"Miss Kaguya."
Hayasaka Ai spoke softly, her voice drifting like a breeze and pulling Shinomiya Kaguya back from her thoughts.
There was a faint worry in Hayasaka's usually calm eyes.
After all, Marikawa's death… had been brutal.
Even Hayasaka, who normally stayed composed in any situation, felt a brief chill run through her. But she also didn't think Yami was wrong. Not at all.
If Marikawa dared to provoke someone the Alliance treated with courtesy, then she was simply asking for it.
Her only worry was Kaguya.
That Miss Kaguya might have been shaken.
But… her worry was unnecessary.
Shinomiya Kaguya was not frightened.
Her heart had trembled at that moment — not from fear, but from something deeper.
Yami's overwhelming aura, his absolute disregard for meaningless rules… it had crashed into her heart like a tidal wave.
It felt as if she had briefly glimpsed the future shape of the world.
The strong would reign.
The weak would be swept aside.
A new era — terrifying yet irresistible — was approaching.
And he stood at the very top of that new world, like a god no ordinary human could ever reach.
Kaguya inhaled slowly. Her eyes hardened like polished stone.
"…Hayasaka. Let's go."
This time, she didn't hesitate.
She stepped forward and entered the shadow door without looking back.
"Miss Kaguya…"
Hayasaka Ai blinked, startled — and then her lips blossomed into a soft smile, the kind she rarely revealed.
Warm. Gentle. Genuine.
"Right behind you."
And she followed Kaguya into the unknown.
This time, someone had taken the lead.
Yet no one else immediately moved.
The memory of Marikawa's gruesome end still clung to them like a suffocating fog. Their legs trembled; fear gnawed at their hearts.
"…Yukino, are you afraid?"
Yukinoshita Haruno finally spoke, turning toward her little sister.
Yukinoshita Yukino flinched ever so slightly.
She had been frightened by the earlier scene — anyone would be.
But fear wasn't what filled her chest now.
Every time she met Yami…
Every time he glanced at her…
Every time he moved with that unshakeable resolve…
He left behind something warm.
Something confusing.
Something she couldn't understand.
Who is he?
Why can he take a life without even blinking?
Why does that terrify me… yet pull me closer?
The questions tangled inside her like scattered threads.
"…Sister," Yukino whispered, her voice trembling but her eyes steadying, "I want to go. I want to see him clearly."
"..."
Haruno froze.
Never — not even in her wildest expectations — did she imagine such an answer.
Then she laughed quietly, shoulders relaxing.
"Haha… that's my Yukino. Alright then. Your big sister will follow you all the way."
She squeezed Yukino's hand and pulled her forward.
"O-Onee-sama…"
It was the first time Yukino had ever seen her sister's smile without any masks, without any games — just honest warmth.
Ahead of them, the glowing sphere of light shimmered like a gateway to another world.
Hand in hand, the Yukinoshita sisters stepped through the shadow door together.
Silence fell over the square.
Everyone else stood still, trapped between fear… and choice.
…
"Here is…"
The moment she passed through the shadow door, Shinomiya Kaguya felt as if her entire body had been pulled across time and space.
A completely different landscape expanded before her eyes.
Buildings of unfamiliar architecture.
A soft breeze carrying the scent of the ocean.
A vast, endless blue sea stretching toward the horizon.
It didn't feel like a simple relocation.
It felt like a different world.
"Welcome," a familiar voice said with an easy smile, "to Potential Academy — numbers two and three."
Yami stood before them.
Beside him were there girls who had clearly arrived earlier.
Chisato Nishikigi
Eriri Spencer Sawamura.
And Kasumigaoka Utaha.
It was obvious Yami had brought them here ahead of time.
Utaha blinked in confusion.
"Yami-kun… aren't they supposed to be the first and second?"
Eriri nodded vigorously beside her, ponytails swaying.
"Yeah! How can there be another one? No one else came before us!"
Even Shinomiya Kaguya frowned. She remembered every second of her arrival and she had certainly not seen anyone.
Yami let out a helpless sigh and pointed at his side.
"Actually… someone came in long before all of you."
"Eh?"
Everyone looked in the direction he pointed.
And saw—
Absolutely nothing.
Just empty air.
Everyone exchanged troubled looks.
Meanwhile, Yami rubbed his temples.
Because he could clearly see a girl standing right there.
A cute girl with a bob cut, a white skirt, a matching beret… staring blankly ahead with the emotional fluctuation of an unplugged NPC.
Kato Megumi.
Quiet. Expressionless. Utterly plain.
And so impossibly invisible that even standing under a spotlight she would fade out of existence.
A translucent window popped up before Yami's eyes:
**[Name]: Kato Megumi
[Rank]: Level 4
[Race]: Human
[Meme — Gene Lock]:
"A-level meme: Gene Lock Does Not Exist" — UNLOCKED to Level 4
[Abilities]:
• Existence Concealment — reduces personal presence
• Breath Concealment — hides all aura
• Sound Concealment — eliminates footstep and body noise
[Note from Wanjie Dungeon]:
『Ding! This human's meme has mutated due to the world's collapse.』
"Uh-huh…"
Megumi tilted her head slightly, her expression calm but undeniably confused.
This finally let Yami locate her properly.
"You… can control your abilities?"
From the outside, it looked like Yami was addressing the wall.
Megumi shook her head gently.
"…I don't know."
"So you don't understand your ability either?"
She shook her head again.
"My sense of presence has always been low. Sometimes people simply forget I'm standing next to them."
Her voice grew even quieter — which honestly should've been impossible.
"But ten days ago… something strange happened. No one could detect me at all."
Then she blinked once and asked, completely expressionless but somehow accusatory:
"…Did Yami-san not see me that day, or were you deliberately pretending not to?"
Yami froze.
