Prologue

The early morning of May 1st, before Kuro had ever set foot in the Academy Archipelago.

It was his sixteenth birthday. When he had presented his desired career path to the head of the Watarase family, her response had been ice-cold.

"I shall not permit it."

"No go, huh, Grandma?"

"That look is wasted on me."

The Matriarch directed a frigid gaze at Kuro, who was making the face of a grandson trying to wheedle a favor.

She was a woman whose appearance was youthful enough that one could easily believe she was Karane’s mother. Having a sixteen-year-old grandson while she herself was not yet fifty, it stood to reason that the title of "Grandmother" felt like a poor fit.

"No, but listen. If I can’t go to high school, what’s supposed to happen to my future?"

"You shall work for the Watarase family. With your abilities, you will be in high demand by every member of this house. ...Furthermore, Kuro."

Just as Kuro was resignedly thinking, So I’m entering the workforce as a middle-school grad, she spoke again, delivering the final blow to his future plans.

"You are to marry Karane."

How could one even begin to describe Kuro’s feelings upon hearing those words?

At first, he doubted his ears, thinking he’d misheard. Then, he tried to laugh it off as a joke. When he realized she was dead serious, the color drained from his face.

"...What are you even talking about, Grandma?"

"Karane must remain by your side to seal your power. Therefore, marriage is the most rational solution."

She replied in a tone that brooked no argument to the boy who genuinely could not fathom the intent behind her words.

This time, all traces of emotion vanished from Kuro’s expression.

"Have you... said that to Karane?"

"No. I have not told her yet. I intend to inform the girl on her sixteenth birthday."

"I... see."

"That is all. You are dismissed."

Following the Matriarch’s order to leave, Kuro returned to his room in a daze. He threw himself onto his bed, his thoughts halfway paralyzed, until a simmering rage began to bubble up in his chest.

—Be normal.

The head of the Watarase family told him that at every opportunity.

As a young child, Kuro had once lashed out in a fit of emotion and hurt someone. Power that cannot be controlled is a curse to others. Kuro knew the truth of the Matriarch’s words in his very bones.

His power was abnormal. It wasn't something that should be wielded freely in modern society.

So, he was fine with it. He didn't mind the restrictions on himself.

But what about Karane?

Kuro knew. If he hadn't existed, Karane could have lived a perfectly normal life.

Did he hate the idea of marrying her?

The answer was no.

She was strict but kind, and her sudden, rare smiles were adorable. Living with a girl of his own age like her, there was no way he wouldn't fall for her. There was no way he’d hate the idea of marrying the girl he liked.

Did he hate the idea of becoming a member of the Watarase family?

Again, the answer was no.

The Matriarch was harsh, but she never said anything that didn't follow logic. While there were some eccentrics among the Watarase relatives, they had all warmly welcomed Kuro despite him being a mere live-in guest. He had wished to become a real part of their family more than once or twice.

And yet, before he knew it, Kuro was upending his dresser. He dug through a mess of personal belongings, looking for the passport he’d made for a trip abroad years ago.

"Don't... give me that crap..."

A growl, sounding like a curse, leaked from Kuro’s lips.

—Be normal.

If they were going to force those words on him—if those words were so right—then at the very least...

"At least let Karane live a normal life...!"

It was all because of him.

The fact that she couldn't play with friends after school. The fact that despite her intelligence, she could only choose the same middle school as Kuro. The fact that she was great at sports but never joined a club. Despite her sharp tongue, she was kind at heart, a girl who was always the center of her class and could have become anything in the future—and yet Kuro’s existence had shackled her.

Because he was born with mana, how much of Karane’s life had been consumed until now?

He’d hoped that now that he was old enough to know better, he could leave the Watarase house and stop being a burden on her. That was why he’d requested to go to the Academy Archipelago.

And yet, her answer had been the absolute worst.

"Marriage? Marriage, she says?! Haha!"

Driven by a rage that left him with nothing but laughter, he threw the contents of his dresser onto the floor one after another.

She wanted to consume Karane’s life not just until now, but from here on out as well.

Just to keep Kuro "normal."

The decision made by the Matriarch—who had always been right until now—was too unbearable to stomach.

That was it. The Watarase house was no longer Kuro’s home. As of today, it was his cage.

"Just you wait, Academy Archipelago."

He grabbed the passport that had been hidden in the back of the drawer.

He had to go to a place where it was okay for him not to be normal. The only path left was to use his extraordinary power to carve out a place for himself where the Watarase family couldn't reach him.

He’d be damned if he accepted a "normalcy" bought at the cost of Karane’s future.

"If that place doesn't let me be who I am, I'll make 'em regret it...!"

