Chapter 41

“…It feels like there’s a buzz in the air.”

“Yeah…now that I think about it, where exactly is the back entrance?”

“Ah, they’re here…”

The crowd that had gathered at the school gate—it was no longer something I could ignore.

“Y-Yeah, it’s the freshman from the video!”

“Whoa! It’s really them! Our school has a viral star!”

“Um… I saw that video! You’re the one who used summoning magic in the first-year dungeon, right?!”

About twenty students had gathered, but three of them came running over first—a freshman, a sophomore, and a senior girl, who bombarded me with questions.

“Uh… no, I’m just a ‘baggage carrier’…”

“N-No, no, no! That thing you used on the monster—people online are calling it ‘Meteor Summon’…!”

“I saw it too! People are saying it was gravity magic! Seriously cool!”

“No, no, no, the real thing was that beam afterward! It was like something out of a movie, so intense!”

“N-No, I wouldn’t really call it a beam…”

“I’m from the newspaper club, could I ask you a few questions? How did you face that monster…? Hey, don’t cut in, our interview is first!”

“I’m from the broadcast club! Do you have time at lunch? We’d love to talk to the hero who appeared out of nowhere!”

“Are you interested in joining the disciplinary committee? With someone like you, our school would be a better place… Ah! Wait, look over here!”

Everyone was talking at once, and none of it was sinking in—but I had to protect Nanami-san, so I made sure she stayed behind me.

“Nanami-san, let’s get out of here.”

“O-Okay… I’m ready to run anytime.”

Even the usually calm Nanami-san was struggling to take in the situation. Not that I could blame her—I was in the same boat.

“Hey! Stop causing a scene at the front gate… Move aside!”

The guard couldn’t get through the crowd, so I had no choice but to handle it myself. I didn’t like using my skills on people, but I had to.

“Activating skill: ‘Fixation’—target’s spatial coordinates will be locked.”

(I’ll just stop them for a moment… It’s dangerous with so many people crowded together, so I’ll make a path by scattering them…!)

“Huh!?”

“Whoa!?”

“What the…!?”

It was a relief that I didn’t need to touch them to stop them—though it seemed they made strange noises when they were stopped, likely because their speech was interrupted.

“This skill will only last a moment, so please be careful not to bite your tongue! We’ll be late if we don’t move now. Nanami-san, let’s go!”

“Right!”

I grabbed Nanami-san’s hand and started moving, activating ‘Fixation’ on anyone in our way. I focused on stopping them for just a few seconds, but I could only hope it worked amidst all the chaos.

“Th-This is it! The skill in that video was time-stop magic, after all!”

“No, you’re wrong! It’s something that slows you down—it’s just super slow motion, but they’re still moving!”

“Everyone’s wrong, this is a type of ‘Stun’ skill!”

“…I think… they’re all wrong…”

Nanami-san, slightly out of breath, murmured. I agreed with her, but I didn’t fully understand how ‘Fixation’ worked either, so it was no surprise that no one else did.

“I challenge the promising freshman to a duel—whoa!?”

“Please spar with me! I’m Ariga from the fencing club—yaah!”

“Activating skill: ‘Fixation’—target’s spatial coordinates will be locked.”

Whether they were recruiting for clubs or challenging me to a duel, more and more people started showing up. I guess that’s what happens at an explorer training academy, where tempers run high.

Mana: 108/135

Even though my maximum mana had increased, using this skill repeatedly was taking its toll—though I wasn’t worried about running out thanks to the ‘Small Mana Recovery’ orb.

“I’m Kirihara Akane from the Ninja Club! I challenge you to a fair fight—hyaaah!”

“We’re from the Science Club! We’d love to analyze that beam of yours—oh no!!”

The challengers were getting more and more chaotic, but as long as I was just trying to break through, ‘Fixation’ was enough to handle them. But Nanami-san was running out of stamina.

“…Running from this morning… I’m dizzy…”

“Nanami-san… Got it, hop on my back…”

“…O-Okay… Wow, this is faster than running myself…”

With my stats having improved yesterday, I could run at full speed even while carrying Nanami-san.

I searched for a spot without people—the front hall was too crowded, so I went around the back of the gym, but we still couldn’t get to the classroom.

“Over here, you two!”

It was Igarano-sensei who called out to us—though I had no idea why she was there. She guided us into the storage room behind the gym.

“Hah… hah…”

“…That was exhausting.”

“S-Sorry… you were right, Nanami-san…”

“No, I didn’t think it would be this bad either…”

“I did anticipate some commotion, but… Fujiwara-kun, things have really gotten out of hand, haven’t they?”

Apparently, Igarano-sensei had also seen the video. It seemed even the teachers were getting updates about what was happening through the S-Channel.

“We teachers will work to calm the students, but we’ll also need the student council’s cooperation.”

“The student council… I feel bad causing all this trouble…”

“Not at all. Fujiwara-kun, you’ve become an important part of our school. It’s only natural that we ensure you can continue your school life without disruption.”

“Um, about the video the drone recorded yesterday—what do the teachers think of it?”

“There’s a meeting about that after school today. What will you do? We can find a safe place for you, considering the panic among the students.”

“Thank you for the consideration, Sensei. Um, is it possible to meet the person managing Cipher’s data?”

“I’m not sure if you’ll be able to meet them right away, but I can make inquiries. If you’d like to speak with them directly, I can suggest that as well.”

With Igarano-sensei’s cooperation, it seemed like we’d make it through today. But after seeing such fervor firsthand, my heart still hadn’t calmed down.

“Fujiwara-kun, you’ve really become famous…”

“Haha… I’m not sure how to feel about that.”

“Once the bell rings, you’ll be able to go outside again. Fujiwara-kun, I completely misjudged everything, and I’m so embarrassed. The video was really incredible, after all…”

So, even Igarano-sensei had seen it—and the way she looked at me had changed even more since yesterday.

This is what they call ‘going viral,’ I thought, feeling the full force of its power. Just like Akizuki-san had warned, the world had changed in an instant.

“…What’s going to happen next?”

I muttered to myself, trying to calm down. Igarano-sensei was flustered as she watched me, and Nanami-san… patted me gently on the head.