In class today, Sorata did not slump over his desk to sleep.
Instead, he held a manga related book titled Character Design and Coloring Techniques for Anime.
The reason was simple.
He was preparing to reproduce the manga version of EVA and make a fortune.
Although he had already written the first volume of Toradora!
the previous night and submitted it, confident that the version he refined to better suit the current social climate would pass review and be published, its theme and scope were limited.
Even if Toradora!
were animated, it could not compare to the global popularity of EVA.
Especially when considering EVA’s merchandise and licensing rights, which alone would be enough to free him from worrying about money in the future.
Moreover, this approach was easy and perfectly suited for someone like him who only wanted to live a quiet and peaceful life.
Within a single class period, Sorata used his powerful mental strength to finish the finger thick book as if he were scanning it with a machine.
He gained a clear understanding of the key points in manga drawing.
He was now completely confident.
With his Level 9 mastery of ink wash painting, he could reproduce the EVA manga from memory flawlessly, perhaps even render it more delicately.
After all, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the original illustrator of EVA, did not possess Level 9 ink wash painting skills.
In Sorata’s view, the visual presentation of the EVA manga was only average.
Purely in terms of drawing technique, it was inferior to what Shiina could produce.
“Kanda, are you planning to join a club this year? How about the swimming club? There are lots of beauties.”
During the break, just as Sorata set the book down, Miyahara Daichi leaned forward from the seat behind him and asked enthusiastically.
“Clubs? Not interested.” Sorata shook his head.
Miyahara seemed to expect that answer and nodded.
“Is that so? Then you probably do not know that a lot of transfer students came this year. Let me tell you.”
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice near Sorata’s ear.
“Among them are three top tier beauties. Especially the president of the Occult Research Club, Rias Gremory. She is even prettier than your Shiina san.”
“Hehe. It was just established yesterday. These past two days you have either been sleeping or sticking with your Shiina san, so of course you would not know.”
“Besides, the requirements to join are extremely strict. Many students applied, but not a single one passed. Otherwise, I would have switched clubs already.”
“What do you mean Kanda’s Shiina san? Do not talk nonsense. You will cause trouble for Kanda kun.”
Aoyama Nanami, seated in front, turned around with a faint frown and cut off Miyahara’s rambling.
“It is not nonsense. Everyone has seen Kanda and Shiina san going to school together and leaving together lately.” For some reason, Miyahara grew more excited after Nanami spoke.
He looked at Sorata seriously.
“Kanda, tell Aoyama san. Are you dating Shiina san from the art class or not?”
Nanami’s gaze toward Sorata carried a faint trace of tension.
“…Why would you all think we are dating?” Sorata was slightly taken aback and shook his head.
“We go to school together because we both live in Sakurasou. And Shiina san lacks some basic life skills. She often gets lost. Chihiro sensei asked me to look after her after school.”
Although from a certain angle, his relationship with Shiina might appear more intimate than that of an ordinary couple, it was only because she needed someone to take care of her.
Unless one day she truly developed feelings of love for him, his attitude would not change.
For now, he simply regarded her as someone in need of care, almost like a pet.
His principle was straightforward.
If he promised something, he would do it properly, as long as it did not negatively affect him.
“I see. What a pity. I thought you had already made your move and won over Suiko’s famous transfer beauty, Shiina san.” Miyahara sighed in regret.
Nanami quietly let out a small breath of relief.
At that moment, the class bell rang, cutting off further conversation.
In the afternoon, Sorata went to the rooftop as usual to bask in the sun.
With his eyes closed, he consumed spiritual energy, condensing various special genetic law information chains and attempting to fuse them with the Kryptonian gene.
He was deducing and refining the second stage of the Kryptonian bloodline.
The April sun already carried a hint of early summer heat.
Under the sunlight, the cells within Sorata’s body, already ten percent transformed and faintly glowing with a subtle golden sheen, evolved at a rapid pace.
After only three days of transformation, beneath his seemingly thin high school body lay a terrifying physical quality more than ten times that of an ordinary person.
His strength had exceeded one thousand kilograms.
He had initially stepped into the level of a Rank 1 Transcendent lifeform, and it continued to rise at an alarming rate.
Even the most basic Kryptonian possessed a body as hard as steel, could fly at several times the speed of sound, wield tens of thousands of tons of strength, and, under prolonged exposure to sunlight, would rapidly evolve toward a cosmic level lifeform.
At three thirty, when the dismissal bell rang, Sorata slowly opened his tired eyes.
Still not working.
Perhaps my approach is wrong.
Throughout the afternoon, he had tried dozens of god tier bloodlines.
No matter how simply he broke them down, they refused to fuse with the foundational Kryptonian gene chain.
It may not be necessary to add bloodlines of the same rank.
I could try breaking down Transcendent level abilities and merging them into the Kryptonian gene chain, letting them evolve together.
“Forget it. I will try again tomorrow.”
Shaking his head, Sorata went downstairs, returned to the classroom, picked up his backpack, and headed toward the school gate.
Walking alone with his bag slung over his shoulder, he seemed somewhat out of place compared to the lively soccer and baseball club members shouting and running across the grounds.
On the rooftop of Suiko’s tallest building, the seven story Building No.
3, a tall and curvaceous girl with long crimson hair draped over her shoulders stood quietly, gazing down at the playground.
Her eyes rested faintly on Sorata’s departing figure.
“President, why did we suddenly transfer here from Kuoh Academy?”
Behind her, a beautiful girl with a single ponytail and black hair that reached her knees appeared silently, her expression puzzled.
“Because this is that person’s territory. By studying here, it will have some reservations about what it wants to do. For now, I only wish to attend school peacefully. I do not intend to involve myself in Underworld affairs.”
Rias spoke calmly.
“By the way, Akeno, what about the investigation I assigned you?”
“I have checked. There are no practitioners, special beings, or awakened individuals here. It is an entirely ordinary high school.”
“However, that boy seems to be awakening. A faint power of light is gathering around him. President, should we make contact?” Himejima Akeno looked toward Rias.
After a brief silence, Rias spoke only after Sorata’s figure disappeared beyond the school gate.
“You noticed him as well?”
“There is no need to rush. Although awakened humans are rare and have great potential to become devils, not just anyone is qualified to become my servant.”
“And since we chose to study in the human world, we should behave like proper students. Acting too conspicuously will only invite trouble.”