Molecular Anatomy
That was the name of the theory class I was currently attending. An incredibly complex subject focused on studying the bodies of monsters and beasts.
The professor in charge was Theodore Rombhouse, a renowned researcher with countless awards to his name. Along with his team, he had single-handedly uncovered the reason why beasts went berserk after mana flooded the atmosphere.
Rombhouse was a chubby, middle-aged man with curly white hair and a calm temperament. If not for his sharp gaze fixed on the massive creature laid out on the table before the class, one might easily mistake him for a friendly uncle from the neighborhood.
— As we can see, the berserk pigeon's wingspan is approximately 1.8 meters, drastically different from its predecessor, the common pigeon, which averaged around 70 centimeters. That's nearly a 2.6-fold increase in size!
He spoke with enthusiasm, while I was practically asleep, my head resting on the desk.
That was when I remembered something. I tugged at the Ouroboros chain around my neck and pulled out the blue-covered book.
"The Chained Swordsman."
The most fascinating thing about the Books of Truth wasn't just that they accurately depicted what another person was doing, but that they did so ten minutes into the future. For example, if the book showed something like "Ren left the room," that meant Ren would actually leave the room ten minutes later.
Even more surreal was the fact that it was possible to erase and write in the book, thereby altering the future, though doing so consumed mana. I pondered that as familiar lines began forming across the pages.
=====
— Dear student, could you repeat the last part of what you said about the two processes that can cure mana poisoning in beasts?
Frowning, I looked at the professor with skepticism. Had I missed something?
— There are two ways to cure mana poisoning. One is to let nature take its course through evolution, and the other is through external intervention.
"What do you mean by external intervention?"
Interrupting me once again, Professor Rombhouse stared at me with shining eyes.
Taking two cautious steps back, I looked at him warily.
"Sir, I like women."
"Huh?"
"...!"
=====
There it is!
This was the first time Ren had screwed up in the original story, making a stupid mistake with annoying consequences.
During class, when answering a question about mana poisoning in beasts, he casually revealed a solution that had not yet been discovered, essentially leaking information that was not common knowledge.
That brought attention to Ren and complicated his life for several days. Worse still, that solution hadn't been officially published yet and was currently under research, soon to be released by none other than Melissa Hall.
Yes, he literally "stole" Melissa's knowledge and exposed it to the entire class like an idiot. Just another reason for her to hate him.
I wanted to prevent something like that from happening, so I decided to properly test the function of my "Future Diary." I liked the nickname. The book really did remind me of Mirai Nikki.
But there was a problem.
For Ren and Kevin, altering the book consumed mana. A little for minor changes, a lot for major ones.
And I had no mana.
Because of my mana leakage syndrome, I couldn't store it in my core at all. So… what would happen if I tried?
I considered testing it, but when the pencil began moving on its own, it stopped midway.
I remembered the first time Ren modified the book. So much mana was drained that he nearly passed out. What if something like that happened to me?
I was in the middle of class. Passing out wouldn't be my biggest problem, drawing attention would. Ideally, I should leave the room and do it somewhere private, but… what a hassle.
I really didn't want to leave. Lying on that desk was way too comfortable. Just thinking about walking made me feel exhausted. But I couldn't let Ren's scene play out.
"Argh, what a pain…"
With no other choice, I stood up and dragged myself out of the classroom, searching for an empty place. Classes at Lock, despite being for teenagers, functioned like college. You built your own schedule and could leave whenever you wanted, as long as you didn't disrupt the professor.
So when I walked out, no one paid much attention. Every now and then, students left for the bathroom or simply skipped class. I just kept going.
———
"Is he still sleeping?"
The professor at the front of the room continued explaining enthusiastically, but Kevin Voss couldn't focus on any of it. His senses were entirely fixed on a boy a few rows behind him, apparently asleep at his desk.
What does this mean? Kevin muttered, flipping through a strange book with an emerald-green cover and a golden title.
"The Lazy Swordsman."
When Kevin returned to his room the night before, the book had simply been there on his bed. At first, he thought it was something he had left behind, but when he opened it, he found something terrifying.
A detailed description of someone's every action. A bizarre book that updated itself magically every few minutes, as if completing itself. Kevin recognized the person described: Kazehara Yuto, the boy who had helped him train the day before.
That kid had been an enigma since the moment he appeared, and now, with the book's appearance, the questions only multiplied.
Is this related to the system? Is this kid a threat? What am I supposed to do about this?
Those thoughts fried Kevin's brain until it felt like smoke might come out of his ears. Argh, let me check this again…
He flipped through the book once more. Where it had previously read:
"Yuto remained with his head down on the desk, lazily ignoring the class."
