Kurusu Akira himself certainly did not believe the so-called mental breakdown explanation.
After all, Amamiya Ren was his parallel self.
He would rather believe that Amamiya Ren was instigated by invisible ghosts or spirits, than believe that "I," who had the potential for a contract with the Velvet Room, could suffer a mental breakdown and make such an absurd decision.
That abandoned shrine must contain a secret that matches, or even exceeds, the debt of over ten million yen...
As Kurusu Akira was thinking this, he saw Ito Misui, who was sitting opposite him, suddenly pounding his chest and stomping his feet.
"Amamiya!"
Such a loud cry made Kurusu Akira instinctively sit up straight. "Please speak."
Then, the leader of the Number Crunchers and a trusted minister of Shujin's new king let out a heartbroken cry.
"Since you have difficulties in life, why didn't you communicate with the school?!"
The middle-aged man continuously slammed the table, making a booming sound like a drum.
It truly resembled a powerful Sengoku daimyo soothing and encouraging his most trusted samurai before a battle.
Kurusu Akira, who understood Ito Misui's unspoken meaning, immediately put on a serious face, and even his eyes became sharp. "I'm afraid I would be unworthy of the school's cultivation."
The subtext of this sentence was that he was willing to serve Shujin wholeheartedly.
The head of student affairs immediately beamed with joy.
"The 500,000 yen club fund every month is rightfully yours... Shujin has always been generous in providing the maximum support to every club with development potential."
Ito Misui waved his large sleeve, fully displaying the head of student affairs' high spirits.
"I'll have the finance department prepare the cash for this month's club activity fund right away!"
Upon hearing this, Kurusu Akira remained sitting upright, showing no signs of joy or gratitude.
Ito Misui's smile also gradually faded. "Even with such a large bonus, it's still not enough to satisfy your appetite. You could pay off all your debts before graduation just by attending school step by step... Amamiya, you truly have the demeanor of a great general!"
Kurusu Akira looked up directly at the other party, open and honest. "Ito-sensei..."
"No need to say more!" Ito Misui raised his hand, interrupting Kurusu Akira.
He looked at Kurusu Akira with shining eyes, "In mid-May, all high schools in Shibuya Ward, Setagaya Ward, Meguro Ward, and Minato Ward will jointly hold a 'Monthly Test'. The final results will be ranked according to the deviation value system. The principal has promised that as long as you enter the top 50 in the overall ranking, for every position you move up, he will personally give you a 10,000 yen 'academic incentive' in his own name."
Even facing a scholarship with a maximum of one million yen in May, Kurusu Akira still kept his face taut, his back straight, and his expression solemn.
Seeing this, Ito Misui couldn't help but gasp.
How could this still be a loyal samurai? He was clearly an "Echigo Dragon" whose ambition and greed could not be sated!
A chilling coldness climbed up his spine.
He unconsciously tapped the armrest of his office chair with his fingers, and said somewhat hesitantly, "At this point, it seems I can only let you participate in 'that'."
Kurusu Akira leaned forward slightly. "I'd like to hear the details!"
Ito Misui took a deep breath, his face showing compassion and sorrow. "Amamiya, you must think carefully. This path leads not to heaven or the land of ultimate bliss, but to a veritable purgatory!"
Even a Phantom Thief couldn't help but feel a little nervous at this moment. "Could it be a knowledge competition completely beyond textbooks?"
Ito Misui slammed his right hand on the table. "No!"
"Could it be the 'preparatory class' exam held by a top university?"
The head of student affairs flew into a rage, slamming both hands on the table with a thunderous sound, as if Takemikazuchi-no-kami was wielding lightning and playing a giant drum hung with magatama. "Shallow! Shallow! That is a battlefield where thousands of troops gather, a divine throne where dragons and tigers contend! It is the Takamagahara that we Number Crunchers dream of!"
Kurusu Akira's breath hitched. "Are you saying... it's a math competition?"
