“Thanks to you, Mamoru-kun, we were able to hear some quite meaningful information.” “If you say so.” Following their interview in the faculty room, the two had come to Palette—a cafe located on campus—as originally promised.
Since it was the first day of school, many students were riding a high of excitement, and the inside of the shop was bustling with activity.
Fortunately, a table in the corner was open, so they sat down and placed their orders.
In front of Arisu sat black tea and a Mont Blanc.
In front of Mamoru sat coffee and a mille-feuille.
As Mamoru slowly brought a piece of cake to his mouth, Arisu spoke up.
“Your question regarding expulsions was quite fascinating.
You noticed as well, didn’t you, Mamoru-kun?” From her tone, it seemed Arisu had arrived at the exact same realization as Mamoru.
“You mean how overturning an expulsion requires something other than regular points?” “Yes.
And I believe that ‘something’ is likely the very factor that determines the hierarchy between classes.” “Most likely.” Up to this point, the information they had practically confirmed was as follows: * The points distributed to individuals fluctuate based on performance.
* Classes are ranked.
Those rankings are tied to points.
* Aside from points distributed to individuals, there is another critical metric that exists.
That metric is required to overturn an expulsion.
Connecting those dots made it easy to infer that the crucial “something” from point 3 was directly tied to class rankings.
“The possibility that class rankings are determined by the sum total of individual points isn’t zero, but it is far more natural to assume that individual points are determined by the class’s overall evaluation.” “Like, if a class evaluation is 100, you get 100,000 points.
If it’s 0, you get 0 points, right?” “Yes.
And presumably, the numerical value corresponding to that class evaluation is also what’s required if one wishes to overturn an expulsion.” “Probably.
We can’t be absolute without concrete proof, but odds-wise, it’s about a 70 or 80 percent chance?” While it was virtually certain, calling it a 90% guarantee felt a bit too strong.
That range felt like a reasonable estimate.
“Fufu, that matches my own estimate almost perfectly.
You really are wonderful.
Now, shall we get down to the main topic?
Don’t you think Class A requires a leader, Mamoru-kun?” ‘So that’s what this is about after all…’ Faced with a topic that was pretty much what he had anticipated, Mamoru internally groaned at how troublesome it sounded, masking his expression by taking a sip of his coffee.
Contemplating how to answer, he set his cup down slowly before finally opening his mouth.
“…I don’t know.” “Oh?
Why is that?
After thinking it through this far, it is obvious that inter-class competition will inevitably occur.
Don’t you think a leader is necessary to unite the class for when that time comes?” “If our goal is to win that competition, I agree a leader is necessary.
But as things stand, we don’t even know what kind of penalty comes with losing inter-class battles.
It doesn’t exactly get my motivation going.” For Mamoru, his highest priority was exorcising Curses on school grounds.
There would be times when he’d have to miss school for emergency duty.
While having as many points saved up as possible for those occasions was essential, letting his primary mission fall by the wayside as a result would be putting the cart before the horse.
If he actively dragged himself into inter-class conflict, he would undoubtedly bleed away time and energy.
“Losing in inter-class competition might result in situations that lead to expulsion, you know?” “That’s the thing, though…” Under normal circumstances, one would like to believe that expulsion wouldn’t be thrown around so casually, but Mamoru knew just how many Curses were lurking within the school.
‘With that much Cursed energy accumulated, I should assume the penalties are correspondingly severe.’ Looking back, he had initially thought the school’s sales pitch—promising to fulfill practically 100% of graduates’ desired career paths—was hyperbole.
But if very few students actually managed to graduate in the first place, it made a strange kind of sense.
‘…I could confirm it if I used my Cursed Technique, but going that far feels like overkill.’ If he truly wanted to, eavesdropping on faculty conversations would be a walk in the park.
Still, going to such lengths felt overly dramatic.
‘It’s not like the answer isn’t already more than half-evident anyway.’ Besides, taking the trouble to dig around for information the school would eventually be forced to explain when the time came seemed utterly foolish.
