It’s hard to figure out what to do when that happens, right? It was like that! The situation was just like that. The only difference was that I couldn’t just panic and press the browser’s back button this time, so I was completely bewildered.

I’ll just hand in a blank paper...

I’d made my decision.

I slurped down ramen noodles at the school cafeteria at lunch. Alice was in front of me eating pasta, and I could practically hear her making “Nom nom!” sounds as she ate. It was soothing.

Saito was beside me, devouring pork cutlets on rice like some kind of starved beast. You’re in the presence of a lady; eat with some dignity!

I looked back to Alice, and she asked me, “What’s wrong? Looks like there’s something on your mind.”

There was no way I was going to give her the honest answer, so I just had to change the topic. It was all right for Alice; she could speak English no problem. For me, it was totally impossible! As I looked at Alice through tearful eyes, I started to wonder, Can Saito speak English? I tried asking him.

“How dumb do you think I am?!” he asked. “If I couldn’t speak English, I wouldn’t have even been able to get into the academy.”

Saito and Alice looked at me as if to say, What are you even talking about?

Sorry, but I can’t even do something that basic... I faced the afternoon exam still in low spirits.

**

Class Teacher, Roberta’s Point of View

It’s happening again... I thought to myself as the test began.

Once again, Arakawa was sitting in front of a blank test paper with his arms folded and a troubled look on his face. This test was just to test understanding of the fundamentals; the difficulty level wasn’t high. Despite that, he had left his answer paper blank without even filling in his name.

I thought maybe he was feeling unwell, but when I went over to him, Arakawa slowly opened his eyes.

He glared at me with a fierce scowl.

Whaa?! I thought, stunned.

His eyes seemed to say, Stay the hell away from me!

I spent the rest of the test too afraid to look at Arakawa. As soon as the test finished, I reported what I’d seen to the principal, who then hastily made a phone call to someone. She turned to face me and said, “I’ll speak with Arakawa, so please leave this matter in my hands.”

I thought I was supposed to be his homeroom teacher... It seems I’m losing confidence in myself with each passing day.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

During the afternoon test, I tried to think of some excuse I could make, but nothing came to mind. Then Ms. Roberta came to see how I was doing.

I think it was because I hadn’t been writing any answers and had stayed silent, but the moment she saw my face, her eyes teared up as if something was troubling her, and she returned to her desk. It made sense. A student who sits with his arms folded and doesn’t write any answers during a test is difficult to handle.

I should just quit the academy, I thought gloomily. This was never the right school for me. Then again, I was admitted with high expectations, and I don’t want to let Mom down.

I was thinking things over while wandering aimlessly through the academy, when suddenly I found I’d arrived at the teaching staff building.

I’m going home... I’ll go home and talk things through with Mom, I thought to myself.

I was about to leave when there came an announcement, “1-S, Kouki Arakawa. Report to the principal’s office immediately.”

I guess this is the end. Feeling defeated, I knocked on the door of the principal’s office, which was right in front of me.

When I entered the room, the principal appeared somewhat shocked, but she soon told me, “Please, take a seat.”

As I sat facing the principal, I pondered over how to approach the topic; but in the end, I gave up trying to sugarcoat things, and expressed my feelings honestly.

“I think I should quit the academy. I’m just not well suited to this place.”

The principal’s face became noticeably contorted.

That’s right, I thought miserably. I might be the son of a world-renowned genius, but I’m clearly lacking in talent or skill, and should never have entered this academy. I haven’t yet damaged the academy’s reputation, but I’ve insulted them by being here. I know it won’t be fixed by an apology, but the least I can do is bow my head in remorse and walk away.

The principal opened her mouth to speak. “I’m so sorry, Arakawa! It’s all because I didn’t explain things properly to the relevant people in the advanced education division!”

The principal suddenly bowed her head, and I was so shocked I couldn’t move as she continued to explain.

“There was really no need for you to take the tests in the first place. There has been some sort of mistake because you should have been informed. If you wish, I can soon have the responsible people dismissed, and we can act like this never happened.”

Is she saying there’s no need for me to take the tests? And what’s this about dismissals?

“Actually, it’s misleading of me to say that they’re not necessary,” she went on. “You’re here on a scholarship, and I have no problem with you taking whichever classes you like. However, I must insist that you take the ethics class. This is all the academy asks of you.”

