Chapter 64 Second Semester ★
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Chihiro walked into the kitchen and exchanged greetings with Riko
She had re-dyed her hair at the end of the summer vacation, and her hair had returned to blond to the roots, and she is cooking in her pajamas and an apron
Since she usually wears underwear to sleep at night, she wore the pajamas after taking a shower. In that sense, they are clean and hide her skin, but in the past, she must have changed into a uniform or plain clothes
(…Maybe it’s because of Maria who cooks in her underwear)
Well, it makes Chihiro happy to know that she’s willing to do it, so no complaints there. Although she should not be in her underwear because he is afraid of her getting splashed by oil
Oh right, during the summer vacation, Riko went back to her hometown and got permission from her mother to move out of the dormitory
[I’m surprised you were allowed to do that]
[Well, my mom is pretty lax about things like that]
When Riko told her mother that she was going to share a room with a friend, she said yes
She terminated her contract in August, and used the last week of the month to sort out her belongings, bringing only the things she desperately needed to this apartment
Of the remaining items, the ones Riko wanted to keep were moved to Chihiro’s dormitory
――In the end, Chihiro decided to leave her dorm room as it was
Chihiro, who is a man, and Riko, who is a woman, have very different ways of dealing with problems. They decided that it would be better to leave the room so that they could evacuate in case of emergency
However, Chihiro rarely return to the dormitory during normal times. He just uses it as a place to store his luggage
☆ ☆ ☆
When Chihiro returned to the living room after taking a shower and changing into his uniform, breakfast is still steaming
”I guess it’s time for the second assessment”
”Yeah. I hope you both get promoted”
Maria’s words sounded like nothing else. It seemed she herself had almost given up on promotion
”My abilities are hard to grow”
Retaliation and Self-Healing are both “closed” abilities that target Maria herself
But because of this, these abilities are fuel-efficient and provide unparalleled strength in personal combat, but they do not change dramatically as they grow. For example, even if the speed and range of healing is enhanced, only Maria will benefit from it
This is fatal in rank assessment, where social activities and range of application are also important
”…I see. That’s a bit disappointing”
”No, not at all. If I’m ranked C, I can get a good amount of grant money”
She didn’t seem to care about the rank, and was unconcerned
”More importantly”, Maria said, easily turning the conversation to another topic
”Izumi-kun, have you decided what to do with your third ability?”
She was referring to Chihiro’s third ability, after [Mind-reading] and [Sleep Enhancement], which is [Domination]
The effect is to force those who sincerely swear to obey Chihiro into a state of “good state” at all times
It is difficult to explain and reproduce, so he was wondering if he should reveal it to the judges
”I think I’ll just reveal it”
Basically, there is no penalty for not telling others about his abilities, but it would be less troublesome if he did
Moreover, when he talks about his ability, he doesn’t need to mention the names of Maria, Riko, or Hana, whom he has already targeted. Then it is up to the judges to consider whether they can prove the ability or not
”Okay”
Maria nodded briefly, looking vaguely pleased
”Then, Izumi-kun might be able to get a C rank”
”Eh”
It wasn’t that he didn’t think so, but it sounded too unrealistic
Chihiro, who was ranked E when he entered the school, could be ranked C so easily?
”That would be true. Now you’re a [Lost Item] with three abilities. …You’re pretty valuable at that point, and more importantly, your [Dominance] is very powerful”
Those who receive the ability can maintain their good condition without consuming physical or mental strength. For example, if all members of an organization are placed under the influence of [Dominaton], the indirect effects would be tremendous
…Well, it’s impossible to judge the usefulness of the effect until the number of people affected and the range of the effect are determined
”Chihiro got a C rank. I’ll have to work hard too”
Said Riko
She doesn’t seem to be concerned about the rank itself, but she seems to be enthusiastic about it in the same way as studying for a test
”…Oh, by the way, Riko, about that assessment..”
”Hmm?”
”When determining, do you remove the “mark”?”
”…Ah”
While under Chihiro’s [Domination], the subject’s body will have a “mark” visible on their body
In this state, the target will be in the good state which mentioned earlier, but this is only an effect of Chihiro’s ability
However, when assessing Riko, if the effect is continued, it may be perceived that Riko herself has grown
There is no real harm in doing so, but it is slightly unfair
”I don’t care either way, so I’ll leave it to Riko”
”Hmm..”
Riko thought about Chihiro’s question for a while, and then shook her head
”Fine, leave it like this. It’s too much trouble to remove this for that”
”…I see”
Chihiro nodded. Then that’s fine
Riko smiles and says
”If I keep it in from now on, it won’t affect my ability after all. …Haha. If this gets me to C, I’ll thank you, Chihiro”
”Uh, yeah”
The last day of summer vacation
More members coming in and out of the apartment
The second assessment will come
Many things come and go, and new goals are born
”The school festival after the assessment. I’m looking forward to it”
”Yes. The main event is supposed to be in early November. But I heard that it will take a long time to prepare”
Thus, Chihiro and the others are able to start the second semester slowly and peacefully
Note: The small disturbance caused by Sashiro Kanako right after the opening ceremony (the story in the extra chapter) was rather unimportant, so it was treated as a “peaceful start” by Chihiro
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!