I returned to the classroom calmly,
as if nothing had happened on the rooftop.
I took my seat, pulled out my phone without a care,
and began browsing the internet.
I downloaded several books on human psychology.
The titles were basic… but sufficient as a starting point.
I began reading.
Behavior.
Motivation.
Fear.
Denial.
Psychological defense mechanisms.
While I was absorbed in the screen,
I sensed a shadow standing beside me.
I slowly raised my head.
It was the teacher.
He stared at me sternly, then spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear:
— "Koichi… do you dare use your phone during my class?"
I looked at him coldly.
Then I remembered.
Right.
Phone usage was forbidden during lessons.
— "Sorry… but I have nothing to do during your class."
A heavy silence fell.
His expression changed instantly.
— "What?! Are you saying my class is boring to you?!" he snapped angrily.
I replied with complete calm:
— "That's not the reason… I simply want to learn something more advanced."
He laughed mockingly.
— "Are you mocking me? Are you saying you want harder lessons?"
I met his gaze directly.
— "How about a small challenge?"
— "…A challenge?!"
— "Yes. Write any equation on the board. If I solve it, I win."
Murmurs spread among the students.
The teacher stepped closer, his tone sharp:
— "You little brat… do you think you're a genius?!"
— "I'm simply… confident in myself."
He fell silent for a moment, then smiled challengingly.
— "Fine. But if you lose… you'll do the homework of every student here."
— "Fine."
Then I added calmly:
— "And if you lose, you'll let me use my phone whenever I want, and exempt everyone from their homework."
The classroom froze.
He stared at me for a long moment, then said:
— "Deal."
The students were caught between shock and excitement.
Breaths held.
Eyes shining.
In truth…
I did it on purpose.
To gain the students' trust.
To expand my circle of connections.
And to crush the rumor at its roots.
The teacher walked to the board and picked up the chalk.
He began writing.
A long equation.
Complex.
Intertwined.
A university-level partial differential equation.
Someone whispered:
— "That… that's a college equation!"
I examined it carefully.
Not with admiration…
but analysis.
Then I stood.
I took the chalk from his hand
and began solving.
Step.
Transformation.
Reduction.
Differentiation.
Substitution.
The chalk moved steadily.
Without hesitation.
I observed the teacher's expression.
From absolute confidence…
to tension.
Then astonishment.
Then— pallor.
The students were stunned.
Total silence.
I finished the final line.
Set the chalk aside.
Turned to him.
— "Can you tell me whether it's correct or not?"
He stared at the board.
Then—
he slowly dropped to his knees.
— "It's… correct."
The next moment—
the classroom erupted into applause.
Cheers.
Shock.
Excitement.
That was only natural.
I had freed them from the hell of homework.
I returned to my seat calmly,
pulled out my phone again,
and resumed reading my digital books.
While every pair of eyes watched me in silence.
As soon as the class ended,
the atmosphere in the room completely changed.
Some students approached hesitantly.
Others with growing confidence.
— "Koichi… how did you solve the equation?"
— "Where did you even start?"
— "Can you explain this step?"
— "I don't even understand calculus at all…"
Questions poured in from every direction.
I stood among them
and answered.
Sometimes calmly.
Sometimes in detail.
Sometimes by re-explaining from a different angle.
I noticed their eyes were shining.
Not fear this time…
but admiration.
I helped one.
Then another.
Then an entire group.
Until—
I felt something strange.
A light pressure behind my eyes.
A faint blur in my thoughts.
"…Mental fatigue."
I hadn't expected that.
"I didn't expect helping others… to be this exhausting."
I logged the observation in my mind.
Human interaction consumes cognitive resources—
far more than I anticipated.
The final bell rang.
School was over.
I left the building under gazes completely different from that morning.
No more whispers.
Only respect… and caution.
I returned home.
I sat at the table with Koichi's family.
Exchanged a few short words.
Simple laughter.
Ordinary questions.
"Social integration remains stable… for now."
After the meal,
I went up to the room.
Closed the door.
Silence returned.
I stood in the middle of the room
and issued the command.
Consciousness split.
Two copies appeared before me.
The first—
I gestured to him:
— "Sleep."
He nodded
and immediately lay down on the bed.
The body needs rest… even if I don't feel it.
The second—
I handed him the phone.
— "Learn boxing and karate. Focus on fundamentals and movement."
He nodded as well,
sat on the floor,
eyes fixed on the screen,
and began execution immediately.
Both without hesitation.
Without questions.
Perfect.
I sat in front of the computer.
Opened the browser.
And began watching course videos on psychology.
I started learning.
Emotions.
Memory.
Repression.
Projection.
Resentment.
"To understand humans…
it's not enough to be stronger than them."
I raised my gaze to the screen.
"I must understand them."
And that night…
I took the very first real step
toward studying the human race itself.