Chapter 26: Recognition Desire Monster (1)

“Uh, suddenly…? I’m a little taken aback.”

My words were admittedly a bit out of the blue.

As expected, Rone reacted with a guarded demeanor.

But it wasn’t a problem.

“It’s nothing serious. Just a sort of consultation. Gifts, by nature, are abilities that vary greatly from person to person, so doesn’t each student need in-depth conversations tailored to them?”

“…”

“And while we’re at it, if you have any personal concerns, we can address those too. Isn’t that right, Miss Rone Justia?”

“If… if it’s like that, then…”

Her wariness didn’t stem from her being the source of the rumors.

Though she was indeed the origin of the rumors, the so-called “host” of those rumors was unaware of their existence, let alone capable of controlling them.

In a way, like Muchia, she was merely another victim caught up in the rumors.

Thus, her guardedness was nothing more than the unease of suddenly being singled out by a teacher early in the semester— nothing beyond that level.

Once I provided a plausible reason, she easily lowered her guard. 

Well, not entirely, but enough to at least hear me out, which was sufficient.

“First, this lecture hall is needed for the next class, so shall we walk for a bit?”

“Yes…”

I led her out of the classroom and strolled through the academy grounds, steering the conversation as we walked.

There was no need for any probing. I had already gathered plenty of information through two regressions, and I had my Gift, after all.

“Miss Rone, are you enjoying life at the academy?”

“Ah, yes. Of course. It’s the finest academy on the Hifnia continent. How could I have any complaints? Honestly, I’m so excited every day that I can hardly sleep.”

“Yet, despite that, you seem to feel some underlying anxiety?”

“…!!”

For a moment, Rone— who had been acting as if she was too thrilled to contain herself— stiffened at my words.

“Haha, really? Do I seem that way to you?”

Of course, it was only for a moment. She quickly flashed a bright, cheerful smile as if nothing had happened.

If this had been my first regression, when I didn’t know much about her, I might have dropped my suspicions and taken her at her word.

But I wouldn’t be fooled now.

“Of course. I’m sure your excitement about Everlight isn’t a lie. You must genuinely be looking forward to your life here at the academy. But at the same time, isn’t it also true that you feel fear and unease about your life here?”

“…Do you know about that too, Professor?”

“I may not look at it, but I am a teacher. I’ve already memorized information about you and the other students. Teachers know far more about their students than the students themselves realize.”

That was a lie.

I knew about her not because I was a teacher, but because of my experiences from multiple regressions and my “Observation” ability.

But Rone, unaware of this, looked up at me with admiration and let out a sigh before finally opening up.

“You’re right. The truth is, I’ve been feeling uneasy ever since I enrolled in the academy. The reason is…”

“You’re worried that you might be a nobody at Everlight Academy, aren’t you? Before enrolling, you were confident in your abilities, but now that you’re here, you see that none of the other students seem lacking compared to you. Maybe you’re not as special as you thought. That’s what’s troubling you, isn’t it?”

“…You really don’t miss a thing, Professor Allen. It’s like you’ve stepped into my mind and walked right back out.”

At my words, which struck right at the heart of the matter, Rone finally let go of the lively, confident mask she had been wearing as the model student and revealed, for the first time, a hesitant and deeply troubled vulnerability.

I didn’t even need my Gift to understand her psychology.

When I hadn’t known what inner conflict she was struggling with, I couldn’t make sense of anything. 

But the moment I realized what was troubling her, her thoughts became crystal clear, as if I could grasp them in my hand.

If she was admitted to Everlight Academy, she must have had considerable intellect and a highly practical Gift even among Gift-bearers.

Naturally, she would have taken great pride in her abilities and believed herself to be special.

But at Everlight Academy, exceptional intelligence and a useful Gift aren’t unique traits— they are just the bare minimum, the basic qualifications everyone has.

The moment she realized that, the belief that she was special must have begun to crumble.

It’s a common story.

A high school student who was top of their class, standing head and shoulders above everyone else, goes off to university only to realize that in a place filled with other top students, they are barely scraping by at average. 

The despair that follows is so common it’s practically cliché.

“Actually, as you know, Professor, I was born the youngest daughter of the Justia Count household.”

Her ensuing confession proved that my assumptions were roughly correct.

Her family was a count’s household in name, but in reality, they were so minor they’d be quicker to count from the bottom of the nobility than the top— barely more than lower aristocracy.

Naturally, their wealth and resources were limited, and those limited assets were, of course, distributed unequally, starting with the eldest son and moving downward.

As a result, Rone, being both a girl and the youngest, received almost no support or attention.

It wasn’t as though she was abused or neglected, but she was far from being doted on or loved unconditionally.

On top of that, her petite and frail physique left her lacking in feminine charm, so she was never particularly adored or noticed, whether by her family or her peers.

The youngest daughter of a poor noble family in a small kingdom. 

That was the extent of her life.

But when she turned sixteen, everything changed— it was discovered that she was a Gift-bearer.

“So you realized you had a Gift at sixteen?”

“Yes. Before that, hardly anyone paid attention to me, so I never knew. But that day, by chance, something happened that drew people’s eyes to me…”

To have only realized she had a Gift so late in life…

That, too, was common.

Gift-bearers aren’t born with some grand, divine sign, nor does their body glow or anything when their Gift manifests. 

Most people live ordinary lives, growing up without a clue until one day, by chance, they discover they have a Gift.

In any case, once it came to light that she had a Gift— and one so powerful that even with her small stature and physical disadvantages as a woman, she could overpower grown men—  her treatment changed overnight.

