A dispirited person lay on the small bed in the LeBlanc attic.
Kurusu Akira tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and with his eyes closed, began to hallucinate his 190,000 yen vanishing into thin air.
This was his first time being in debt, and he had no experience with repayment.
In his previous life, he had never heard of banks forcibly taking deposits from user accounts to repay debts; at most, it was just a barrage of phone calls and in-person visits…
What the hell, was this bank card a black hole?
Kurusu Akira irritably ran his hands through his messy hair.
Grief and regret burned fiercely in his heart like flames.
To provide an outlet for them, Kurusu Akira dragged his tired body out of bed, then opened a "Math A - Full Chapter Analysis" on his desk.
After all, in his previous life, he had managed to get into Kyoto University through hard work, and although he dropped out halfway through to be a Phantom Thief around the world, he should still have a good foundation left, otherwise he wouldn't have been confident enough to achieve "excellent in all subjects" in the entrance exam in just four days…
Wait, what theorem was this again?
Kurusu Akira looked at the unfamiliar equation on the page, his brain froze for a moment, the surging grief in his heart solidified, and then he lost the ability to think.
Then he slammed the book onto the table, stood up in pain, covered his face, and walked towards the window.
He miscalculated. He was in high school in 2015, and most of his knowledge points were gradually forgotten after graduation. Seven years had passed… Who knew how many times textbooks had been updated in these years. Not to mention this was a parallel world's 2022, so the professors who compiled the books were probably not the same batch.
Actually, all the above content, except for the first paragraph, was an excuse.
Even if the textbooks iterate ten times, and the test points change a hundred times, the knowledge system they cover will always be there.
After all, no one would expect a group of high school students to research how to solve the Riemann Hypothesis.
'It's been seven years! What kind of monster could remember high school textbook content after seven years?'
'Oh, I do recall a monster who, even after graduating from university, could clearly remember what was written on every page and paragraph of history books.'
Kurusu Akira thought of that legendary figure who dropped out, then re-enrolled, and in just three months, broke into Tokyo University with a top ten ranking in liberal arts.
At that time, he was tirelessly improving his academic ability at a cram school in Tokyo, and during that period, he heard the legend of "Takizawa Satoru entering the Red Gate in three months." Every high school student who first learned of this once believed that Senior Takizawa was either a protagonist from a isekai light novel, or someone whose life had been given a cheat, or both.
Unfortunately, Kurusu Akira was not "Takizawa" reborn, nor was his life given a cheat.
Whether it was the fame of the Phantom Thief or the power of his Persona, it was all accumulated little by little through countless life-and-death struggles over seven years.
Thinking of this, he suddenly felt sorrow well up in his heart.
The ambition to dominate Shujin seemed to be ending before it even began...
Hmm?
Kurusu Akira suddenly lowered his hand and looked up at the blurred reflection of a person in the glass window, his expression growing increasingly strange.
How could there be such a twist with so many turns?
After he consciously delved into a deep recollection of his high school life, he suddenly found that the classroom content, which had long been completely forgotten, immediately became clear.
So clear that he felt as if he were sitting in that classroom, with the shimmering sea outside the window, the ticking of the wall clock in the classroom, and then watching the teacher write on the blackboard stroke by stroke.
When Kurusu Akira looked at the timetable on his desk, wanting to skip this math class, the fragment of memory immediately switched to the next English class.
It was as if his entire previous life had been compressed into a ".MP4" format, where he could play any moment by dragging the progress bar with a mouse.
Even more miraculously, many details that he himself hadn't even noticed at the time could also be recalled through this method...
For example, Kurusu Akira only realized now that when he was auditing Jotaro Kujo's lecture at Ocean University, the black stockings worn by the female student sitting next to him had a tear.
This is truly a cheat.
Kurusu Akira could guarantee he hadn't used a cheat.
If he really had such a powerful cheat, he wouldn't have been cooped up in a cram school in Tokyo, doing practice problems day and night.
So it must have been Amamiya Ren who used it.
'Damn Amamiya Ren, he has the exact same face as me, yet he possesses such a despicable and malicious heart...'
'Damn, this cheat is really useful.'
Kurusu Akira opened the "Math A: Full Chapter Analysis" book and, comparing it with his memory, found that he could understand and comprehend all the content within.