Now I see. The reason I was placed at this academy is because I’m being treated as a scholarship student whose grades are irrelevant! That makes sense. Even my mom couldn’t get me admitted to the International Science and Technology Academy with words alone. If I’d stopped to think about it calmly, I would have realized. Why hadn’t I thought of such a simple explanation?

I suspected the ethics class was something everyone had to attend so they could be part of those “let’s all stop doing bad things” campaigns.

Ah, what a relief. Now I don’t have to worry about making Mom worried, and I can see Alice every day. And Saito too... I guess. There’s no need to dismiss the people responsible or anything like that. Everyone makes mistakes, they just need to be more careful from now on.

I told the principal so and said, “Thank you,” while showing her my best smile.

**

Principal, Kaori Yamamoto’s Point of View

When I heard about the tests from Roberta, Arakawa’s homeroom teacher, I almost fainted.

Kouki Arakawa had been forced to take academy exams! Even though I’d made it very clear that that was unnecessary, it seemed the information hadn’t been properly communicated...

According to Roberta, he had been sitting, arms folded, in a foul mood with his answer sheet left blank. She told me she’d been somewhat frightened after being glared at, and hadn’t been able to do anything.

After complaining to the people responsible via a private phone line, I had Roberta stand down, and contacted someone using a secret private line that had been prepared especially for the academy after Arakawa’s admission.

“This is Yamamoto. We have an emergency situation. Have you made preparations?”

The person on the other end of the phone was an operator from the Self-Defense Forces General Staff Headquarters.

“The third division is currently ready to respond, and can sortie immediately. The order is issued immediately whenever this line is used. The front line squad will arrive within eight minutes.”

Approximately 200 fully armed soldiers... It wasn’t a high enough number for me to completely relax, but I had to have faith that things would turn out okay.

“I’ll leave it to you. Thank you for your assistance.” I hung up the phone.

Next, I needed a way to appease Arakawa.

“1-S, Kouki Arakawa,” an announcement came over the intercom. “Report to the principal’s office immediately.”

That was way too soon! I didn’t tell them to call him here yet. I haven’t prepared myself!

While I was getting myself into a panic, I heard a knock at the door.

How could Arakawa have gotten here so fast?! Calmly. Deal with it calmly. It’s not like he’ll just randomly press some sort of launch button.

It was vital to solve this by talking it through.

“Please, take a seat,” I said, and he quietly sat down.

Now what? Without me having to say anything, he began talking.

“I think I should quit the academy. I’m just not well suited to this place.”

His expression was so cold, as if he was ready to shoot me dead. He was no doubt thinking, I don’t need to be in a low-level place like this.

But he was wrong.

Arakawa was abnormal: Since childhood, he had made numerous new discoveries and technological developments. Our tests were only ever meant for normal people. I wanted to scream this at him, but if I did that, it would no doubt be the end of me. Perhaps the academy itself would be blown to pieces.

As I had that thought, I was unable to stop my face from contorting in despair. That was when information began to flow across the contact lens display that I was wearing in my eye. “Front line squad has arrived. Student evacuation... complete. Students have been informed that this is a drill.”

Okay, now we can get to the serious negotiations! With that thought, I began to speak to Arakawa.

“I’m so sorry, Arakawa! It’s all because I didn’t explain things properly to the relevant people in the advanced education division.”

He seemed willing to listen to me. I continued, telling him there was no need to take tests.

Telling him the responsible people would be dismissed.

Telling him that I wanted to pretend this whole thing never happened.

After he had given it some thought, he seemed to accept and understand everything. Finally, he said it wasn’t necessary to dismiss the people responsible.

On this point, I was truly grateful to him. Those responsible were veterans who had worked at the academy for many years. I would have been sad to lose them. I was able to give him my sincere thanks from the heart.

**

Kouki Arakawa’s Point of View

As I left the director’s office, a surprise evacuation drill was underway.

I guess Alice and Saito must have gone home for the day already.

I decided I’d go home, too, and I climbed aboard the car that came to meet me as usual.

The usual bald guy was there. “Welcome back, Kouki!”

I wanted to get back out of the car, but I already had a duo of bald guys sitting beside me at either side.

The bald guys are multiplying! But how? They must be self-replicating.

I’d let my guard down because recently it had always been women. What’s more, when I’d looked at my favorite folder on my personal terminal the day before, strange data had appeared there from out of nowhere. It was like something from a horror movie!

Somehow, I felt as though I’d seen that woman in the swimsuit before, too.

But I wasn’t ready to face reality as I returned home trembling, once again.