"…When exactly?"
Megumi's eyes drifted toward Eriri and Utaha.
"On the rooftop. I saw Yami-san accept the confessions of Sawamura-san and Kasumigaoka-san at the same time."
The atmosphere froze.
"…???"
Yami's mind replayed the scene.
Eriri on the left.
Utaha on the right.
Both hugging him.
Both confessing.
Both blushing like malfunctioning love flags.
And Kato Megumi…
Standing quietly at the side.
Invisible.
Ignored.
"..."
Yami suddenly understood.
Megumi's low presence wasn't originally that extreme.
But when the world destabilized, the mutation pushed her existence down to near-zero.
Back then, he literally couldn't perceive her.
But now—
His Star Dragon abilities had evolved.
His True Vision Dragon Eyes could pierce illusions… and even ignore existence-based concealment.
So he could finally see her again.
The problem was simple:
She had absolutely no control over her meme ability.
"Alright," Yami concluded, speaking gently to her while everyone else still saw him talking to thin air, "come find me later. I need to examine your condition."
Megumi nodded politely.
"…Then where should I find Yami-san— no, the principal?"
"Principal…"
Yami turned around to look at the Shadow Gate.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
No one else was coming.
Half the people outside had run away in sheer terror.
The rest were pretending they didn't see anything.
"Tsk."
He snapped his fingers.
And casually closed the Shadow Door.
"Well, Yami-kun… aren't you recruiting people?"
Utaha tilted her head slightly, watching him close the Shadow Door without hesitation.
Her question echoed the confusion on everyone's faces.
Yami sighed and spread his hands.
"No. We already recruited five earlier. Plus all of you here, that makes twelve students total."
"...Twelve?" Haruno counted slowly, eyes narrowing.
"There are only twelve people including you. Why can't the math add up?"
Yami pointed at the empty air beside him.
"There's a girl here with a gene-lock meme activated. Her name is Kato Megumi."
"Her abilities are close to invisibility. But she can't control them, so… none of you can see her."
"Invisible!?"
Everyone immediately stared into the space Yami pointed at.
Squinting.
Leaning in.
Even circling around it.
But no matter how hard they tried, there was only pure, untouched air.
"Alright," Yami clapped his hands lightly, "come with me. I'll give you a tour of Potential Academy."
He took the lead, and the others followed.
The layout slowly unfolded before them:
• Teaching Area
A tall, gleaming building piercing the sky — a tower of knowledge.
• Commercial & Entertainment Areas
Shops, cafés, game zones, theaters — all open and free.
• Living Area
Divided neatly, with each student assigned to a massive ocean-view villa.
Spacious, modern, luxurious — beyond anything a normal academy would provide.
• Training Area
A colossal steel fortress built from advanced materials, with reinforced chambers designed to withstand power explosions.
Every corner felt like a mix of modern engineering and sci-fi aesthetics.
Chisato giggled and whispered teasingly,
"This entire place? Yami built all of it in half a day. Three days ago."
"H-Half a—? That's impossible!"
Kaguya shook her head immediately.
Even someone from the Shinomiya family found such construction speed unrealistic.
Transporting materials alone would take months.
But Chisato winked playfully.
"Hehehe~ that's the magic of superpowers."
Then she hopped forward like a cheerful deer and linked arms with Takina.
Megumi Kato's faint voice floated out:
"Principal… why is the academy empty? Where are the teachers?"
"Oh, they're here."
Yami snapped his fingers.
The Shadow Door unfolded once again like a painting being unrolled.
Hiratsuka Shizuka stepped out first, dragging her suitcase with the grumpiness of someone who had just been forcibly teleported mid-coffee.
Behind her came three more women — all wearing professional outfits, tight skirts, and black stockings.
Familiar faces.
Famous faces.
Yami's lips twitched.
"Y-Yami, your superpower is ridiculous…"
Hiratsuka Shizuka mumbled, stunned by the scenery.
"One second we were at my home… and now…"
Her friends were equally blown away.
"I'll introduce them," Yami said politely, "this is your future teacher, Hiratsuka Shizuka. As for the others—"
"I can do it myself."
The woman with long pink hair and calm confidence stepped forward.
"Kirisu Mafuyu. I look forward to working with you all. Please treat me kindly."
Next came a nervous woman with her black hair tied up in a messy bun.
"U-Um… I'm Kojima Kana… please be gentle with me…"
Finally, a tall woman with a stoic expression and a single ponytail gave the shortest introduction:
"Chabashira Sae."
Yami froze.
Kirisu Mafuyu — We Never Learn
Kojima Kana — Why the Hell Are You Here, Teacher!?
Chabashira Sae — Classroom of the Elite
Hiratsuka Shizuka's friend group was a monster lineup.
A real teacher Avengers squad.
Before he could process it—
"I want to be a teacher too!"
Walnut raised her tiny hand confidently.
"I'm not a kid anymore! Being a student isn't fun!"
Yami gave her a deadpan look.
"…Aren't you in your thirties?"
THIRTIES!?
Everyone stared at Walnut, jaws dropping.
She puffed out her cheeks angrily.
"You dummy! You can't ask a beautiful girl her age! That's private information!"
"Fine, fine. Then you can be a teacher too," Yami conceded.
He turned to two other adults.
"Sayuri, Mizuki — it's strange for you two to be students. Any thoughts?"
Mizuki adjusted her glasses confidently.
"I will teach information science."
Sayuri smiled softly.
"Can I be a life teacher? Someone needs to take care of them."
"Approved."
Yami nodded.
Everything was starting to take shape.
Kirisu Mafuyu leaned closer to Hiratsuka, whispering,
"Shizu… is this really safe?"
Hiratsuka rubbed her forehead.
"No idea. But when superpowers get involved… thinking too much is dangerous."
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