Chapter 138 - 136 Tetsuji, Your Purity is Still Not Enough _1

DING DONG DONG~ The bell signaling the end of class rang, heralding the arrival of another Tuesday lunch break. As the teacher left, the classroom buzzed with activity. Phoenix Academy Maggie turned around, her chest heaving as if she had just swallowed the edge of her desk. Excitement flushed her pale cheeks as she said, "Let's call Tetsuji to the rooftop to see how strong his Strange Strength really is. Maybe it's a Superpower!" In the past, Phoenix Academy Maggie had never seriously considered Hojo Tetsuji's Strange Strength, dismissing his tales of fighting dozens of people as mere boasts. But upon learning that Superpower Users existed, she became curious about the extent of Hojo Tetsuji's Strange Strength. After all, within the realm of Superpowers, there was one known as Strange Strength. Just like in the comics: a fist thrown with all one's might, and with a loud bang, a deep crater is created. Aozawa showed a hint of helplessness on his face and said, "Maggie, I think you should calm down a bit; don't get so worked up." "Don't you want to become a Superpower User?" "Fine, you and Tetsuji go to the rooftop first. I'll go grab a bento." Phoenix Academy Maggie's expression turned curious as she asked, "Where are you getting a bento from?" "The Guzheng Club, of course. Shouko makes one for me every day to thank me for helping Tetsuji with his manga plot. Didn't she tell you she'd make bento to repay you?" "No. She offered to run errands for me like a maid, but I refused." Phoenix Academy Maggie eyed him skeptically. "You don't have any designs on Shouko, do you?" Aozawa looked shocked as he exclaimed, "Am I that kind of person?" "You clearly are," Phoenix Academy Maggie retorted. Aozawa was taken aback by her blunt reply and sighed. "You're looking at me through rose-tinted glasses. I haven't done anything at all." "What color sunglasses are you looking to buy?" Hojo Tetsuji woke up. He figured he could offer some advice on that front. Phoenix Academy Maggie shook her head, dropping the topic of Shouko. Instead, she said, "Tetsuji, have you ever wondered just how powerful your Strange Strength is?" Hojo Tetsuji yawned. "Never thought about it. Why do you ask all of a sudden?" "Let's test it today! Let's see if your Strange Strength is truly unparalleled in this world!" Seeing the fighting spirit practically written on Phoenix Academy Maggie's face, Hojo Tetsuji assumed her "berserk phase" hadn't passed yet and simply nodded. "Alright then." "You two head to the rooftop first." Aozawa stood up and walked towards the classroom door. Hojo Tetsuji called out, "And grab me some bread and a cola while you're at it!" "What kind of bread do you want?" "Super spicy sausage bread." Aozawa flashed an OK sign with his hand and left the classroom without looking back. Sunlight cascaded onto the rooftop, as if draping the ground in a layer of pale yellow gossamer. A lush green safety fence encircled the edge, preventing any potential accidents. Aozawa arrived with his bento and Hojo Tetsuji's lunch. "You're too slow." Phoenix Academy Maggie raised an eyebrow, clearly dissatisfied with his sluggish pace. "I told you to go on ahead and get started. There was no need to wait for me." "If we actually succeed, your not being here would make it less exciting." Phoenix Academy Maggie crossed her arms, her persona suddenly shifting to that of a hot-blooded shonen protagonist, thrilled by the prospect of discovering a real Superpower User. To get her to cool down again would probably require a setback, Aozawa mused. He didn't continue to argue and asked, "So, how do you plan to test it?" "The most direct method is with a fist." Phoenix Academy Maggie rapped her knuckles against the wall. "Tetsuji, use all your strength and punch this spot." "Why should I damage public property?" "To test if you have Superpowers." "I have Superpowers?" Hojo Tetsuji was somewhat shocked. After all these years, he'd never imagined his body harbored such an astonishing secret. Wait a minute, don't manga protagonists usually discover their powers around this age? With this thought, Hojo Tetsuji's expression grew unusually serious as he declared, "I absolutely must protect Little Sayuri from being captured by the Demon King!" Aozawa commented dryly, "There's no Demon King trying to kidnap her." Phoenix Academy Maggie urged, "Just throw a punch and see!" Hojo Tetsuji took a deep breath. The eyes beneath his sunglasses turned exceptionally sharp as he clenched his right fist. "Ape King Gun!" he roared, channeling all his strength into a punch aimed at the wall. BOOM! The wall's surface instantly spiderwebbed with cracks. Chunks of dislodged plaster rained down on Hojo Tetsuji's head, revealing the fractured concrete and bent steel bars beneath. The damaged area was roughly the size of nine basketballs put together. He withdrew his fist, leaving a deep indentation in the wall. "Damn it, I'm too weak." Hojo Tetsuji patted the dust from his hair, thoroughly chagrined. His attack couldn't even pulverize the wall, making him feel utterly incapable of protecting Little Sayuri from the Demon King. Aozawa's jaw dropped; you could have fit an egg in his mouth. Even he, a Superpower User, couldn't accomplish such a feat, unless it was during that first week after he had acquired Telekinesis. "Tetsuji, when we spar, how come I never realized your strength was this terrifying?" "Sparring with you? How could I possibly use my full strength? I only use a tiny bit, just enough to avoid snapping the bamboo sword," Hojo Tetsuji explained. Phoenix Academy Maggie