At the mention of this, his memory immediately flashed back to the news he saw on the front page of "Tokyo Japan" on the day he transmigrated: "Tokyo Genius Girl Breaks National Record in Mitakihara City Youth Math League."
Thinking of the two "manga characters" who appeared in the news, all sorts of plot details about "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" flooded his mind. He couldn't help but wonder if this was a "Magical Girl Selection Contest" specifically held by Kyubey to collect despair from human hearts?
If you think about it carefully, math problems are indeed quite despairing in a sense.
Mathematics is not a fantasy enemy that can be overcome by shouting slogans like "friendship," "bonds," "passion," or "youth."
It is even more cruel and indifferent than life itself; if you don't know it, you don't know it; if you can't do it, you can't do it. There is no "power-up" plot like in shonen manga. Cold, hard numbers flow across the test paper, defined by the two options of correct and incorrect. The outcome of effort is never the cheers and laughter of the crowd, but the scores and rankings given after tense grading.
Before fully grasping the solution, no matter how much one struggles and tries, it cannot have any impact on the final score.
Ito Misui covered his reddened palms. "That's right, it's the 'Youth Math League'."
"I remember this competition was held not long ago."
"That was the 'Elementary Group,' only junior high and elementary school students could participate." Ito Misui looked at Kurusu Akira, "If you want to sign up, you can only participate in the 'Advanced Group,' which includes high school and university students."
"University students?!"
"Yes." Ito Misui's smile looked terrifying. "Amamiya, think carefully, you can still back out now... The enemy who will be solving problems in the same exam room as you might be a mathematics prodigy from Tokyo University!"
As if reading the sudden silence and deep thought that filled the atmosphere, Ito Misui couldn't help but let out a "plan successful" laugh.
Kurusu Akira wasn't so easily bluffed. "Can you explain the specific competition format?"
Ito Misui's laughter abruptly stopped. "You're going to compete?!"
Kurusu Akira took out his phone, the screen showing Google search results, and said firmly, "First place prize is ten million yen."
"No, you can't! You absolutely can't do that!" Ito Misui panicked. He was truly afraid that Amamiya Ren would spend a large amount of his high school time and energy on math research, only to end up not even getting a decent ranking... If that happened, Shujin's most prized warrior would likely fall!
"Please rest assured, I just want to try it out and won't spend too much thought on it."
This kind answer finally somewhat calmed the surging panic in Ito Misui's heart.
The middle-aged man forced himself to remain calm. "Since it's a national competition, it will be divided into 'regions' based on location."
"So, it's a 'selection round' model, right?" Kurusu Akira looked at the long string of zeros after the first prize money on his phone screen, unable to tear his eyes away.
Even in his previous life, even if he secretly embezzled the operational funds given by sponsors, it would still take him about a year and a half to earn this amount of money.
Ito Misui explained with some difficulty, "That's only in the initial stage. Later, it will become a very cruel 'points elimination system'."
"So, before entering the 'elimination round' stage, the competition in all aspects won't be very intense, right?"
"...But there's no prize money for the selection round rankings."
"Will there be any once I enter the elimination round?"
"At least enough to cover travel expenses."
Seeing his eager expression, Ito Misui found it hard to dissuade him further. "As for the selection rounds, they might start gradually this week."
"Scope?"
"All high schools near Aoyama-Itchome."
"No universities?"
"There are no universities nearby. And even undergraduates specializing in this field won't take up too many advancement spots in the selection round."
Kurusu Akira thought to himself, it seems he's about to go berserk. "Given this progression, with my academic ability, I should be able to smoothly advance to the elimination round, right?"
Ito Misui said with a bitter expression, "But such a competition format might make you underestimate your opponents too much."
"Is Ito-sensei worried about me being discouraged?"
Ito Misui immediately straightened his face. "How is this anything but your own choice?!"
Kurusu Akira pondered for a moment. "Then, I'll trouble Ito-sensei with the registration."
The head of student affairs could only sigh. "There are a few other students in Shujin, both in your grade and other grades, who have excellent grades and want to sign up for the competition. You can all discuss it then."
