Chapter 601: Redefining Normal, Genius Shinonono Tabane
Yuko clung to Ren's arm, her soft curves pressing against him with an unapologetic, lazy grace. For most women of her caliber—those who had weathered countless hardships and harbored deep, untold stories—they preferred a lover who took the lead rather than a timid boy. Yuko, however, simply enjoyed the warmth. She rested her chin near his shoulder as the bus rumbled along.
"Ren," she murmured, her tone laced with a languid curiosity. "I feel like Mana is acting very strange."
Riven, sitting nearby, gave a firm nod. If even the blunt, battle-hardened exile could pick up on the subtle emotional shifts, then Nakiri Mana's behavior was definitely far beyond the norm. Justice, however, remained uncharacteristically silent. Beneath her signature shades, a growing sense of unease gnawed at her.
Don't let the High Prosecutor's usual carefree, easygoing demeanor fool you; she was terrifyingly observant. She had noticed much earlier that Mana's mood was completely off-kilter. It wasn't malice or anger—just a deeply tangled knot of pure, unadulterated nervousness and conflict.
Justice had paid close attention to the timeline and confirmed one indisputable fact: Nakiri Mana was physically a young girl. Now, the demon was genuinely baffled. A teenage girl was somehow the mother of an almost eighteen-year-old child? This... this was simply too outrageous to process.
She kept her mouth shut, her mind spinning through countless wild theories, even entertaining the idea of advanced in-vitro fertilization or temporal displacement, before finally reining in her thoughts. This wasn't a secret that could be kept buried forever; Mana would eventually have to spill the truth herself.
Nami, on the other hand, paid absolutely no mind to the interpersonal drama. She sat quietly by the window, completely engrossed in a thick stack of navigational and meteorological materials, utterly unable to extricate herself from her studies.
Since it was the middle of a standard workday, the bus was mostly empty, leaving the group to enjoy a rare, leisurely atmosphere as the city blurred past the glass.
"Ren," Yuko spoke up again, her dark eyes shifting toward him. "Who exactly is that Dr. Shinonono Tabane? She seems utterly extraordinary... like a woman who holds the answers to the universe in her hands."
Ren leaned back against the seat, thinking for a moment before answering. "Tabane... you could say she stands at the absolute pinnacle of human intelligence and combat power. And yet, biologically, she is just a normal human."
A dry, amused smile touched his lips. "Tabane single-handedly developed a class of mecha with catastrophic combat capabilities. And, according to the rumors she herself propagated, only women possess the aptitude to pilot them. On top of that, Tabane and Chifuyu... well... how should I put this..."
Yuko tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. "They always claimed they were just an ordinary scientist and an ordinary teacher. Are they actually that outrageous?"
"Let me put it this way," Ren said, his voice calm and measured. "If Tabane woke up on the wrong side of the bed and felt like it, she could cripple every single computer network on the planet within minutes. She could effortlessly seize control of global satellite systems, military drones, and nuclear arsenals. In short, Tabane could erase a first-world country from the map before you even finished your morning coffee."
Yuko and the others stared at him, their expressions freezing in sheer disbelief.
Ren let out a soft sigh. "And that is just her brain. Their personal combat power is equally terrifying. Punching straight through military-grade armored vehicles with their bare hands, leaping off skyscrapers without a scratch—these are just normal, everyday operations for them. Tabane's intellect is just vastly more complete. She has completely mastered quantum physics, mechanical engineering, advanced biology, and virtually every other scientific discipline. Her brain operates like a high-precision quantum supercomputer."
Yuko swallowed hard, her usual lazy composure slipping for a fraction of a second. "No way... are those two really that monstrous?"
"Yes. You could easily call Chifuyu and Tabane modern-day Valkyries," Ren confirmed. "One leans heavily into absolute martial dominance, while the other leans into unmatched intelligence. But that doesn't mean Tabane is weak in a fight, nor is Chifuyu lacking in intellect. They simply chose different primary paths to walk. Both are walking natural disasters."
Justice leaned forward, adjusting her sunglasses with a frown of genuine confusion. "So, this Tabane just casually involves herself in a dozen different scientific fields? Why does she dabble in so much?"
"Because the foundational requirements to build her mecha demanded it," Ren explained smoothly. "Her medical and biological knowledge had to reach the apex just so she could perfectly map human physiology to make the neural interfaces of the mecha run smoother. She didn't just study those fields; she conquered them to serve her main project."
Yuko let out a long, dramatic sigh, leaning her weight back against Ren. "Those two are far too outrageous. I think I need to completely redefine what the word 'ordinary' means in this world... I suppose I'm much better suited to just being an ordinary, helpless goddess."