It now displayed:
=====
The first time Ren S̵̞̕Ł̴̫͘Ⱡ̷̛̩Ɽ̴͉͝Λ̵͉̓Ṩ̸̺̓Ṩ̷̙͘S̵̞̕Ł̴̫͘Ⱡ̷̛̩Ɽ̴͉͝Λ̵͉̓Ṩ̸̺̓Ṩ̷̙͘ in the Λ̶͚̓Ẃ̵̱͆Ƙ̷͓͐Đ̸͔́M̶̙͋S̵̞̕Ł̴̫͘ Ṩ̷̙͘S̵̞̕Ł̴̫͘Ⱡ̷̛̩Ɽ̴͉͝Λ̵͉̓Ẃ̵̱͆Ƙ̷͓͐Đ̸͔́M̶̙͋ that he Λ̶͚̓Ẃ̵̱͆Ƙ̷͓͐Đ̸͔́M̶̙͋S̵̞̕Ł̴̫͘Ⱡ̷̛̩Ɽ̴͉͝Λ̵͉̓Ṩ̸̺̓Ṩ̷̙͘ł̴̳̈́₣̶̺͑ł̷̺̿Ɇ̸̞̕Đ̸̗̾, and if something like that happened to me?
I was in the middle of the classroom now, Λ̶͚̓Ẃ̵̱͆Ƙ̷͓͐Đ̸͔́M̶̙͋S̵̞̕Ł̴̫͘Ⱡ̷̛̩Ɽ̴͉͝Λ̵͉̓Ṩ̸̺̓Ṩ̷̙͘ł̴̳̈́₣̶̺͑ł̷̺̿Ɇ̸̞̕Đ̸̗̾₣̶̳͐V̷͔͠S̴̙̒X̴̜̀Ƙ̴̳͝Λ̵̇͜Ẃ̷͙́N̶͕͆, the ideal would be to leave the room and do it somewhere private but…
What a hassle…
I really didn't want to leave the room. Staying sprawled on that desk was much more comfortable. But I couldn't let Λ̷̻̈́V̶̲͌₣̵̺̇Ƈ̶̠͑Ƀ̸̜̋Đ̵͍͘Ɽ̸̢̈́₣̶̳͐V̷͔͠S̴̙̒X̴̜̀Ƙ̴̳͝Λ̵̇͜Ẃ̷͙́N̶͕͆ ₣̶̳͐V̷͔͠S̴̙̒X̴̜̀Ƙ̴̳͝Λ̵̇͜Ẃ̷͙́N̶͕͆ happen… argh, what a pain…
With no other choice, I stood up and dragged myself out of the classroom, searching for an empty place. Lock's classes functioned like college. You could build your own schedule and leave whenever you wanted, as long as you didn't disrupt the professor.
When I crossed the doorway, no one paid attention. Some students left for the bathroom or simply skipped class. I just kept walking.
=====
Ah, this again…
A common occurrence Kevin experienced with the book. Some parts were censored, making it hard to fully grasp the scene.
In this case, it seemed simple enough. Yuto would just leave the classroom, maybe to handle something or go to the bathroom. Hard to say.
— Arff… this doesn't help at all… Kevin muttered, frustrated.
Ten minutes passed, and just as predicted, Yuto left the room. Kevin tried to refocus on the lecture, but something kept bothering him. Five minutes later, he decided to check the book again.
When he did, he shouted out loud, startling everyone around him and making Emma, who had been nearly asleep beside him, jump out of her seat.
— O-what?
Without time to explain, Kevin pushed past everyone and ran out of the classroom, God knows where.
———
Finding an empty place was more annoying than I expected. After a while, I found a low-traffic corridor, leaned against the wall, and pulled out the book.
There it was, perfectly describing the scene of Ren being an idiot. Judging by the timing, it should happen in five minutes. But I wasn't going to let it.
I pulled out a pencil and used the eraser to remove the entire paragraph where Ren explained the theory to the class. In its place, I simply wrote:
"Ren gave a simple and normal answer."
One… two… three seconds passed. Nothing. The book didn't rewrite itself. The change had probably worked.
But as for the cost… was I spared because I had no mana?
Badump
A sudden jolt struck my chest, as if my heart were about to explode. A dull, spreading pain followed.
— M-but what the hel— Blargh! Cough, cough.
My words were cut short by a mouthful of blood, followed by painful coughing. Feeling the strength leave my legs, I sat down in the corridor, struggling to breathe.
Then I heard a shout beside me.
— YUTOO!
Kevin was there, panic written all over his face. But when I saw what he was holding… my eyes widened.
There it was. A familiar book, emerald-green cover, golden title.
"The Lazy Swordsman."