Seeking a home in another world where his power would be the norm, Kuro ran away from the Watarase house.

When Kuro entered the principal’s office, three girls were waiting for him.

Laurier, Haruhana, and Pina. Seeing Pina, Kuro instinctively rubbed the bandage on his neck. Pina, whose inner little devil seemed even more refined than before, let the corner of her mouth curl into a smirk at his reaction.

Haruhana tilted her head at their interaction.

"Um? Did something occur between you two?"

"Nothin' at all! More importantly, let’s get started."

"Yes! We’ve gathered at Kuro-sama’s request, but first, allow me to explain the current situation."

With a beaming Pina prompting her, Laurier—who seemingly hadn't noticed a thing—raised her hand.

"While the decisive battle against the 107th Branch School was interrupted, we have received the bounty for subjugating the [Dryad]. Though it has been cut in half by Kuro-sama’s... somewhat over-generous distribution, it remains a considerable sum."

As promised, half of the [Vampire] subjugation bounty had been given to the Kaldi siblings. While Laurier couldn't quite hide her lingering attachment to the large sum of money, it was a fair distribution considering the information gathering they’d provided.

"With this prize money, our debts will be stable for a while. More importantly, now that Kuro-sama has enrolled, our school is in a position to participate in Counter-Battles. The problem is how we will compete with the two major schools."

"I’ve got a plan for that."

Tritonis was being targeted by the heavy hitters. To counter the fact that they were in an inescapable predicament, Kuro met the eyes of each girl in turn.

"Haruhana, Laurier, Pina. We can never forgive what they did to you. The two major schools did things that can't be made right just by getting back to a 'normal' school life. And if we leave them alone, they’ll just do it again."

These girls had been treated like pawns. They had been trampled as "weaklings" by the arrogance of the strong.

The enemy had pushed them to the point where they had seriously considered selling themselves off.

He had only one thing to say to people like that.

Drop dead.

"That's why we’re gonna take over the Academy Archipelago. We’re gonna become the absolute top and make the two major schools kneel. To be the top school in the Archipelago, we don't need a lot of students. In fact, it's better if we have fewer."

In the Academy Archipelago, there had never been a single school that could claim total hegemony. It was always the two major schools competing for the crown.

But there was one category that the students of the Archipelago recognized as the undisputed top, regardless of school affiliation.

"Because the pinnacle of the Academy Archipelago consists of only nine people."

Hearing the specific number, Laurier realized what Kuro was about to say.

"Could it be... you intend to gather the top of the million-plus students... the Single Numbers, here at Tritonis?"

"Exactly. The Single Numbers of the Academy Archipelago. We’re gonna monopolize the top ranks determined by the Bureau with Tritonis students."

"Oh! That would indeed make this a magnificent school!"

Haruhana, who was already ranked 5th, clapped her hands.

A school that monopolized the top students of the Archipelago with only nine members. If such a thing existed, it would be impossible to ignore. They would reign as the undisputed top school.

They would flip the weakness of being the school with the fewest students into a top-tier brand: an elite academy where only the absolute best could enroll.

However, the other two girls looked skeptical.

"That's impossible. We don't even have enough people," Pina pointed out practically. Even including Kuro, Tritonis only had four students.

But in this Academy Archipelago, there was one rule that could overturn any disadvantage.

"We just have to win the Counter-Battles."

Kuro spoke with conviction.

"Everything the Imperial School, St. Guinness, and USE did to you three... we’re gonna pay them back in full. We’re gonna swallow up everyone sitting pretty at the top and make Tritonis the strongest academy in both worlds."

Win the Counter-Battles.

Win, monopolize the top, and reach a position where not a single person can say a damn word against them.

"Kuro-sama. If you’re going that far, it goes without saying that you have an obligation to break into the Single Numbers yourself, don't you?"

"Of course. I’m gonna do it. Tritonis is aiming for a student body of nine. An academy where only the top Single Numbers of the Academy Archipelago are allowed to stay."

Kuro met Laurier’s provocation—her green eyes shimmering with anticipation—with a fearless smirk.

Kuro had come to the Archipelago searching for a place to belong. After many twists and turns, he was certain that Tritonis, which had become his home, would become the greatest school.

Because... he looked at the girls before him with pride.

With such wonderful schoolmates, there was no way anything was impossible.

"We’re gonna fill these empty classrooms with envy and fame. Let's seize control of the Archipelago and tell all those magicians in the major schools..."

Grinning at the beloved magicians who would become members of the greatest academy, Kuro declared:

"Drop dead!"

The moment the three girls nodded with smiles at Kuro’s declaration...

Their school life—blazing a trail through the Academy Archipelago that linked the two worlds—had truly begun.