The entire group collectively rolled their eyes at her dramatic flair.
Riven, however, looked at her with blunt sincerity. "But... Yuko, aren't you an incredibly powerful Dimensional Witch? How does that make you ordinary?"
Yuko's elegant smile twitched. Leave it to Riven to completely shatter a joke with absolute, literal honesty.
Justice was about to chime in when she glanced out the window. The urban sprawl had given way to massive, verdant green mountains in the distance. She lowered her shades, whistling in surprise. "Good heavens! This Totsuki place is absolutely massive."
Yuko and the others followed her gaze, equally taken aback by the sheer scale of the culinary empire looming ahead. Yuko, who had seen the extravagant wealth of Hyakkaou Private Academy, blinked in genuine surprise. "This estate is even larger than Hyakkaou. The land area is absurdly wide. Is that entire mountain range in the back part of the campus too?"
Ren smiled, nodding. "It is. That is Totsuki's back mountain. If you wander back there, you can actually forage for high-grade wild ingredients. The academy actively encourages its students to plant crops and raise livestock in the wild, so you'll find plenty of students managing their own private agricultural plots out there."
The bus route didn't go all the way to Totsuki's main gates, forcing them to disembark and walk the remaining distance up the sprawling, tree-lined avenue.
Yuko matched her pace with Ren, her heels clicking softly against the pavement. She shot him a sidelong glance. "Given all this walking, it seems you haven't entertained a single thought about buying a car?"
"Buy a car?" Ren echoed lightly. "If I wanted one, I'd just buy a fleet for fun. But do you even have a driver's license?"
"You say that as if you have one!" Yuko shot back.
After two seconds of stunned silence, Yuko stared at him, her dark eyes wide with a very clear 'are you kidding me?' expression. You, a man who actually possesses a valid driver's license, refuse to buy a car? You are the kind of man who drinks Romanée-Conti like it's cheap mineral water! You casually flip solid gold coins just to pass the time!
Ren shrugged, his tone utterly casual. "I'm just too lazy to buy one. Besides, if I ever actually feel the need to drive, I can just make a single phone call and have whatever I want delivered."
Yuko waved her hand dismissively, letting out a soft, airy laugh. "You don't even have the free time to drive yourself around anyway."
"Exactly. So why would I bother buying a car?"
"That makes a terrifying amount of sense!"
As the group bantered, the towering, majestic main gates of Totsuki Culinary Academy finally came into view. Yuko looked up at the imposing architecture, shaking her head with a wry smile. "This school isn't just big. I bet trying to walk the entire perimeter once would literally break your legs."
Ren chuckled. "More or less. You have to remember, Totsuki has to account for massive industrial kitchens, advanced research facilities, and massive climate-controlled ingredient storage warehouses. It naturally has to be a bit larger than a standard high school."
"That's true," Yuko conceded. Then, a playful glint flashed in her eyes. "Oh? By the way, do you happen to know where Erina and the other girls live?"
"I don't know about them," Ren replied smoothly, "but I do know exactly where Rindou lives."
Instantly, Yuko, Justice, Riven, and Nami all stopped walking. Four pairs of eyes locked onto Ren with incredibly strange, highly suspicious expressions. The fact that Ren casually knew the exact location of a specific girl's dormitory was a massive red flag of information.
Ren sighed, waving off their piercing stares with a hint of impatience. "Don't overthink it. She just happened to mention the location to me in passing before."
"Oh!" the four women chorused in perfect, mocking unison.
All four of their faces clearly broadcasted the exact same thought: 'Sure, you say that, and we'll just pretend to believe you.' Ren didn't even bother wasting the breath to explain himself further.
As they approached the entrance, the security guard on duty immediately recognized Ren. Thanks to Senzaemon Nakiri's prior, strict instructions, the gates were opened without a moment of hesitation, allowing Ren to walk straight onto the prestigious grounds.
As they passed, the guard's eyes drifted over Yuko—who was once again elegantly clinging to Ren's arm—and then over to Riven, Justice, and Nami. The older man let out a wistful, emotional sigh. "Ah, it's good to be young and full of energy," the guard muttered, before adding with a perfectly straight face, "But I could have sworn it wasn't these specific girls you brought with you last time."
Ren's expression instantly flatlined. Behind him, Yuko, Justice, and the others immediately covered their mouths, their shoulders shaking as they burst into a chorus of musical, teasing giggles.
This guard, they decided, was an incredibly interesting man.
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