Chapter 60
Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: The Staggering Grand Detective (4)
Shiratori Makoto.
The moment he stepped into the classroom, he drew all the attention. It was only natural. His handsome looks and stylish outfit, combined with the enigmatic aura he always exuded and his intellectual vibe, firmly imprinted his presence on the kids.
The girls pretended not to care while stealing glances at him, and the boys gathered around, eager to befriend him. Makoto, too, made an effort to get close to his classmates. It wasn't because he wanted a ton of friends. The key to gathering information was building as many allies as possible.
"My ability is electricity. I can generate powerful currents to manipulate electronics or knock someone out."
As Makoto said this, he tapped his index fingers together, and a spark jumped between them.
"Whoa!"
"Wooow!"
Maybe it was because electric ability users were rare. Even among all these other ability wielders, Makoto's display grabbed everyone's eyes. He shrugged under the gaze of his surrounding classmates and clasped his hands together.
"And if I bring my hands like this and focus my power..."
Makoto furrowed his brow and playfully wiggled his eyebrows. Sparks erupted from his fingertips, scattering in all directions without touching the kids. The circular burst of sparks thrilled them all.
"Whoaaa!"
"Woooow!"
It looked just like a Tesla coil come to life, frizzing the kids' hair with blue sparks shooting up around their heads. It was straight out of a comic or movie—like watching a real wizard. When Makoto pulled his hands apart, the sparks vanished like magic. He shrugged and smirked.
"Eh, just something like that?"
"Whoaaaa!"
"Woooow!"
Cheers erupted. While Makoto basked in the adoration, Serika lounged at her desk as usual, peacefully soaking up the sunlight with her head down.
"Serika, Serika! Did you see what Iguchi-kun just did? It was so cool. Like that thing from the SF movie! You know the one!"
Yumi rushed over, all excited, and shouted at me. Electric-type abilities must not be that common, because even she was curious. Her childlike cheers as she mimicked Makoto's moves looked so innocently fun.
I smiled more at Yumi's bubbly energy than at Makoto's antics.
Man, I'm jealous.
Is my heart just too old to get excited?
Or maybe I feel nothing because I've seen this stuff in the original story?
"Iguchi-kun! Iguchi-kun! Can you charge a phone battery with that power? I need to call home today, but I forgot to charge it."
"Huh? Oh, that's easy. I practiced this by frying eight feature phones. Watch this. Hya!"
Like a wizard, he flicked his fingers with a kiai, and lightning flashed from his fingertips. A classmate's phone on the desk buzzed wildly. The kid snatched it up tensely and whooped at the screen.
"Whoaaa! Battery at 100%! Look at this!"
"Woooow..."
Makoto swept back his hair amid the gasps.
"Eh, just something like that?"
Yeah, that's from the original too. One of the tricks he pulled to win over the heroine Alice.
Makoto had a bunch of other flashy fake skills up his sleeve, like striking lightning around the school gate as he entered or using static to mimic an aura. He must not have mastered those two yet since he was still a kid.
They looked pretty advanced even in the manga, so the community forums figured his ability mastery was top-tier.
In fact, Makoto fiddled with his fingers and said exactly that.
"Eh, this charging trick is kinda risky, so I won't use it much. Just showing off since it's the first day. Don't ask for encores—it shortens the device's lifespan. It's strictly for emergencies."
"Iguchi-kun, using your fingers like that makes you look just like Bangya Man."
"What?"
Makoto shook his head at the mention of Bangya Man, but I could see his lips twitching upward. Bangya Man was a new kids' tokusatsu series that premiered for summer break.
The hero, Bangya Man, shouts "Bangya!" and fires energy bullets from his fingers at enemies—that's his main power, and beating bad guys with it is the gist.
As a reincarnated adult, it felt a bit childish and awkward, so I never watched, but it was apparently a huge hit among the kids over break.
The boys were hooked on his cool outfit and that oddly badass vibe.
"Oh yeah, Serika. Have you seen Bangya Man? I only caught it after coming back from Okinawa. The main guy's super handsome, right?"
"Ah, I've seen it. He's got this strangely captivating charm."
The girls were fans just because he was hot.
"Huh? Really? Uh, yeah, sure."
Of course, I didn't fit either group, but I knew better than to say something dumb like "Bangya Man? That was lame and childish." So I just nodded along.
I mean, even for a kids' show, couldn't they name it something cooler than Bangya Man?
Bang Bang Man or Tang Tang Man might sound weird too, huh?
While I chatted with Yumi and Hwayoung, safely out of the transfer student spotlight, Makoto slipped away from his crowd and approached me.
"Hey."
He greeted me out of the blue.
I lifted my head from my slouched position over the desk and looked at him.
What the heck?
I was trying to stay low-key and out of sight. Why's he talking to me?
Makoto was winning over the kids, but his eyes kept drifting to Serika, who showed zero interest in him.
Electric abilities were rare enough that his little show naturally drew stares, but Serika chatted away with her friends like she couldn't care less.
It struck him as suspicious—and a bit of a blow to his pride.
Wherever he went, his powers turned heads. His good looks and flashy ability made everyone want to be his friend and pay attention to him.
But Serika had this utterly bored look, not even glancing his way.
Was this another of her deceptions? Had she already dug up everything on him and lost interest? Or did she just not care at all?
Makoto bit his lip lightly and shook out his body. He wove through the surrounding kids and headed for Serika.
This wasn't about bruised pride from her ignoring him.
If she didn't pay attention to him,
if they didn't get close, his investigation would hit a snag. That was all. He just needed a connection.
Makoto steeled his expression and approached her desk.
Serika was slumped over her desk, looking up at him with just her eyes.
Makoto waved and said,
"Hey."
Serika blinked at the greeting, then waved back casually.
"Yeah. Hey."
Makoto said to her,
"I'm Iguchi Makoto. What's your name?"
"I'm Iwamoto Serika."
Serika answered curtly. But unlike her disinterested tone, her eyes quickly scanned him. What did that mean? Proof that she was actually super interested but playing it cool?
Or did she already know all about him and was trying to read his intentions now?
Makoto pondered for a second, then clasped his hands in front of her.
"Do you, uh, hate crowds? Everyone else came to watch, but you're over here. My power's awesome. I wanted to show you."
Makoto wiggled his eyebrows with a cocky grin. Boys or girls, once he unleashed his signature Tesla coil trick and made their hair fly, their looks toward him always changed.
He figured even a ruthless villain from an evil organization like Serika wouldn't be immune.
Serika rolled her eyes briefly, then looked back at him.
"Yeah. Sure. Show me."
Her reply was ice-cold. But Makoto didn't back down. If anything, a girl this stone-hearted fired him up even more for the mission.
He clasped his hands right in front of her and fired off the Tesla coil trick again.
Sparks crackled, and a burst of bright light lit up his face dramatically, tousling his hair perfectly.
"Oh."
A short exclamation slipped from Serika's lips.
"Cool~!"
She grinned and clapped for him. In that instant, Makoto felt a strange vibe.
It looked like she was smirking, her smile hiding malice as it beamed at him with the applause.