The morning sun filtered gently through the windows of Class 2-B, washing the room in a quiet gold. Outside, the sakura trees had just begun to bud, their delicate petals whispering of spring's arrival. Inside, a new kind of growth was beginning.
Souta Minakawa sat at his desk, reviewing the stack of folders that had been placed there before homeroom. Three neat piles, one for each of his students—Yamada, Kana, and Takeshi.
Their first assignments.
He opened Yamada's file first. Neatly handwritten observation logs detailed plant behavior under variable light conditions. The fifth entry included a surprising insight:
"Plant #2 closed its leaves early during reduced lighting. Might not just be light-dependent—maybe barometric pressure plays a role? Worth isolating next cycle."
Souta smiled faintly. It wasn't just repetition—it was original thought.
He flipped open Kana's file. Her survey analysis on student curiosity and intelligence motivation was well-organized. She had even graphed the data by hand, color-coded by age and performance brackets.
Then Takeshi's. Sketches of lab tools, labeled in English and Japanese, each with a short description. His writing was messy, but the effort was unmistakable.
The system responded with a soft pulse in his peripheral vision.
Follower Yamada: Task Completed. +0.5 LP
Follower Kana: Task Completed. +0.5 LP
Follower Takeshi: Task Completed. +0.5 LP
A moment later:
Subsystem Threshold Met. Upgrade Eligibility: Unlocked.
Souta opened the interface.
[Host: Minakawa Souta]
Age: 39
Biological Cap: 53 Years
Brain Processing Power: 1.1x
Life Points: 1.7
Followers: 3
[Follower: Yamada Koji]
Brain Power: 0.75x
Life Points: 2.8
Link Quality: Strengthening
Task: Complete
Upgrade Eligible
[Follower: Kana Ishikawa]
Brain Power: 0.65x
Life Points: 2.0
Link Quality: Stable
Task: Complete
Upgrade Eligible
[Follower: Takeshi Murata]
Brain Power: 0.5x
Life Points: 1.9
Link Quality: Stable
Task: Complete
Upgrade Eligible
Enable Life Point Spending for Qualified Followers?
Souta selected Yes, but restricted usage to Brain Power upgrades only, for now.
Let's see who takes the first step, he thought.
Later that day, during free study period, Yamada sat in the back corner of the classroom, notebook open, pen idle. He stared at the small glowing panel in the corner of his vision.
[Brain Power: 0.75x]
Life Points: 2.8
[+]
He tapped it.
Upgrade Brain Power to 0.8x for 1 LP?
His heart skipped. What would that feel like? Would it hurt?
He accepted.
A pulse of warmth spread from his forehead backward, like warm water pouring into his skull. It wasn't overwhelming—just... clear. Like the air in his head had been cleaned.
He looked down at the page. His half-formed thoughts arranged themselves effortlessly. New connections appeared between ideas he'd jotted earlier.
It's not magic, he wrote in the margin. It's momentum.
Kana sat beneath a cherry tree during lunch, flipping through her completed survey sheets. Her interface flickered subtly.
[Brain Power: 0.65x]
Life Points: 2.0
[+]
She tapped it but didn't press upgrade.
Not yet.
Instead, she opened a notebook and began designing a second survey. This time, she would test how motivation changed when linked to personal goals.
What makes people want to become more intelligent? Pride? Fear? Purpose?
She looked up at the branches above her.
I want to understand it before I amplify it.
Takeshi kicked a pebble outside the science lab. He just handed in his final set of sketches, and surprisingly, Souta had given him a nod of approval.
The interface flickered.
[Brain Power: 0.5x]
Life Points: 1.9
[+]
He blinked. "What... I can level up?"
He hesitated. Do I deserve it? But then again, hadn't he stayed late three times last week?
"Screw it. I'm doing it."
Upgrade accepted.
The sensation was mild, like the first sip of coffee on a sleepy morning.
He blinked twice. The world didn't look different, but he felt like he could look through it now. Patterns stood out more clearly. Maybe this wasn't about being a genius. Maybe it was about caring.
"I could get used to this," he muttered.
That night, Souta stepped into the Growth Matrix Space.
The trees whispered with a wind only they could hear. The Cognitiva Blooms were slowly spreading—faint violet petals glowing under the artificial sky.
His interface pinged.
Resonance Return: +0.2 LP
He opened the Host Panel.
[Host: Minakawa Souta]
Age: 39
Biological Cap: 53 Years
Brain Processing Power: 1.1x
Life Points: 2.2
Followers: 3
They took the step, he thought, walking among the glowing trees.
With practiced motion, he planted two more Cognitiva Bloom seeds.
Not all cultivation happens in soil.
Some of it happens in silence.
Some of it... in minds.