Chapter 37: The rival school launched a big attack.

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Translator: Soafp

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Basement Level 5 of the academy—

In a secret conference room unknown even to the general student body, a voice filled with gravitas echoed.

“Then, I now commence… the ‘Genius Conference.'”

With that solemn declaration from the man chairing the Genius Council—Kaidou—the atmosphere around the round table grew taut with tension.

Even the always composed Student Council President, Suzuka Kochou, sitting to my right, visibly stiffened. It was rare to see her this nervous.

To “commence the Genius Conference”—what did that even mean?

A screen on the wall behind Kaidou lit up with a video.

Upbeat music began to play.

It looked like footage from a live concert.

On a large stage, backed by a live band, a pig danced and sang toward a sea of glowsticks.

It was a concert video of the ultra-popular voice actress Rua Takayashiki.

“UOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH RUAAAAAA-TAAAAAAAAN!!!”

A hideous roar thundered through the room.

It came from Kaidou.

Before anyone realized it, he'd donned a pink happi coat and a headband, covered with embroidered messages like “Rua LOVE,” “I'd die for Princess Rua,” and “My body belongs to Her Highness.” There was even a hand-stitched piggy caricature. One part had a misspelling that read “Rome,” which was unintentionally hilarious—or maybe just tragic. Who was this guy?

“L! O! V! E! Ruaruaruaruarua-samaaaa—! OH YEAH!!”

Clapping in rhythm and hopping like a frog—what was that dance called again? Wotagei, I think? When a handsome guy does it, it's just plain creepy.

President Suzuka pressed her temples.

“If only Kaidou-kun didn't have this illness…”

“What even is that?”

“Think of it like a ritual. Rua-san's often absent, so whenever that happens, he does that instead.”

So… the pig girl really was a member of this council.

The hellish concert ended. The screen went dark.

Kaidou neatly folded his happi and headband, sat back down, and returned to his serious expression as if nothing had happened. The gap between his on and off modes was dizzying.

“Regrettably, Her Highness is absent today. But she gave me her blessing—‘Kaidou, I'm counting on you!'—so treat my words as if they're hers.”

No one objected. That pig girl's influence here seemed absolute. Ugh.

“First on the agenda is a new member we'll be welcoming to the Genius Council. Personally recommended by the academy's chairman. I'd like to introduce him—come in.”

The door at the back of the conference room opened.

In walked a petite boy with short chestnut hair.

With a small face, fair skin, and big, round eyes, he had a strikingly delicate appearance. If he weren't wearing a male uniform, you'd think he was a beautiful girl.

“Huh? Kazu-nii!!”

That voice—Icchan, or rather, Isami Shirasagi —spotted me.

Ignoring Kaidou entirely, she ran straight to me.

“Waaah! What're you doing here? Are you a member of this council too? That's awesome!”

“No, I'm just here to observe today.”

“Doesn't matter, as long as I get to be with you! I've missed you so much, I was about to die!”

Kaidou cleared her throat loudly.

“Ahem. Shirasagi, you know him?”

“Yes! He's Kazu-nii!”

“…Your older brother?”

“Way more important than that!”

Everyone stared at me.

A beloved pretty boy and star scholarship student of the drama club, acting all lovey-dovey with someone like me—it raised eyebrows.

Not good…

I whispered to Icchan:

“Don't talk about my past, okay?”

“Eh? Why not?”

“I want to be as ‘normal' as possible here. Just barely accepted, just barely hanging on at the edge—that's where I want to be.”

“That sounds tough… But knowing you, Kazu-nii, you'll ‘normally' end up on top.”

“Please, just do it.”

Looking unconvinced, Icchan still nodded.

Trying to bring things back on track, Kaidou spoke up again.

“Shirasagi, take the seat next to Kenmochi—it's open.”

“Oh, I'd rather sit next to Kazu-nii!”

Before anyone could approve, Icchan had already dragged a chair over and wedged himself between me and the president.

“Hello, President! Please scoot a little further from Kazu-nii.”

“Wh-why?”

“No reason. Just do it.”

Icchan smiled sweetly—but his eyes were scary.

The president looked confused. She had no way of knowing why a younger male student was acting like a romantic rival. After all, only a few faculty members knew the truth: Icchan is actually a girl. Even the pig girl didn't know.

And then—

That guy, Kurata, was staring at Icchan. Not subtly. His gaze scanned her from head to toe, over and over.

…Hmm…

At that moment, Kaidou cleared his throat again.

“Isami Shirasagi is a rising star of our academy. Still a junior high student, but already making waves in the media across Japan. With the chairman's personal endorsement, I propose we add her to our ranks. Any objections?”

