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Unified Academy, Class 1-C.
"Hey, hey, hey—is that Max? Am I the only one who thinks he got way more handsome?"
"You're not the only one."
"Damn it, he was already stupidly good-looking before. Now he's even better? How are us guys supposed to survive?"
"Exactly! How am I supposed to get a girlfriend like this?"
"Uh, maybe—just maybe—you not having a girlfriend has nothing to do with Max's looks."
"Wait, but why does he look better all of a sudden? Did getting sick somehow turn into a beauty treatment?"
"No way. Last time I got sick, I looked like death warmed over. Not like him, glowing like he just walked out of a magazine shoot."
…
The whole class stared at Max in shock, whispering among themselves.
Some of the girls who had already liked him because of his looks were now practically sparkling with stars in their eyes.
Today's Max… was hitting them right in the heart.
His face hadn't changed much, but for some reason it was suddenly impossible to look away.
The person at the center of all this gossip, however, didn't react at all. He just pulled a textbook from his bag—
—and summoned the Encyclopedia of All Things.
Max glanced at the new entries he'd just collected.
Haruna Sairenji.Yui Kotegawa.Yui Yuigahama.Yumiko Miura.Ai Hayasaka.Megumi Kato.Rio Futaba.…
"Huh…"
A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
Some of the entries had already lit up automatically.
Most of it was expected.
But some… weren't.
Like Haruna Sairenji's entry:
Name: Haruna Sairenji.
Rank: White.
Note: Somebody's "white moonlight"
Reward: Tennis Mastery.
…
Max frowned slightly.
As far as he could remember, he hadn't had any special interactions with her.
Honestly, he didn't even really know who she was until they'd entered Unified Academy together.
So why did her entry light up automatically?
He couldn't help glancing in her direction.
And sure enough, Haruna was looking at him too. Their eyes met for a moment.
Her cheeks flushed faintly before she quickly turned away.
Seeing this, Max's gaze flickered.
He withdrew his eyes and refocused on the encyclopedia.
Besides Haruna, two more entries had lit up on their own:
Name: Yui Yuigahama.
Rank: White.
Note: Dumpling, but never winning.
Reward: Japanese Cuisine Mastery.
…
Name: Yumiko Miura.
Rank: White.
Note: Queen of Flames.
Reward: Singing Mastery.
…
All of them were white-rank entries.
And the rewards were just everyday skills.
Unlike white-ranked evil spirit entries, which always gave pure energy—these seemed to follow a different set of rules.
Finishing the review, Max accepted the rewards.
A flood of knowledge about tennis, Japanese cooking, and singing burst into his mind, fusing with his instincts like they'd always been there.
His throat tickled.His muscles twitched faintly.
In less than ten seconds, the three skills had merged seamlessly.
No one noticed a thing.
Tucking the encyclopedia away, Max looked around the classroom and greeted a few people he knew—like Yui Yuigahama and Yumiko Miura—with a friendly smile.
About two minutes later, the time hit 8:20, and the familiar sound of the school bell rang out across the campus.
As the chime faded, Class 1-C's homeroom teacher, Mafuyu Kirisu, stepped into the room.
Her silky, sakura-pink hair cascaded down to her waist, neat bangs across her forehead, the sides braided loosely.
Her eyes were a sharp, icy blue, clear as carved ice.
She wore a fitted dark business suit, black stockings, and heels.
Tall and slender, with long, shapely legs, graceful curves, and a perfectly balanced figure paired with a delicate face—there was no doubt about it, she was stunning.
And with her expressionless, slightly frosty demeanor, she radiated the aura of a true ice queen.
The kind of beauty that somehow drew you in even more.
The moment she entered Max's line of sight, the encyclopedia automatically recorded her entry.
Setting her books on the podium, Kirisu scanned the room, checking for absentees.
When her gaze landed on Max, something flickered in her eyes.
It was Monday homeroom.
First class didn't start until 8:30.
These ten minutes were for class meeting; on other weekdays, it was just free study time.
And fittingly, the first subject of the week was World History—Kirisu's own class.
So once the meeting ended, she could dive straight into the lesson.
Soon, class began.
Halfway through, Kirisu turned her gaze toward Max.
"Max. Answer this question."
"Yes." He stood up.
"Who is considered the last poet of the old era, and the first poet of the new era?"
"Dante Alighieri."
"Correct."
She gave a small nod and immediately asked another:
"What was the first Germanic kingdom in European history?"
"The Visigothic Kingdom."
"Correct again."
Still not letting him sit, she posed a third:
"Who founded the Stoic school during the Hellenistic period?"
"Zeno of Citium, Greek mathematician and philosopher."
"Good. Sit down."
This time, approval flashed in her eyes. She gave a small nod, finally allowing him to take his seat.
The lesson continued.
Max, however, couldn't help but think.
Normally, a teacher only asked one question.
Kirisu had asked him three in a row.
That was deliberate.
And he had a hunch why.
Time slipped by until the bell rang again.
"Stand!" Haruna Sairenji, the class rep, called out, and everyone rose to thank their teacher.
Kirisu's gaze lingered on Max.
"Max, come with me for a moment."
"Okay."
He nodded, stood up, and followed her out.
Yumiko Miura, who had been planning to talk to him, had no choice but to give up for now.
Kirisu led Max to a meeting room on the second floor.
"Sit."
They sat facing each other.
"Max," Kirisu began, her eyes steady, "you're feeling fine now, right?"
When he'd asked for leave, his voice had been so weak.
He looked perfectly healthy now, but as his homeroom teacher, she needed to make sure.
Max smiled lightly. "Thank you for worrying, Ms. Kirisu. I'm fine now. Completely recovered."
"Good."
She nodded slightly, then pulled five sheets of A4 paper from her folder.
"These are class notes from when you were out. Take them and make sure you catch up."
"Thank you, Ms. Kirisu."
Max accepted them, surprised when he looked down.
Notes for Japanese, Math, English, World History, and Biology.
All handwritten.
Which meant—she'd written them herself.
"....."