'If I had this thing helping me back then, I could have gotten into Tokyo University without needing cram school.'
Although he got into Kyoto University, "Kyoto" and "Tokyo" sound like only a one-character difference, but the academic gap between them is like heaven and earth.
Actually, if Kurusu Akira had prepared for the exams with all his might, he could indeed have gotten into Tokyo University with three years of effort.
However, his identity as a Phantom Thief took up too much of his time; even on the eve of his entrance exams, he was busy dealing with corrupt high-ranking officials in the city.
As the memory comparison continued, Kurusu Akira's speed of turning pages grew faster and faster, the fluttering pages making a rustling sound.
An hour passed, and "Math A: Full Chapter Analysis" was turned to its last page.
He had thoroughly mastered the entire "Math A" book.
Then, as if the last shred of energy had been drained from his body.
Kurusu Akira suddenly collapsed onto the book, unable even to lift a finger.
Just before he lost consciousness, he realized he had wronged Amamiya Ren.
'It turns out I really did use a cheat.'
In Kurusu Akira's blurred vision, an excessively slender and weak humanoid stood by the window, leaning against the wall. A black electric guitar rested at its feet, and it was currently flipping through a comic book with "Kurusu Akira" written on its cover.
But with just one glance, it was clear that it was a newborn Persona, one that had never experienced any deadly combat.
An unnamed Persona that could ignore the rules of the world and appear freely in reality.
Four attribute entries appeared in Kurusu Akira's mind regarding it: [Summonable in reality without conditions, but cannot engage in combat in reality], [Cannot be seen by ordinary people], [Ability to save and read the user's memories], [Excellent growth potential].
After confirming that he had absolute control over this mysterious Persona, Kurusu Akira confidently fainted onto the workbench.
----------------
[April 2, 2022.]
[Opening Ceremony.]
[Three days until the entrance assessment.]
"Awake?"
Kurusu Akira's nose twitched for a moment, as if he smelled coffee.
By the time he regained consciousness, it was already the next morning.
Sakura Sojiro stood to the side, looking a bit helpless, "It's almost time for school. Today is the opening ceremony, right? Don't be late."
Kurusu Akira endured the soreness throughout his body and got up, immediately seeing a steaming cup of coffee and a chicken sandwich drizzled with salad dressing and sweet chili sauce on the table.
"You look terrible. Did you stay up all night?"
"Stayed up studying." Kurusu Akira stuffed the reference books from the workbench into his backpack.
"It's good for young people to study hard, but you also need to take care of your body. Eat your breakfast first. Even if you rush to school by train now, you won't make it. I'll drive you later."
"I'm so lucky to have such a reliable guardian."
Sakura Sojiro merely chuckled noncommittally at the remark, "Next time, the cost of gas for the car will be deducted from your wages."
After wolfing down his food, Kurusu Akira raised the coffee and drank it in one gulp.
Warmth flowed down his throat into his stomach, then spread throughout his body, giving him some strength.
Only then did he turn to look out the window; the mysterious Persona that had appeared last night had vanished without a trace.
Just as he thought of summoning it in his mind, a sudden, severe headache struck.
It was indeed due to overexertion.
Kurusu Akira laboriously slung his backpack over his shoulder and, urged by Sakura Sojiro, went down from the attic.
...
Life with a cheat is quite enjoyable.
Walking down the stairs, Kurusu Akira recalled the process of quickly mastering the entire "Math A" book in an hour last night, almost unable to hold back his laughter.
Even the tragic incident of 190,000 in savings vanishing into thin air couldn't dispel this joy.
His backpack felt heavy on his shoulder, yet it was as if it contained hundreds of stacked awards and certificates.
It was time to make all of Shujin bow before this immense academic power.
Kurusu Akira pushed open the door of LeBlanc, and the spring morning sun washed over him. Transferred to the present, this was the first time he genuinely began to look forward to a brand new "future."
Tremble, Shujin!
The king, possessing infinite academic power, is about to be born!...
"What are you muttering about? Hurry up and lock the shop door, then get in the car! You're going to be late!"
Sakura Sojiro drove the car to the storefront, impatiently honking the horn.
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