Chapter 4 – Wrong Genre Entirely

Lunchtime sees students embracing their hard-earned freedom.

Some sit in the gardens, sharing tea with close companions.

Others swarm the cafeteria in droves, seeking snacks.

Or perhaps, those with similar abilities wager on who’s the strongest.

—Huff. Huff.

Deus belonged to none of those.

He, as he did yesterday, merely honed his physique.

Delusion was delusion, and maintaining readiness was another matter.

—Hooosh!

With each expelled breath, the muscles across his body shifted with vigorous force.

Every tendon, bulging beneath his skin, writhed like a living serpent.

They were swollen, throbbing as if something were about to tear free from his back.

A fighting god. Yes. All who saw Deus now would call him that.

“Haaa…”

But Deus himself thought nothing of the sort.

‘This feels… like my body is falling apart.’

He remembers the moment he stepped forward, issuing a desperate declaration of war for survival.

Back then, his physical condition couldn’t have been better.

Perhaps, lulled into complacency by this peace, his body was simply crumbling.

He exhaled a sigh, examining his physique once more.

As always, it was unsatisfactory. He wasn’t what he used to be.

“…That’s odd. Isn’t this the way?”

“It is, right? I took this path to the library just the other day…”

Nearby, students chatted amongst themselves as they approached.

Then, they locked eyes with Deus, who was about to begin his next set.

“Eek!”

“Hieek?!”

A monster. Yes. It was definitely a monster. A monster from a Gate!

That terrifying physique, the unsettling aura it exuded.

Most of all. Those eyes, shining with a fierce light that seemed to want to tear people apart!

“M-Monster?!”

Could a Gate really have opened even in the Cradle?!

One of the students hastily manifested their ability.

Judging by the light gathering in their hand, it was a radiance-type.

A type particularly effective against monsters that favored darkness.

“Hey.”

Just as they were about to unleash an attack upon the horrifying monster.

A low, solid voice cut through the air, causing them to flinch.

“New student, perhaps?”

“…Yes, yes I am.”

He speaks the language of men? Could he be some kind of humanoid monster?!

“Me too, new student.”

Deus pokes his chest emphatically with his thumb.

Only then did the students realize their interlocutor was, in fact, a person.

…Though whether he was *really* a ‘person’ remained to be seen.

“You said you were headed to the library? Then you’re going the wrong way.”

“Ah, ah? R-really?”

“You need to take the opposite path from the fork we passed just now.”

Easy to get lost when it’s your first time. The Cradle’s grounds are quite expansive, after all.

He smiled, recalling his own near-miss with becoming lost on his first day.

“Hwaaack!!”

“S-so sorry! So sorryyyy!!”

The two students, startled by his sudden appearance, shriek and bolt away like their lives depended on it.

“…”

Hmm. So, a black-haired foreigner is inevitably perceived as a barbarian, is he?

Maybe I should dye my hair after all? Deus considered the question with earnestness.

*

“Tada! Nice to meet you, new students! Is this your first physical education class?!”

The students tilted their heads, puzzled, at the appearance of the P.E. instructor.

That’s odd. Did we misread the schedule or something?

This is P.E. class, isn’t it? For students with abilities.

So why is this frail-looking female teacher the one who’s appeared?

“My name is Tiamat! I’ll be your teacher for physical education for the next year, and we’ll have lots of fun together! Now! What’s my name?!”

“Tiamat-sensei!”

“That’s right! Correct! I am Tiamat-sensei!”

Tiamat-sensei bounced with excitement, all on her own.

The students giggled at the sight, finding it rather endearing.

She was already petite, but she was even shorter than the students.

Adding to that her blonde hair, it was like looking at a golden retriever puppy.

“That teacher is so cute.”

“Is she really a teacher? She looks younger than my little sister.”

“Nah. You can’t judge ability users just by looking at them.”

Meanwhile, Deus, standing at the back due to his height, murmured an impressed, “Hmm.”

‘She’s strong.’

He wanted to commend the male student for his perspicacity.

Just as he said, that female teacher, Tiamat, was undoubtedly powerful.

Even if he fought her now, it would probably be a back-and-forth struggle for at least five minutes.

Though of course, after that, his overwhelming strength would prevail.

‘More than that, she acts like a golden retriever but her name’s Tiamat.’

Anyone can tell she’s a reverse character. When the name is like that, it’s obvious.

“Alright! Since it’s the first day! I’ll give a brief introduction about the class, warm up a bit, and then we’ll be done. First! What the teacher wants from this class is very simple! To make your bodies more solid!”

—Thump, thump!

I want to bang on something, but there’s nothing to bang on.

So Teacher Tiamat just started slapping her own thighs.

“You might ask, why should we cultivate our bodies when we’re manifesting abilities! Of course, you should! Just because you’re an ability user doesn’t mean you can rely only on your powers! You’ll be in big trouble if you do!”

Uh-huh. Yeah, yeah. That teacher knows what she’s talking about.

Deus, with his arms crossed, nodded his head emphatically.

Isn’t this always the case in a world where abilities exist?

Those who neglect physical training, trusting only in their powers.

