บท 5: Hidden power
Now that was shocking. Ethan thought that only returnees could join the army and the summoned heroes' school. Still, it looked like, somehow, it was discovered a method to find heroes before they were summoned and even awakened their powers.
"Does that mean that we have powers before even getting summoned?" Ethan asked while frowning.
"That is right," Hannah nodded. "It is precisely because of those powers that we ended up summoned, and they are just asleep within us until the time comes for them to be used."
Ethan didn't want to believe that he had such a power since the beginning, and he had thought that some unknown god or goddess had given him that cursed power. However, it made sense, actually. Ethan never found any church back in that world, so the people there didn't worship any god. Still, that couldn't explain why he had a leveling-up system and why the summoning portal could be activated automatically.
"The very moment you returned, some mana of the world you had been was leaked into ours," Hannah said. "Thanks to that, those who monitor us realized that you have returned, and right now, they are coming to greet you. You should make up your mind, Ethan. You can accept their terms or ignore them. However, you won't be as free as you think. Even those who didn't accept the deal are monitored 24/7."
"… I want to live a normal life as much as possible," Ethan sighed. "I doubt that any other school will accept me, so it is not like I have any other choice. Well, considering that they let you marry an alien, then perhaps this isn't so bad."
"Alien?" Nuvian frowned.
"Don't use such terms, Ethan," Michael said. "There are many people in other worlds with who we have an amicable relationship. They are our allies, nothing more and nothing less."
"I will keep that in mind," Ethan said. "Besides, it isn't like this is a real insult."
Although Ethan wanted to learn more about the new world, he felt a presence approaching the door of his home. Someone who had a considerable amount of mana had come. Not even one hour had passed since he had returned to Earth, and he was already being visited by some agents of the government.
Even if it was for the sake of the country, it still was a pain in the ass. Before whoever was on the other side of the door could even knock, Hannah got up and opened it. That had been quite harsh of her, but what happened next surprised Ethan even more.
"Natalia!" Hannah said, and then she opened her arms before hugging a black-haired woman that appeared.
"Hannah!" Natalia said and then returned the hug. "Long time no see! It has been such a long time!"
The black-haired woman, Natalia, was wearing a female suit while also carrying a suitcase. Despite the nature of her job, her clothes, and even the round glasses that she was wearing, she didn't look all that serious. Then again, Ethan had enough experience to know that not everything that shines is gold. She looked like a teacher most kids of his age would feel really attracted to, but he only looked at her as if she was a walking problem.
"Wow, I'm surprised," Natalia said. "When I received a call on my day off, I couldn't help but sigh. But when I heard the address of where I should go, I couldn't help but feel happy. Your brother, who went missing last year, finally returned, huh. You must be in the clouds!"
"Well, a little bit," Hannah said, a little bit embarrassed.
"Look at you, acting so bashful," Natalia grinned. "You must be Ethan; I heard a lot of you from your big sister. It is nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Ethan said.
Natalia offered a handshake, but Ethan just stayed on the couch and waved his right hand a single time to her. Natalia couldn't help but frown. At first glance, Ethan seemed pretty normal, a bit too introverted perhaps, but not enough to ignore a handshake. Regardless, she quickly realized that something was off. When Hannah returned, Evelyn threw a party and called all the neighbors, but it looked like she didn't plan to do the same again for some reason.
"Please take a seat, Natalia," Evelyn got up and said. "Do you want to drink something?"
"I'm fine, thanks," Natalia smiled. "I don't want to take too much of your family time. This is a special occasion, after all."
After taking her seat, Natalia didn't do anything and just faced Ethan in silence. By the look of things, she had that job because she was good at measuring people with her eyes. Or maybe she just had some kind of power that could analyze every single person.
"How unusual," Natalia said. "Although some heroes still lose all of their powers, I didn't hear of someone who kept just a little bit of theirs. Maybe yours will return over time."
"Is that so?" Ethan said, uninterested.
"What do you know about the things returnees do after returning to Earth, Ethan?" Natalia asked. "I imagine your parents and Hannah already explained to you a few things."
"Just the basics," Ethan answered. "I heard that those who are old enough join the military and younger ones go to some school. Also…"
After saying what he knew, Natalia gave Ethan more details. As it turns out, those who go to school don't have to stay there 24/7. Thanks to the monsters and mana, human technology improved quite a bit. So, the students received a wristwatch that granted them the power to teleport to school and their homes at a moment's notice.
"How convenient," Ethan said.
"Right?" Natalia smiled proudly as if she had created the watchers.
"It is a pretty interesting way to know our location every single moment," Ethan said. "To receive this, I imagine I have to sign a contract, and the contract says that I can't take out the wristwatch. Am I right?"
Hannah facepalmed while Michael and Evelyn showed a forced smile. Ethan was completely right, but they didn't expect that he would make such sharp remarks right in front of government agent.
"… You are right," Natalia showed an awkward smile. "But it is a low price considering how convenient it is, right? After all, the summoned heroes' school is pretty far away, and it is in Washington D. C."
Now Ethan couldn't help but feel impressed. Teleportation spells were quite difficult to control, and since he lived in Lawrence, Kansas, a lot of mana would be used. The government had created those dispositive and gave them to know how many other kids. They adapted fast, perhaps too fast.
"Tell me other interesting things about the school," Ethan said.
"You know that returnees that go to school receive a salary, right?" Natalia asked.
"Yeah, some sort of bribe to keep the teenagers happy," Ethan replied.
"… Actually, if you stand out in your class, you can increase your rank in the school and increase your salary even further!" Natalia said, forcing herself to keep smiling.
"I see," Ethan nodded. "Not only does the government divide kids by their power level, but it even tries to stimulate them by offering larger bribes. I'm glad to see that our society didn't change all that much."
"Ethan…" Michael said with a somewhat rough voice.
"Sorry, I will stay quiet from now on," Ethan said with a smile on his face.
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