It was morning, and the sun was barely shining on the horizon.
Adam was sitting on the bed of his new dormitory, staring at his fingers
After a little bit of 'morning exercise' with Olivia….The adventurer had gone off to take a bath
So, the silver-haired boy decided to take some time and examine the new power he obtained after signing a bond contract with Raiden
-Yes, [Bond contact]- that would be its name from now on!
Sizzle
Arcs of weak, scarlet thunder zapped between his fingers in a docile and controlled manner
"How…Interesting!"
-That's right, it was the Herrscher of Thunder's power- control over electromagnetic waves
Adam couldn't help but smile giddily at the fact that he could now control one of the fundamental forces of the universe
"...Still quite unfortunate, though"
Though he would love to say that with Mei and Raiden's full bond and love, he is able to freely use this power….
-That's not the case at all
To use this power, Adam relied on Mei's Stigmata and the Core of Conquest. Thus, to control electromagnetism, he had to use Mei's Herrscher core to achieve what he wanted
It was similar to the Herrscher of Dominance- stealing a Herrscher's authority, but using that Authority while burdening the original holder's Herrscher core
It was just that Raiden shared with him and gave him permission to use this Authority- at her expense
Of course….For small matters, using this power was no problem. The might of a 'normal' Herrscher wasn't to be underestimated
However…If he fully unleashed this power and fully used it with the knowledge of electromagnetism he has….It would be a huge burden to Mei
As for him? It wasn't really a problem. He has CC's immortality, immortality of the fountain of youth, and so many other skills to keep him alive…
"Hm…Maybe I have to give some skill to Mei?"
He pondered with a hand under his chin.
Adam had already analyzed the fountain of youth, and actually….He knew how to create it.
It's just that the conditions for making are too harsh- even for him
"Whatever, I'll think of these things later."
Sighing, he patted his cheeks, looking out at the window with a smile
-The sun was slowly rising, a new chapter of their lives will unfold, and their first lesson will happen today!
…
..
.
Knock….Knock…Knock
-Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Adam, it's time to get up and go to school!"
Knock…Knock
Kiana's voice sounded as she once again knocked on his door
"I'm coming."
With a flick of his fingers, moisture lifted from his damp hair and vanished into the air- something achievable with his level of control over magic
His slime suit shimmered, reforming into a set of casual clothes, smooth and wrinkle-free.
After getting ready in a few seconds, Adam stepped toward the door.
As it creaked open, he was met by the sight of the three main heroines of this world—Kiana, Mei, and Bronya.
"Adam, g-good morning"
Mei greeted him with a stutter, a faint blush tinting the tips of her ears
Her eyes didn't quite meet his. It was clear she was still thinking about last night.....
"Sniff…"
Kiana leaned in, her nose twitching
"Did you just take a shower?"
The white haired girl asked curiously, blinking up at him. The scent of fresh shower gel still lingered on his skin, and she could obviously smell it
"Well…" Adam paused for a beat, then offered a vague smile. "I woke up early and decided to do some 'morning exercises'."
"...Eh?"
Mei froze in place, her expression twitching ever so slightly.
"...Really?"
She repeated, brow furrowing.
-The purple-haired girl knew exactly what kind of 'morning exercises' Adam might be referring to—especially with Olivia living under the same roof.....
Just thinking of what 'morning exercise' implied made her face flush
"...."
Adam met her look with a knowing blink, his expression unmoved, but undeniably somewhat cheeky.
"Wow!"
Kiana suddenly exclaimed, her eyes lighting up like a child seeing fireworks.
"Adam-senpai, you're so motivated!"
As her wide, blue eyes stared at him with innocent admiration, he turned his gaze away, a flicker of guilt crossing his features
"As expected of you."
Bronya nodded at him, seemingly already knowing how hardworking he is
"...."
"Anyway, Olivia also did some morning exercises with me."
Adam continued without any shame
"She's now resting. She will come in a few minutes."