Using the excuse that they can cover everything with their abilities before even using their bodies.

But no matter how well you use your abilities, it’s useless if your body is weak.

Conversely, if you use your abilities well and your body is in good shape, it creates synergy.

“A strong spirit overcomes a strong body? Nonsense! Anyone who spouts that kind of garbage hasn’t even been near exercise! A person’s mental strength is only up to the part their body can handle!”

Words once spoken by the gym owner, a former professional, as he pushed the aspiring athletes to their limits and beyond.

“Don’t forget. Your limits aren’t reached at the edge of your mental strength, but determined by the boundary your body can endure! Understand?!”

Those words, today, are being spoken by Teacher Tiamat.

“Alright. In that sense! Let’s all do a ranking evaluation!”

Teacher Tiamat, raising both arms high, shouted for everyone to pair up into twos.

At that, the students each looked for those they’d gotten a little closer to during the week.

“Why! Why won’t you pair with me?!”

“Sorry. I actually like her better.”

“This, this is betrayal! Uwaaa!”

Deus remained still. Eventually, those left behind would group together anyway.

He wasn’t planning on doing something foolish like asking ‘Want to pair with me?’ here.

“I’m not pairing with a black-haired barbarian!”

“You smell of barbarism! Get away from me!”

—A faint vision of that future appeared, so why would he do something so idiotic?

Should he just dye his hair blonde and get a tan?

He’d already misunderstood the genre anyway, so it wouldn’t be a problem to change his character a bit.

Should he just change the age rating entirely? He was seriously contemplating it when it happened.

“U-Um, excuse me.”

Pink hair. Yurishia, who he’d eaten lunch with.

“Ah, was it Ping-ttuk… no, no. Yurishia. Right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. B-But. You remember my name?”

Of course I do. We exchanged greetings an hour ago.

If I forgot, I wouldn’t be human, not unless I had youthful dementia.

“I-I saw that. It seems like you haven’t found a partner yet.”

“Yeah. Well. As you can see. It seems my hair color is a bit off-putting.”

“A relief!”

…Relief?

“Ah, no! That’s not it! I, I mean!”

Flustered, Yurishia glanced at Deus before finally managing to speak.

“Would you… Would you… Partner… with me?”

“Okay.”

“It might be too sudden. But they said you don’t have a partner yet… U-uh?”

Did I just mishear that? I must have, right? Surely?

“Let’s be partners. As it happens, I haven’t found anyone either.”

“U-uh! Y-yes! Okay!”

Hehehe! A bright smile bloomed on Yurishia’s face.

Watching her, Deus muttered, ‘So, she likes foreigners with black hair.’

“T-then! The first thing we need to do is…”

“Just a moment. Excuse me!”

A golden retriever suddenly stuck its head between the two.

—Or rather, it was Teacher Tiamat.

“Our pink-haired student? What’s your name!?”

“Yes? Ah. Y-Yurishia.”

“That’s right. Yurishia student! I’m so sorry, but that student over there still doesn’t have a partner!? Would our kind Yurishia student go be partners with them? Huh? I’m asking a favor! I’m begging you!!”

A sudden turn of events. Yurishia looked obviously flustered because of it.

But she couldn’t bring herself to ask Teacher Tiamat for the reason.

All the timid girl could do was nod.

“Y-yes, Teacher.”

“Thank you! Teacher will buy you something delicious later!!”

Alright! Go quickly! Quickly! She even pushed Yurishia by the back.

Then, returning to Deus, Teacher Tiamat said:

“So, you’re him!? One of this year’s promising students! I knew it the moment I saw you! You just *look* like a promising student!”

…Is this a compliment? It must be a compliment, right?

“Thank you, Teacher.”

“Yep, yep! So, about evaluating our student, I’d like to do it myself! Is that okay?!”

With both eyes brimming with a glittering light, how could he refuse?

It was like watching a puppy waiting for playtime.

An aura of ‘I will refuse a refusal!’ radiated from her.

“Yes, Teacher. I’m okay with it.”

“Cool! As expected of a promising student! Then, let’s start right away!”

—Whoosh!

—FWOOSH!

The sound of wind being cut. Following it, a deafening roar tore through the air.

“Hiek?!”

“W-what is it!”

The students recoiled, a collective gasp and shuffle backwards.

A few even scanned the room, searching for a place to disappear.

Meanwhile, in the blink of an eye, the two figures who had already traded blows distanced themselves.

“…Whoa.”

Never seen anything like it.

Professor Tiamat flexed and unflexed her hand, a disbelieving chuckle escaping her lips.

Her hand throbbed. The joints in her arm ached. The pain radiated up to her shoulder.

Just one clash, and already this?

This is a freshman? This is far beyond any student level…

She had evaluated promising students directly a few times before.

But she had never experienced this level of tension and latent power.

“Student. Name?”

“Deus, ma’am.”

“Deus. Good. Remembered. Shall we get a little more serious then?!”

Golden light exploded from Professor Tiamat in a dazzling burst.

“….”

Watching her, Deus quietly reminded himself.

Control your strength.

Black-haired foreign-born student beating up a teacher is *not* a good look…!