The afternoon lesson––

They were doing the Dialect curriculum.

Masaki was doing basic repet.i.tion.

He wanted to know if it had an effect on the rabbits that had made Rose Garden bigger.

Or maybe the size of Rose Garden increased if his Dialect became stronger.

The room was big enough for two cla.s.ses and all the equipment was in groups, but it was unusual for someone to only do basic things like Masaki.

He was using a unit that was like an old game arcade and was solving puzzles. When the words “Completed” appeared on the screen, Masaki sank down into his chair.

“This should be the fourth time…”

“It looks like the number has risen again.”

“Yes?”

He turned around, thinking that someone had called out to him from behind while he was resting. There was a huge unit in front of him…so he was stumped by the fact that the voice came from behind the unit.

Minamishima was the one that talked to him.

“That’s amazing; it’s always above 10000 points.”

“What about it? I don’t know about other people’s results.”

“The average for Cla.s.s A is 3000. The current record in Canaan seems to be 70000 points.”

“70000?”

His own score was insignificant compared to a number like that.

“But the record of 2nd highest doesn’t even touch 20000. It’s just a rumor, but I heard that there might have been a fault with the machine…ahaha…I don’t have such an amazing record, but why doesn’t my number rise?”

“If you practice, it should rise.”

“That’s logical, but…I just don’t get better at it.”

“Really?”

“Kusunoki-kun, do you have a trick or something?”

“Well, no…as I said, I don’t do anything special…I’m not especially good at figuring things out.”

“I see…then you must be talented.”

Minamishima nodded several times.

How could he be––a genius?

“I don’t really get it.”

“You’re cool, you’re good at cooking, you’re strong in fights and you’re a talented Globalizer. You’re amazing.”

He found it embarra.s.sing being praised face-to-face.

He wasn’t slacking, but he didn’t think that he had particularly put in a lot of effort, so he didn’t know how to reply to that.

And she said he was cool?

“Erm…even your number should be able to rise, right?”

“I don’t seem to be talented.”

She gave a desolate laugh.

She seemed to have lost confidence in herself.

“I’m not sure if I’m talented at using Dialect or not…but, whatever it is and whoever it is, if they persevere they’ll make progress.”

“Is that so?”

“A talented person may grow fast, and some people do well from the beginning, but even I don’t think that putting in a lot of effort doesn’t have any meaning. For example, most patissiers are able to make cakes that are more delicious than amateurs, but it doesn’t mean that they have more talent than those amateurs.”

“Really?”

“Even if it’s said that you’re not suited for it, there are many people who put in a lot of effort to become patissiers. Because I was serious about becoming a patissier, I didn’t give up.”

“Of course, if it’s something you like, you won’t give up even if you’re not good at it.”

“Yeah. So even if you might not have the talent for it, if you put in a lot of effort, you should get better at it.”

“Yes…that’s right!”

Minamishima smiled and her cheeks were flushed slightly. It was a smile like a small spring flower.

From behind––

There was a cold voice like the north wind that blows petals about.

“…No matter how much effort you put in, it won’t change the fact that you have no talent.”

“Hii!?”

Minamishima paled.

She quickly left.

A displeased looking Alice stood up.

“…Sometimes I come to cla.s.s.”

“It’s unusual for you to come to Dialect lessons. You’re always absent.”

“…All of the lessons are tedious, but this cla.s.s especially irritates me.”

“I think it’s fine if you do what’s best for yourself.”

“…My mood is ruined. Masaki-kun, come with me.”

Alice glanced at the door.

Was she saying that she wanted to go out?

Masaki waved his Ring Gear and a clock window appeared.

“We’re only about half-way through cla.s.s.”

“Is that so…then you should put in double the amount of concentration in the next opportunity.”

“Well, this cla.s.s is for training my concentration power…if you do it once too then you’d understand that it’s actually quite difficult.”

“…Difficult? I, Alice?”

Masaki daringly thought––what is Alice’s score when using this device?

“I want you to show me if you can double my concentration.”

“…It’s quite unpleasant that you’re a.s.suming it isn’t possible.”

“Here is the device for measuring my concentration power. My highest score is 10998. Shirley’s is about the same. By the way, the all-time high is more than 70000.”

“…I’m not interested.”

“If you’re saying you can exceed 20000, then it must be possible for my concentration power to double. So today, I’ll go anywhere with you.”

Masaki hadn’t been implying that it was impossible to achieve double concentration power, but he wouldn’t pa.s.s up this opportunity.

If he was a little high-handed, he’d be able to get Alice to try it seriously, which would be enough for him. And Alice would partic.i.p.ate in the cla.s.s as a result.

If she couldn’t get a high score, she was so prideful that she might actively partic.i.p.ate in cla.s.s after this.

“…Are you provoking me so that I’ll partic.i.p.ate in the cla.s.s, Masaki-kun?”

“Hahaha…it looks like I was exposed, as I thought. But if my score increases then I’ll go anywhere with you, that’s not a lie.”

“…Alright. How reckless must you be to challenge the king? I’ll allow you to understand.”

Alice stood up facing the cha.s.sis.

In her case, she probably wouldn’t be able to reach it if she sat down in the chair.

Not just Minamishima, but the other cla.s.smates also gazed intently at Alice as her score was being measured.

Even the teacher working with the other group joined in.

The screen flashed and the puzzle began.

Alice was touching the screen.

She wasn’t solving anything.

What was she doing? Masaki thought, but…the unit didn’t measure the result of the puzzle, it measured concentration power.

Her expression as she was concentrating seemed to be close to the one she had when Globalizing.

“…Hm.”

The measuring was complete.

As a matter of course, the score of the puzzle game was the lowest.

The crucial score was displayed.

“Huh!?”

Minamishima gasped.

Masaki was also bewildered.

Alice smoothed down her hair and started walking towards the door.

“…Now, where should we go?”

“Ah, yeah.”

An impossible score was displayed on the screen of the unit.

“140000”

Minamishima pointed at it and checked.

“No way, it’s 140000, not 14000!? Isn’t this crazy!?”

The cla.s.s was in uproar.

Masaki started to follow Alice.

“Hey, did you use some kind of trick by any chance!? How could you get a score like that when you didn’t do anything?”

“…An underhanded trick?”

“Well, the average for Cla.s.s A, which is the top of our year, is 3000.”

“…Comparing my score to the ma.s.ses is meaningless in itself.”

“But even Shirley is around 10000.”

“…It’s not such a miraculous result, since Shirley is restless and Masaki who had just awoken is 10000.”

“I, I see.”

Said like that, it might just be possible.

“…Eventually, you will also be able to get a score around that.”

“How will I be able to do that?”

Since he transferred, he had been doing the same thing several times, but his score hadn’t grown that drastically. He couldn’t imagine getting a score 10 times his current one.

Is that the kind of person you call a genius?

That was way too different.

While walking through the corridor to the Elevator Pillar, Alice suddenly glanced outside.

She didn’t look like she was proud of herself.

Rather, she looked bored.

“…If something like that is called an underhanded trick…then so is my very existence.”