Chapitre 1: Ch-1 The Prodigious Child And His Insatiable Hunger
[Minoru POV]
I honestly don't know what catalysed this desire of mine.
But I was different from other people...
I wanted to learn. I've always wanted to learn.
There was nothing specific when it comes to this. For as long as I can remember, my thirty and hunger for knowledge and power was insatiable.
And I did absolutely everything I could have possibly thought about.
I studied everything. Every single subject related to science and the world itself.
Astrophysics, Electromagnetism, Quantum Mechanics, Nuclear Physics, Thermodynamics, Acoustics, Molecular Physics, General Relativity, Cosmology, Astrology, Biochemistry, Inorganic and Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Anatomy, Biology, Structural Biology, Engineering and Technology, Zoology and Botany, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Bioengineering, Genetics, Mathematics, History, Geography....
I learnt everything I could possibly learn.
And when I got bored of that, I focused on something else.
Music.
I mastered the piano, learned the violin and guitar, and I wanted to learn even more, but my interests simply shifted from music.
I stopped because I was already good at musicals and instruments. So good in fact, that any rich businessman who would hold a party or gathering would send invites to my family to have my play for them.
I was popular already. Not just for my musical talent, but also for my incredible knowledge.
The world recognised my as an unrivalled child genius.
I was paid millions of yen to take part in gatherings, play music in parties, take part in talk shows and podcasts, etc.
I dabbled in fashion, wanting to be presentable.
But aside from fashion, I also dove into the brilliance of culinary arts. I had a gut feeling this world help me in the future and my own curiosity wouldn't allow me to not learn it. I focused on learning the creation and manufacture of many different foods like alcohol, chocolate and more, while also memorizing many recipes.
Later.. I began to focus on training my body.
I trained each and every muscle of mine carefully to reach peak condition.
I abandoned the music industry because I had no more interest for it. I had already forgotten how many times or people I've played for.
I then mastered as many martial arts as I physically could. It was incredibly taxing for a young boy like me.
Taekwondo, Judo, Karate, Tai Chi, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kickboxing, Krav Maga, Kendo, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Kung Fu, etc. I even got into fencing, archery, swordsmanship and other weapons.
I travelled across the world, met countless practitioners and experts, people who were unrivalled in their fields. I was always left feeling amused at their faces of disbelief when I copied them. This included scientists.
... But it was never enough.
Like I've said before, I have no idea why I'm like this. I just never feel satisfied. I've never left fulfillment before.
It's never enough for me. I've always wanted more.
More power.
More knowledge.
I've been going about, wanting it. Longing for it. Yet it was so far, just a dream.
I was different from other people.
Nobody else was like me. I've yet to meet another with my mindset.
No matter how much I prepared myself, there was still only so much I could do.
I've gone about and beaten a few crooks around the city at night, becoming some sort of nightly guard for my city.
But still, the ultimate fact is that I am still a powerless human.
No matter how much knowledge I gain, no matter what I learn or master, no matter what I do, I will still remain as a weak, pathetic human, who would die by simply getting shot by a gun or stabbed by a knife in the right place.
There is only so much I can do... being the mortal that I am.
The more I grew up, the more I realised my own weakness, the greatest my desire for power became. It was unending. My desire was never truly gone.
I tried everything to make myself lose this insatiable desire, fearing that it may lead my own ruin. Such a mindset was not exactly healthy to have.
But I never worked.
I was simply different. And I had no choice but to accept it.
But that's when I realised the truth.
The only way for my dream to come true... was with magic.
Magic.
Magic is the art of producing extraordinary or supernatural effects through the use of mystical powers, rituals, spells, or incantations. It often involves manipulating natural forces or invoking supernatural entities to achieve desired outcomes, such as altering reality, foretelling the future, or influencing events.
Magic is typically considered outside the realm of scientific explanation and is often associated with folklore, mythology, and various cultural traditions.
I was able to understand this well.
Magic is the way.
All I needed to do... was find it!
So I searched for it. All that I could. In every way possible.
I read reports, explored places, observed scriptures and artifacts, everything I could have possibly done!
