Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Genius Cosplay (3)
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There’s a scene that always shows up in movies about genius scientists or mathematicians.
The highlight moment where the protagonist suddenly scribbles equations nonstop, filling the entire blackboard.
That looked so badass—I always wanted to try it myself….
Who would’ve thought I’d actually get to experience it like this.
Scribble scribble scribble!
The chalk gripped in my hand moved like mad, scrawling indecipherable magical formulas across the blackboard.
‘Oh, this is sick.’
[…I have absolutely no idea what you’re doing here.]
Of course, if you knew the real story, it was pretty ridiculous.
I was nothing more than a puppet just holding the chalk.
From beneath my uniform’s lapel, Kerr had extended a shadow to manipulate my arm in my place.
At first, Kerr had tried just feeding me instructions mentally.
[Human, I’ll explain it step by step, so focus. To control the variables in the reverse field collapse, you need to start by amplifying the mana interference coefficient. Try writing the amplification formula first.]
‘…What do I do?’
But of course, I couldn’t understand a word she said.
[What? You didn’t get that?]
‘I have no clue….’
[You don’t know this either? Fine, let’s start simple with the mana interference coefficient….]
‘Goo goo ga ga.’
[…You’re hopeless. I’ll just do it myself.]
That’s more or less how it went down, until she finally decided to take over directly.
[It’s clear now—you don’t even have the basic concepts of magic down.]
‘That’s right.’
I answered shamelessly.
We’d be stuck together pretty much all the time anyway, and she couldn’t spill my secrets to anyone else, so there was no point hiding it.
[Giving you all the answers and you still don’t get it, so you make me write it instead…. And you just sleep through class…. Tsk tsk.]
Kerr clicked her tongue in disappointment.
[Sigh…. How did I end up with a slacker like you as my master?]
But even as she badmouthed me, she was meticulously controlling my arm.
Typical tsundere.
[Still, it’s impressive. Controlling this body with your will would require tremendous magical talent.]
As she kept writing the formulas, she muttered in confusion.
[And to open a shadow passage with precise coordinates, you’d need insanely fast spatial calculation skills….]
[With that kind of aptitude, and you never studied at all. Just how rotten are you?]
‘Thanks for the compliment.’
[It’s not a compliment! Anyway, we’re almost done now.]
‘Really?’
By then, the blackboard was nearly filled with complex formulas.
[The core concepts of the problem are all solved. All that’s left is proving it. Simply put, the dish is cooked—we just need to plate it nicely.]
‘Ah, got it.’
I nodded.
Just the finishing touches now.
But right then—
Ding dong ding—!
The bell rang, signaling the end of class and the start of break time.
At the same time, a familiar warning popped up in front of me.
[Warning! You’re solving the problem during break time!]
[Diligent behavior!]
‘No way…. I’m not even doing this—Kerr’s handling it—and it still counts?’
[Diligent. Behavior!!]
I protested internally to the system, but it was no use.
Last time Ciel did my homework for me, there was no penalty at all.
That’s because Ciel handled everything from start to finish on her own.
But this was different.
Even though Kerr was controlling everything, she was moving ‘my body’ to solve it, so the system counted it as ‘my action.’
‘Let’s stop here.’
I unhesitatingly set the chalk down.
Besides, you can’t steal break time.
Back in school, I hated those model students who’d ask questions right before the bell, forcing the class to drag on. I wasn’t about to become one of them.
“We’ll stop here.”
At my declaration, Professor Kate looked puzzled and asked,
“What…? You’re ending it there? Why, Cadet Jeron?”
She seemed to think I’d hit a wall at the end and was ready to help if needed.
Hmm. That could be a problem….
What should I say? Something that sounds cool and lazy at the same time.
Just then, a famous anecdote flashed through my mind.
‘Ah, that guy.’
Fermat’s Last Theorem.
The ultimate troll that stumped mathematicians for over 300 years.
“It’s break time now. No time left, so I’ll skip writing the proof.”
I recited it, inspired by that.
Then—
Ding, ding!
[A slothful remark!]
[Slothfulness +50!]
[A slothful problem-solving!]
[Slothfulness +25!]
‘Sweet…!’
Not only did it count as a slothful remark for the massive slothfulness gain, but the solving process itself got recognized as “slothful problem-solving” for bonus points.
Probably because I didn’t use my brain at all and left everything to Kerr—it counted as proxy work.
Not as good as 100% proxy, but hey, it’s something.
‘Jackpot.’
Thanks to Kerr, I was racking up unexpected gains.
I needed more slothfulness farming spots anyway—looks like I’ll be using her a lot more.
[…Human, you just thought something really cheeky, didn’t you?]
Kerr poked my side.
Wait, how’d she know…?
***
Professor Kate let out a hollow chuckle as she watched Jeron saunter back to his seat.
Skipping the proof because it’s break time….
How perfectly, absurdly Jeron-like.
‘Jeron really is one of a kind.’
She shook her head.
But deep down, she was satisfied.
You can’t fill up on the first bite.
The guy who slept through class had stood up on his own to solve a problem—and reached this level. That was huge progress.
The lesson had somehow veered off from its original intent, but in a way, it was an even bigger win.
The problem she’d prepared had hooked the lazy genius, after all.
Kate addressed the class.
“…Cadet Jeron has shown an excellent solution. Take note of it, and try thinking through the proof yourselves. That’s all for today’s class.”
The moment she finished, the silence shattered.
Crash! Clatter!
The cadets surged toward the blackboard like they’d been hypnotized.
Just as a master swordsman’s sword marks left on a rock would inspire countless swordsmen for generations.
The solution process left by a genius mage became the ultimate textbook for other mages—irreplaceable.
However.
“What is this…? What does it even mean?”
“I don’t get any of it….”
Most average cadets could only gape at the board full of formulas.
But the top students in the magic department were different.
“Oh my god… Using the mana interference coefficient in reverse like this….”
“No way. How do you even think of that?”
“Jeron’s not just good at combat magic…?”
“The academy classes are too easy, so he sleeps through them—that must be true. Finally gets a problem worth his time, and he’s hyped. Did you see? He was possessed or something.”
“Right? I thought someone was puppeteering him. Is that the madness of genius…?”
They preserved the traces on the blackboard with magic, treating it like a holy relic, and began studying it intently.
But as they followed his solution step by step, they all hit the same wall.
“What about this final proof…!?”
“Argh! I can almost see the answer, but not quite! It looks so simple…!”
“Gah! I’m going insane! If you’re gonna solve it, finish it!”
As everyone suffered, someone muttered,
“This… isn’t this a test from Jeron?”
“A test?”
“Yeah. No matter how lazy Jeron is, he’s still a mage. Why skip the proof right when a perfect solution’s in sight?”
“Th-then?”
“‘Only those who solve this themselves deserve to understand my insight.’ Something like that?”
“Ooh….”
“Ah…! He left that part on purpose—it’s gotta mean something!”
It sounded plausible.
“So if we solve it, Jeron will acknowledge us….”
“We might get as good at magic as Jeron…?!”
And so, the final proof Jeron left behind sparked a magic studies boom in the department.
***
Kerr’s solution must’ve been on another level.
Not just Yuria—even Ciel was pretty shocked when she saw it.
The other cadets were crowding around that one part of the blackboard, studying it separately….
Like a trend, they huddled in groups during break to work on it.
Seeing that, her skills really were something else.
After lunch.
I sat by the sunlit classroom window, lost in thought.
Pondering the most efficient way to level up Yuria and Artel.
‘First, get them each a gift….’
Perfect—the Slothfulness Shop had just the thing for both.
As I planned it out.
“Jeron.”
Artel approached me cautiously.
She looked like she wanted to say something.
“Yeah?”
“Um… Can I ask you something?”
Artel seemed deeply troubled.
Unlike her usual self, she kept her eyes down, fidgeting with her fingers—visibly anxious, which was rare.
What’s going on? Then it hit me.
Ah, this. That event?
In the game, once your intelligence hit a certain level, Artel would approach the protagonist and ask him to teach her.
Of course, my actual intelligence stat was low, but thanks to Kerr’s overwhelming performance earlier, it must’ve triggered.
Normally, this event had Artel floundering because she couldn’t understand the protagonist’s explanations at all—wounding her pride.
Seeing the haughty elite flustered was cute but kinda pitiful.
But since it came to me instead of some smug genius protagonist, I could give her a gentle, tailored lesson. Kerr would handle the actual teaching, of course.
With that in mind, I spoke softly to put her at ease.
“Ask away.”
“Okay, then….”
Artel took a deep breath, then said with resolve.
“Lately, it seems like you and Ciel exchange notes every morning…. Are you two, um, like that…?”
…Huh?
It wasn’t about studying?