Immediately, the silver-haired boy felt two pairs of eyes snap toward him instantly.
One gaze radiated silent judgment. The other—thinly veiled suspicion.
"....."
Bronya said nothing. She merely stared, her mouth set in a thin, unreadable line.
….
After Olivia came, the five people walked towards the auditorium.
On the way to school, Mei quietly stepped closer to Adam
"…So," She murmured, voice barely above a whisper. "Did you… do anything to Kiana?"
Mei's blaming voice echoed in Adam's ears
"Hm? I don't think so." He replied calmly and casually, shaking his head with a faint shrug. "Pretty sure I didn't."
And he wasn't lying. Despite having lived together back in Nagazora, Adam had never crossed that line with Kiana.
Of course, teasing her doesn't count!
"Last night, she was calling out your name in her dreams."
She suddenly reached out, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly. Her grip was firm.
Adam's mouth twitched
'...Sure enough, Mei has yandere potential….'
He kept a straight face, but his inner thoughts were lighting up with red flags
"Hmm? Is that so?"
He replied, tilting his head in. His eyes flicked ahead to Kiana's bouncy white hair as she chatted/semi-argued with Bronya.
Then he leaned in, whispering near Mei's ear:
"…Doesn't that mean she might say yes if I just—"
Zzzzzzz
Before Adam could finish his words, he felt his hand twitching and spasming
Looking down, he saw faint sparks of lightning travelling from the hand that was held by the girl
Turning his gaze towards the girl's face, the silver-haired boy saw one of Mei's eyes being a deep scarlet color
-Just as he made eye contact with her, the scarlet color dissipated, as if it were an illusion
"Hmph..."
Pursing her lips, Mei turned her head away, pouting in grievance
….
-It's obvious from her behavior that Kiana likes Adam- or at least, she has a crush on him.
Mei is not blind, so of course she can see it.
However…What confuses her is that neither of them knows this!
Or, at least, Kiana seems unaware of her feelings…Or maybe the white haired girl doesn't realize that it's romantic love
As for Adam…
[Heh, don't bother. This guy wants to make a harem.
'How do you know…?'
[Stupid coward, isn't it obvious?]
Her lips pursed tighter
-Judging from his attitude….At least he didn't seem averse to having a harem…
[...]
Still…. Bronya's attitude towards Adam was very normal. They were close, but they seemed more like siblings
….
Amidst Mei's dazed thoughts, they arrived at the auditorium
Adam received many, many stares.
But Mei was tightly holding his arm between her bust and was giving the unknown women death stares
-Scratch that, since her eyes were slightly glowing scarlet, it was Raiden who was giving these death stares
Naturally, no one dared to approach him. Even if these girls looked at him hotly and with passion, a Herrscher's death stare was still too much for these valkyries in training
...
Soon, Theresa also appeared on the podium.
But since Theresa was not as tall as the podium, the considerate Himeko had already placed a small stool behind the podium in advance.
Of course, this small stool was 'coincidentally' blocked by the speaker.
-After all, the principal had to maintain her dignity and pride!
"Hello everyone!"
Principal Theresa started speaking, her tone enthusiastic and lively
"Today, we are welcoming another grand opening ceremony for Saint Freya Academy!" She continued, smiling "First of all, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all our new students. Your arrival has injected new vibrancy and hope into this Academy."
She dramatically spread her arms wide
"As the principal of Saint Freya Academy, I feel deeply honored to be here today and have the ability to share with you..."
For the rest of her speech, Adam kinda zoned out
It's not that it was bad. On the contrary, Theresa's voice was very confident and high-pitched, as if she had memorized a speech thoroughly last night.
- It seems that this silly girl is still very willing to work hard for things that concern her reputation and authority
Her expression was excited and bright, and her words were also passionate.
Looking around, Adam saw quite a lot of freshmen having expressions full of longing for this school.