Her priority within the family, which had always been dead last behind her siblings, suddenly rose to rival that of the eldest heir. 

In social circles where she had once been an outcast, she became an overnight superstar.

And thanks to that Gift, she was even able to enroll in Everlight Academy, a school reserved only for the world’s most elite students.

Of course, she believed she was special. 

And of course, she assumed that specialness would hold true even at Everlight Academy.

Before enrolling at Everlight Academy.

“So, the truth is, ever since I entered the academy, I’ve been afraid that I might not actually be special at all. That I’d go back to being the person no one paid any attention to.”

…So that’s why you secretly wished for the academy to be attacked.

If the academy were attacked, that would be your chance to showcase your Gift and shine.

That way, you could prove once again that you were a special student among Everlight Academy’s elite.

“I think I roughly understand your situation now, Miss Rone.”

“Huh? You didn’t already know about my circumstances?”

“Ahem! Simply knowing the facts of a story and hearing the person themselves confess their feelings are two different things.”

“I see. That’s… strange. This is definitely my first time talking to you, but for some reason, it feels like you’ve known me for a long time.”

“Haha. Must be your imagination.”

Now that I’ve managed to dig this far, should I just proceed with a normal counseling session to help boost her self-esteem?

Or should I advise her on a more moderate way to utilize her abilities, rather than hoping for an academy attack?

No. That’s impossible.

“By the way, Miss Rone. There’s one thing you haven’t been entirely honest about, isn’t there?”

“Huh? That’s everything about me. There are no secrets in my life—”

Rone looked up at me with puzzled eyes, as if she genuinely had nothing to hide.

Was she really keeping nothing back? 

Or had it never even crossed her mind that I might have guessed?

“Your Gift. Officially, it’s known as ‘Execution of Justice,’ but in reality, it’s something else entirely, isn’t it?”

“Wh— how did you—? Huh?!”

Realizing her slip-up, Rone immediately covered her mouth, but that reaction only confirmed my suspicions.

The reason I doubted her Gift in the first place was simple— even after she explained it to me herself.

She had clearly introduced her Gift’s ability to me.

And yet, my ‘Observation’ still showed her Gift as ???.

Even with Mucia, I was only able to discern the true nature of her Gift after prolonged observation.

There were only two possibilities.

Either she didn’t fully understand her own Gift and mistakenly believed it was ‘Execution of Justice,’ or she knew the truth but was deliberately hiding it.

And judging by her reaction, it was undoubtedly the latter.

“You’ve been hiding your real Gift.”

“…”

Ronée, who silently bows her head.

Perhaps she has no intention of speaking for herself.

Then I have no choice but to speak.

“I assume Ronée’s true Gift activation condition isn’t acting for justice, but rather receiving attention from others. A Gift that enhances physical abilities when she gains people’s attention, right?”

“How did you—!?”

“Didn’t you just admit it yourself? Until now, there weren’t many people who paid attention to you, so even you didn’t realize it. If your Gift truly was about acting for justice, there would’ve been no need to explain it that way— no need to claim it only manifested because people’s attention coincidentally focused on you.”

And back when she was dealing with the criminal organization Claw before the regression, she was particularly weak during stealth missions or when alone on rooftops.

At the time, I thought it was because stealth wasn’t a direct act of justice, or that she appeared weak on rooftops due to exhaustion. 

But in reality, it was simply because her Gift’s activation condition had nothing to do with enforcing justice in the first place.

[Rone Justia]

[Classification: Human / Female / Student]

[Gift: Stage Presence]

[Characteristics: She fears returning to being an ordinary person. Suppressing that fear and anxiety may be the key to resolving this urban legend incident.]

As if confirming my guess was correct, the previously displayed “???” in her Gift section finally began to reveal its true name.

“I— I’m sorry. The reason I didn’t disclose the truth about my Gift was…”

“Because claiming it was a power for enforcing justice made it easier to capture people’s attention, right?”

Honestly, her deception about her Gift being for justice isn’t that big of a deal.

What does it matter if it’s for justice or stage presence?

A little white lie like that is trivial.

The real problem is that her Gift, Stage Presence, has significantly complicated the urban legend’s resolution.

The solution I had in mind was to quietly restore her self-esteem through counseling or teaching her how to properly utilize her Gift— resolving things as discreetly as possible.

If the root of this urban legend was her lack of self-esteem, then restoring that self-esteem should naturally resolve the issue.

But while considering that solution, the possibility that her Gift might not be about enforcing justice arose, throwing a wrench in the plan.

Given that her Gift only activates when she receives others’ attention, a quiet resolution is impossible.

And if the problem can’t be resolved quietly, the process of restoring her self-esteem will inevitably become entangled with the urban legend, drastically increasing the chances of further incidents.

In her mind, she and her Gift are inseparable.

Removing the Gift and resolving her anxiety in a short time is impossible.

Of course, with enough time and careful psychological counseling, even that might not be out of the question— but in the time it would take for that counseling to work, the urban legend would likely destroy the academy ten times over.

The very method of resolving the urban legend would end up fueling it instead.

It was a dead end.

There was no way to raise her low self-esteem through ordinary means— or any means beyond that.

In that case, there’s only one solution.

If ordinary methods won’t work, then we’ll just have to use an extraordinary one.

“Miss Rone.”

I spoke to Rone, who was anxious after being caught in her lie, and she looked back at me with uneasy eyes.

The moment our gazes met, I parted my lips.

“By any chance, are you interested in club activities?”