The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

“Hmm.” Kiyama Harumi responded, “After listening to what I said, the doctor said that it was indeed something Kihara Gensei would do, and promised to investigate the experiment on the detonation of the out-of-control ability law. If everything is really as we said, and it was to induce a LV5 level esper to go berserk, he will intervene and gather the children who have fallen into a coma due to the detonation experiment. He told me to wait patiently for now, and he will call me as soon as there is a result.”

"That's good." Ishihara Akira smiled. "Then you can put your plans on hold for now."

Kiyama Harumi remained silent, whether out of reluctance to engage or feigning ignorance, and unwilling to discuss the matter further.

"So when are you going to develop my abilities?" Upon hearing this, Ishihara Akira decisively changed the subject.

"After you've had your physical examination and completed the relevant training," Kiyama Haruo replied.

"There's also knowledge training?" Ishihara Akira asked in surprise.

"Didn't you learn anything related to this when you were in school?" Kiyama Harumi glanced at him and asked.

"No," Ishihara Akira honestly shook his head.

How could an outsider like him learn such profound and mysterious knowledge?

"It seems you still have a lot to catch up on," Kiyama Harumi sighed.

The two then returned to the research institute...

"Aren't you going home?" asked Ishihara Akira, who had followed Kiyama Harumi back to the research institute.

"The research institute is my home," Kiyama Haruo said calmly.

"Uh……"

"And you, why aren't you leaving yet?" Kiyama Haruo asked in return.

"If I told you that I have no information in Academy City and therefore don't have a place to live yet, would you believe me?" Ishihara Akira asked with a somewhat embarrassed expression.

“I believe you,” Kiyama Harumi said calmly. “This also explains why you are so old but have not undergone any ability development experiments or learned any related prerequisites.”

After a pause, Kiyama Harumi continued, "So, you're an intruder who smuggled yourself in from outside?"

"That depends on how you define an intruder. If it's just about coming in from the outside without registration, then yes, I am indeed an intruder. But if it's about entering Academy City without registration and then causing damage, then I don't count. At most, I can only be considered a stowaway."

"I understand." Kiyama Harumi nodded, and stopped the conversation on that topic.

Or rather, she simply doesn't care about these things!

And he couldn't save his own students.

"Then you can stay here with me for now," Kiyama Harumi said again after a pause.

"Then I'll have to bother you." Ishihara Akira chuckled.

Kiyama Harumi didn't say anything, but just sat in front of the computer and operated something. Soon, sheets of paper slid out of the printer in the office, were finally sorted, and handed to Ishihara Akira.

"These are some relevant knowledge about skills development; please study them."

“So many…” Ishihara Sho said in surprise.

Most importantly, although he recognized many of the characters, the nouns that came together were completely incomprehensible, and he couldn't read through it without guidance.

"Um, there are a lot of terms here that I don't understand. Could you help me out?"

"What don't you understand?" Kiyama Haruo asked.

Chapter 24 Crystallization

Thanks to his current state—the benefit of a pure spiritual body—Ishihara Akira's learning is not as painful as that of a typical beginner, thanks to the comprehensive improvement in his thinking, logical reasoning, analysis, memory, and comprehension.

Moreover, with an expert like Kiyama Haruo providing one-on-one tutoring, the learning speed was incredibly fast, with significant improvement almost every hour.

Therefore, it's believed that it won't be long before Ishihara Akira will be able to complete all the basic knowledge related to ability development, officially enter the experimental stage, and unlock his own unique ability...

Besides that, there's a physical examination, plus adjustments to the body based on the data obtained—mainly regarding trace elements. There aren't any special requirements for physical strength; otherwise, first-grade students simply wouldn't be able to participate in the ability development experiments.

But what about reality?

In Academy City, many elementary school students not only underwent experiments, but also awakened their abilities as a result. Therefore, as long as certain basic elements meet the requirements, even if you are disabled, you can still pass the test and complete the experimental process smoothly.

However, this adjustment process will also take several days to complete, plus the need for knowledge supplementation. In any case, it's unlikely that Kiyama Harumi will be able to help develop the ability within the first week.

This also made it convenient for Kiyama Haruo to verify the power of the underworld's soul-tracing abilities.

And the feedback was quick. In just five days, Kiyama Harumi received a call from the Underworld Soul Chaser, informing her that she could go to a certain place to see the children who had been found.

