Even during class, I'd planned to keep up my training. Or so I thought.
First Period.
"Sorry, Sakaki. Do you mind looking the other way? If you could just keep your eyes closed, I'd appreciate it," the teacher said.
"Yes, sir," I replied.
Second Period.
"Sorry, Sakaki. It's not like I'm standing on a stage here... could you squeeze your eyes shut for me?" Professor Todo asked.
"Yes, ma'am..." I muttered.
Third Period.
"Hey, Sakaki. I don't have a hobby of shining like a beacon on a stage. Keep your eyes shut," the instructor barked.
"...Yes, sir."
Fourth Period.
"Ah, right. I heard the gist from the other teachers. I know you aren't doing this on purpose. But sorry, could you keep your eyes closed?" the final teacher asked.
"...Yes...!"
I couldn't train at all!
Every single teacher told me to keep my eyes shut!
I managed to stay distracted thanks to Rekka and the others who came to hang out during the breaks, but it was still a pain. By third period, Liesha looked like she didn't even know how to talk to me. She was visibly relieved when Rekka and the guys showed up.
If I went to the cafeteria like this, I'd just be the center of attention. I decided to skip lunch and head to the 'Award Room'¹ instead. I felt bad for Rekka and the group since they'd invited me to join them, but being stared at would have made the food taste like cardboard. Besides, I didn't want them getting wrapped up in any 'bad boy' rumors by association.
"Shall we go, Sakaki?"
"Huh?"
"You're going, right? I'm coming with you," Liesha said.
"But what about your lunch?"
"Heh. If you're going to say that, isn't it the same for you, Sakaki?"
"I mean, yeah, but I can't have you skipping a meal because of me, Liesha..."
"It's fine. Just wait a second... Hello? Yes, it's me. Can I place an order for pickup? Same as yesterday. Yes, exactly. Thank you. ...There, all set, Sakaki."
"Wait... was that Professor Todo on the phone?"
"It was. Oh, that reminds me. Sakaki, do you have a smartphone? I'd love to exchange contacts. I mean, we're friends, right? It'd be nice to reach out whenever we want..."
Gah! I felt like I was going to cough up blood.
Is Liesha trying to kill me with this much cuteness?
"The thing is... I actually don't own a phone," I admitted.
"What?!"
"Ah, don't get the wrong idea. It's not because we're poor or anything, and my parents didn't ban them. Honestly, my family is so considerate that they use a whiteboard on the fridge to leave messages for me so I don't feel left out."
"What do you mean by that?"
As we walked toward the 'Award Room,' I explained my situation.
Back in elementary school, my parents tried to buy us phones for safety since they came equipped with GPM-Global Positioning Magic². But for some reason, I'd always end up causing the systems to malfunction. They just wouldn't boot up. I couldn't use them at all. I told my parents to just get them for my siblings, Saki and Taku, instead... but it wasn't my parents who said no. It was the kids.
"If Big Bro doesn't get one, I don't want one either!" Saki had shouted.
"If Big Bro and Big Sis don't have them, then I don't need one!" Taku added.
I can still remember the shop staff looking at us with such warm, pitying eyes.
So, none of us had smartphones. In this day and age, it's a massive inconvenience, but whenever I bring it up, those two just shrug it off.
"You worry too much, Big Bro. Besides, we have the PC for chatting, so it's fine. If anything, it's a great excuse to turn down guys who ask for my number," Saki always said.
"Man, I'm garbage with tech anyway. Don't sweat it, Bro. If I have time to fiddle with a screen, I should be using that time for reps!" Taku would chime in.
Seriously, it's impossible not to love those two when they go that far to make me feel better.
"I see... it might actually be the influence of your 'Evil Eye'³," Liesha mused.
"Huh?"
"It's just a theory, but maybe your 'Evil Eye' is nullifying the magic built into the devices. If that's what's causing the system failures, it makes perfect sense."
"...I see."
I'd never even considered the 'Evil Eye' back then... but now, it seemed plausible.
"Excuse us."
Talking made the trip feel like seconds. Liesha knocked and opened the door. Inside, Professor Todo and Master Logan were sitting on the sofa, deep in conversation.
"Yo! There you are, Reo, Liesha!" Todo called out.
"Ho ho ho, welcome, welcome," Logan added noja.
"Pardon the intrusion, Professor Todo, Master Logan," Liesha said.
"Hello, Professor. Hey, Master," I added.
""'Master'?!""
The two of them looked shocked. Well, I guess they would be. Master Logan is famous for never taking direct disciples and forbidding people from calling him 'Master.' For some reason, he'd insisted I use the title, though.
"Ho ho ho. Don't look so shocked noja. Reo is a genius. A talent I believe will one day surpass even me in the magical arts. I cast a 'Shackle'⁴ on him fully expecting him to collapse from Mana depletion, yet his natural recovery rate actually outpaced the drain. I never would have guessed noja."
""!!""
The two of them looked genuinely floored, but something else caught my attention.
"Wait, Master Logan, what does that mean?"
"Ah, right. I haven't explained it to you yet. The 'Shackles' I placed on you-while not directly harmful-are a type of debuff magic that drastically ramps up Mana consumption. In short, you are constantly bleeding out far more Mana than a normal person noja."
"What...?"
"Hold on, Master Logan! If you did that, Sakaki could have fallen into a state of Mana deficiency⁵! That's life-threatening!" Liesha cried.
"Indeed. I was standing by to intervene if he collapsed... but he didn't show a single sign of fading. He was as cool as a cucumber noja."
""!!??""
Professor Todo's jaw was on the floor, and Liesha looked just as stunned. Seeing them so worked up actually made me feel strangely calm.
"However... I looked into it, and Reo's natural Mana recovery has actually increased. It's rendered my 'Shackles' useless. Not only that, I suspect the moment those Shackles are removed, Reo's maximum Mana capacity will hit a 'Limit Break'⁶ noja."
""!!""
I was just standing there confused, but their expressions turned dead serious. Mana Limit Breaks... that wasn't a thing in the game. Is it dangerous?
"Does that mean... if you release the Shackles now, in the worst-case scenario... Sakaki will die?" Liesha asked, her voice trembling.
"Yes. If his Mana continues to increase beyond what his 'vessel' can hold, the overflow won't just leak out-it will crack the vessel itself. Those cracks will spread until eventually..."
"He bursts. But you've got a plan to stop that, right? You wouldn't have called Liesha and me here otherwise," Todo cut in.
"Ho ho ho, of course noja."
Once again, the conversation about my life was moving forward without me. In the game, having maxed-out MP from natural recovery didn't do anything... but reality is different. If you keep pouring water into a full cup, the excess just spills. But if that 'overflow' is the size of a river or an ocean... yeah, that's bad news for the cup.
"We must perform a ritual to expand his maximum Mana capacity. At this rate, Reo will be destroyed by his own power. I won't let my successor be snuffed out like that. Seiya, Liesha-I need you to handle the 'Evil' lurking within him. I will temporarily induce a state of Mana deficiency in Reo and reinforce his vessel noja."
"Fine by me, Logan. It's for our future King. I'm in," Todo said.
"I get to fight alongside you again, Professor...!" Liesha exclaimed.
"Yeah. But Liesha, I can't use my dominant hand. I won't be nearly as effective as I used to be. You're taking the lead on this one. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!!"
"Good. Then let us begin the preparations noja."
Conversation moving forward without me: Part 2. So, uh, what am I supposed to do? None of this was in the game, so I'm totally in the dark. But man, a Todo and Liesha tag-team? I'd pay to see that.
"Now then, Reo."
"Y-Yes?"
Master Logan's voice snapped me back to reality. His face wasn't that of a kind old man anymore; he looked terrifyingly serious.
"We are going to increase your Mana capacity. To do that, we must first drain your Mana to absolute zero. When your Mana vanishes, the 'Lord of the Evil Eye' will attempt to manifest and take over your body. We will force it out and sever the connection noja."
"The 'Lord of the Evil Eye'...?"
There was that term again. Was that the 'source' of the Evil Eye?
"Umu. I told you before that the 'Evil Eye' is originally the power of the Demon King. But there are others who can manifest it independently. And... every single one of them was eventually killed by the 'Lord of the Evil Eye'-the Demon King himself noja."
"No way..."
I had no idea. The other users had already been hunted down? Wait, that actually makes sense. That's why in the game, the Demon King was the only one who had it.
"You possess a body that defies all logic. The Demon King will undoubtedly try to claim it as his own. Seiya and Liesha will sever that tether. I will use my magic to ensure you survive the process. Don't worry-for you, it'll be over in a flash. You'll just take a nap, and when you wake up, it'll be done noja."
It sounded like major surgery. Was it really okay for me to just sleep through this while Professor Todo, Liesha, and Master Logan did all the heavy lifting?
"Don't worry about the debt, Reo. You can pay us back later," Todo said.
"Exactly, Sakaki. Besides, we're friends. Helping a friend in need is what I do," Liesha added.
"Ho ho ho... You are my disciple, after all noja. Once this is over, the real training in the magical arts begins. Prepare yourself noja."
Their words were so warm, I felt the tension leave my body.
"Now, sleep for a while, Reo noja."
Master Logan's hand covered my eyes. In an instant, my consciousness plunged into the dark.
Summary:
Reo struggles through classes where teachers force him to keep his eyes closed to avoid his 'glare' effects. He meets with Liesha, Professor Todo, and Master Logan, who reveal that Reo's mana levels are dangerously high due to his 'Evil Eye' nullifying a magical limiter. They prepare an emergency ritual to expand his mana 'vessel' and sever his connection to the Demon King.
Trivia:
- Reo and his siblings are technology-free because Reo accidentally breaks electronics.
- GPM stands for Global Positioning Magic (the world's version of GPS).
- Professor Todo (Seiya) has a disabled dominant hand from a past event.
- Master Logan normally refuses to take disciples, making Reo an anomaly.
- The 'Lord of the Evil Eye' is synonymous with the Demon King.
- Reo's natural mana recovery is so high it outpaced a constant magical drain
Character Insight:
Reo shows deep emotional vulnerability when discussing his siblings, showing that his 'Mob' persona is a shield for a deeply loved family man. Liesha's willingness to help highlights her shift from a curious observer to a genuine, loyal friend.
Behind the Scenes:
The author uses common RPG tropes (Mana depletion, Limit Breaks, GPM) to ground the fantasy elements in a way that the 'reincarnated gamer' protagonist can understand, even when the reality is far more dangerous than the game mechanics.
TL Notes:
1 ↩ Award Room: A specific facility in the academy, likely for high-ranking students or faculty meetings.
2 ↩ GPM (Global Positioning Magic): The magical equivalent of GPS technology used in smartphones for location tracking.
3 ↩ Evil Eye: A rare and dangerous magical trait often associated with the Demon King, capable of nullifying or altering magic.
4 ↩ Shackles: A type of restrictive magic or 'limiter' used to suppress or monitor an individual's mana output.
5 ↩ Mana Deficiency: A life-threatening state where an individual's magical energy is depleted beyond safe levels.
6 ↩ Limit Break: A term used to describe a sudden expansion of a character's maximum capacity or power beyond established boundaries.
Notes:
• Saki - Reo's younger sister, two years his junior. Handles housework and cooking. Has a kind but slightly blunt personality toward her brother. Highly concerned for her brother's safety. A middle schooler with Sage-level magic power who has been scouted by Valhalla.
• Taku - Reo's younger brother. Protective and prone to outbursts of anger against those who hurt his family. A middle schooler. Over 180cm (6 feet) tall with a massive, intimidating build. Skilled in sewing and housework.
• Reo - Reincarnated HS dude who grinded 'Brave Fantasy' 100+ times, now a bland mob in the game world—black hair, Class E #6 by the back door, F-rank stats but plot meta-knowledge + magic flow reading to sideline-support heroes. Lil' bro to Saki & Taku, survives as background bro.