On how PhDs become human evil

The girl unconsciously tightened her grip on the cuffs of her uniform. Then—

"Give me your name."

A voice came from the other side of the curtain. The tone was serious, but not cold; it was a female voice that was younger than expected and carried a hint of laughter.

"My surname is Himehira. Himehira Yukina."

A moment's hesitation, and the girl answered. Her voice trembled slightly with nervousness. But the woman on the other side of the curtain paid no heed and continued to question the girl.

"And your age?"

"It will be fifteen in four months."

"Is that so... Himeragi Yukina. You started your training seven years ago, right? Immediately after your seventh birthday... On a cold, snowy night, you were brought to the mechanism alone. Do you remember what happened that day?"

The woman on the other side of the curtain seemed to be talking to herself when she suddenly asked Yukina a question. Yukina felt a chill run down her spine. The other woman hadn't done any prior investigation; she had simply read Yukina's memories. An overwhelming extrasensory perception completely disregarded the mental defenses Yukina had erected.

"No... I only have vague memories."

Yukina shook her head slightly. This wasn't true, and the other person probably realized that too. But the woman didn't correct her; instead, she continued to question her:

"Your grades seem to be quite good; Yuantang praised you highly."

"Thank you for your compliment."

“I’ve worked with Yuantang a few times; she’s an exceptionally skilled magic user. The spell you used for your mental defense barrier shares the same characteristics as hers. What else did you learn from Yuantang?”

"All kinds of spells and witchcraft, as well as illusions and warding off evil."

"What about magic? That should be Yuantang's specialty."

"I've studied a portion of the mainland system, but I've only been exposed to the basic theories of Western magic."

"What about experience fighting demons?"

"As for simulated combat, I received about two intensive training sessions at the training facility. I haven't had any real combat experience."

What about martial arts?

"I can. Let's just say I can."

"Really? That's good."

From the other side of the curtain came the sound of a woman smiling.

"--Hmm?"

In an instant, sensing the sudden surge of murderous intent, Yukina leaped into the air.

She stomped hard on the wooden floor, flipping herself backward and landing on the ground. This wasn't a conscious action; it was her body sensing danger and moving unconsciously.

The slashing blade cleaved through the air, sweeping across the spot where Setsuna had just been sitting.

If she had been even a fraction slower, Yukina would surely be dead. That was a serious strike delivered with a real sword.

Two tall, armored warriors emerged from the darkness as if cast from metal.

A faceless samurai wielding a rough katana, and a four-armed samurai with bows drawn on both sides.

They don't possess physical forms; they are shikigami created through magic. It's likely one of the three on the other side of the curtain was responsible. But before understanding any of this, Yukina switched from defense to offense.

"Roar!"

Setsuna chanted a short incantation, concentrating her magical power in her palm, and then, through the shikigami's armor, channeled that power directly into its interior.

The armored warrior's figure vanished instantly, leaving only the katana he had been holding.

Yukina caught the katana used as a catalyst for her shikigami in mid-air. Using the stolen katana as a defense, she blocked the attack of the second armored warrior, then swiftly slashed him in half at the waist, cutting the opponent who had just fired his arrow in two. The second armored warrior was also eliminated in the process.

"Excuse me... what does this mean?"

Yukina was slightly out of breath as she raised her katana towards the curtain.

She had no intention of fighting the shikigami again. If the battle dragged on, Yukina, being at a disadvantage in strength, wouldn't stand a chance. Even if her opponents were the elders of the Lion King Organization, if they wanted to continue their amusement, she would have to subdue the caster directly. That was Yukina's assessment.

Sparse applause came from the other side of the curtain, as if those people had been waiting for Setsuna to make such a statement.

"Hahaha. Not bad judgment, Yukina Himeragi. You did a great job."

The man could be heard laughing contentedly; his voice was low and deep.

Then came a voice whose age and gender were indistinguishable:

"A prodigy who is not skilled in curses and divination, but possesses outstanding talent in spiritual vision and swordsmanship... As the report states, she is a typical swordsman. Let's just give her the qualification for now."

"qualified……?"

Yukina frowned unhappily at the sound of the elders talking coming from the other side of the curtain.

“That’s right. You originally needed to train for another four months to qualify as a sword sorceress. But things have changed—sit down, Yukina Himeragi.”

The first woman spoke up. Yukina reluctantly obeyed, returning to her seat and sitting upright, then sighed and put down her katana.

"Alright, let's get down to business."

"Yes."

"Good answer. First, take a look at this."

As soon as these words were spoken, something appeared through the gap in the curtain. It was a butterfly.

The butterfly fluttering its wings quietly in front of Xuecai transformed into a photograph.

The photo shows a male student in a high school uniform. It seems someone secretly took this picture of him chatting and laughing with his friends. He looks completely unguarded and appears ready to take advantage of any opportunity.

However, the focus was not on the male student. In a corner next to him, a red-eyed boy with white hair, just like him, was circled in red, indicating that he was the one in the spotlight.

"Ashiya Dōryū, have you ever heard of that name?"

"I occasionally hear from my master that he was a child prodigy of the Ashiya clan."

"This child prodigy ran away from home to Itogami Island half a year ago. Now the Ashiya clan has entrusted us to bring him back, but unfortunately, unless the three of us take action, we really can't bring that child prodigy back. So we chose a compromise."

