Chapter Thirty-Six: Japanese High School Student vs. Qidian Orphan

After class ended.

Before Su Mo could remind Tohka and the others not to act rashly, Origami Tobiichi, who sat behind him, suddenly rose to her feet. She ignored everyone, and—most unusually—even refrained from glancing at Su Mo. She walked straight out of the classroom and vanished.

Once outside, Origami Tobiichi immediately contacted the AST Spirit Combat Unit. Whether Tokisaki Kurumi’s claim in class that she was a Spirit was a joke or not, the word “Spirit” was simply too sensitive. She needed to report this intelligence at once and ask the organization to verify it.

If it turned out to be false, then all would be well. But if Tokisaki Kurumi truly was a Spirit, letting such a Spirit appear in their class and get close to Su Mo was far too dangerous; it had to be dealt with as soon as possible.

The call connected quickly.

Ryoko Kusakabe’s stern voice came through: “Origami, what’s happened? If I’m not mistaken, you should be in class right now, shouldn’t you?”

The worldview of this country was rather peculiar—stories often featured young boys and girls saving the world. The members of AST’s combat unit were mostly radiant girls aged sixteen or seventeen, which was quite absurd, as if all the adults in the country had died and only high school students could save the world.

Of course, on another side, it's always orphans who save the world...

“Reporting, Captain. Today, a girl claiming to be a Spirit transferred into our school. Her name is Tokisaki Kurumi. I find this very suspicious and hope you can investigate her,” Origami Tobiichi recounted the matter with an emotionless expression.

As captain, Ryoko Kusakabe took the report very seriously.

At that moment, in the AST garrison in Tenguu City, within the Spirit Wave Observation Room that monitored all of Minami Higashigawa, Ryoko Kusakabe rushed in after receiving Origami’s message. This facility was a research station for detecting Spirit activity. Whenever a Spirit appeared, it could detect their spirit waves and predict where a spacequake might occur, allowing an early warning to be issued so nearby citizens could evacuate.

Most of the spacequake alerts in Tenguu City had come from here in the past.

Using the detection equipment, Ryoko Kusakabe set the target to the current Metropolitan Raizen High School and swiftly tracked Tokisaki Kurumi’s presence, scanning her data.

But when the actual data appeared, Ryoko Kusakabe’s brows furrowed, and she let out a groan, her voice tinged with shock and disbelief.

On the screen, Tokisaki Kurumi’s scan results were displayed.

At the same time, the Spirit database was cross-referenced, and soon all of Tokisaki Kurumi’s information appeared, confirming she was indeed a Spirit—specifically, the one codenamed Nightmare, reputed as the most wicked Spirit in the world.

“She really is a Spirit—and she transferred into high school? Is this some kind of joke?” Ryoko Kusakabe wiped her forehead, her sleeves damp with sweat. Though the room was air-conditioned, cold sweat continued to bead on her skin.

And she was the most evil Spirit...

Tokisaki Kurumi had appeared in this world long ago, even before the Spirit who caused the Tenguu City fire five years ago. She had been discovered five years prior, yet even now, no country in the world could do anything about her; she still roamed free.

But that wasn't the most astonishing thing.

The real question was how she managed to enroll in high school. Enrollment procedures in this country were extremely strict, requiring residency and temporary permits, among other documents. Tohka had only managed to attend school with Su Mo thanks to Ratatoskr’s help. So how had Tokisaki Kurumi done it?

A Spirit capable of destroying an entire street or city with a mere gesture had evaded their detection and managed to attend school—truly incredible. Yet, upon deeper reflection, the thought chilled her to the bone.

Spirits encountered thus far were usually ignorant of their surroundings, with no memory. But this Spirit, codenamed Nightmare, was highly familiar with the human world.

“No, we must stop this Spirit,” Ryoko Kusakabe realized the gravity of the situation and hurriedly issued a command to the researchers beside her: “Contact the Ground Staff Commander of District 11’s Self-Defense Forces. Request permission for AST members to move in and apprehend the Spirit.”

Such was the helplessness of an official organization: even knowing the Spirit was at Raizen High School, they couldn’t act immediately. They had to report to their superiors and wait for orders before mobilizing.

The Ground Self-Defense Forces were the military authority overseeing the entire country, akin to the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, and also the AST Spirit Combat Unit’s superior department.

Orders were soon issued.

But upon seeing the directive, Ryoko Kusakabe frowned: “We’re to stand by? How can that be? She’s a Spirit—are we supposed to do nothing?”

“Not exactly. The Ground Self-Defense Forces have assigned Lieutenant Mana Takamiya to take full charge of the situation. AST is simply to assist her,” replied a messenger.

Receiving these instructions, Ryoko Kusakabe sighed in resignation.

Meanwhile, at Raizen High School, after class ended, Tokisaki Kurumi indeed approached Su Mo to strike up a conversation.

For the safety of Tohka and the others, Su Mo first asked Kotori to recall them to the airship Fraxinus, while he decided to deal with Tokisaki Kurumi himself, leading her around the school.

“So, where shall we begin?” After leaving the classroom, Kurumi tilted her head slightly as she looked at Su Mo and asked.

“Let’s go to the rooftop.”

Su Mo answered expressionlessly. It was still break time, and the school was teeming with people. Though he didn’t know Kurumi’s intentions, to minimize risk, other locations were unsuitable.

The rooftop, however, was usually deserted—a perfect place for a private conversation, and he had some questions for Kurumi.

Without waiting for Kurumi’s reply, Su Mo turned and left first.

Watching his back, Kurumi brushed aside her bangs on the left, revealing an eye with a golden pupil, resembling a clock face with numbers one through twelve and two hands constantly rotating.

“Ah, just like before, Mr. Su Mo!” Kurumi whispered softly, lifted her skirt, and followed him with a smile.

(The trial recommendation period has begun. I ask everyone to cast your recommendation votes for the Crown Prince in the upcoming days.)