He waved his hand at Kurusu Akira somewhat listlessly, "Before lunch break, hurry to the finance department to get the money. I'll call them later to inform them."
Having received an affirmative answer, Kurusu Akira immediately left the office with light steps.
...
Kurusu Akira returned to the club room, clutching his unprecedentedly thick wallet.
The heavy weight in his pocket made even the Phantom Thief smile.
The phone in his other pocket suddenly vibrated.
The vibration frequency suddenly accelerated, like the weather forecast announcer from last night's program monotonously reading out "light rain turning to heavy rain, heavy rain turning to downpour."
Without even looking, he could guess that it must be the well-behaved and polite Yoshizawa Kasumi bothering him again.
Kurusu Akira entered the club room, found a seat with good lighting, and then took out his phone to look at the screen.
[My Sister Can't Be This Cute: Senpai! Lunch break is almost here!]
[The great cosmic being is so scary: I should have mentioned it to you, there will be a club activity this afternoon, so if you want to practice gymnastics, you can only do it during lunch break.]
[My Sister Can't Be This Cute: I understand! Thank you for your generous help, Senpai!]
[The great cosmic being is so scary: Yoshizawa is truly polite, even though this is just a small favor.]
[My Sister Can't Be This Cute: Hehe, being praised by Senpai makes me feel shy.]
Not even bothering to hide her true feelings, Yoshizawa Kasumi is truly amazing.
Kurusu Akira thought with some distress, although Yoshizawa Kasumi is very beautiful, and has the super bonus of being a gymnastics specialist, and her personality also seems to be very likable... but he felt that if he accepted her feelings just like that, he would miss something very important...
He keenly caught a subtle regret from the bottom of his heart.
It was as if in some timeline, he had missed out on an equally passionate relationship precisely because he accepted Yoshizawa Kasumi's feelings.
The Phantom Thief lightly tapped his forehead. How could there be such a ridiculous thing?
Unless the girl who fell in love with him had an incredibly close relationship with Yoshizawa Kasumi, even beyond the level of ordinary "sisters," so much so that she dared not and was unwilling to make a decision that might hurt her loved one, and thus voluntarily gave up on this relationship.
The phone vibrated again at this moment.
It was still Yoshizawa Kasumi sending messages on Line.
[My Sister Can't Be This Cute: Senpai, I apologize for the interruption! There's something very important I suddenly need to ask your opinion on!]
[The great cosmic being is so scary: Please speak freely.]
[My Sister Can't Be This Cute: My sister is also a gymnastics specialist, but she has to participate in the school team selection this afternoon. The gym is too far away and inconvenient to travel to, so she wants to borrow a little more space in your club room during lunch break.]
[The great cosmic being is so scary: I've heard of them, the famous 'Twin Roses of Class 1-A'.]
[My Sister Can't Be This Cute: That nickname is so embarrassing!]
[The great cosmic being is so scary: I agree, you two can come over at noon.]
[My Sister Can't Be This Cute: Then, I will remember your kindness on behalf of my sister!]
[(Opponent is offline)]
Kurusu Akira switched to his band's chat group on Line, boredly watching the girls discuss various gossip topics. It was nothing more than recent news from the entertainment industry: a big variety show star's cheating scandal, a young idol's secret relationship exposed… The entertainment industry was always like this; no matter how many "Hot" tags were applied to the terms, their authenticity always had to be questioned first.
It was really hard to distinguish between truth and falsehood, so it was better not to invest any expectations or emotions into it, and simply be an observer enjoying the show.
Out of professional habit, he still tried searching online for the corresponding "scandals," attempting to find suspicious points outside of the ordinary.
By the time Kurusu Akira put down his phone, the class bell had rung twice.
The door to the club activity room was knocked.
"Come in," he said.
So the door opened, and two beautiful girls, almost identical in appearance, with bright red hair tied into single ponytails, walked into the classroom carrying yoga mats.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To Read Advanced Chapters, and support this novel, please join me on [email protected]/geats2000
(Note: Replace "@-" with "a" on your web browser.)