But alas... I failed at even that.
My frustration was reaching an all-time high. I've never felt like this before I hope I never will again.
I felt lost.
But then... one day, it all just changed.
The day I heard... a voice in my head....
[Notice: The Voice Of The World has recognised the individual 'Minoru Kagenou', as an anomaly in this world.]
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No One's POV
Sakurazaka Senior High.
That was the name of the Japanese High School that the world renowned prodigious child, Minoru Kagenou, attended.
When he first enrolled in the school, most people immediately recognised him and he even managed to grow a fan club within the school.
People loved Minoru Kagenou and at first, they tried to approach him.
But eventually, they stopped trying.
Why ?
Because they felt like he was simply too out of their league.
Whenever others try to talk to him, his words were to complicated to understand or comprehend. Other times, he would just straight up ignore them, not notice their presence, or just stare at them without saying anything.
But that certainly didn't make him any less popular.
People, both students and teachers, all admired him from afar. Whenever the teachers asked him anything, he answered with absolute perfection and elegance, even stretching into topics long beyond their years.
The teachers felt like they were the ones being taught by him, and not the other way around.
In class, he never pays any attention, yet he answers every question flawlessly. He's always reading something. And whenever he isn't reading, he's in one of the labs conducting experiments, or in a martial arts dojo.
The only person that ever had the guts to properly hold a casual conversation with him that didn't involve anything academical or extracurricular, was a girl from a wealthy family.
Akane Nishino.
"Kagenou-kun."
The soft, feminine voice of Akane Nishino, a teenage girl with long raven hair and a beautiful smile, rung throughout the classroom as she tried to get the attention of her seatmate, Minoru Kagenou.
"Hm ?" Minoru turned his eyes to her and gave her a singular glance and nothing else. He didn't say anything at all.
"Here, I believe this is yours." He said, lifting her hand to reveal a book she's been carrying.
Nishino had found Minoru walking through the campus with a bunch of books in his hand and a distant expression on his face. So distant in fact, that he failed to notice the book he dropped.
Nishino then picked up the book for him and though she knew not to peer into his stuff, her curiosity got the better of her. And the book was...
... Just about what she expected it to be.
It was filled with complex formulas, equations and facts that she simply couldn't wrap her head around.
She could never understand how a boy the same age as her, from a middle-class family, could be blessed with such incredible knowledge.
Everyone knew that he was destined for greatness. When he became an adult, he would change the entire world.
Minoru stopped giving her a mere side eye and turned his face towards her completely, with a smile playing on his lips. Reaching his hand out, he gently grabbed the book from the smiling Nishino.
"Thank you, Nishimura-san."
Thought she didn't show it, Nishino was genuinely annoyed. Minoru was always so immersed in something so foreign to her, he tends to forget or not care about everything around him. He didn't bother to even remember her name!
She smiled at him innocently with her eyes closed, hiding the animosity she felt towards the man sitting next to her.
"It's not Nishimura. My name is Nishino. Why can't you just remember it ?" She corrected him.
'We've classmates and we've been sitting next to each other for three months. Three months!'
Not to mention, Nishino also clearly remembered her tenth birthday party. A day she would never forget for the rest of her life.
She remembers when Minoru was invited to her mansion to perform for them after being hired by her father. She remembers being left in awe at the incredible talent of his fingers, gracefully dancing on the piano while his face remained as calm as a gentle stream.
She was fascinated. And then, she noticed how intelligence and popular he eventually became.
When she finally met him again, it was revealed that he didn't even bother to remember her name!
That thought infuriated her!
"I do know who you are though. You're a popular child actress and daughter of a billionaire. Not to mention, I played music for you on your tenth birthday after being ifed by your generous father." Minoru wouldn't ever forget that day. He remembers how many millions he was paid just for that one single performance alone.
"Sorry for forgetting your name, I haven't been getting much sleep lately. My apologies, Nishitani-san."
'It's not Nishitani!'
She thought in utter irritation while making sure not to drop her mask, which was pretty useless to put on since Minoru was able to easily see through it.
