“What’s wrong, Takahashi?”
The anglerfish girl Kondo asks the last of the trio… Can this group please just have a calm meal already…
“Th-The special advisor sensei…also a renowned calligrapher,Kitaoya Jigiyo-sensei…did some calligraphy for our calligraphy club but there’s a serious mistake…”
Why’s she inspecting it during lunch…
“What kind of mistake?”
“A…an extra dot…”
Calligraphy girl Takahashi says in a trembling voice, holding up a sheet of paper high.
[Shounen yo, tai shi wo idake]
[Boy, embrace your ambition!]
It’s kinda gotten a BL vibe!
“Wh-why would you make such a mistake…”
“Mr. Kitaoya is getting on in years, so a few mistakes are unavoidable, I suppose… Ah, but now we have a mistake!”
Takahashi raised her washi paper again.
Written there was—
[Fuji Hiroshi]
“This won’t do… It should have been [Oka Hiroshi]…”
Actually, normally, you wouldn’t choose individual names for this kind of topic…
“W-well, Mr. Kitaoya is quite advanced in age… So it can’t be helped.”
Takahashi had uttered some unsettling words, but she seemed to have corrected it to a more mature expression.
“Ah!”
…It seemed she found the third mistake.
“It’s not enough. …… Now it’s missing something.
“W-what’s wrong? What’s missing?”
“Umm… Originally, it was supposed to be ‘Golden Rule,’ but…”
Golden Rule… I think it meant something like an ‘absolute rule’ or ‘a principle that people absolutely rely on’… It’s an elegant choice, though not unusual as a topic.
However, the three pieces of washi paper that Takahashi raised for the third time read—
[Kintama]
[Gold Balls]
Is this guy completely senile?! This goes way beyond a simple mistake!
“Ah… The calligraphy club is completely done for… Even though he’s an old man, he’s still a respected and eminent figure. We can’t just throw away what he wrote… I have to display ‘Taishi,’ the blank ‘Hiroshi,’ and ‘Gold Balls’ in the club room… There’s no way new members will join next year!”
…But before that, it might be better for girls not to say ‘gold balls’ loudly.
“Ms. Takahashi, leave it to me.”
“Huh?”
With trembling shoulders, Takahashi was gently touched on her shoulder by Awayuki.
“Could you lend me your calligraphy tools for a moment?”
“W-well, sure… They’re in my bag…”
“Got it.”
Without hesitation, Awayuki took several tools from Takahashi’s bag and, with practiced hands, quickly ground the ink. Then…
“Young man, follow great ambition.” “Oka ○ Hiroshi” “Golden Rule”
She effortlessly wrote these three pieces of washi paper with graceful, flowing movements.
S-so amazing…
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
I have no understanding of calligraphy skills, but even to an amateur’s eye, it was clear that these three pieces were unbelievably skilled. There was no waste in any part—precise, refined, and beautiful, yet also creative… They were truly works that could be called art.
However, the most astonishing thing wasn’t just the skill itself.
“Th-this looks exactly like Mr. Kitaoya’s handwriting…”
That’s right. It appeared to be an exact replica of what the special adviser had written. It was so perfect that it seemed as if the person themselves had rewritten the failed work… It was an unnatural level of perfect mimicry.
“It can’t capture Mr. Kitaoya’s soul, but it should be a perfect replica in form. This way, we can display them in the club room without anyone noticing.”
“T-thank you… Thank you so much, Awayuki-san!”
“What’s going on?”
“It seems like Awayuki-san has solved the troubles of the ‘noisy trio’.”
“Wow, Awayuki-chan can do anything!”
“I’ve been saved so many times by her… She’s so amazing that it doesn’t feel like we’re in the same high school.”
“Exactly, Teio Ten Sai is amazing!”
While the entire class was getting excited, Awayuki herself maintained her expression as if nothing had happened.
“Hey, what’s with you? What’s not talented about that…?”
I shot a glare at Ohana next to me… Underestimating her is going too far.
“No, Daikyō-san, I said she lacked any specific talent.”
