Chapter 159: I Have a Supernatural Ability
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 159: I Have a Supernatural Ability
“Uh… so, this person is…”
“Say hello. She’s the one I’ve outsourced your tutoring to.”
Unlike her usual playful self, Setsuna sat in a formal posture, cautiously shifting her gaze toward Frey.
Frey’s expression was so cold that she naturally exerted a sense of pressure on anyone meeting her for the first time.
“…Setting aside the question of whether tutoring even has subcontracts… why is the subcontractor more impressive than the main teacher?”
“Hey, I’m pretty amazing too, you know? Show some respect.”
“No… I know you’re great, Teacher… but the person you’re being compared to is…”
Well, no matter how well I was doing at Yggdrasil, it was a bit shameless to compare myself to a living legend of the mercenary world, a 12 Zodiac-class mage.
Though I had spent plenty of time rubbing my dick between her thighs.
“… …”
“I haven’t even said anything yet.”
“Don’t even think about anything weird.”
How did she know I was having lewd thoughts?
“I can tell by your eyes.”
“Please don’t just read people’s minds like that. That’s an invasion of privacy.”
“Stop talking nonsense and introduce us properly.”
“Yes, ma’am. But does she really need an introduction? You know who she is, right?”
“Yes, it’s impossible not to. Hello. I’m Setsuna. But are you really going to be teaching me…?”
As Setsuna greeted her with an awkward smile, Frey gave a stiff nod.
“You’ve had a hard time learning from this incompetent fool.”
“I’m not incompetent, you know. I’ve got her stats perfectly balanced.”
“A proper education would have involved refining her fundamentals while teaching magic.”
That’s my fault, I guess, but she’s asking for too much. I’ve been raising her diligently, pouring Elixirs and items into her. She’s being too harsh.
“It’s an honor… truly an honor, but I’m just so stunned…”
“I won’t be teaching you directly. One of my subordinates will be in charge of you, and I’ll just check in occasionally.”
“Even that is an honor. To be taught by a Greyhound executive…”
You look way too happy about this, Setsuna.
Then again, I don’t really have a leg to stand on. If I’d messed up, I might have forced her to repeat a year.
Setsuna, who usually only had lewd thoughts when she was with me, turned into a bright-eyed, diligent student the moment she sat before Frey.
Frey looked satisfied with her attitude, but when she turned her gaze back to me, her eyes went dead and she let out a sigh.
“Could you not compare us? I thrive on praise, you know.”
“Sure, you’re just wonderful.”
“Praise me more. Be specific.”
“…Shut up and show me that thing if you don’t want to die.”
I felt like I’d actually get hit if I pushed it any further, so I turned on my pad and showed the screen to Setsuna.
“Ah! This is it, right? The magic related to the combat style I’ll be learning.”
I had only explained the build to her in words without going into specific spells, so Setsuna’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the list on the screen.
“I thought it would be a niche build, but there are surprisingly many related spells. Which of these should I learn?”
Having realized just how difficult it was to learn magic, I could only offer a smile.
Setsuna tilted her head at first, but soon, sensing a bad omen, she glanced at Frey.
“It’s… not all of them, right?”
“… …”
“Right? There’s less than half a year left, so you’re not telling me to learn all of this… right?”
When a small smile played on the lips of the silent Frey, Setsuna let out a sigh of relief.
“Don’t worry. We’ll cram it into your head one way or another. That’s why I’m assigning a subordinate to you.”
“… …”
Setsuna stared blankly, looking back and forth between the list of magic and me.
Sorry. Blame this incompetent tutor who didn't teach you a single spell.
At least the sex is amazing, right?
If I said that out loud, though, I’d probably get beaten up by both of them.
*
After dumping Setsuna onto Frey, I returned comfortably to Yggdrasil.
Well—I say "dumped," but I’ll still be supporting her with Elixirs and items, and I’ll check on her whenever I have time, so please don’t call me irresponsible.
The situation had grown beyond my capabilities, so I brought in someone who could take responsibility and fix it.
What would I have done without Frey?
“Are you hiding again?”
“Gah! Damn, you scared me. How did you find me?”
I had been hiding on the rooftop to avoid Akane, who was still putting me through question hell, but Masayoshi found me effortlessly.
Regardless of whether I was startled or not, he sat down next to me and handed me a drink he’d grabbed from a vending machine.
“You learned the detection magic I gave Rio, so why can’t you sense me?”
“That thing works by feeling vibrations through your skin. If I keep it active, the itching is unbearable. Anyway, did you plant a tracking app on my phone? How did you find me?”
There was no rule saying I was the only one who could use his traits.
He might be 'God Sayoshi,' but when it came to being a pervert, I was a perverted gentleman he could never hope to catch up to.
Masayoshi stared at my suspicious eyes for a moment before letting out a smirk.
“Why would I use something like that? I don’t use anything that could be used against me if I get caught. Even my internet history is spotless.”
What a meticulous bastard. If his traits ever get exposed and things go south, I’m taking him down with me.
But why didn't Rio come with him?
Since the two of them were always a set, it felt a bit awkward being alone with him.
“Why do you care so much about Akito?”
“… …”
“If you don’t answer, I’ll have no choice but to think you’re ga—”
“Shut up, I’m straight.”
God Sayoshi, why do you have to be so smart?
This is why I hate quick-witted kids.
“I don’t care about him.”
“Don’t give me that. Whenever Akito has a problem, you’re always the one who fixes it. Same goes for the people around him. No matter where you are, your eyes are always fixed on Akito.”
I tried to bluff my way out, but it didn't look like it was going to work.
Masayoshi’s expression was calm, but his eyes were full of certainty.
“At first, I thought it was jealousy or something, but as I watched, you kept helping him. And always in secret. I know you’re not the type to brag, but—”
“What do you mean? I brag all the time. I talk about my face dozens of times a day.”
“…That’s true, but you never say a word about the important things or the things you do behind people’s backs. Even when you go on a request and achieve something great, you only brag about Rio in front of the others.”
That’s strange. When I was bragging to the kids about that Triple-S rank light novel stuff, Masayoshi was definitely right there next to Rio.
Look at this guy, acting all cool while leaving himself out of it.
“You were the one who got Akito invited to the Shrine Maiden Clan, weren’t you?”
“…Don’t tell Akito about that.”
“Even if I don’t… I think everyone already knows. They’re not exactly slow on the uptake.”
Are they? Rio, the Thug, Akane… they’re all pretty dense.
Yukina doesn’t pay attention at all, and Angelica is too kind and innocent to notice that kind of thing…
Maybe Bukgeuk-jwa?
Anyway, that wasn’t the point. I had to prove I wasn’t gay, so what excuse should I use this time?
“Um… actually, I have a supernatural ability.”
“Other than copying magic?”
“It’s not copying. I just understand it instantly with my genius brain. I’m already stressed enough because of that.”
“Sure, sure. Let’s go with that. Anyway, what kind of ability is it?”
“Physiognomy.”
“…Physiognomy?”
Man, even I thought that was a pathetic excuse.
Is this the best the wisdom of a cornered human can produce? I should have just said it was prophecy.
But it’s fine. Lying is all about confidence and momentum anyway.
“Yeah, physiognomy! I don’t know if that’s the right word for it, but when I look at someone’s face, I get a feeling about what they’ll do in the future. So, if I feel like someone’s going to be a big deal, I help them out, support them, or try to get close to them. You might not believe it, but…”
“No, I believe it to some extent. That’s probably why you’re helping me, too.”
“…?”
Is this guy seriously trying to ride Akito’s coattails?
He naturally left himself out when talking about Rio’s light novel, but now he’s being shameless.
At my cold stare, Masayoshi’s expression turned to one of bewilderment.
“Huh? Am I wrong?”
“Have some shame. Honestly, your life only turned around because I was by your side.”
Thanks to me, he’s getting close to girls, learning magic, getting Elixirs, earning a temporary license, being tutored by a geezer who’d put top-tier cram school teachers to shame, and building up an incredible resume.
Frey might have done everything for me, but I’ve been giving just as much to you guys.
“I think that ability of yours might be broken.”
“It boasts a 99% accuracy rate, you know. It’s a shame it doesn’t work on everyone I see, but the accuracy is top-notch.”
“…Fine, let’s say you’re right. What did you see in Akito that makes you care so much? Does he save the world in the future or something?”
How the hell did you know?
Do you have a prophecy ability?
As if my expression was answer enough, Masayoshi’s face went blank.
“Really…? Hmm—but then again, if it’s Akito, I could see that happening.”
“Don’t go telling anyone. Just keep it to yourself.”
“Even if I told them, they wouldn’t belie—no, if it’s Akito, they might actually believe it.”
Why do these guys trust Akito so much while they barely trust me?
Is it because he’s the protagonist?
“Don’t worry. If I were the type to blab, I would’ve brought Rio with me.”
Poor Rio. Even his fellow Comedy Duo partner doesn’t trust him.
Masayoshi acted cool again and patted my shoulder.
“I won’t ask any more questions. Let’s talk about what to do for the festival.”
“Exams are coming up soon. Who has time for a festival?”
“We already have temporary licenses, so our exam grades don’t really matter.”
He had a point.
A combat mage just needs to be good at fighting; what do grades matter?
It’s not that they don’t look at grades at all, but a Black License usually prioritizes experience. With the achievements I’ve already made, I could probably go anywhere I wanted.
But I still had to study hard. Once my limited-time talent disappeared, I’d have to learn magic solely through my own abilities.
“Why are they even having a festival? Everyone’s busy training.”
“It’s marketing. And it’s a chance for the seniors to look for jobs.”
I wondered if a school event like this even mattered at Yggdrasil, unlike a normal school.
Still, it was different from a typical school festival.
While there were food stalls and such, it was fundamentally a magic school, so the event was a showcase for various magical achievements.
People sold magical tools or potions they’d made, showed off their magical skills, or presented their research findings.
Not just ordinary people, but many famous figures from the magic world attended, so some people worked really hard on it. Not that it mattered to me.
It would be fun, sure. But if I were enjoying the festival and people-watching, I’d probably end up thinking:
‘I wonder who Akito is banging right now.’
Festival? It was an Akito Sex Festival.
During that short festival period, I remembered at least double-digit H-events.
And if you managed your time strictly, it was a sex festival where you could trigger more than half of them.
If I looked at an exhibit, I’d think, ‘Ah, Akito pushed a heroine into that exhibit and did her from behind.’ If I bought something from a stall, I’d think, ‘Ah, Akito sold food there while a heroine sucked his dick.’
Even if I tried not to think about it, they did it in so many different places that it was bound to come to mind.
I was already pressed for time because of my expiration date; I should be training instead.
“Yeon-woo!!”
Just as I was thinking it was a waste of time, Mary suddenly jumped out and hugged me.
Yukina and Jade were visible behind her, having apparently come along. Mary’s eyes sparkled as she met my gaze.
“Let’s enter the festival.”
“By 'enter,' do you mean let’s go play together?”
“No, let’s sign up and aim for first place. The first-place prize is incredible.”
No matter how incredible it is, I can probably buy it with my own money.
And since it’s early in the game, they probably won’t give out any items that would break the balance, right?
But my mind changed when I saw the prizes Mary showed me.
Even I, who was out of touch with the world, had heard of some of these: equipment made by master craftsmen, rare materials, and Elixirs that increased stats just by consuming them. There were things that were hard to get even with money.
The realism is insane.
I guess if they gave the first-place winner a pack of five standard energy drinks like in the game, there’d be a riot.
“But it’ll be hard to get first place.”
“Even if we don’t get first, we should still aim for a prize.”
I haven’t even said I’d do it yet, so why are you guys already talking about prizes?
Masayoshi showed me his phone screen, displaying the prize-winning booth from last year.
“What’s this?”
“Last year’s winner. An elephant in a bottle. 10 Wit each. There was a lot of talk later about animal rights and whatnot.”
Masayoshi spoke calmly, mentioning the currency used during the festival.
Usually, even expensive food only cost about 3 Wit, so 10 Wit for an elephant wasn’t just cheap—it was a massive loss for the seller.
“Where did they get the elephants?”
“They said they made them.”
“…That’s not magic, that’s bioengineering.”
“It’s probably impossible with current bioengineering, right? It was only possible because it was magic.”
“I guess you have to do something like this to get first place…”
Mary stared at the screen as if she couldn’t believe it.
Certainly, if you created an elephant, put that massive thing into a palm-sized bottle, and sold it for the price of three meals—an item that would turn back into a house-sized elephant once the bottle was broken—people would buy it out of curiosity even if they didn’t need it.
I listened to Masayoshi’s TMI about how the senior who made it became a Rank 5 White Agent right after graduation and joined a government-affiliated research lab, and how the animal rights issue was eventually dropped because it was classified as a chimera. Meanwhile, I watched Yukina’s expression.
She seemed to be secretly looking forward to it.
Though her expression didn't change much, Yukina was definitely excited.
That made sense. At an age when she should be enjoying her youth, she had been busy taking down thugs who spit in back alleys, so it was natural for her to be excited about a youthful event like this.
Yukina would be happy if Haruna came to visit Yggdrasil, too.
Regardless of the ranking, if I could give Yukina a good memory, it would be worth it.
“Ugh—what’s this? A dragon?”
“This was last year’s third place—”
“Let’s get first place.”
Masayoshi and Mary, who had been chatting while looking at the seniors' work, stopped talking and stared at me blankly.
I wasn’t particularly interested, but if we were going to do it, we might as well aim for the top.
I couldn’t make an elephant, but I had one ace up my sleeve.
It wasn’t a drug, but I had a recipe so addictive that I wouldn’t be able to complain even if it were classified as one.
I wasn’t sure if I should actually use it, though.