For a long time now, I have been thinking about a question.
Is there some kind of connection between the authority I obtain and certain traits inherent to the students themselves?
The answer seems obvious.
Wakamo, who possesses peerless beauty; Yukino, an elite of SRT; Shiroko, who loves cycling; Serika, who loses her temper easily; Hoshino, whose surname is read as Takanashi; Izuna, unfailingly loyal; and Ako, who is utterly despicable in every conceivable way…
Aside from Ayane, for whom I have yet to find a corresponding trait, all the other students line up perfectly.
If that is the case, then it naturally leads to the next question.
Between authorities themselves, could there also be some kind of internal connection?
I learned when I first obtained an authority that completely hierarchical authorities can merge.
Then could there also be similar authorities that can be combined into some sort of linkage?
And after gathering a full set of authorities whose sources are closely related, might there be unexpected effects?
Due to the scarcity of samples, and the card's lack of response, I was unable to reach an answer at the time.
I originally thought I would only be able to verify my hypothesis after successfully capturing Nonomi.
But who would have thought that today I would gain something entirely unexpected…
—
Conversion Authority: [Sensation]
Description: Can transmit Sensation.pdf to electronic devices
Source: Otose Kotama successful Conquest.
—
Yet this kind of gain does nothing to make me happy.
Yuuka's authority is already useless enough and now there is another one?
I already tried transmitting it to my phone. The process was identical to the [Geometry] authority. Another obscure and incomprehensible textbook, even worse than the previous one. As the name suggests, it contains introductions to the major human senses, thoughts derived from them, and research into surveillance and monitoring electronic devices.
Personal experience in exhaustive detail, huh?
Great, another sleep aid added to the collection.
This situation inevitably made me suspicious.
What is the connection between Yuuka and Kotama?
They both attend Millennium.
Ahahaha, could it be that these Millennium science girls all give out this same series?
…I must be overthinking it.
Putting aside these idle thoughts, since it was already noon, I planned to check on the progress of the engineers' reinspection and invite them to lunch while I was at it.
However, to my surprise, I found them right outside my bedroom door.
I deliberately softened my footsteps and walked up to the three of them, who were squatting there furtively. "What are you doing?"
"Wahhh!" Kotori screamed as she jumped up, nearly smashing into my chin. That was, if she were not short enough to miss it.
Hibiki panicked and stammered, "S-sei-sensei, y-you walk so quietly."
"…So what exactly are you doing?"
I had a bad feeling about this.
Among the three, only Utaha, the club president and the most senior member, remained calm. "Sensei, does not your bedroom door look like it might have a bomb planted in it?"
"…Is there actually one, or not?"
"I cannot remember." Utaha looked straight into my eyes with complete sincerity, her expression unchanged. "So we wanted to remove it and inspect it. But considering that would infringe on your personal privacy, Sensei, we found ourselves in quite a dilemma."
Hibiki's eyes lit up and she nodded frantically.
Kotori also broke into a smile. "That is right. We absolutely did not plan to use this as an excuse to forcibly dismantle the password door and sneak into Sensei's bedroom to satisfy our curiosity. Speaking of password doors, Sensei, did you know that the earliest password doors originated from—"
"You absolutely did plan to do that, did you not?!"
Utaha shook her head with a sigh. "What a shame. Who would have thought Kotori's passion would become an obstacle in the pursuit of the unknown."
I am shaking with anger. Can this Kivotos still be saved?
All of you secretly covet my bedroom, is that it? Fine, fine. One day sooner or later, I will satisfy every last one of your exploratory urges until they overflow.
After stopping the students from committing a crime in progress, I asked,
"Is the reinspection finished?"
Utaha smiled gently, but her confidence was unmistakable. "Rest assured. There should be no remaining explosives now."
I was about to thank them when I suddenly realized something was off. "…Now?"
"Well, um, the location where the ceiling exploded was not marked as having explosives placed there in the construction blueprints." Hibiki's cheeks were flushed as she looked at me nervously. "Considering there might have been an oversight elsewhere, we conducted a comprehensive inspection. Although we still could not find the cause of the explosion, we did discover that the self destruct function on the surveillance cameras had not yet been removed."
"…You put explosives on the cameras too?!"
Kotori nodded. "Yes. That way, if someone tries to approach from a blind spot and dismantle them at close range… we can suddenly trigger a remote detonation and catch the enemy completely off guard. As expected of Hibiki, this is a genius level idea!"
Utaha also did not hold back her praise. "As a member of the engineering club, one must possess this kind of innovative spirit. Even though Hibiki is still relatively junior, she is already a true master without question."
Being praised made Hibiki both happy and embarrassed. The corners of her mouth lifted shyly, her tail swaying back and forth behind her. Then she looked at me with expectant eyes, as if seeking my approval.
I carefully chose my words. "I do not really understand it, but from what you describe, it does seem like it could have unexpected effects at certain moments. Hibiki, you are amazing."
In other words, this design would, in most situations…
"Um, Sensei, you flatter me." Hibiki paused, then asked, "So, Sensei, should we keep it as it is?"
So this is where you were waiting for me, huh?!
"…It will not suddenly explode, right?"
"Sensei, please trust the capabilities of our club. As long as it does not receive a strong external impact, it is absolutely impossible for it to self detonate!"
Utaha spoke with utter certainty, leaving me momentarily speechless.
I trust your capabilities, and I trust their unreliability even more!
After hesitating for a while and confirming the approximate blast radius, I reluctantly agreed to keep the explosive cameras.
What if they really do come in handy one day?
"A very wise choice, Sensei. Still, this was our mistake. As an apology, would Schale like some patrol drones? They are free."
"Are those the ones ordered to be scrapped, the batch used yesterday to test Aris's capabilities?"
"That is right. You have already seen their durability with your own eyes."
"Hmm… Do they explode?"
"What is the difference between a machine that does not explode and scrap metal?"
"…Thank you for the offer, but I will pass."