"You go to Private Mixed High too?"
On the way to school, Sato kept eyeing Takanashi Rikka, suspicion written all over his face.
From what he knew, that school generally only admitted students with good grades, though there were a few exceptions like Eriri, who had special talents.
So could it be… this chuunibyou girl actually had decent grades?!
Was that even possible?
Well… maybe. Hard to say.
Noticing Sato scrutinizing her, Rikka suddenly stepped back, raising her arms in a defensive cross and lowering into a wary stance. Her eyes sharpened with suspicion.
"Hoohoo, as I suspected! Servant, you've already been taken over by the [Manifestation of All the World's Evil], haven't you? But attacking your Master is absolutely forbidden!"
A strange laugh escaped her lips, her delicate face now wearing an expression of all-knowing clarity.
But just as quickly, her smug expression vanished, and she stumbled back, yelling, "Ah?! No! don't—!"
Thud!
Somewhere in the air, it was as if a dull thud echoed. Nishimiya Shouko, watching nearby, gasped and quickly covered her mouth in shock.
After Sato calmly pulled his hand back, Rikka sat on the ground, clutching her head, looking utterly wronged.
"Can't you be serious for once?"
He sighed, staring at her in exasperation. Her chuunibyou was clearly terminal at this point.
Shouko watched from the side, a quiet smile blooming on her lips as she silently observed the scene.
"Hmph!"
Rikka suddenly dropped her pitiful act, puffed out her chest, and with her head held high, declared proudly, "I got a perfect score on the national language exam!"
Both Sato and Nishimiya's faces showed clear surprise.
"A perfect score? You?" Sato asked, utterly incredulous.
"Hmph hmph, that's right! This is the ultimate power your Master wields!"
"So that's the ultimate power?" Sato muttered with sudden realization, glancing at Rikka, then continuing, "In that case, my literature, science, English, and math are all ultimate powers too?"
"Hah?!"
Rikka gasped in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock as she turned to him.
Sato continued nonchalantly, "Too bad I missed a few points in social studies."
Then, as if remembering something, he looked at Rikka with a teasing smile. "So, Master, just how far do your other ultimate powers go?"
Rikka swallowed hard.
Damn it!
She'd forgotten this guy was a special summon. For the school to bring him all the way from a place of hicks, his grades had to be amazing.
Did she just walk herself into humiliation?
Suddenly, she whipped her head around and picked up her pace without looking back.
"Um… class is about to start, we should hurry."
Sato exchanged a glance with Nishimiya Shouko, and both of them burst into laughter.
Ah, chuunibyou.
He shook his head.
…
Rikka was a student at Private Mixed High, but she was in Class D, located on a floor above Class A. No wonder they hadn't run into her at school before.
The second day of school officially marked the start of regular classes, and with it, the return of endless hours of dull, grueling studying.
Compared to middle school, high school material was on a whole new level, many considered it the most painful period of student life.
As the final bell of the morning rang, lunch break began.
Most Japanese high schools didn't have cafeterias, so students typically brought their own bentos. The school shop would open at noon, selling random snacks, including weird things like yakisoba bread.
Which was… well, weird. Noodles on bread.
Sato sat down with two of his new friends, eating his homemade lunch while they chatted.
"Huh? You've got a sister, Kirito?" Sato looked up at Kirigaya Kazuto in surprise. Saiki Kusuo also glanced over, curious.
Kazuto scratched his head and said, "Yeah, her name's Suguha. I'll introduce you if there's a chance."
Then, Kazuto caught sight of Sato's bento and was visibly impressed.
"If I remember right, you live alone, don't you?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Then you made this bento yourself? That's some impressive cooking!"
"Indeed." Saiki Kusuo nodded approvingly beside him.
Sato chuckled, "It's just basic stuff. My parents are usually busy with farm work, so I've been cooking for myself for a while."
He paused, then suddenly turned to Saiki with a puzzled look. "Wait… Saiki, did you just talk?"
Saiki's expression shifted slightly, a bit unnatural. Kazuto blinked and said, "Of course he talked. You okay, Sato?"
Sato nodded slowly, brushing it off. "Maybe I was just seeing things. I didn't notice him open his mouth, that's all."
He smiled, but deep down, a flicker of doubt remained. His memory of yesterday's encounter with Saiki stirred uneasily.
Kazuto clapped him on the back. "You're probably just tired."
Tired? Maybe…
Sato glanced at Saiki again, but this time noticed something odd... Saiki, normally calm and collected, looked a little off. His eyes kept glancing toward Sato, curious… probing.
Sato smiled faintly and silently opened his system. He searched the character card he'd overlooked the day before.
[Name: Saiki Kusuo]
[Job: Student, Psychic]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 16]
[Threat Level: S]
Sato: "…"
I knew it wasn't that simple!
He twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth. What kind of bizarre world is this…
He'd completely forgotten to check the cards yesterday, and now it looked like all his new friends were… kind of absurdly powerful.
Normally, ordinary people and low-tier ability users only ranked around F-level in threat. But S-level? That was the same tier as Gabriel, the literal angel.