-It seemed that to them, this is not just a new school…. but also a new home
This was reasonable. After all, almost 90% of the students who go to school here are orphans who have experienced Honkai Eruptions and are taken in by Theresa.
-For them, this is a new beginning and a new life.
"...I look forward to seeing the blossoming of each one of you in the days ahead. I believe that your experiences here will become invaluable in your life, and they will lead you towards a more glorious and beautiful future."
Even when one of her students had zoned out, Theresa still spoke with unbridled passion
"Finally, I would like to end my speech with just one sentence: Let us learn and grow together in Saint Freya Academy, and move on bravely for everything we cherish! Let us fight for all that is beautiful in this world!"
Theresa's closing remarks completely moved the hearts of the new students below.
Adam didn't really feel anything special.
After all…. In his previous life, he had seen so many speeches of leaders and politicians, so his immunity was quite high
But-
The silver-haired boy looked sideways at his companions
Kiana, Mei, and Bronya seemed to be deeply touched.
Especially, Kiana and Mei almost had tears glistening in their eyes
Olivia, though, just had a bright smile on her face, with her eyes full of expectation
Seeing the students' responses, Theresa smiled, being very satisfied with the results of her performance.
….
Then, the principal explained some details to everyone:
-Generally, there are thirty people in a class, and they are led by an instructor/teacher
The instructors here all have the equivalent of military positions. They are all soldiers, and their quality is undoubtedly top-notch.
Of course, for special subjects, different instructors will teach the students
After a while, a grey-haired girl with black framed glasses came up to the four of them
"Your instructor will come to pick you up later to familiarize you with the school."
Fu Hua reminded them. Then, after finishing her sentence, she momentarily paused
"If you five had enrolled together, you would most likely be in the same class."
With a quiet, practiced motion, she reached up and nudged her glasses higher along the bridge of her nose
"Alright, thank you for the reminder."
Adam nodded at the hidden immortal
"Then I'll leave first." She nodded calmly, "If you need any help, you can come to me."
After that, she left
-Fu Hua will be a class monitor this year, so she has other responsibilities to attend to
…..
The five people stood there waiting for a long time.
They saw that the other instructors had left one after another, but no instructor came to find them.
In addition, there were also 25 other students standing there with confused looks on their faces.
"Wait, could Himeko have overslept due to a hangover….?"
Adam suddenly voiced out the possibility he had thought of
"This shouldn't be the case...Himeko-sensei doesn't seem that careless."
Mei shook her head, frowning
They all knew that Himeko was going to be their instructor. Both Theresa and Hikeko made that clear
-After all….With Mei being a Herrscher, handing her to any random instructor wouldn't be wise
"We should be patient."
Surprisingly, the quiet Bronya spoke up
The other four people looked at her-
"-Sorry I'm late."
Just as Kiana was about to speak, a lazy yet slightly apologetic voice echoed throughout the room
And as expected, it was the voice of a mature red-haired woman- the same one who was their new instructor, Murata Himeko
…..
After a brief roll call, Himeko led the new students and started explaining the curriculum to them
It is mainly divided into two parts:
One is combat training, and the other is theoretical study.
In combat training classes, you can train with your friends, train with Himeko… or train in a simulation training room.
Apart from the necessary physical exercises, the rest of the time assigned is free time- where you can fight with anyone or practise however you like
Theoretical study classes are held in different classrooms.
In addition to the three required main courses, students also have the right to choose three supplementary courses.
The supplementary courses are very flexible and cover a variety of different topics. Students also have the option to freely combine them according to their preferences
Combat training and theoretical study each account for 50% of the total score. Of course, each one of them has its own assessment standards.
If a student fails a single course, they still need to retake the exam.
Even if they get 100 points in the combat course, they will still need to retake the exam if they don't meet the passing grade in the theoretical study course.
After learning this fact, Kiana felt very uncomfortable and nervous
After all, she might be a bit airheaded, but she wasn't stupid! She was aware that theoretical studies were never her strong forte!
.....
"Hey Adam-senpai, what classes will you take?"