A chorus of unanimous voices from the geniuses rang out. It was a unanimous decision.

“Well then, now that we have a new member and an observer, let's start with self-introductions. Kenmochi, you're up first.”

The high schooler with the topknot nodded.

“Class 3-1. Kyoji Kenmochi. Captain of the kendo club. Three-time Inter-Middle champion. Three-time Inter-High champion. The Genius of the Sword—that's me. I've been holding a bamboo sword since I was five and I've never lost a match. Not even in street duels. I even took down an entire yakuza gang with this baby.”

As he said “this baby,” he lifted a broken katana. Hmm… doesn't quite have the impact he thinks it does.

Next up was a giant of a man, nearly two meters tall. His face was deeply tanned, and his T-shirt sleeves, rolled up to his shoulders, showed off bulging muscles.

“Class 3-2. Mouko Omori. The Genius of Muscle! Captain of the wrestling club. Selected for the Olympic youth elite program. I also hold the national high school bench press record. —Oh, and by the way, that sword earlier? I could break it with my bare hands! You can fake a sword, but you can't fake muscles!!”

Kenmochi clicked his tongue. Seems like these two are rivals.

The third person to speak had a distinctly different aura than the previous two.

He was slim, but the murderous intent he gave off was stronger than Kenmochi's.

“Class 3-3. Juuzou Tanegashima. Shooting club. People call me The Genius of Guns. Lived in America until I was fifteen, got used to handling the real stuff. Well, not that I'll be firing anything in Japan. At most, I'll bluff with model guns. If things get dicey with the Koushin group, I'll leave it to Kenmochi and Omori.”

The guy gave a nihilistic smirk. Yeah, this one's done something. Probably taken out one or two people. He has that vibe. The SS team at the Takayashiki family has some ex-mercs, and he gives off the same energy.

The reason he's wearing a blazer in this summer heat probably isn't because he's sensitive to air conditioning—it's likely to conceal a firearm. Judging from the unnatural bulge and sag of the fabric, he's probably carrying the real deal. A .38 caliber revolver, maybe. Saying “I won't shoot” while totally ready to fire… typical.

The next voice belonged to a girl with a graceful build. Her face was so youthful she could be mistaken for an elementary schooler, but the fierce sharpness in her eyes was stunning. Like a proud Siamese cat.

“Class 1-4. Neko Kurumizawa. The Genius of Acrobatics. That's all.”

She said that while still seated and promptly shut her mouth, making it clear she had no interest in saying more. Her sullen expression screamed, “I want to go home.”

She's a celebrity, so even I know her. Ace of the rhythmic gymnastics team, and I've heard her family runs a circus. Word is she can do it all—ball balancing, tightrope walking, trapeze.

I've seen footage of her competitions on TV, and she had such a dazzling smile back then. Nothing like the grumpy sourpuss sitting here now. Maybe that smile is saved just for the “performance.”

Kaidou spoke up.

“Those four are the athletic-type geniuses. The three boys can be called our ‘combat faction.' They'll be useful in emergencies.”

So that means the rest must be more culturally inclined?

The next person to stand was the chubby guy called Kurata.

“Class 2-5. Anki Kurata. The Genius of Strategy. Strictly brain work. As you can see, I'm an introvert. Frail. Please don't bully me.”

Hmm. So, a strategist-type role, then.

He certainly looks smart.

But… an introvert? Him?

I'm not so sure about that…

Next stood a girl in a lab coat and glasses—the very image of a “science girl.” Her inorganic, well-ordered features reminded me of Hikami Rei, but she had a slightly ditzy vibe to her.

“Class 2, unaffiliated. Rika Kirigamine. People call me The Genius of Invention. Right now, I'm working on analyzing and enhancing human capabilities using AI. I mostly stay holed up in the lab and take classes online. I came here today to test a certain device.”

I'd heard her name before. She was supposed to skip grades and study abroad, but Teikai Academy convinced her to enroll instead. From what I heard, she's practically just enrolled on paper and usually works in a lab funded by the Takayashiki family. I wonder what “device” she needs to test here.

Next to stand was our student council president.

“Class 3-1. Suzuka Kochou. I'm not particularly a genius. I've been allowed to attend the Genius Conference as a representative of the general student body.”

Kurata shot a mean look at the president.

“So modest. But aren't you running a publishing business with near-billion-yen annual revenue? Didn't you buy your car with your own earnings? The Genius of Business, if you ask me.”

Whoa, that's impressive.