“Alright.
A leader is necessary—I’ll grant you that much.
But what are you actually trying to say, Arisu-san?
Are you asking me to help you become the leader, or something like that?” “How wonderful that you catch on so quickly.” “I knew it.
…What about Katsuragi-kun?
Can’t you just leave it to him?” “Indeed.
His leadership capacity is certainly impressive, but all he is capable of doing is keeping people in line.” “Meaning?” “This is merely my personal impression, but Katsuragi-kun possesses the ability to solve problems handed to him.
However, when an opponent is introduced into the equation, he lacks the capacity to anticipate the enemy’s moves.” “Hmm…
Well, he did seem pretty rigid and serious.
I can see him being bad at underhanded politics.” “Precisely, wouldn’t you agree?
Until you brought it up, no one in the class—including him—showed the slightest suspicion regarding the school’s system.
No one except me.” “How can you be so sure of that?” “Fufu, I am quite confident in my ability to read people.” Her proud, triumphant smile was filled with confidence, making it abundantly clear she wasn’t just spouting baseless assumptions.
While Mamoru kept a poker face, he was genuinely impressed in secret.
The state of every single classmate, as well as Katsuragi’s character profile…
Mamoru had a decent amount of confidence in his own observational skills, but when it came to interpersonal insight, Arisu likely had him beat.
“However, while I have confidence in my intellect, I face severe limitations when it comes to physical mobility.
Therefore, I require someone who can act in my stead.” “In short, you want a convenient pawn.” “Calling someone a pawn sounds so distasteful.
If I had to phrase it, I would say a confidant…
or perhaps my hands and feet?” “Well, call it whatever you want, but why me?” “What if I said it was love at first sight?” Arisu removed her hat, using it to cover the lower half of her face as she looked up at Mamoru with upturned eyes.
It was a gesture that would send a normal boy’s heart fluttering, stoking an urge to protect her.
“Yeah, right.
Calling cap.” Mamoru sliced through her act without a second thought.
“…How cruel.
I had a degree of confidence in my appearance, you know.
Do you hold no interest in women, Mamoru-kun?” Seeing Mamoru remain entirely unfazed, even Arisu pulled back her smile, looking a tiny bit pouting and discontent.
“It’s not that I’m uninterested.
I do think you’re a genuinely cute girl, Arisu-san.” “That is…
thank you.” Perhaps unaccustomed to being told that so directly to her face, a faint, almost imperceptible brush of red dusted Arisu’s cheeks.
Unbeknownst to her, there was a specific reason Mamoru didn’t flinch no matter how much she teased him.
Fundamentally, Cursed Energy was a power born from emotion.
Thus, mental discipline was the most basic element of jujutsu training.
On top of that, the Cursed Technique Mamoru possessed had a nature where its precision could fluctuate wildly depending on emotional instability.
Having inherited such a technique, Mamoru had never neglected his mental training since childhood.
His mind was far too grounded to break over a calculated, theatrical gesture.
“So, why me in the end?” “Well, saying it was love at first sight isn’t entirely a lie.
As I mentioned earlier, I take pride in my ability to read people.” Arisu paused, taking a sip of her tea to moisten her throat.
“When I first saw you, Mamoru-kun, there was neither pity nor an expectation of reward in your eyes.
You view helping people as the natural thing to do.
Someone who moves out of pure goodwill is precious.
One never has to worry about being betrayed by them.” While it sounded like a touching sentiment, Mamoru accurately grasped the true underlying meaning behind her words.
Translated: A naive good samaritan is easy to manipulate, making him the perfect ally.
‘Precious, huh…?
I feel like those people are pretty common, actually.’ While jujutsu sorcerers as a breed contained plenty of scoundrels, those who did possess a conscience helped others as a matter of routine.
Deciding who to save and who to let die; choosing between lives—that was ordinary business.
Once you grew accustomed to an environment like that, helping someone up a flight of stairs wasn’t something you attached hidden motives to.
