POV: Tendou Kazuma
Hello, everyone… my name's Tendou Kazuma.Before all this happened, I was just the student council president at Seiran Gakuen in Tokyo—a school that was considered pretty prestigious in the capital. But now… well, none of that really matters anymore.
That day was supposed to be just another boring math exam. Until… a strange light suddenly filled the classroom, and in the next instant, I found myself standing inside a grand hall—something you'd only ever see in fairy tales.
"What the hell is going on? Why are we suddenly inside some kind of palace hall?"I rushed over to Kaito, the classmate who usually sat two seats behind me.
"I don't know," he replied, his eyes sweeping the hall. "But… I'm pretty sure we've been summoned to another world."
I wanted to retort, to tell him he was reading too much manga, but the words died in my throat the moment I saw rows of armored soldiers surrounding us.
Before I could even think, our math teacher, Ms. Mori, stepped forward. Her face tensed as the king—an old man wearing a golden crown—begged us to become the "heroes" of this land.Ms. Mori rejected him outright, saying this wasn't fair. But the king rose from his throne, bowed his head, and pleaded for the sake of his people.
We hoped we might be sent back, but the king explained… the summoning ritual could only be performed from their side.Going home? Impossible.After that, we had no choice but to follow their so-called procedure.
One by one, we stepped forward to touch a giant crystal—something they called a "Skill Appraisal."When it was my turn, the result showed: Light Magic and Physical Enhancement.Not bad, I thought.
Everything went smoothly… until it was Kaito's turn.He placed his hand on the crystal, his fingers trembling slightly. The crystal glowed faintly, and then—strangely—the mage in charge immediately walked away without saying a word. The king's expression hardened, and the soldiers began whispering among themselves.
"W-What about it, Kaito? What skill did you get?""Oh… not that useful, I guess.""Hm? What do you mean?"
Before he could explain, the soldiers urged us to follow them to the guest chambers. But I clearly saw it—two other soldiers leading Kaito down a different corridor.
Later, in my room, I was paired with Kazuki Rentarou. The moment the door shut, he leaned in close."It seems this kingdom doesn't value heroes they consider weak, you know?""…What do you mean? Don't tell me this is about your skill?""Yeah… my only skill is 'Good Luck.' That's it.""What? That's actually amazing in dangerous situations!""I don't know… but the way they reacted, it felt so cold."
Before I could even process his words, a soft knock came at the door. I opened it, and standing there were two of our classmates—Iroha Rei and Kaname Lilith. Both of their faces were dead serious.
From the look in their eyes, I already knew.They felt the same unease I did.Something was very wrong with this summoning.
"What is it? You guys also want to talk about your skills?" I whispered.They exchanged a quick glance, then nodded hesitantly. I pulled them inside at once.
Once the door closed, Kaname spoke first."Like you said earlier, President… we wanted to talk about how our skills were treated. It felt like they dismissed us completely, as if heroes with 'weak' skills weren't worth anything."I offered her a seat while Iroha remained by the door, still looking uneasy.
"See? What did I tell you," Kazuki muttered with a faint smirk, though he quickly apologized. "Ah, sorry. So… what skills do you two have?"
Iroha drew in a breath."I got 'Primal Flame of Emotion.' I don't really understand what it means… but judging from their faces, they clearly thought it was useless."
Kaname lowered her head for a moment before speaking."My skill… is 'Realistic Record.' But when that appeared, their expressions grew even worse. Like they were disgusted."
I stayed quiet, taking it all in.The more they spoke, the clearer the pattern became.This kingdom… really was discarding heroes they deemed unworthy.But… if they were being "discarded," what did that actually mean?
"You three know Kaito, right?" I asked.They all nodded immediately.
"He told me something similar… with such a gloomy look. But he never said exactly what his skill was."I clenched my fist, my voice dropping lower. "It's just that…"
Kaname's sharp gaze locked onto me. "Just what, Kazuma?"
"…I think they separated him from us. Sent him somewhere else."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Kaname shot up to her feet.
"Calm down, Kaname." I raised my hand, trying to soothe her. "Right now… all we can do is pray. Pray that Kaito is still safe."
The room fell silent.I walked over to the window, staring out at the crimson evening sky. The cold breeze slipped through the cracks, but my heart… refused to settle.
END OF CHAPTER 10