[Time: 04:30 PM][Location: U.A. High School – Music Room 3]
Reiji sat on a folding chair, staring at his hands.
The confrontation at the cafe was replaying in his mind. Not with anger, but with cold calculation.
'Physical force is reflected. Grabs are nullified. Speed is matched by his kinetic bouncing.'
He tapped his finger against his knee.
'It's a bad matchup. My build is focused on high burst damage and close-quarters combat. Against a defensive specialist who controls the environment, I'm at a disadvantage.'
In a standard RPG, when you hit a wall with physical immunity, you switch damage types.
Reiji looked up. Across the soundproofed room, Kyoka Jiro was tuning her bass guitar. She looked focused, her earphone jacks swaying slightly as she hummed a melody.
"Jiro," Reiji called out.
"Hm?" She looked up, startled. "What's up, Reiji? Do you need help with the rhythm chords again? I told you, just listen to the snare."
"No," Reiji stood up, walking over to her. "I need you to teach me about sound."
Jiro blinked. "Sound? Like... music theory?"
"Like physics," Reiji corrected. "Resonance. Frequency. Vibration."
He picked up the spare electric guitar and plugged it into the largest amp in the room.
"I fought someone recently. His quirk puts up an invisible barrier that reflects everything I throw at it. But air still passes through it. Which means sound passes through it."
Reiji plucked the low E string. The amp hummed deeply.
"If I can hit the right frequency... I can shatter his defense from the inside."
Jiro stared at him for a moment, then sighed, twirling one of her jacks around her finger.
"You really act like this is all a game, don't you? Even music is just a weapon to you."
"Efficiency is key," Reiji replied flatly. "Can you help me or not?"
Jiro smirked. She walked over to the amp and twisted the gain knob all the way to the right.
"Fine. But be warned. Sound isn't just about being loud. It's about finding the 'heartbeat' of the object you want to break."
She tapped her chest.
"Everything vibrates. Glass, concrete, even air. If you match that vibration and amplify it..."
WUB-WUB-WUB.
She plugged her jack into the amp. A deep, oscillating pulse filled the room. It wasn't loud, but Reiji felt his teeth rattling. The water in a nearby bottle began to ripple violently.
"That's resonance," Jiro explained. "Don't try to punch through the wall. Make the wall shake until it tears itself apart."
Reiji nodded. He understood.
It wasn't about strength. It was about synchronization.
[System: Analyzing Concept 'Resonance'.][Spirit Energy can be modulated to mimic sound waves.]
"Let's try," Reiji said.
He closed his eyes.
Usually, he gathered his Spirit Energy (Chi) and exploded it outward for fire or ice. This time, he needed to vibrate it.
He pushed the energy into his vocal cords.
'Don't scream. Vibrate.'
Reiji opened his mouth.
"Haaaaa..."
A low, guttural sound came out.
"Too stiff," Jiro critiqued, crossing her arms. "You're trying to force it. Let it flow. Imagine the sound expanding like a ripple in a pond."
Reiji frowned. This delicate control was annoying. He preferred smashing things.
But he needed this.
He focused on the glass window of the practice booth. He visualized the molecules of the glass vibrating.
'Match the frequency.'
He adjusted the pitch of his voice. He pumped Spirit Energy into the sound wave.
"HAAAAA—"
[Skill Proficiency: Sound Manipulation (0.5%).][Correction: Pitch is too high.]
"Lower," Jiro instructed, watching him intensely. "From your diaphragm."
Reiji dropped his pitch. He channeled the dark, heavy energy of the Netherrealm.
"HUUUUUUUMMMMM..."
The air in the room began to feel heavy. The floorboards started to tremble.
Jiro's eyes widened. "That's it! You're hitting the resonant frequency of the room itself!"
"Not enough," Reiji gritted his teeth. "I need a focused beam. Not an Area of Effect."
He picked up the guitar again. He didn't play a chord. He channeled his Spirit directly into the strings.
[Item Enchantment: Phantom Vibration.]
He strummed a single note.
SCREEEEEEEEECH!
It wasn't music. It was a banshee's wail.
The sound wave shot out of the amp like a cannonball.
CRACK!
The reinforced glass window of the practice booth didn't just break; it turned into dust.
[System Notification][New Skill Created: Banshee Scream (Rank E).][Description: Attacks the target's internal equilibrium using Spirit-infused sound waves. Ignores physical defense.]
Reiji stopped strumming. His ears were ringing.
Jiro was covering her ears, looking at the shattered window with her mouth open.
"What the hell was that?!" she shouted. "I said resonance, not a sonic boom! You owe the school a new window!"
Reiji looked at the notification window floating in front of his eyes. A rare smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"It ignores physical defense," Reiji muttered, satisfied. "It worked."
He looked at Jiro.
"Thanks, Jiro. Your theory was solid."
Jiro blushed slightly, looking away and scratching her cheek. "Whatever. Just... don't use that during the concert, okay? You'll blow the audience's eardrums out."
"No promises," Reiji said, packing up his gear.
He had the weapon. He had the strategy.
Now, he just needed the target.
[Quest Update: The Silent Guardian.][Preparation: Complete.][Time until Festival: 14 Hours.]
Reiji walked out of the music room, leaving Jiro to explain the broken window to Aizawa.
'Gentle Criminal,' Reiji thought, checking his stats. 'Tomorrow morning, I'm going to rock your world.'
End of Chapter 127.
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