When choosing minor supplementary courses, Kiana suddenly came beside him and asked
"Nothing."
Adam raised his piece of paper to Kiana, showing her that he didn't write 'X' on any of the boxes next to the supplementary courses
Of course, he didn't choose anything.
Why would he?
After entering St.Freya Academy, he had already used the power of the Herrscher of Corruption to invade this Academy's closed-off network and review all their data
-That, of course, included the knowledge that was being taught in all courses- whether minor or major
And with [Great Sage] injecting this knowledge directly into his brain….He didn't need to do any work!
[...]
Thus, actually choosing minor courses is a pure waste of time
Of course….If Theresa protests….
Well, in her eyes, he's a highly dangerous individual that holds 'control' over the 3rd Herrscher- so the chances of her protesting to such a minor thing are non-existent
"Ah...You can do that?!"
Kiana eyes widened, her mouth agape.
She originally wanted to choose the same minor courses as Adam, but now…..
"...."
The white-haired girl scratched her head, wondering if she could also do the same
"...?"
Bronya, on the side, looked over in confusion because she clearly remembered that Adam was the studious type who always thirsted for knowledge
She herself chose mechanical engineering and cybersecurity.
Mechanical engineering is more inclined towards the manufacturing of machinery and weapons- which fits her well.
She grew up holding guns.
As for Cybersecurity…. To properly protect a network, you have to know how to attack its weaknesses and invade it
-Bronya is almost unmatched in this area. She's a great hacker; thus, this subject also holds great attraction for her
"Adam, why haven't you chosen anything?"
With curiosity evident in her voice, the silver-haired girl asked him
"What do you mean, Bronya?"
Mei spoke in his stead
In fact, the purple-haired girl also won't choose any minor course- that's what Himeko-sensei also suggested to her
For her now…..She needs to concentrate all her efforts on getting used to her now supernatural body, and also controlling the power of her other 'self'
"Adam is studious, Mei-nee."
The silver-haired girl tilted her head, looking at Mei with a deadpan stare
"...Wait! Adam-senpai is 'studious'?!"
Kiana slapped her hands on her thighs, leaning forward and looking at the aforementioned silver-haired boy with surprise and bewilderment
"..."
Adam's eyebrows twitched
"What are you saying, Tuna-san?"
He crossed his arms in front of his chest, staring at Kiana with a threatening look
"Hey! Stop calling me Tuna!"
She puffed her cheeks, pouting
"Also!" Kiana put her hands on her hips. "During class in Chiba Academy, you almost always slept. That's not very studious of you, mister!"
The white haired girl pointed at him accusingly, a smug smile brimming on her face.
She's most likely thinking that she finally exposed him!
"And that's where you're wrong, Kiana."
Feeling Bronya's and Mei's curious gaze, Adam coughed.
He put his hand under his chin, assuming the pose of a great philosopher.... or a great thinker
"Just because I don't pay attention during class doesn't mean that I don't know what's being taught."
The white haired blinked. Bronya also blinked
….
Mei had a weird expression on her face. She was recalling that book about electromagnetism that Adam had given her
…Is Adam a genius? Perhaps that's why he never paid attention during class- he looked down on what was being taught
'Wait, electro-!?'
Her eyes shrank, becoming as thin as needles
[....Took you long enough to realise, stupid coward]
'.....'
...
"Ugh, Adam-senpai…That makes no sense!"
The white haired girl stomped her foot on the ground out of frustration
"Are you just messin- Eh?"
Kiana suddenly paused
"Mei-senpai, what's wrong with you?!"
As she observed Mei's rapidly changing expression, Kiana ignored the fact that Adam was messing with her.
"Are you okay?"
Instead, she asked her female friend worriedly with a concerned expression
"I-it's n-nothing!"
The purple-haired girl stuttered out, rapidly shaking her head in denial
…
..
.
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A/N:
I tried to do some minor worldbuilding this chapter....How was it?
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