The woman behind the curtain passed an item through a gap in the curtain; illuminated by the campfire, it was a silver spear that was visible in the darkness.

"Type 7 Assault Demon-Slaying Machine Gun. Gun inscription: 'Snowy Wolf'."

The woman behind the curtain revealed the name of the gun.

The Type 7 Assault Demon-Slaying Machine Gun is a weapon developed by the Lion King Organization to combat demons with special abilities. Its gun tip is forged using advanced metal refining technology and has a sleek appearance similar to the latest fighter jets, making the name "machine gun" quite fitting.

However, due to the use of an ancient treasured spear as the core of the weapon, mass production is difficult, and it is said that only three exist in the world. Among weapons that an individual can wield, this can certainly be considered the strongest, a secret weapon of the Lion King Organization.

"Himeki Yukina, this gun is yours now."

Yukina's mind went blank for a moment.

The Lion King Organization's secret weapon for himself? For a mere apprentice swordsman?

"You're going to... hand this over to me?"

Yukina took the gun handed to her and asked incredulously.

But the woman let out a deep sigh.

"Since your opponent is that child prodigy, we would like to provide you with stronger equipment before you set off, but as things stand, this is the strongest martial artifact we can prepare. Would you be willing to accept it?"

Although it is said to be a weapon against demons, the Snow Wolf itself is far more powerful than ordinary weapons. As the woman said, it is the strongest weapon that the Lion King Organization can currently produce.

"In the name of the Three Saints, we hereby order you, Himeragi Yukina, to transfer to Itogami Island Ayakai Academy. Do everything in your power to get close to Ashiya Dōryū and monitor his every move. Report any developments to us. We have already taken care of your transfer procedures. —That's all."

After giving these instructions unilaterally, the elders on the other side of the curtain disappeared from the scene.

Left alone in the worship hall, Yukina forgot to breathe, staring blankly at the gun in her hand.

"Am I... am I involved in some really big event?"

P.S.: I believe most people have already read this chapter, so I'm too lazy to write it myself and just copied and pasted it. Please don't attack me (I'm just trying to stay safe).

Section 372, paragraph 9. The Arrival of the Watchers

"Ugh... I'm going to die, I'm really going to die..."

In a family restaurant in the afternoon, Xiao Gucheng, wearing his ever-present white hooded jacket, was slumped over the table with several mostly blank exercise books spread out in front of him.

The situation is obvious; Xiaogucheng is currently in a frantic rush to finish his summer homework, but unfortunately, he rarely pays attention in class, so he doesn't understand the assignments at all. —A typical lazy student, so real it's outrageous.

But that wasn't the reason why Xiaogucheng felt he was about to die. The real reason he wanted to die was the three people sitting around him.

Bai Jie, Ai Yu Asan, and Yaze Motoki.

Bai Jie was ranked first in his grade, so his learning ability was beyond question. He finished all his summer homework in the first week of summer vacation, and has been wasting his time ever since.

Lan Yu Qiancong, while not exactly a top student, was close. She finished her summer homework only three or four days later than Bai Jie. Moreover, as the official electronic programmer of the artificial island management commune, it was incredibly easy for her to have artificial intelligence do her homework during her spare time at work.

Aside from the two good students mentioned above, Yase Motoki is about the same as Akatsuki Kojo, but unfortunately, he had already asked Bai Jie for his homework a few days ago and copied it.

So, to sum it up, of the four of them, only Akira Kojo is still a disappointment who hasn't finished his summer homework.

"Speaking of which... I've always had a question I want to ask," Kojou Akatsuki said weakly, raising his notebook. "Why do I have to retake so many subjects?"

Including two subjects each in English and mathematics, Xiaogucheng was required to retake a total of nine subjects, plus a half marathon in physical education skills.

Very few people will encounter this situation during the last three days of summer vacation.

In response to Xiao Gucheng's question, Bai Jie, holding a cup of cola, laughed and said, "Isn't this your own fault? Count how many times you've missed classes this semester. You skipped class every day without fail, and even missed several final exams. It's already a great mercy from Teacher Nangong that you were only given a make-up exam instead of being made to repeat the year."

"I already said I had unavoidable circumstances at that time... My physical condition is not suitable for taking exams early in the morning."

Although he appears to be an ordinary high school student, Kojou Akatsuki became the world's strongest vampire, the Fourth Progenitor, half a year ago. In other words, he is an incomplete vampire. For him, being exposed to the sun is a deadly thing, and Itogami Island is notoriously hot. It is already afternoon, but the temperature outside is still as high as 30 degrees Celsius.

(P.S.: The author made a bug here. In the original work, Kojou Akatsuki had only been a True Ancestor for three months at this point, but in my work, it has been half a year. This is a bug caused by me not paying attention to the time. Please forgive me.)

In view of this, Xiaogucheng, this half-baked fourth progenitor, arrives at school almost late every day, and skips all the morning exams without exception.

Logically speaking, Xiao Gucheng's attitude towards learning would inevitably lead to him repeating a grade. However, Nangong Nayue knew his situation and understood his difficulties. Therefore, the only punishment for his exaggerated number of absent days and exams was to make up for the exams and attend summer classes—seven days a week.

"Well, anyway, you brought this all on yourself. You'd better figure it out on your own, bro."

"Please don't make it sound so easy."

"If you feel tired, I can do your summer homework for you."