Chapter 11: Campus Commotion
"This is a bit tricky. After all, all the seats around Franklin are already taken."
Lala, however, didn't give up. Her brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of plaintiveness appeared on her face.
"You don't have to trouble yourself, Sensei. I'll talk to the classmate myself. If they're willing to switch seats, may I sit next to Franklin?"
"O-Of course. As long as the other student agrees, that's fine."
Lala smiled softly, and once again, the entire class was infected by that smile. By the time she walked over to the seat next to Franklin, the boy sitting there was still frozen in place.
"Classmate, could you give me this seat? I'd like to sit a little closer to Franklin."
The boy shot to his feet immediately — his body reacting faster than his mind — and only after he'd packed up and left did he seem to register what had just happened. Feeling the boy's resentful gaze, Franklin gave an awkward cough and turned his head away.
Franklin was deeply curious about what had caused Lala's sudden change. Rational, quiet, and perfectly measured — none of that had ever described her before.
But seeing that trademark smile of hers, paired with those uncharacteristic actions, made one person pop into Franklin's mind — Ryōko Mikado. It had to be Ryōko-nee who'd taught her to act like this.
"Lin, how did I do just now? Ryōko-nee said if I did that, you'd definitely be happy."
Franklin covered his face with a wry smile. As expected, his guess had been right.
"Lala, the fact that you're thinking of me like that already makes me happy. But rather than you changing yourself just to make me happy, I'd prefer you to stay the way you were before. That's the Lala I like."
"Mm, I see. So Ryōko-nee tricked me, huh."
"I'm lecturing up here and you two are chatting down there. Franklin, Lala, I know you're happy and have a lot to say, but could you save it for break time?"
Being called out left Franklin feeling utterly drained. "Sorry, Sensei, we'll pay attention."
Seeing Lala lost in thought, Franklin didn't interrupt her. Instead, he used the time to ponder what exactly the Sword Qi Realm was.
A whole period. A whole period! Franklin felt completely numb. What on earth were those guys thinking — glaring at him like that wasn't going to accomplish anything.
When the bell finally rang, Lala was about to stand up when the girls in the class immediately surrounded her.
"Lala, can I call you that?"
"Of course."
"Lala, which country are you from? Is that hair color natural?"
"Mm, I'm from Planet Deviluke. My hair color is the same as my mother's."
…
Watching the girls swarm around Lala with questions — and seeing that she didn't look even the slightest bit annoyed — Franklin didn't feel the urge to interrupt. He stood up and started heading toward the door.
"Franklin, what's your relationship with Lala?"
"Is she a relative staying with you, Franklin?"
Seeing that the guys were about to approach too, Franklin's face darkened. The last thing he wanted was to be surrounded by a pack of guys. "Lala and I… we're not relatives, but we're closer than that."
The boys froze in their tracks, their eyes lighting up. Franklin slipped out of the encirclement and continued, "Lala is my fiancée. Once we're married, I suppose we'll technically be relatives."
The bomb dropped. As the boys stood there petrified, Franklin slipped out of the classroom. With Lala surrounded by the girls, he didn't need to worry about her. If he stayed, though, it'd be difficult to escape their blockade without revealing his true strength.
Still, pulling that move in front of all the girls and utterly crushing the boys… that was quite the power play.
Shaking off his messy thoughts, Franklin left the classroom and strode quickly toward the school infirmary. Lala was a bit too innocent and carefree — there were some things she wasn't the right person to ask. Ryōko Mikado, however, was different.
He pushed open the infirmary door and found Ryōko sipping coffee and glancing toward the entrance.
"There you are. Surrounded by jealous boys — doesn't that feel great?"
Seeing her cheerful expression, Franklin could only rub his forehead helplessly.
"It did feel pretty great, yeah. But being stared at by a bunch of guys for a whole class made me feel kind of physically uncomfortable."
Before Ryōko could say anything else, Franklin cut her off. "Alright, let's pause that topic for a second. I want to ask you — where exactly did my parents go?"
At that question, Ryōko's coffee cup trembled slightly.
"I don't know either. They didn't tell me when they left."
Seeing the doubt — and the I-know-you're-hiding-something look in his eyes — Ryōko set the cup down and put on a pitiful expression.
"Little Franklin, I'm your big sister. Would I lie to you? I really don't know where they went. They're not ordinary people, you know. They can tear through space and travel anywhere like it's nothing. How would I know where they've gone?"
So his parents in this life really weren't ordinary at all. Having gotten the answer he wanted, Franklin didn't press further.
"I went to bed early last night and got back at a lucky time, so I haven't told you yet — though I'm sure you've already guessed. I convinced the King of Deviluke to acknowledge my engagement to Lala."
Ryōko let out a long breath, seemingly relieved that he'd dropped the previous subject — and also a bit surprised at his success.
"Lala already told me. You were a bit reckless, but judging by the look on your face, you've got a plan."
Franklin didn't want to dig too deeply into Ryōko's reaction. After all, she was like an older sister — she'd never harm him.
"I do have a plan, but you know, I'm just an ordinary Earthling. I acted on impulse and made a bet, and only now, with my strength a bit improved, am I realizing how little I actually know. I can barely wrap my head around Earth, and the galaxy is huge. Beyond Earth, there are countless forces out there. With my meager skills, I'm nowhere near strong enough."
"That's true. Your perspective shapes your judgment. Misjudging your own strength is normal."
Seeing Ryōko nod in agreement, Franklin let out a long, weary sigh. It seemed his strength really wasn't much to look at.
Just as he was about to leave, Ryōko pulled out a very familiar device and attached it to her right eye. As the display lit up, she suddenly spat out a mouthful of coffee.
225? 225!
In disbelief, Ryōko tapped the scouter and scanned him again. The reading still showed a combat power of 225.
Her hands trembled slightly as she set down the cup, then cleared her throat.
"Little Franklin, you're being way too modest. With that kind of combat power, ordinary firearms can't even scratch you anymore."
Franklin spread his hands helplessly. "You said it yourself — ordinary weapons can't hurt me. But the people coming for trouble this time aren't bringing ordinary weapons. And their own combat power might even surpass mine."
"Whoa… That sudden spike in your power really caught me off guard. I won't pry into your secrets, but Lin — tell me. Is there anything I can do to help?"
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
Two new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, 1 bonus chapter will be unlocked (capped at 500).)