Another reason why she dislikes Minoru in general, was because of they way he viewed everything. Whenever she looked at him, it didn't feel like he was looking back at her. If anything, it felt like he was seeing through her and beyond her. Like he was able to perceive and comprehend things beyond the realms of regular humans.
As an actor, she grew up learning how to put on a facade while also learning to see through others when they do the same. The eyes of the man in front of her, they were too complex for her to understand.
"Nishino. My name is Akane Nishino." She corrected again.
She was beginning to think he was doing this on purpose.
"Right. My bad, Nishimura-san."
"Now it's back to the first one?!" She suddenly yelled, unable to keep up that perfect facade of hers.
But as soon as she yelled, she quickly leaned back with widened eyes upon realising her mistake and covered her own mouth. She stared at Minoru for a few seconds before lowering her head a little and speaking nervously.
"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to lose my cool... Please forget about it, Kagenou-kun!"
That day, Nishino remained silent all throughout class, not once talking.
When class eventually finished, everyone decides to either go back home, go do something extracurricular or just hang out with friends.
As for our protagonist, he simply ignored everything around him and made his way to the science laboratory, where he would then satu for the next two hours.
Nishino herself also had to stay back a little because of an assignment given to her and a few others by the school. She was willing to invite Minoru to join her group for the assignment, but much to her surprise, he had already submitted the assignment before the teacher even finished her announcement.
When asked about, he simply shrugged and stated that he was already prepared with everything and had finished everything the school had to teach them. He then grabbed his back and left the classroom with his hands in his pockets, refusing to elaborate on the matter.
After completing her project, Nishino stayed at the school, fiddling her phone nervously while waiting for her driver to come pick her up, which he was supposed to do nearly half an hour ago.
'Why won't be pick it up ? It's starting to get dark and I'll have to leave by myself if he doesn't show up soon. I really don't want to do that.' Nishino, who had trauma from being kidnapped in the past, did not want to walk home by herself in the dark.
She waited a few more minutes for the driver to come, but she began to grow restless. At this point, her emotions took over her rational side and she decided to walk home alone.
What she failed to realise, was that Minoru was actually still in the campus. To be more precise, he was standing on the roof, holding onto the chain linked mesh of the metal fence. He stared down at the retreating figure of Nishino with a neutral expression, but his eyes displayed something entirely different.
His eyes then slightly shifted to the side, where he noticed a van hidden around the corner. From Nishino's point of view, it would've been impossible to see it.
His eyes narrowed as he realised what was about to happen.
This was the first time she'd walked back home alone since that incident.
While she was walking, trying her best to convince herself that it won't happen again, she heard a thud behind her. The sound of a shoe stomping the ground.
Immediately, her anxiety shot up and she snapped her head in that direction, turning around completely with a fearful expression. Her trauma was resurfacing and the thought of being stalked and kidnapped again made her heart beat rapidly in her chest.
Seeing that there was no one there, she let out a sigh of relief. She turned around, less fearful than she was before, and would have continued walking to her destination, if not for something obstructing her path.
Opening her eyes, she realised that standing in front of her, was a man. One that she'd never seen before. Staring up at his face, she finally noticed the malicious smile of his and hew mind immediately went into a frenzy.
"Are you Nishino Akane ?"
Her biggest fear... It was happening again!
Quickly turning around, she ran as fast as she would with eyes filled with nothing but fear and melancholy.
"Why ? Why ?! Why is this happening again?!"
While running, she turned the corner into a shortcut she knew, but the revving of a vehicle made her stop in her tracks. A van has gone and blocked the road in front of her, leaving her with nowhere to run. She turned around, but she was met with that man she was running from.
She was trapped.
Before she could scream or react, the man in the van came out with a cloth in his hand and covered Nishino's mouth and nose with it, forcing her to intake a strange scent while she struggled and kicked to try and get the two men off her.
Water began to gather in her eyes as her vision began to become blurry, the chloroform slowly taking action. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness, was a man dressed in a school uniform standing at the edge of the street, observing this entire thing happen with an apathetic expression.
Minoru Kagenou.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone