NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20
—One week later—
After the entrance exam from a week ago, I officially lost the mock battle, and I had the mana capacity measurement redone, adjusting it to a slightly higher value, around 4000, than the average.
Around three days later, I received my acceptance letter, and on the same day, various items like the school uniform and educational materials were delivered.
And today.
Finally, the day I’ve been waiting for arrived – the start of the main storyline of “Brilliant Proof” – my first day at the academy.
“Master Jin, are you ready? It seems like you’re very excited.”
“Yeah, I’m so excited I couldn’t sleep.”
Mea entered my room at the inn and looked at me, her expression a mix of curiosity and surprise.
‘Well, I couldn’t sleep because I’m worried about what’s to come, but saying that would just make you worry, so I’ll keep it to myself.’
“How do I look in my uniform, Mea?”
“It suits you very well. Without the rumors, you’d probably become quite popular.”
“Without the rumors, huh… Well, as long as I have you, Mea… Actually, I’m not interested in any of the girls at the academy to begin with…”
I’ll always be devoted to Mea!
Mea is the best! No one can surpass Mea!!!
“I-Is that so…”
“What’s wrong, Mea? Your face turned red… Did I say something embarrassing?”
“Well, it’s nothing…”
“In that case, what’s with that very cute face?”
Mea puffed out her cheeks just slightly, looking adorable. Lately, she’s been showing her emotions more, and it’s nice to see her with various expressions…
Wait, what’s with that angelic expression? Isn’t it just too cute?
When a usually cool beauty does it, the gap moe effect, combined with her beauty, makes it incredibly heartwarming.
I’m so glad I was born as Jin!
“Huh? Do you really not know?” she asked, with a slightly accusatory look. This is something I’ll keep to myself… But I really have no clue what she’s talking about.So, I just nodded in response.Mea blushed even more and muttered something under her breath, too quiet for me to hear.
(…It seems like I’m the only one who’s conscious of it… Despite being much older than him… I’ll make him pay for seducing an adult woman someday.)
Mea shot me a sharp look at the end. It wasn’t really scary, though. She sighed lightly and returned to her usual cool demeanor.
“Well, never mind that. Do you have everything you need? You absolutely can’t afford to forget anything on the first day.”
“Of course, I’m fine. I double-checked everything, and there’s nothing specific you need on the first day, right?”
As I said this, Mea looked at me with a puzzled expression, and hesitantly asked, “Could it be… you don’t know?”
“What? Know what?”
“At that school, there’s a mock battle on the first day to determine rankings, you know?”
“Huh? You’re trying to panic me again with that… Wait… a mock battle? Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
That’s right!I remembered now. There was indeed a ranking battle on the first day, where Jin and the protagonist first crossed paths.
This was a turning point in their lives!In the game, Jin, who observed the protagonist’s popularity and abilities during the ranking battle, became jealous and initiated a duel, which was essentially a ranking battle. This was often referred to as the “tutorial” and was considered an overwhelmingly easy mode fight.
The protagonist would never lose, so many players used this battle as a chance to learn the basics of the game, master combos, and improve their skills.
However, this would be the decisive moment of ruin for me, Jin. I had to avoid it at all costs… but wait, couldn’t I just choose not to challenge it?
But in these kinds of game world reincarnations, some kind of compelling force often works to prevent any deviation from the story. So, I couldn’t be sure of what would happen if I didn’t act.
Well, considering the protagonist just enrolled and had the power to one-shot opponents, there shouldn’t be a problem.
But maybe I should..
“…Is it really not okay to just take the day off from the very first day?”
“That’s absolutely not allowed. It’ll only spread more bad rumors about you. I don’t want that to happen… Is there something wrong?”
As Mea’s eyebrows furrowed with worry, I couldn’t bear the thought of skipping, especially when I was so smitten with her.
“No, it’s nothing. I just thought hiding my powers would be a hassle!”
“But, Jin-sama, your power is beyond human understanding. If others find out about it, I don’t know what might happen. You must absolutely make sure no one discovers it.”
I couldn’t possibly tell her, “Oh, by the way, the future villain already knows about my powers.”
“Y-Yeah, I understand. I’ll do my best…”
I made my way to the school, making sure not to show any signs of anxiety throughout the journey.
Bonus chapter !