Chapter 389
Chapter 389
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 389
Chapter Title: State of Combat Readiness (2)
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'What is this feeling?'
Even after the song ended, Shirone remained in his spot, unable to calm his pounding heart.
"Oh? Shirone!"
Maya, noticing him late, greeted him with a bright smile.
"Come in. What brings you here?"
"I was just going to wash up. I heard music, so I came to see."
To avoid suspicion that he had been eavesdropping, Shirone held up his toothbrush.
Regardless, Maya shifted on the piano bench and offered him a seat.
"Sit here. There are no other chairs. Ah, if you have something important to do…"
She figured Shirone, who was fighting tooth and nail against the top students of the graduating class, wouldn't have time to leisurely chat.
"No, it's fine. I didn't really have anywhere to be anyway."
The piano bench was small, and Maya was a bit plump. When their arms touched, a strange sensation passed through their skin. Her skin was soft, and a little cool.
An awkward Shirone spoke first.
"Ahaha, you sing so well, why didn't you ever mention it? I don't know much about music, but you seem much better than a professional."
Seeing a hint of sadness in Maya's eyes, Shirone realized his mistake. For someone with such incredible talent not to be a professional, there must be a story behind it.
"Ah, sorry. If I brought up something painful…"
Maya shook her head with a faint smile. She really couldn't handle Shirone's earnestness. It made her heart even more troubled.
'It's been like this from the beginning.'
On the day of the Paranormal Research Society's presentation, Maya had seen Shirone for the first time, giving a speech on the rooftop.
Proving the unseen.
The way he had persuaded the entire student body was shocking to her. He was the brightest star in the school.
"Should I… sing for you?"
"Yes. I'd love to hear it."
As Maya placed her hands on the keyboard and began to sing, Shirone was immediately drawn into her music.
He thought it was just sound. But her voice held the power to move a person's heart.
'Ah… I see now.'
Forgetting about graduating from the magic academy, the circumstances of her tribe, and her family's poverty, she sang solely for the happiness of her listener.
In this moment, she wasn't a mage.
Maya was an artist.
The heavenly song ended, and the postlude played. Shirone couldn't even exhale until the last note faded into silence.
A belated groan escaped his trembling lips.
"Haaaaah."
A diva. A goddess was before his eyes.
Shirone couldn't refuse Maya's gaze as she looked at him with burning eyes. A fire seeped into his heart. It felt as if he could accept anything she offered.
"…"
Outside the window, the sun was setting.
* * *
The 8th week's Specialty Enhancement session had arrived.
It was an event where students were evaluated on their achievement in twenty items related to their major. Since the point distribution was self-determined, it was a fiercely competitive event where mind games were played to gain an edge in the rankings.
Before the evaluation, students had to report their chosen challenges. For example, if a student declared they would attempt three items up to level 7 but failed to reach it, they would earn no points for that week.
Therefore, if they needed even a single point, it was better to choose a moderate difficulty. Conversely, if high scores were needed, it was better to risk it and aim for a higher difficulty.
Shirone sat with his friends, observing the other students' Specialty Enhancement evaluations.
His analytical gaze was sharper than usual because the day after tomorrow, they would face the Screamers in a Hill Conquest match.
Shirone's team was already set, but the members of the Screamer team had not yet been confirmed. Therefore, it was best to analyze the majors of as many people as possible today.
What set the Specialty Enhancement evaluation apart from other events was that students cast actual magic, not the Icheon-beon.
Various devices were set up in each area, and the impact force test, in particular, was similar to the orb Miro had used at the Kergo Ruins.
After seven students finished their evaluations, it was Pisho's turn. The evaluating instructor checked the assessment sheet and looked up.
"Pisho, what are your challenges?"
"I will attempt three items: Differentiation, Gigantification, and Mutation. The difficulties are levels 5, 6, and 5, respectively."
Pisho, at twenty-five, was the oldest student in the graduating class.
He didn't stand out in evaluations, but the Insect Magic he wielded always excited Shirone whenever he saw it.
"Pisho raised his levels by 1 each from last week. It's only the 8th week, and he's already entering the intermediate levels?"
"He's twenty-five. You have to assume he's been honing his major for at least five years longer than everyone else. He'll probably pass easily this time too."
"At this point, Shirone, there's something you absolutely must know."
Nade said with a serious look.
"That guy Pisho, he's the president of the Ant Language Research Society."
"The Ant Language Research Society? Such a thing exists?"
"It's a society that operates in the shadows, like us. They're analyzing the pheromonal language of ants, hoping to gain an audience with the queen ant. They're probably thinking of forming a diplomatic treaty."
After a moment of thought, Shirone asked back.
"But why do I need to know that?"
"You idiot! If they form a treaty with the queen ant, they'll come after the Paranormal Research Society! It's not just a matter of winning over a few ants. Every ant under the queen will become our enemy!"
Shirone moved his lips as if to say something, but in the end, he said nothing and just turned his head away.
Iruki continued.
"Insect Magic is one of the more niche majors. It's good for us to observe it while we have the chance."
"Is it similar to summoning magic?"
"No. Manifestation perfectly imitates a specific target to a near-real degree. Of course, you can manifest insects, but you can't create hundreds of different species that way."
"Then how does Pisho do it?"
Iruki recalled the explanation he had heard from his father.
"The core cell of the Insect-type is the Egg. It's an undifferentiated functional aggregate that can evolve into various forms. They say it induces natural generation through a theory called the 'Ecosystem in the Head,' and it's supposed to be insanely difficult. You have to calculate everything from generation to evolution and mutation."
