"Are we still going to mess with him?"
After Alistair left, Alisa Kurisu couldn't help but ask as she watched Seira sink into thought. In their duo, she knew her brain wasn't as sharp as Seira's, so she followed Seira's lead.
"Not today. I'm going to have those guys look into this 'grandfather' again. If they still find nothing, it means the man doesn't exist and he made it up. We can deal with him then—and I'll make him pay double."
Seira got off the desk and opened her laptop again.
"Was that part about taking him home and keeping him a joke? I've never heard you say something like that."
"No, I was being serious. I really do want to take him home and keep him." Seira looked at Alisa with a predator's smile.
"But why? From the files, he's only remarkable for his looks, his stamina, and his luck. He's not even that 'powerful' in the grand scheme of things." Alisa toyed with her hair, confused.
"Alisa, you should focus more on those matters instead of fashion and celebrities all day. You're going to inherit your mother's company eventually. You need to pay attention." Seira rolled her eyes.
"But that's years away. Mom and the aunts aren't even 'normal' people anymore. They can keep working for a long time." Alisa looked away, mumbling guiltily.
"But they will eventually leave this place for the Demi-Human District. We will follow the same path. We need to build our foundation now to make things easier later," Seira sighed.
"But aren't we the last generation? This current activation was unexpected. It's predicted to fail after we graduate. Who knows how long until the next cycle?" Alisa asked curiously.
"So you do know a little. I'm not talking about having daughters. We are the last generation. We don't need to worry about efficient usage anymore. Whether we find partners or not doesn't matter. Once we graduate, we can let this school rot and just take 'That Thing' with us."
"Then why are you so interested in Naoto Alistair? It doesn't align with our mothers' plans, does it?"
"My interest isn't in him, Alisa. It's in his Great Luck." Seira pulled up the records of Alistair's various lottery wins and lucky events.
"Our mothers are among the rare women who hold absolute power. Since ancient times, almost no one knew what the 'Proof of Covenant' was for. Even ten years ago, the mothers didn't know. It was only a few years ago that they found the method to use it to transcend mortality. We don't know how they found it, but it proves that metaphysical things are real.
This Naoto Alistair might have obtained something that allows him to twist fate and grant himself 'Great Luck.' If I can, I want him. For now, his luck only manifests in 'wealth.' I don't know if he has protection regarding his life, so we'll proceed with caution. We'll test him first. One more or less for 'The Collection' won't hurt our progress—we're halfway there already. No need to be reckless."
"Then why not just take the item from him? He's just a human. As long as his life isn't in danger, it should be fine. Are you just... horny for him?" Alisa still didn't quite get it.
"Are you stupid? There's no such thing as a free lunch. Heaven-sent pies are usually poisonous. Something that twists fate and increases luck usually comes with a price or a strict usage method.
Look at That Thing. The mothers used most of it. To use it ourselves, we have to constantly replenish it—bringing in boys is just to increase the replenishment rate. And that only gives us a chance at transcendence. That's nothing compared to twisting fate itself. We can take the 'Great Luck' and avoid the 'Price.'"
Seira looked at Alisa like she was an idiot. She was just realizing her best friend was a bit dim.
"And we can enjoy the 'benefits' in the process?" Alisa added dopily.
"I think you're the horny one. Do you want to do him that badly? I thought you were picky. When did you become like those girls with 'loose pants'?" Seira looked shocked.
"Uh, it's not like I want to that badly... but he really hits my fetishes. And the files say his sexual stamina is high. He'd be fun for a long time." Alisa's face flushed red.
Seira stared at her in silence.
"W-what?" Alisa asked weakly.
"You're being affected, Alisa. I think I am too. We need to stop the process for a while and go to Sister Anna to clear our heads." Seira closed her eyes and exhaled.
"Ugh, really? I hate listening to that stuff."
"We have no choice. This is the price mortals pay for a shortcut to transcendence. We don't have a cultivation method, so we take the path of shortcuts. This is the fallout."
"Sigh, it feels like the world difficulty just spiked. How is Seira so formidable? She dug up almost my entire past. But thanks to her, my situation is a bit clearer."
Alistair wandered through the school buildings, reflecting on the conversation. According to her, his 'grandfather' died years ago. This meant either his 'grandfather' was hidden from the public eye for secret reasons, or the man had ulterior motives. Alistair leaned toward the former, but he couldn't be sure.
In the eyes of others, his abilities appeared suddenly, but he'd used the "awakening superpowers" excuse. Since that can happen up until adulthood, most people didn't pry. He hadn't expected Seira to be so meticulous as to dig into his family tree. Is this the power of capital?
Luckily, this world had enough metaphysical weirdness to mask his identity as a transmigrator.
Alistair scratched his head. He was actually relieved; Seira's sharp mind had deduced the most likely scenario without knowing about his "cheat."
Also, those two weren't "normal" humans anymore. Like him, they had stepped onto the path of the Extraordinary. They had their own equivalent of his ring to sublimate themselves. However, their "Mystery" felt very pure, unlike his own complex, multi-layered energy.
This suggested their source of power was singular, unlike his, which relied on various odd items. Their path was more stable, whereas Alistair needed more "nodes" to continue. He estimated their progress at 40-50%—about halfway. The later stages would require much more accumulation.
But what was their source? Transcendence requires a massive amount of energy. Even with capital, how did they get the "fuel"?
Alistair looked at the Cathedral in the distance and frowned. It couldn't be that; they aren't believers. They aren't going to steal food from God's plate.
Furthermore, he smelled a familiar scent on those two girls. They were using negative energy—what traditional morals would call "Sin."
Alistair was confused. Why would people who need "Sin" to grow allow a holy cathedral on their campus? Why attend a religious academy at all? It seemed counterintuitive, even if they owned the place.
"Hey! I said I wanted 30,000 yen, right? Steal it from your parents or mug someone—you can find a way, right? Hey! Answer me! Don't tell me a piece of trash like you forgot how to speak!"
An arrogant female voice broke Alistair's train of thought. He looked through a nearby classroom window.
A girl with light brown hair and a side ponytail on the left was stepping on a boy's stomach, laughing excitedly. She looked like a classic sadistic young lady. The boy, dressed in a school uniform, clutched his head in silence. He was a bit chubby but otherwise unremarkable.
Two other girls stood by her. On the left was a shorter girl with tanned skin—the athletic type—with short dark brown hair. She had a great figure, maybe a C-cup. Interestingly, she had rare black eyes.
On the right was a girl who gave off a "wicked big sister" vibe, like she was about to say 'Ara ara~' at any second. Her flaxen hair was silky, and her half-lidded eyes made it impossible to tell what she was thinking. She wore a friendly smile, but it was clearly a facade. She was the most well-endowed of the three, at least an F-cup. The leader in the middle was about a D+ or E.
Other girls stood around watching with smirks. This clearly wasn't the first time. Bullying was a spectator sport here.
Since everyone is watching for fun... I guess I'll watch too!
It was the usual: demanding money, chores, or errands. But looking at their clothes, they were clearly from wealthy "minor noble" families. Why extort a commoner boy? Pure malice?
Tsk, tsk. What a nasty personality, building happiness on others' pain. But hey... I'm into that too~
"Hey, you there, little puppy. You look new. I think you've seen enough. Come over here, let me have a look at you!"
The leader girl looked at Alistair through the window with a playful, predatory expression.