"Just for that reason? You're going to face a bullying group led by the Director's daughter, and some teachers are even members of it! You won't have any connections to use in our academy. Even so, are you still determined to go?"
Nina Tsubakihara's expression was now serious. She had a good opinion of Alistair and didn't want him to go, unless the director of his school had already spoken to her academy's director. Otherwise, their own director wouldn't intervene, as allowing male students into the school wasn't her idea; it was purely for vested interests.
In short, unless Alistair's family was genuinely powerful, he would only be bullied there. Resistance wasn't impossible, but it would only provoke fiercer abuse. Thus, many students from even well-off families who joined the aristocratic girls' school out of interest couldn't fare well. They had some capital to resist, but not enough. Truly well-off families would investigate thoroughly before enrolling their children, so only those from ordinary backgrounds came here.
And what was this place? An aristocratic girls' school! While the term 'aristocratic' might not refer to the traditional sense, the average family wealth here was unbelievably high. Calling them 'aristocrats' wasn't far off. They could absolutely bully those male students senseless. Therefore, Nina Tsubakihara wasn't optimistic about what Alistair could accomplish.
"It's fine. I'll just avoid them."
Alistair, as expected, gained the ability of time stop after absorbing the [Pocket Watch]. He just needed to bolt during the time stop. The 'The World' ability had largely recovered after his 'Mystery' was replenished, but he still couldn't control it well and feared complications if he used it to fight.
You should know that one punch from 'The World' can leave a dent in steel. If he hit a person, they could accidentally die. Alistair was certainly somewhat dark psychologically, but he wasn't reckless enough to disregard human life, and that would be extremely troublesome.
What pleasantly surprised Alistair was that this absorption still counted towards the previous upgrade tally. In other words, all of Alistair's abilities were now at Level 3.
The time stop ability also reached three seconds immediately. The ability gained from the Stone Mask was also enhanced, adding the ability to locate a corresponding person using their blood. The effective range was roughly a circle with a radius of five hundred meters, making it more useful for tracking.
Blood tracking? Werewolf?
As for the [Pheromone], its effect was stronger and more subtle. Previously, women with high 'Mystery' content might have noticed something was wrong, but now it was partially materialized in reality rather than existing entirely between the real and the ethereal. This made it easier to dismiss as some kind of perfume or scented spray, specifically targeting women with higher 'Mystery' content.
Alistair wasn't sure about the effects of deeper contact. The time stop was a very straightforward ability—just the cessation of time. Currently, it only lasts for three seconds, but it has no consumption, only a cooldown. Strictly speaking, this was good for now, as consumption would certainly be something Alistair couldn't afford, but that might not be the case in the future.
"Avoid them? Fine. Since you insist on going, I won't object anymore."
Nina Tsubakihara was speechless. It was their turf; how could he hide? Unless he skipped school entirely, how could President Kannon-zaka, with her influence, not find one exchange student? Was he that naive? However, you can't save someone who is determined to court disaster. She had advised him, and since Alistair insisted on going, she wouldn't stop him. He would learn his lesson after suffering a bit.
"That's it?"
Alistair was quite surprised. He thought Nina Tsubakihara would try every argument to convince him not to go, but she was done just like that.
"You're determined to go, so there's nothing I can do. I can only hope you prepare to be bullied by President Kannon-zaka. I probably won't be able to help you much then."
Nina Tsubakihara didn't care much. President Kannon-zaka didn't want boys there, but that didn't mean she would let them off easy once they arrived. She would likely specifically target him until the exchange program ended. Nina had no way to help someone who was being specifically targeted.
Ordinary bullying was just born out of dislike for the opposite sex and enjoyment of a superior feeling—more like casual acts. She could block that. But a targeted person would likely face serious, concerted efforts. She couldn't stop that because this was 'her' school, and when they got serious, she, who only rose through merit and had only moderate family wealth, couldn't stop them.
Society was that real. Just as no one dared to casually offend Alistair after rumors of his incredibly powerful identity spread, President Kannon-zaka's status at the aristocratic girls' school was similar.
"You should also make some preparations afterward. Since you are determined to go, I won't interfere. Most of the people you selected are relatively moderate. Only a few students specifically highlighted on the list need attention. Since your school has mostly commoner students, some of them might have some extreme actions. You need to be extra careful."
Nina Tsubakihara stopped focusing on Alistair, took a file from her assistant, and handed it to President Tōmoto.
"We will pay attention. This is our list of exchange students. I also hope Vice President Tsubakihara can look after them."
President Tōmoto took the file from Sayuri Takamine and gave it to Nina Tsubakihara while taking the list from her. He had already anticipated this kind of situation. Regardless of the higher-ups' purpose, the ones who suffered the most in the process would likely be their students. Because most students at the opposing school came from wealthy and powerful families, while most of their students were commoners, they simply couldn't interact well.
In this society, if you had money and power, you were the boss. Someone slightly less wealthy was your dad, and commoners started as grandchildren. If their exchange students came here to bully people, they would probably have to protect the bullies instead of their own students. And if their students were bullied at the other academy, they could only remain silent and let the opposing student council assist the bullies.
Although absurd, that was reality. However, Alistair was also one of the 'aristocrats.' From his own standpoint, he promoted this. Who doesn't like being a young master? As for resolving his own issues, he could just mention it to the higher-ups later.
Alistair didn't bring it up earlier because traditional education often had a negative view of truly old-line aristocracy, and Alistair didn't want to acquire a likeability-reducing debuff before he even started chasing girls.
Besides, he could still look around his apartment building after school. Since he already deduced she lived in his apartment building, he just needed to find the Tsubakihara residence. Then they could discuss the school situation in detail. No matter how thoroughly he investigated, he wouldn't know as much as the Vice President of the school herself.