Chapter 2: The Awkward First Day of School
“Ah, I’m sure you all know him, but this is Satsuki Kazuma-kun, who was hospitalized due to a traffic accident on the first day of the entrance ceremony. Everyone, please get along with him.”
The boy, Satsuki Kazuma, was attending the Seventh Esper Academy for the first time and was being introduced by his homeroom teacher during the morning homeroom. However, his face was deathly pale.
It wasn’t that he was feeling unwell. He had been absent for three months due to an accident since the first day of school. His classmates were also bewildered, wondering “why now?”, and Kazuma himself seemed unbearably anxious about whether he could fit into a class where groups had likely already formed.
“I’m Satsuki Kazuma. N-Nice to meet you.”
After giving an uninspired and dull greeting, Kazuma sat down at the seat he was shown. As he sat down, his eyes met with the male student next to him, and they both awkwardly bowed their heads before facing forward.
“(Ugh, my school life is definitely going to be a lonely one.)”
Leaving Kazuma, who was whimpering inwardly, the morning homeroom ended. Since he had been given the timetable, Kazuma began to prepare for the next class.
After a ten-minute break, the teacher in charge arrived and class began, but Kazuma found himself unable to keep up within mere seconds of it starting.
“(A-Ah… I spent three years over there, so I don’t understand these formulas!)”
It was knowledge he hadn’t used in the other world, but the mathematical formulas used as a matter of course in classes in this world were difficult for Kazuma. After all, he had basically just been fighting for three years.
However, such circumstances were none of the teacher’s concern, so the class mercilessly proceeded matter-of-factly.
Kazuma desperately copied what was written on the blackboard into his notebook, but he understood almost none of it. Thanks to that, by the time class ended, he was completely burned out, his mind a blank.
“I’m done for…”
Kazuma muttered, slumping his head onto the desk with a thud. This was indeed an Esper Academy, but it also had regular general education subjects. Therefore, if Kazuma were to make a comeback, it would only be in practical subjects that used Gifts.
However, very unfortunately, Kazuma’s Gift was not one used for combat.
Here, it must be explained that the Esper Academy has two courses. One is the Combat Course, and the other is the Support Course.
The Combat Course, as the name suggests, specializes in combat and has many practical classes. However, not just anyone can enter the Combat Course. Only those who possess what are called combat-type Gifts can enroll.
For example, Gifts like pyrokinesis or Wind Manipulation. However, advancing grades in the Combat Course is a struggle, and graduating is even more difficult. After all, they will have to face Ibinom in the future, so they must possess a certain level of skill or higher.
In contrast, anyone with a usable Gift can enter the Support Course. Kazuma was fortunate enough to awaken a usable Gift, which is why he enrolled. Well, now that he also has magic, Kazuma wouldn’t lose even to students from the Combat Course.
“Next up is… the Ability Test, huh.”
The Ability Test. Simply put, it’s a test to see how well one can currently use their Gift. For clairvoyance, it’s how well they can see through things; for Telekinesis, it’s how much weight they can lift. That’s the kind of test conducted.
And as for Kazuma’s Gift…
“Attendance number thirteen, Satsuki Kazuma! We will now begin the Transposition test!”
“Yes!”
Kazuma’s Gift is Transposition. It’s the ability to swap object A and object B. One might think it allows for teleportation, but unfortunately, it’s impossible to transpose living beings. Nevertheless, as a support-type Gift, it is sufficiently excellent. After all, since it can swap object A and object B, it allows for the instantaneous transport of supplies to distant locations.
That said, Kazuma has only just awakened his Gift, so he can only move objects a mere few meters. With repeated practice, it will eventually be possible to move them several kilometers, even tens of kilometers away. Others with the Transposition Gift have already succeeded in doing so.
“Hmm. Five meters, huh. Well, if you’ve only just awakened your Gift, that’s sufficient.”
“Thank you very much!”
“Keep up the good work.”
“Yes!”
Relieved by the not-particularly-bad evaluation, Kazuma left the testing area. After leaving, Kazuma tried out his Transposition ability, but as expected, he could still only move objects a few meters.
However, he wasn’t particularly pessimistic. That was because Kazuma possessed magic he had acquired in the other world. In this world, where the man-eating threat known as Ibinom exists, having a means to protect himself was reassuring.
“(But I wonder if magic will even work on them? I defeated the Demon Lord in that world, but I only know about how strong Ibinom are through information.)”
During his three years in the other world, Kazuma had fought countless monsters and was a Hero who had even defeated the Demon Lord in the end, but he had never fought an Ibinom.
Basically, in present-day Japan, only the National Defense Force, composed of Gifted individuals, or those with licenses from private corporations can fight Ibinom. However, there are exceptions. If an Ibinom appears in an urban area, combat is permitted for self-defense.
But that’s all.
In the past, Ibinom frequently appeared in urban areas, but nowadays, defense systems have been strengthened, and Gifted individuals from the National Defense Force or licensed by private corporations protect the cities from Ibinom. Therefore, Kazuma, a mere student, has no opportunity to fight Ibinom.
However, if Kazuma were in the Combat Course, it would be a different story. Combat Course students are destined to join either the National Defense Force or a private corporation in the future. For that reason, actual combat experience against Ibinom becomes necessary. Usually, they conduct combat training against virtual Ibinom in simulators, but once they become upperclassmen, they fight real Ibinom under the guidance of active Gifted individuals.
Since there are many cases where graduates freeze up in fear if thrown into actual combat immediately after graduation, Ibinom subjugation is incorporated as part of the academy’s graduation exam. The Combat Course of the Esper Academy is structured so that one cannot graduate if they fail to do so.
Incidentally, the Support Course is different. Graduation itself is easy. However, finding employment with private corporations or the National Defense Force, which specialize in Ibinom subjugation, is difficult. This is because those two are looking for combat-type Gifted individuals. Unless a support-type Gifted has an exceptionally useful Gift, employment is generally impossible. However, Kazuma’s Transposition has already been recognized for its usefulness, so depending on his efforts from now on, there’s a possibility.
“Well, to be honest, I’ve had enough of fighting. I fought to death’s door over there. I’ll use my magic and Transposition Gift to earn a decent living and live peacefully! Yeah! That’s the way!”
Kazuma, who had been wavering about whether to fight or not, had spent his days steeped in battle in the other world, so he resolved to live peacefully in this world. However, he would soon come to understand that this wish would not be granted.