"Hmm, that does sound really difficult."
"That's why there are many scholars in the Insect-type. But once they become mages, they're treated incredibly well. Pisho may still be in the graduating class at twenty-five, but it wouldn't be a loss for him to graduate right now."
When Pisho signaled that he was ready, the evaluating instructor presented the challenge.
"First, Differentiation. Level 5 is three hundred."
Pisho tuned the cell using the Ecosystem in the Head theory. As he set the food chain and predators, the Egg began to differentiate into the optimal number of individuals for survival.
"Grasshopper."
A swarm of three hundred grasshoppers rose from Pisho's feet, flying like a cloud of black particles that obscured the sky.
The instructor wrote down 'three hundred and twelve' on the record sheet. It wasn't difficult to count the number of insects through synesthesia.
"Level 5 passed, 1 point acquired. Next is Gigantification."
Pisho closed his eyes and focused again.
It took about five minutes to increase the oxygen saturation and adjust the surrounding environment to differentiate the Egg.
A giant ant the size of a person was born, moving its antennae in all directions as it surveyed its surroundings.
Not just the female students, but even the male students grimaced as if horrified. That was why Pisho was a loner.
"Body surface area 2.02 square meters. Gigantification passed. 1 point acquired. Next, Mutation."
This time, it took a full 20 minutes to construct the cell. As expected, the result was shocking.
A centipede with the protective coloration of a ladybug crawled on the floor. Its sickle-like jaws opened, and a potent venom shot out.
"One type of morphological change. One type of functional change. Pass."
"Thank you."
It was an amazing demonstration and a shocking sight, but the students could only think that they never wanted to see it again.
And so, Pisho's Specialty Enhancement ended, and Maya walked out for the next turn.
Nade cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.
"Go, Maya!"
Maya just gave a small smile and scratched her cheek, entering the evaluation area without any other reaction.
"Huh? What's with her? Did something bad happen?"
An embarrassed Nade smacked his lips.
But now that he looked, Shirone's expression didn't seem too good either.
"What? Did something happen between you two?"
Shirone had no way of knowing.
After the incident in the music room, Maya had intentionally kept her distance. She wasn't cold to him, but he could no longer feel the same warmth as before.
Iruki said.
"Maybe we were too rude."
"What are you talking about? What did we do to Maya?"
"Even though she was insulted by the Screamers, we should have let her make the choice. Some people don't want to fight."
Nade suddenly recalled the situation. Dragging Maya over and shouting that they should fight had felt satisfying at the moment, but thinking back, he had definitely crossed a line.
"Ugh, what should we do then? I talked such a big game. No, more importantly, shouldn't we apologize and call the whole thing off?"
"Maya wouldn't get angry over something like that. And that's not what she's angry about either."
Shirone said bluntly.
If what Iruki said was true, he should have felt it when they met in the music room. But she had been kinder than anyone and had sung for him with all her heart.
'But why is she avoiding me? Just why?'
Maya's evaluation ended quickly. All three of her events—Vocal Volume, Sound Vibration, and Acoustics—were stuck at level 2, and she couldn't even pass those.
"None of her Acoustic Magic skills are up to par. At this rate, graduating this year will be impossible."
Iruki's words made Nade's face fall.
"Graduation isn't the problem, shouldn't we be worried about the upcoming overall evaluation? You're the one who said we could get a high score even with Maya on our team. Didn't you have some kind of strategy?"
"No, I just said whatever came to mind. I couldn't just tell the Screamers they were right, could I?"
"What? Then you…!"
"Don't make a fuss. I just meant I hadn't thought about it, not that there's no solution. We can just think about it from now on. Anyway, the reason Maya's acting like that might be because of her grades. Even I can see she's not a good fit for Acoustic Magic."
"Or maybe it's the opposite."
Iruki looked back at Shirone.
"What have you been talking about this whole time? Did something really happen between you two?"
Shirone told them what happened in the music room. About Maya's incredible singing talent and the shiver that ran down his spine.
"Hmm, popular music. The domain is certainly different. Acoustic Magic borrows from classical singing to maximize the voice's function."
Iruki's mind raced. He thought that this might become a key variable in the upcoming Hill Conquest.
After Maya, it was Fermi's turn. As he headed to the training ground, he glanced back at Shirone and sneered.
Fermi's major was the Air-type, and his Specialty Enhancement score was exactly 100 points. He had cleared all items at level 5.
It was a pace similar to the average of Class One, and so far, there seemed to be no risk of him dropping to Class Two.
The evaluating instructor swapped out the assessment sheet and asked.
"Fermi, what are your challenges?"
Fermi said with a smiling-eyed grin.
"I'll be going for an All Master."
The instructor paused his writing and looked up. The students also began to murmur.
He had achieved an All Master in Specialty Enhancement last year as well, so it wasn't unprecedented, but the timing was too early.
Considering he usually started picking up the pace after the 12th week, this was a full four weeks ahead of schedule.
'Shirone's presence must have influenced him.'
Having defeated Fermi in the survival test and even declared war, this was a strategy to crush Shirone's spirit once again.
"Alright. Let's start by measuring the first item, Press."
Fermi pointed his index and middle fingers at the device that measured impact.
Air compressed at his fingertips, and with a *pang*, an Air Gun shot out.
The students' eyes turned to the display panel beyond the glass orb.
1,123 Press.
It was a figure that easily surpassed the Master difficulty of 1,000 Press.