“School, huh? That’s a bit nostalgic.”
Under streets lined with cherry trees in full bloom, Sorata walked forward with a yawn, Shiina’s hand in one of his, a backpack slung over his shoulder.
The lingering weakness in his mind, mixed with waves of fatigue rising from his soul, made him want nothing more than to sleep for days on end.
As for why he was holding Shiina’s hand, the reason was simple.
She walked too slowly.
If he looked away for even a moment, she would get distracted, wander off, or lose her way entirely.
It was honestly a mystery how she had managed to grow up safely to this age.
Still, compared to what he had gained, this bit of mental exhaustion was insignificant.
Bathed in the warm morning sunlight, Sorata could clearly feel his skin absorbing solar energy like a living organism performing photosynthesis.
The energy seeped into him, strengthening and reshaping his body from within.
After the Genetic Law Chain fused with him last night, the Superman bloodline had begun multiplying and assimilating like a virus.
Now, under direct sunlight, the conversion speed was dozens of times faster than it had been in the dark.
“As expected of a Law grade level bloodline. Just the initial fusion of the bloodline mark is already this powerful.”
Power surged continuously from deep within him.
In less than half a day, his physical constitution and overall abilities had already doubled.
His mood naturally improved along with it.
More importantly, the Superman bloodline required no deliberate cultivation.
All he had to do was bask in the sun each day, and his strength would increase rapidly.
For someone inclined toward laziness, this was practically the ideal method of cultivation.
For a Kryptonian, exposure to a yellow sun was like flipping the switch on ultra limit evolution.
The specific wavelength energy contained within sunlight drove their cells into a frenzied evolutionary leap.
By Sorata’s estimate, it would take less than half a month to complete the first stage of bloodline transformation.
After that, he would move on to increasing its concentration.
His strength would likely recover to the second rank of the Transcendent stage.
At that point, with a running speed of one hundred meters per second, punches weighing ten tons, and a body resistant to ordinary blades and firearms, he would be able to disregard small scale modern firepower.
And this would take only around ten days.
The Transcendent ranks referred to titles given to individuals whose abilities in a specific area had broken past ordinary human limits.
For example, if someone could punch with force exceeding five hundred kilograms, or reach speeds of twenty meters per second, they would be considered to have stepped into the first rank of the Transcendent stage.
Wearing a high school uniform and strolling unhurriedly during class hours while holding a beautiful girl’s hand, Sorata and his companion drew plenty of attention along the way.
Sorata, however, paid no mind to the surrounding stares.
As for Shiina, the concepts of embarrassment or shame simply did not exist in her awareness.
By the time they arrived at school, it was already past nine.
The opening ceremony had long since concluded.
“This is for lunch. You’re not allowed to eat it before then, got it?”
Sorata placed two Baumkuchens from the convenience store and a carton of drinks into Shiina’s backpack as he instructed her.
“Why?”
Shiina tilted her head, eyes fixed on the Baumkuchens as she reached toward them.
She had already eaten two earlier and wasn’t hungry, yet her hand still moved.
“There’s no why. If you don’t listen, I won’t buy them for you tomorrow.”
He simply maintained a firm tone.
A trace of dissatisfaction flickered in Shiina’s eyes.
“Sorata is mean,” she murmured in a soft voice devoid of emotional fluctuation.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m mean. Now go find Chihiro Sensei.”
With that, Sorata gently pushed Shiina into the faculty office, where Chihiro Sengoku was already looking over.
Without waiting for her to speak, he turned and left.
If he lingered, he knew she would undoubtedly dump a stack of errands on him.
By the time Sorata checked the bulletin board for his class assignment, the second morning period had already ended.
The classroom was lively when he stepped inside.
Ignoring the curious glances, he walked straight to the only empty seat by the window and dropped into it without the slightest embarrassment over being two periods late on the first day of school.
He laid his head on the desk, letting the sunlight spill across him as he prepared to sleep.
Last night, Sorata had discovered something surprising.
Perhaps because of his True Spirit, his mental strength had begun increasing naturally after his memories awakened.
However, he couldn’t actively cultivate any mental or divine sense techniques.