I'd heard rumors that she was in business, but I didn't realize it was on that scale.

“There are many people more amazing than me. No one knows better than I do that I'm not a genius.”

The president refused to meet Kurata's gaze. Her expression made it clear she found his flattery distasteful.

Finally, it was Icchan's turn.

“Umm, Class 3-3 in middle school. Isami Shirasagi. People say I'm The Genius of Acting, but I think it's just because I've been in a theater troupe since I was little. My goal isn't to be a genius—it's to be called a great actor.”

You could feel the sincerity in those words.

Due to a family tradition, she lives as a boy until she turns eighteen. Once that's over, she'll likely transform into a “great actress,” dazzling the stage and screen with her radiant beauty.

…And so.

Now, it was finally my turn.

“I’m Kazu Suzuki from Class 1-1. My hobby is reading. I’m not in any club… That’s all.”

I had nothing to talk about.

Or rather, it'd be more accurate to say, “There's nothing I can talk about.”

No one complained about my curt self-introduction. Everyone just nodded like, “Yeah, that's just how he is.” The student council president sighed, “What a hopeless case,” and Icchan smiled and said, “He really is hopeless,” and that was it.

The last one was this cocky, good-looking guy.

“Class 3-10. Kaidou Tensai. The ‘Straight-A Genius'. There's nothing I can't do. That's all.”

His self-introduction was brief in a different way from mine.

Straight A's, huh. Impressive. I admired that.

I was always forced into straight C's.

“Now let's get to the main point. The reason we've gathered here today is nothing less than this—we need to urgently discuss the upcoming ‘Imperial War' scheduled for September.”

Muscleman Omori said.

“What is there to discuss? Each club and each athlete just shows their guts and muscle, right? Or do you have some secret plan, strategist Kurata?”

“Nope. I've got nothing. Let's hear Kaidou-san's take first.”

Apparently, Kurata was quite trusted.

Kaidou began to speak.

“This information was leaked from the board chairman's circle. Keep this strictly confidential—don't let any regular students hear about it.”

The old pig sent a message personally?

I had a bad feeling about this.

“Our archrivals—the martial arts faction of Kojin Academy—are rumored to be planning a raid on our campus.”

President Suzuka raised her beautiful eyebrows.

“A raid? Why would they do something like that?”

“They probably see it as a warm-up for the Imperial War. Or maybe they plan to take out our top fighters ahead of time.”

“Ridiculous. That's violence. If they go that far, we'll just call the police.”

“That's not possible.”

“Why not!?”

Kaidou spoke gravely.

“It seems the chairmen of both schools had an agreement. The Kojin chairman picked a fight, and our chairman, Takayashiki, accepted the challenge. That's the gist of what I heard. As you all know, our academy is practically outside the law. With the power of the Teikai Group and the Kojin Group, any brawls that happen on campus can easily be swept under the rug.”

“That's… absurd…”

The president was speechless.

But—it was plausible.

If you ask me, it was more than likely.

After all, that old man Taizo Takayashiki was a fight junkie. He was a martial arts maniac who enjoyed seeing blood. When he got bored, he'd often have SS students battle each other just for entertainment, watching with his granddaughter. Utterly hopeless—those swine.

The president, pale-faced, asked:

“When is this raid supposed to happen?”

“We don't know. That's why I called everyone here—to prepare for it.”

“Then we have to evacuate the students right away. There are tons of them training on the grounds right now.”

“Don't be ridiculous. There's no way we can relocate that many students to practice somewhere else.”

“Then cancel the practices! The students' safety comes first!”

Her concern was sincere, but Mr. Straight-A Genius didn't seem moved at all.

“If they're going to be taken out by Kojin's guys, they're not going to be any use in the Imperial War either. This is a war.”

“What… You all feel the same way?”

The president looked around, but the faces of the other so-called geniuses showed resignation—they seemed to agree with Kaidou.

Only the newcomer, Icchan, looked lost and bewildered, clearly not understanding what was going on.

Everyone else sided with Kaidou.

Ah—I see.

It finally became clear to me.

The true nature of this so-called “Genius Conference”—they were nothing more than glory-hungry, pride-obsessed ghouls. The pig's kin. All they cared about was flaunting their own power, no matter how many others got hurt.

“That's just… That's not right…”

The silver-haired student council president alone trembled with righteous anger.

—And then it happened.

The door at the back of the meeting room suddenly burst open, and a male student rushed in, looking panicked.

“Th-this is bad!!”

He shouted, spitting as he spoke.

“There's been a b-bombing!! An explosion just went off in the east club building! The damage is massive!!”