Chapter 50 – ５０ – What Should Be Done About Naru's Skills?

Debut Match Arc

“That is the current situation, Ms. Tarui.”

“… I see. I understand. Thank you for the report, Minasono.”

Suzu had explained Naru’s current circumstances.

The gist was that, with the current Academy-issued Device, the only skills Naru could use were Passive Skills. Furthermore, the fuel efficiency of those skills was clearly poor.

After listening, Ms. Tarui pondered for a moment before speaking.

“… Based on Minasono’s report and the data we’ve collected so far, it’s safe to conclude that the current Device and skills are unsuitable for Midorikawa. We can consider that a certainty.”

“Yes. I believe that is certain.”

“… Regarding the upcoming debut match, we have no choice but to make do with the current hand due to the nature of the event. However, the most reasonable and standard path forward would be to find a Device that fits him even slightly, get the company that manufactures that Device to act as a sponsor, and have them develop a dedicated machine and custom skills.”

“I figured it would come to that.”

“… However, considering the breadth of applicability and stability, the Academy-issued Devices are supposed to be among the best in the world, let alone the country. To have this result… Special magical properties really are a nuisance, whether you’re facing them as an enemy or trying to support them.”

Ms. Tarui’s words were almost a declaration of defeat, admitting that the Academy could not handle this on its own.

However, it would be cruel to blame the Duel Academy. After all, Naru was an anomaly: a new student who already possessed first-rate Magic Capacity, an unprecedented special magical property, and a rigid Masked Form that resisted appearance changes.

If anything, the performance of the Academy-issued Device—which allowed him to activate Masquerade despite the discrepancy and use skills, even if limited to passives—deserved praise.

“So, Suzu. What kind of skills are compatible with Naru?”

“Hold on a sec. Naru is trying them out one by one. Let’s see… from what I can tell, Passive Skills related to defense or recovery that don’t affect his appearance seem to have decent fuel efficiency.”

“Conversely, Passive Skills that could be used for offense, like ‘P-Speed Enhancement,’ seem to have worsening efficiency,” Marie interjected, having been watching the exchange between Suzu and Ms. Tarui. Ichi muttered as she looked at the results Naru was sending over.

As Ichi noted, the efficiency of Naru’s Passive Skills tended to be better for things related to defense, recovery, or maintenance—such as healing wounds or gaining resistance to specific phenomena. Conversely, efficiency worsened for things like strengthening muscles or intensifying body odor.

This phenomenon itself wasn’t strange. While Naru’s case was extreme, every person’s magical power has a nature or tendency. If a skill aligns with that nature, efficiency improves; if it doesn’t, efficiency drops, or in worse cases, the skill doesn’t even appear on the Skill List.

In fact, for Suzu, skills utilizing light didn’t appear on her list at all.

“Hmm. In that case, would it be best for Naru to specialize as a tank? He already has the necessary physical abilities even without skills, so there’s no need to force reinforcements.”

“I agree. I think that’s the best way, Ichi. Whether in a one-on-one or a group battle, the shortest path to victory is leveraging one’s strengths.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Then, when we choose a sponsor, let’s make that direction a minimum requirement. The current trend is to get just enough durability and then max out firepower and skills, but that doesn’t seem to suit Naru. Besides, Naru is the type to forge his own path, so following a trend would probably just strip away his charm.”

“… As a teacher, I also recommend proceeding in that direction. While there are ways to turn a weakness into an advantage, you can’t utilize a hand that you simply cannot play.”

Marie and the others were discussing not just the debut match, but what came after. After the debut, there would be events and duels using Masquerade in groups; they needed to decide how to handle Naru in those scenarios. They also discussed how to deal with the various companies that would likely approach him with offers after the match. Since it was a rare opportunity, Suzu and the others brainstormed.

Technically, Naru should have been part of this conversation, but…

“… That said, do not forget that the final decision-making power rests with Midorikawa. Currently, Minasono and the others are supporting him out of goodwill. If any behavior is shown that brings disadvantage to Midorikawa, the Academy will have to take appropriate action. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, of course, Ms. Tarui.”

“Of course we understand-mo.”

“Understood.”

Since it was already common knowledge that Suzu and the others were actively acting as Naru’s supporters, it was easier for the preliminary adjustments to happen without Naru present, even if the final say was his. Naru himself was aware of this and had entrusted them with it, so there was no problem.

✧

“For now, I guess we will go Device-hunting at the shopping mall this weekend. We need to at least get a lead on which company’s products are compatible with Naru.”

“Whether it’s skills or Devices, this isn’t a field students can dabble in. It’s a case of ‘leaving it to the professionals,’ so to speak.”

“Fortunately, Ichi and the others have no ties to any specific corporation, so we should be able to provide a flat, unbiased evaluation.”

After that, Suzu and the others finished checking and setting their own skills and discussed how to guide Naru in looking at Devices.

“Still, the efficiency of ‘P-Un White Light’ is overwhelming. If someone made a skill based on that, wouldn’t they be able to create a very high-efficiency skill?”

“Actually, it seems some people tried that. But they just ended up realizing the gap in power—or rather, the gap in technical ability—between the Goddess and humans, and gave up.”

“That’s true. I heard that when they tried to reproduce it with human technology, the efficiency worsened by more than ten times.”

After class ended, Suzu and the others headed to the classroom to pick up Naru.

“Alright, Naru. We’re coming in.”

“Got it. Opening now.”

And what Suzu and the others witnessed upon the classroom door opening was…

“Hm? Ichi? Marie? Oh, is class over already? I didn’t notice.”

“…”

It was Naru, opening the door while using ‘P-Un White Light’ to create a mysterious white glow that obscured his completely naked chest and groin.

Furthermore, given the time of day, the hallway wasn’t completely empty; there were several other students around who had nothing to do with Suzu’s group.

“—————!?”

“Hm?”

“Naru dear, get back inside the classroom!? I mean, I want to see, and I have a desire to sear your beauty directly into my brain beyond my eyes for permanent storage, but by general societal standards, you have clearly crossed a line right now, so get back in!? Ah, my hand is moving toward my phone on its own!?”

“Quickly! Please go back inside!”

“It is an out! The ‘out-ness’ of this is actually increasing!?”

Needless to say, the situation was eventually settled by Public Morals Committee Chairman Maruta, and Naru was forced to write a reflection essay.

The lesson: ‘P-Un White Light’ is a temporary shield for emergencies, not a get-out-of-jail-free card.