Once expended, his mental energy could only recover slowly on its own.
That was somewhat troublesome.
“Kanda kun, being this late on the first day. Have you already been assimilated by Sakurasou?”
The girl seated in front of him turned around.
With her ponytail, refined features, and capable air, she looked at him with a slight frown.
Sorata lifted his head, gaze a little unfocused.
After staring blankly for a few seconds, he came back to himself.
“Aoyama. Hello. Looks like we’re in the same class again.”
Her name was Nanami Aoyama.
She had also been his classmate last year, their seats positioned side by side.
Originally, that would have been the case again this year, but for the sake of sunlight, Sorata chose the window seat instead of the one to her right.
Previously, Mitaka Jin had examined Nanami with his peculiar way of looking at things.
Her measurements were 81, 58, 83.
Close to a mature figure, he had even told Kanda to seize the opportunity.
“Never mind being late for now. When are you planning to move out of Sakurasou?”
There was a trace of tension in Nanami’s expression.
“For a Student Council Executive Committee member to say that, isn’t it a bit irresponsible?” Sorata replied lazily, still lying on the desk.
“You haven’t answered me. And since it’s the first day of school, I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything. Don’t expect that kindness next time.”
“I’m not moving.”
“Not moving? Why?”
“Because I’ve realized Sakurasou is actually pretty interesting. It’s livelier than the regular dorms.”
He smiled faintly.
“Haha. Sorata’s in our class again this year. That’s great.”
Before Nanami could press further, a burly boy approached with loud laughter and attempted to sling an arm around Sorata’s shoulder.
“It’s Miyahara,” Sorata said with a nod.
Daichi Miyahara was considered one of Kanda’s friends at school.
His personality wasn’t bad.
Sorata remembered, however, that he liked Nanami and would later confess to her, only to be rejected.
Complicated relationships.
Sorata shook his head slightly.
After all, Nanami would eventually fall for him.
With Miyahara’s interruption, Nanami’s next words went unsaid.
Sorata, more than happy for the quiet, slept straight through until lunch break.
High school schedules in Sakura nation varied by institution.
At Suiko, classes began at eight thirty.
Each period lasted fifty minutes, followed by a ten minute break.
Lunch and nap time lasted an hour.
In the afternoon, there were two more periods before dismissal.
The remaining time was for students to manage freely.
Those who enjoyed club activities could participate.
Those who did not could go home.
The overall atmosphere was relaxed.
As long as you didn’t disturb the class, teachers generally didn’t mind if you slept through lessons.
Of course, failing at the end of term meant taking a make up exam.
Fail that as well, and with too many failed courses, withdrawal from school would follow.
“Kanda, where are you going? Didn’t you bring a bento?”
As Sorata picked up a piece of bread and a drink, preparing to head to the rooftop for sunlight, Nanami looked at him while opening her lunch.
“Something came up this morning. Didn’t have time to make one,” he said with a small shrug.
“I’ll eat on the rooftop.”
Fortunately, he wasn’t the original Sorata.
If it had been him, dealing with someone like Shiina, who needed help even washing her face and combing her hair, he would have been shouting in frustration by now.
After finishing his simple lunch, Sorata lay down on the rooftop.
The sensation of his body steadily evolving under the sun was too comfortable.
He ended up skipping the afternoon classes entirely, sleeping until school was over.
When Chihiro Sengoku brought Shiina to find him, Sorata was still fast asleep.
His body radiated warmth, and he had no intention of moving.
“I heard from Koharu that you’ve been sleeping up here all afternoon. Planning to degenerate?”
Hands on her hips, Chihiro frowned at the boy sprawled across the lounge chair.
Behind her, Shiina quietly watched him, her thoughts unreadable.
Sorata opened his eyes, unimpressed.
“What do you mean degenerate? I’m just enjoying life in advance. Life isn’t only about studying.”
“Enjoying life in advance? What does a kid like you know about life? Do you think you’re seventy or eighty already and can’t even walk?”
Chihiro waved the topic away.
“Whatever. I don’t have time to debate life with you. School’s over. I’m handing Shiina to you. Whether you show her around campus or take her back to Sakurasou is up to you.”