stared at the cracks on the wall, her brow slightly furrowed. This level of strength hardly qualified as a Superpower. In her imagination, a single punch should have reduced the wall to dust. That would be true power. This, merely creating cracks and dislodging plaster, could only be described as an unusual strength, somewhat beyond that of a normal person. The level of a martial artist. "So, you really aren't a Superpower User." Phoenix Academy Maggie sighed. She'd had her suspicions before the experiment, but seeing the results still left her disappointed. Hojo Tetsuji asked, puzzled, "Young Miss, why have you suddenly become so interested in Superpowers? Could it be that my manga sparked your imagination about them?" "Your manga would never appear in my dreams. And even if it did, it would be as a nightmare." Phoenix Academy Maggie said, highlighting just how terrible his manga plot was. She then added, "It's just that I found out yesterday that Superpower Users actually exist in this world. So, I started wondering if there might be Superpower Users around me. You know how it is in those manga, right? The powerful male lead is always just hanging out at school." "Indeed, that's true," Hojo Tetsuji nodded, showing he understood her line of thinking. To others, manga was just manga. But to Hojo Tetsuji, manga was a reality waiting to be achieved. If he and Yoshikawa Sayuri could get together in the manga, then they could definitely get together in reality. That was what manga was all about. Therefore, he needed to seriously improve his plot-crafting skills and imagine better storylines and romantic developments. "I think you all would do well to skip a meal. Then you wouldn't overthink things so much." Aozawa unwrapped his bento and opened the lid. Today, as always, it was an adorable bento, brimming with a high school girl's charm. After all that fuss, Phoenix Academy Maggie abandoned her speculation about a Superpower User being among them. She dutifully returned to the Manga Club, planning to discuss manga plots with Yoshikawa Sayuri and Nomura True Wave. She wanted to see how protagonists in manga awaken their Superpowers. Perhaps she could find some inspiration there. After all, Superpowers themselves weren't scientific, so what was wrong with awakening them in an unscientific way? Nothing at all, she thought. Aozawa didn't bother trying to dissuade Phoenix Academy Maggie, letting her continue down her rabbit hole. He figured she'd come to terms with reality and return to her normal routine in a few days. He finished his bento, offered some suggestions for Hojo Tetsuji's manga manuscript, then made an excuse about needing a nap and went off by himself. Finding a secluded spot on campus, Aozawa used his Catalyst sensing ability to ensure no students were nearby. He then activated the Schrödinger's Cat's Non-Existent State. His hands and body gradually grew faint, eventually becoming semi-transparent. A thought flashed through Aozawa's mind. The scene instantly changed. He appeared directly inside the Manga Club. Nomura True Wave, Yoshikawa Sayuri, and Phoenix Academy Maggie were gathered around a table, staring intently at each other. No one spoke. Silence permeated the air. Aozawa, curious as to why they were silent, watched from the side. After a long moment, Yoshikawa Sayuri couldn't hold out any longer. She slumped onto the table and said, "I give up! My eyes are so dry!" Nomura True Wave burst out laughing. "HA HA, you lost! Go get me a drink!" "I want orange juice," Phoenix Academy Maggie added, no longer playing statue. She blinked, a victorious smile spreading across her face. Aozawa really wanted to comment on how incredibly boring they were, playing a staring contest over something so trivial. Then again, watching them do nothing, *I* seem even more boring, he mused. Aozawa didn't linger in the Manga Club. With another thought, the scene changed again. He appeared in Hisamatsu Apartment, room 201. The living room was conspicuously empty; not a soul was in sight. The glass door to the balcony was shattered, fragments littering the floor, yet to be cleaned up. Faint traces of bloodstains were visible on the ground. What happened here? Aozawa's brow furrowed. Just as he was about to use his Catalyst sensing ability, the front door opened. "I'm exhausted! What kind of people were those? Con artists, charlatans, and some guy shooting fireballs with his bare hands! Do they think I flunked chemistry?" A sultry voice, full of complaint, echoed through the apartment. Morimoto Chiyoda had returned to Hisamatsu Apartment. Recalling the individuals she had interrogated at the police station filled her with a barrage of frustrations she was dying to vent. Not only were they pretentious, but they also insisted on using cheap tricks meant to deceive children and the elderly, insulting her intelligence. "Don't complain about them. We're all just as tired. What can you do when our enemies are those kinds of Superpower Users? We just have to pan for gold in the mud." "I feel like they're all just lumps of crap," Morimoto Chiyoda grumbled, completely disregarding her usually carefully maintained beautiful image. Emily also looked visibly fatigued. The interrogations hadn't been easy. She constantly had to discern whether they were lying, and judging each one had left her brain feeling numb. "Don't dwell on it. Let's eat." Katerina appeared, carrying two large bags of takeout. Her role in the special task force was to be on the front lines, charging into action. She wasn't required for the brain work. When she had nothing pressing to do, she helped with miscellaneous tasks.