The sun had barely crested the horizon when Riku Aoyama entered Classroom 1-A with the quiet confidence of someone who had nothing left to prove—but much still hidden. His eyes, calm and calculating, swept across the students as if measuring their worth. Lately, it wasn't just his peers who eyed him with curiosity and admiration; several instructors had started making uncharacteristically frequent stops at the class, often under the flimsiest excuses.
It wasn't just coincidence. Word of Riku's rising excellence, from his unbeatable logic in Strategic Magic Theory to the recently posted results of the last inter-class combat sparring session, had stirred more attention than he wanted.
"You're here early again," Ayumi said, placing her bag beside his desk.
Riku offered her a mild smile. "Habit. I like observing before the noise begins."
Her eyes lingered on him longer than necessary, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. She tried to hide it with a dismissive tone. "You sound like an old man."
"Old minds survive longer," he replied dryly, pulling out his tablet to review the skills he had bookmarked in the Infinite Wallet System.
He'd purchased Mental Calculation: Omega, a passive that allowed instant multi-layered processing and prediction of spell trajectories, behavioral patterns, and probability trees. It made him a monster in chess, but more importantly, in anticipating magical combat techniques.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION] Skill: Mental Calculation: Omega - Successfully Integrated. Processing Neural Sync... Complete.
Ayumi was still beside him, struggling to initiate further conversation.
"So, um, are you joining the joint academy tournament next week?"
Riku turned toward her, interest piqued. "Joint tournament?"
She nodded. "Two elite academies from other prefectures are visiting. Only ten students per school get selected. The competition isn't just magic-based. Strategy, analysis, support magic, even real-time artifact crafting are in the list of trials."
"Hmm," Riku muttered, already thinking. If he joined and won, it would raise his visibility. A bad thing. But if he turned it into an opportunity to test his system-enhanced capabilities in front of major stakeholders...
His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp voice.
"Aoyama-kun," Instructor Mizuki called from the doorway. Her eyes gleamed with the cold edge of a blade hidden behind a smile. "Headmaster wants to see you. Now."
---
The headmaster's office was anything but ordinary. Magical runes lined the corners, a subtle warding field humming like quiet static. Headmaster Dazai was an enigma wrapped in charm and veiled menace.
"Sit down, Riku," he said, pouring tea that smelled like crushed mana blossoms.
Riku obeyed, silently.
Dazai placed a crystal orb on the table. "This contains footage from your recent spar with Instructor Genji. Do you know what caught our eye?"
"The part where I won?" Riku deadpanned.
Dazai chuckled. "That, and the fact you reacted to a delayed magic trap three full seconds before its trigger sequence activated. Most people can't even sense it until it's half-a-second from exploding."
Riku remained silent, his face unreadable.
"There are... groups who watch talent like you. Quietly. From afar. Some are benevolent. Others not. I need to know, Riku: what exactly are you aiming for?"
His gaze sharpened. "What I aim for doesn't involve this school, sir. But if the school becomes a battleground, I'll protect it."
The headmaster studied him, then smiled. "Then we understand each other."
---
Back in class, Riku found a note waiting on his desk. No name, just a delicate scent and sharp cursive:
"Meet me behind the greenhouse after classes. Alone. -A"
Ayumi? Or someone else?
Riku pocketed the note, a low hum of danger tingling in his instincts.
His system buzzed with a low alert.
[SYSTEM WARNING: Multiple Observation Spells Detected. Source: Unknown.]