Super Power: Hypnosis.
Aozawa blinked; the text seemed to gradually blend into the air, disappearing from view.
The familiar ceiling came into sight.
This scene made him feel quite accustomed; last Monday morning, his superpower was Telekinesis.
As a transmigrator, Aozawa was thrilled about the awakening of his golden finger. After twisting steel, he immersed himself in training his Telekinesis, hoping to withstand nuclear bombs and save the world in the future.
He didn't even go to school.
Today, his superpower turned into Hypnosis. Was this superpower refreshed every Monday?
"It must be fake!"
Aozawa howled in despair, turned his head, and widened his eyes, staring at the dumbbell on the ground. A familiar yet slightly unfamiliar feeling surged in his heart, as if an invisible hand reached out and grasped the dumbbell.
After a brief stalemate, the dumbbell slowly floated in the air but could not be effortlessly molded like clay, as it could the day before.
Now, his telekinetic power was at most an invisible arm that could extend up to three meters.
What a disaster... Aozawa's face was filled with helplessness. Forget about nuclear bombs, he wasn't even sure he could block a bullet. It seemed his dream of being a hot-blooded shonen protagonist was shattered.
Better to keep his feet on the ground and climb up, to eventually become a humble servant of society.
Aozawa got out of bed and saw words like "carry a bag of rice up several floors" and "Spicy Heaven Plug" plastered on the wall.
Memories of last week came flooding back.
He wished he could dig through the floor, from the sixth floor down to the basement of the first floor, and bury himself in the dirt forever.
Last week he had been too excited, as if someone had injected him with chicken blood—countless awkward yet beautiful fantasies drove him out of his mind, turning him into a textbook delusional teenager.
Aozawa immediately gathered up those embarrassing pieces of his past, balled them up, and tossed them all into the trash can.
He changed into the uniform of Brilliant High School and opened the door.
「...」
Outside the door was the living room, with a Western-style decor, where one could walk on the floor without taking off their shoes.
Except in summer.
If it was too hot, the floor would be mopped clean so that one could walk around barefoot.
A circular dining table was placed in the living room, used only when guests came over. Ordinarily, the two of them would sit at the kitchen bar for breakfast.
"Good morning, Chitose."
Aozawa's tone was a bit weak as he sat on the high stool at the bar. In the kitchen was a svelte beauty whose silhouette alone proclaimed her attractiveness.
Her long black hair was tied in a single ponytail, and occasionally one could glimpse her fair, swan-like neck. She didn't turn around but said in a teasing tone, "It looks like you've given up on your dream of becoming the strongest person in the world."
"COUGH, let's not talk about the past; we need to look forward."
Aozawa knew this woman, Morimoto Chiyoda, wouldn't miss any chance to make fun of him.
"That's great! I was so worried that the little devil I picked up ten years ago would suddenly become the Demon King who destroys the world. That guilt has weighed heavily on my mind."
"Now it seems I don't have to worry anymore."
"You tax thief!"
Aozawa's face flushed red, unable to resist firing back.
Morimoto Chiyoda chuckled lightly, turned off the induction cooker, and slid the omelet onto the fluffy rice.
She lightly cut it with a knife, and the runny egg flowed out. Then she turned around and handed the omelet rice to Aozawa with a smile. "To become a tax thief of my caliber isn't easy."
"First, you have to get into a prestigious university like Tokyo University or Waseda, then pass the National Class A Civil Service Examination."
"Only then can you hold the position of Assistant Police Inspector, survive the one-year assessment period, successfully become a Police Inspector, and lead a decadent life of slacking off and waiting for seniority promotions."
She raised her brows. Her phoenix eyes—shining like black jewels and clear as lake water—held a smile as she said, "As for you, I'm worried whether you can even get into an ordinary university."
The harsh reality struck Aozawa right in his soft spot.
Despite having lived two lives, it didn't mean his academic performance was bound to be excellent. Math was all about innate talent; if he didn't get it, he just didn't get it.
That was why Aozawa had become unusually agitated last week: he had no golden finger or exceptional talent.
For a transmigrator like him, he was just experiencing an ordinary life all over again.
"But to me, as long as you don't become a shut-in, don't break the law, and I don't mind what industry you work in. After all, it's not me who will be getting tired in the future."
Morimoto Chiyoda sat opposite him.
The police uniform accentuated her distinct curves. With a cheerful expression, she said, "Actually, you could continue to specialize in Telekinesis and become the strongest in the world; then you wouldn't need to work. Whoever dares to defy you? Hit them with a 'Spicy Heaven Plug'!"
"Don't just barge into my room."
Aozawa's face flushed, and he really wanted to use his Hypnosis Ability to let Morimoto Chiyoda feel what it was like to be spanked by Telekinesis, but he restrained himself.
When he first transmigrated, he had shrunk from an adult to a child and was abandoned on the streets. It was the high school student Morimoto Chiyoda who picked him up. She taught him Japanese, helped him settle his identity issues, and got him into elementary school.
Out of gratitude for all this, Aozawa would never use his Hypnosis Ability to play pranks on Morimoto Chiyoda.
He bowed his head and continued to quietly eat his rice.
「...」
After hastily leaving the Morimoto home, Aozawa headed to Glorious Private High School.
Missing the beginning of the term and being absent for a week were minor issues; the teachers wouldn't inquire about them.
In Adachi District, frequent student absences were common. Promotion was possible as long as attendance met the requirements; insufficient attendance meant repeating the year.
However, skipping classes at the beginning of the term could lead classmates to label someone as a delinquent or spread rumors, which could increase the chances of being bullied.
Of course, having friends in the class could help avoid these troubles.
Upon entering the classroom through the back door, Aozawa swept the room with a glance and noticed the male-to-female ratio was different from his first year.
There were more boys than girls in the first year, but the ratio was balanced in the second year.
And there was a rare sighting of a quartet of hot girls.
If it were Hypnosis...
Aozawa cast out his wicked thoughts and looked toward the boys, eventually spotting a familiar face in the second-to-last row.
"Good morning, Hojo. You didn't get held back?"
Hojo Tetsuji was Aozawa's friend, a hot-blooded, dumb delinquent who often skipped class to fight with others.
Last year, Hojo had hardly attended school for a full week, so it was a surprise to Aozawa that he had made it to the second year.
"HMPH, with my strong will, the teachers wouldn't dare hold me back."
"Really? Do you know where I'm supposed to sit?"
Hojo Tetsuji pointed to the spot in the very back row by the window and said, "That's the only spot left unoccupied. I've put your textbooks there for you."
"Thanks. I'll buy you a cola later."
Aozawa took the textbooks Hojo had left for him out of the desk, put them into his school bag, and then slid the bag into the desk drawer. "It's rare to see you actually willing to stay at school," he said.
"From now on, I'm not missing a single class!"
Hojo Tetsuji pushed his sunglasses up, his stubbled face radiating the seriousness of a grown man.
Aozawa was used to his prematurely mature face and laughed. "If I'd known the girls in our class were of such high quality, I wouldn't have skipped the past seven days either."
"Which one do you think is the prettiest?"
Hojo Tetsuji became instantly wary, trying to discern if Aozawa was a potential romantic rival. If so, their friendship was over.
Aozawa scanned the girls in the room, his gaze landing on a blonde, doll-like girl who had just entered. He said in surprise, "Does our school have such a beautiful girl?"