“Furthermore, your deduction during homeroom was magnificent.
Far more than the rest of the generic crowd, I wanted you.” ‘Calling everyone else ‘the generic crowd’ is pretty harsh.’ “Mamoru-kun, you possess talent—the ability to stand above others.
Won’t you work with me to first unite Class A, and put that talent to use together?” ‘What is this, a recruitment pitch for a terrorist group or a cult?’ Even as the thought crossed his mind, Mamoru didn’t think it was a terrible proposition on the inside.
‘As long as the school system remains opaque, I have to prepare for the worst-case scenario.’ To Mamoru, the worst-case scenario was having expulsion as a active penalty.
Since securing points was a necessity anyway, resigning himself to cooperating with class activities to a certain degree was unavoidable.
That being the case, the next thing to consider was whether to follow Arisu’s lead.
Assuming he was going to cooperate with the class, the next inconvenient scenario for Mamoru would be getting relied upon by both Katsuragi and Arisu simultaneously.
So should I just back Katsuragi as leader?
Thinking it through, that wasn’t ideal either.
A connection had already been established between Arisu and Mamoru.
To the rest of the class, they were likely already seen as relatively close.
In that case, what would Arisu do?
It was simple.
She would weaponize her physical handicap and simply push herself onto him.
While Mamoru knew how formidable her personality was, the physical disability was a genuine reality.
If she called upon him for help, he wouldn’t be able to turn her away.
Even if he managed to, he would earn the disdain of his classmates, sowing discord.
He had come to understand that Arisu was genuinely capable.
Building a cooperative relationship with her here wasn’t a bad deal for Mamoru at all.
Except for one single point.
‘Still…
I don’t really like the way she put that.’ The look in Mamoru’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Arisu.
Noticing the subtle shift in his aura, Arisu adopted a suspicious, questioning expression.
“…You mentioned ‘talent,’ but Arisu-san, what kind of person do you think a ‘genius’ actually is?” “Let me see…
I believe a genius is someone blessed with superior DNA.
Whether through a sudden mutation or a lineage inherited from exceptional parents, they are existences that those without such blessings can never surpass, no matter how favorable their environment or how much effort they pile on.
That is what I consider a genius.” Despite the sudden topic, Arisu’s response flowed without a moment’s hesitation, making it clear that this was a deeply ingrained core belief she had held all her life.
‘Man, it’s a good thing this girl wasn’t born a jujutsu sorcerer.’ Had Arisu been born into a sorcerer family—especially one of the Three Great Families—she undoubtedly would have become a textbook, traditionalist sorcerer.
However, the world of jujutsu wasn’t so naive that bloodline alone dictated absolute strength.
There were plenty of people born into prestigious houses who ended up labeled as failures.
If Arisu had ended up like that, it would have been tragic.
She likely wouldn’t have been able to endure it.
“Well, yeah.
I can agree with the part about them being an existence you can’t surpass no matter how much effort you stack up.” “Fufu, it seems we truly are like-minded.” Arisu looked pleased by Mamoru’s agreement, but Mamoru found himself thoroughly disliking that reaction.
It felt as though she were declaring that he was just like her, that she understood him.
So, the words slipped out before he could stop them.
“Have you ever actually seen a real genius, though?” The moment those words left his mouth, a sharp, hostile aura radiated from Arisu in return.
“Now that is something I cannot simply overlook.
In your eyes, Mamoru-kun, am I someone devoid of talent?” Seeing her reaction, Mamoru realized his tongue had slipped and immediately offered an apology.
“Ah, my bad if I offended you.” He hadn’t intended to belittle Arisu specifically.
However, it was true that he was annoyed.
He had no interest in others calling themselves geniuses; they could do as they pleased.
But having someone project misplaced evaluations onto him—claiming that he had talent—was something Mamoru found deeply unpleasant.
“Look, I know a person who actually deserves to be called a real genius.
That’s why I don’t want you throwing words like ‘genius’ or ‘talent’ around so lightly when it comes to me.” The sense of pressure emanating from Arisu was nothing more than a gentle breeze to Mamoru.
As Arisu glared at him with intense eyes, Mamoru stared straight back without flinching.
He was self-aware enough to know he might be acting stubborn.
However, to Mamoru, there was only one person worthy of the word “genius,” and that was a stance he had no intention of ever surrendering.
Mamoru knew.
He knew an existence that could never be reached, no matter how much effort one poured in.
He had watched that back ever since he was old enough to remember.
Just as a child reaches out toward an unreachable sky, to Mamoru, that person was the sky.
Mamoru knew that he himself was no genius.
He knew the one to whom that praise truly belonged—an existence that could only be described as chosen by God.
10 seconds?
20 seconds?
For a long while, the two locked eyes in silence.
Slowly, the sharp intensity faded from Arisu’s gaze, shifting from a glare into a stunned, dazed expression.
Finally, for reasons unknown, she bit her lower lip in frustration and cast her eyes downward.
Arisu had claimed to be adept at reading human expressions, so what exactly had she seen in Mamoru just now?
“…Very well.
Now I want you more than ever.” “Wait, why?!” Faced with Arisu’s sudden shift in demeanor, Mamoru was left thoroughly baffled.
“For now, I won’t ask you to stay by my side as my right hand.
But as a friend, assisting me with school life should be acceptable, yes?” Without him realizing it, Arisu had somehow reached her own private conclusion.
Mamoru was left utterly speechless as to what train of thought had just run through her head.
‘I mean…
I was already leaning toward cooperating anyway…’ Creating friction with his classmates wasn’t Mamoru’s intention either.
A comment his older brother had made before he enrolled weighed on his mind.
‘Bro said he wanted me to build connections.’ He likely meant establishing ties with the school’s upper management—a goal that was already half-fulfilled the moment Mamoru accepted this mission.
However, given that this school was nurturing future figures of influence, the human relationships built here held massive potential value for the future.
It was a calculating thought, but framing it that way made deepening ties with Arisu genuinely advantageous.
“Fine.
But don’t rely on me for every little thing.
If someone else can handle it, ask them instead.” “Then I look forward to working with you.” “Yeah, same here.” With that, the two shook hands.
‘A lot happened, but I guess it worked out decently in the end.’ While his opportunities to interact with Arisu as a friend would likely increase, he figured he wouldn’t be clung to as tenaciously as he had been today.
Letting out a sigh of relief— ‘Now then, shall we go shopping together?’ —Arisu’s words brought his brain to a complete halt.
‘Huh?
Wait, aren’t we done here?’ “Do you really think I can go shopping all by myself, Mamoru-kun?” “…No, I guess not.” “There are various daily necessities I need to purchase for my upcoming school life.
As a friend, you will naturally accompany me, won’t you?” ‘Wait a second.
Is it going to be like this for a while?’ A hunch approaching absolute certainty settled over him: at least until she made other friends who could assist her daily life, he was definitely going to be relied on constantly.
“…Yeah, alright.” In the end, Mamoru had no choice but to quietly nod his head.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Author’s Note: While writing this chapter, halfway through I kept thinking, “How on earth did it turn into this?” The interactions with Sakayanagi-san took off in a completely unexpected direction even for me.
Mamoru-kun, who harbors a complex regarding talent, and Sakayanagi-san, who believes in absolute talent-supremacy.
I had planned to write their dynamic eventually, but I didn’t intend to jump into it this early in the story!
Seriously, what am I going to do with the future plot?
Their dynamics within the class are completely unscripted right now.
For now, I expect the focus will be on Mamoru’s work routine and daily life, but during that time I’ll be brainstorming the upcoming exams and the next major events.
Also, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to post tomorrow.
I spent the time I originally allocated for writing the next chapter constantly editing this one instead.
While I have ideas for what to write next, no progress has been made.
I’ll do my best, but it might be tough!