“What are you talking about? She displayed an unbelievable talent in cooking, short-distance running, and calligraphy in just a few minutes, didn’t you?”
“Yes, so I meant that she excel tremendously in everything, not just one specific thing.”
“Huh?”
“Basically, members of [Teio Ten Sai] are all incredibly talented in their own fields. They’re geniuses who unleash tremendous power in their specialties… But Awayuki-san is different. She’s the ultimate all-rounder… She’s perfect in every aspect.”
“All-rounder, huh… But doesn’t that mean she’s a jack of all trades and a master of none?”
“Hmph, Daikyō-san, you just don’t understand…”
…Why is she acting so self-important?
“Awayuki-san’s abilities are beyond that. To put it in simpler terms, she’s like a character with parameters…”
Ohana scribbled something on a piece of memo paper and showed it to me.
Other Ten Sai: C D C E D B D S S
Awayuki Tera: S S S S S S S S
“It’s something like this. By the way, if we talk about standards, SSS is a value that should eventually aim for the world’s pinnacle.”
“Huh?… Wait, aiming for the world’s pinnacle… No, well, if it’s Teio, it might be possible. After all, they have produced world-famous people before.”
Well, it’s crazy to think that there are ten of them…
“And S would be around top 10 nationally in ability I guess?”
“Top 10 nationally huh. Well compared to the world that’s one thing, but still prett– hold on.
…………………… Hmm? Wait a minute.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, There’s no way. These categories are like intellect, athletic talent, artistic skills etc. right…? And they’re all S?”
There’s a saying about heaven not giving twice, but if this is true then that would be the least of worries. Top nationally across all fields? Having just one world-leading talent seems far less outrageous.
“But that’s how it actually is, nothing can be done. Especially her academics are unreal, ever since enrolling she’s been first place in every test outside of year rankings. Being number one at the nation’s top school Teio means she’s not just top ten but the very pinnacle.”
Huh…? Smartest in Japan, perfect looks, and unmatched in anything you make her do nationally…?
“No…I’d heard the Ten are amazing but…that’s just absurd… Possessing talent in everything, is that even biologically possible?”
“I heard her brain development is different from normal humans. She’s already contracted with a global neuroscience corporation, and is referred to among top scientists as [A new possibility in human evolution].”
Wh-What…that’s textbook-worthy level…
“So in summary, among the so-called strongest Ten ever, Tera boasts the number one overall ability.”
In other words the top of the top…
“Why’s someone like that your first target…? You’re not thinking straight Mihaneya.”
“Fufun, isn’t it obvious? If you’re going after someone, it should be the pinnacle. Can’t have people saying stuff like [She was the weakest of the Ten] after beating them down.”
“Who would say stuff like some four heavenly kings…?”
More fundamentally, there’s no chance of Mihaneya defeating a Ten however weak.
“Fufun, well don’t worry. The truth is, Tera being top of the Ten also makes her the easiest to drag down.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Does she mean with Tera’s Japan-top ability, she only needs to surpass her nationally unlike the other global-level Ten…? No, even if she could exceed one area, Tera’s forte is her overall ability… Mihaneya would have to surpass everything to replace Tera… Still seems like highest difficulty to me…
“Dai-chan, do you know when the Ten members get replaced to begin with?”
“Hm? Oh right, I don’t actually know…”
Despite all that hype, the Principal didn’t teach me anything concrete. And I have zero interest in the Ten myself either, so never looked into it.
“Well there are some patterns but the simplest is fulfilling the ‘Victory Conditions’ set by the Ten members themselves.”
“‘Victory Conditions’?”
“Yes. Students sitting in The Teio Ten Sai seats must set ‘Victory Conditions’ over themselves. Stuff like [Defeating me in one-on-one combat] for example. Of course, doesn’t need to be so direct and dangerous. Even in academics or arts, just [If this happens I’ll cede my Ten Sai seat] – they decide conditions themselves like that. Clearly laying out chances to all students aims to intensify the battle for spots.”
The Principal did say communities without competition have no future…but that system seems flawed to me.
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