Naturally, Kiyama Harumi didn't hesitate. He and Ishihara Shu drove to the location provided by the Underworld Soul Chaser.

In a large room converted from a medical research facility, Kiyama Harumi finally found the ten students who had been longing to see but had been unable to find—the students who had fallen into a coma due to the detonation experiment that deciphered the laws of uncontrolled abilities.

“Take a look, is it them?” said the Soul Chaser of the Underworld.

Kiyama Harumi then walked to the hospital bed, which was covered with wires from various medical devices, and looked at the children lying on it...

“Yes, it’s them,” Kiyama Haruo exclaimed excitedly.

"It's them, that's good." Underworld Soul Chaser breathed a slight sigh of relief.

“I have examined their condition. The surface injuries are easy to treat, but the psychological issues are a bit more serious. Although I have been trying to find ways to awaken them, I always feel that something is missing. Do you know why?”

"Something's missing?" Kiyama Harumi asked, frowning.

“It’s probably that thing,” Ishihara Akira suddenly interjected.

"You know?" Kiyama Harumi turned to look at him.

The same applies to the Soul Chasing in the Underworld.

"I have some guesses, but whether it is that thing or not depends on your research," Ishihara Akira replied with a slight nod.

"What is it?" Kiyama Harumi asked.

"It's something called an Ability Crystal, formed by combining the neurosecretions from these children's brains with the brain secretions from the target individual," Ishihara Akira replied.

"A power crystal?" Kiyama Harumi and Mingtu Zhuihun murmured in unison.

"So, the key is still with Kihara Gensei?" After a moment, Mingtu Zhuihun muttered with a headache.

Although he holds a rather extraordinary position in Academy City due to his connection with Aleister, even surpassing most school chairpersons, he can utilize a great deal of resources and connections to achieve his goals.

He simply wasn't interested in that area, which is why, to outsiders, he appeared to be just an ordinary, unremarkable doctor.

But once he gets moving, there's not much he can't do in Academy City.

For example, the effort to gather the children together this time was something that even if Kiyama Haruo had worked himself to death, he might not have been able to accomplish without his help.

However, as the pinnacle of Academy City's dark side and the absolute leader in Academy City's science, Kihara Gensei's status and power are not much less than that of Meido Tsurugi. So, ordinary things like asking for children are no big deal. Kihara Gensei will cooperate and admit defeat out of respect for Meido Tsurugi. But if it involves items from his core experiments, even if Meido Tsurugi asks for them to his face, Kihara Gensei will not give him any face and will treat him like he is talking nonsense!

That's why he's having a headache now, instead of being as confident as before.

“There’s no need to contact Kihara Gensei,” Ishihara Akira said, shaking his head.

"Oh?" A look of interest appeared on the face of the Netherworld Soul Chaser.

Even Kihara Gensei knew about it, and was aware of his hidden power, and even guided Kiyama Harumi to find him. This young man before him seems truly extraordinary...

Especially after he had someone investigate Ishihara Sho, and found that the name did not exist in the student database of Academy City, or even in the permission registration information of visitors.

They also developed a bit of curiosity about the existence and purpose of Ishihara Sho.

However, he also understood that curiosity killed the cat, so as long as he didn't provoke him or do anything that violated his principles, even if he was used by him, the Underworld Soul Chaser wouldn't do anything to him...

Moreover, saving these children harmed by Kihara Gensei was indeed something he was willing to do.

They wouldn't care about being used.

As for whether Kihara Gensei would resent him for his actions...

Do you really think that the Underworld Soul Chaser only saves people and doesn't kill them?

"Kihara Gensei has a granddaughter, I think her name is Theristina Kihara Lifeline? She was also a test subject in the out-of-control ability law analysis and detonation experiment you participated in back then, and she was the most crucial test subject! Because the ability crystal I mentioned before was created using Theristina Kihara's brain secretions as its core, combined with the neurotransmitters produced by these children when their abilities went out of control. So, as a beneficiary, the key substance that can awaken these children is now in Theristina's hands, so..." Ishihara Akira paused here, spreading his hands—

Even without him explaining what he was going to say, the two people present already understood what he meant.

"Should we find a way to get the things back from her?" Kiyama Harumi asked, frowning.

"Of course. But I advise you not to act alone. As the leader of the science faction in Academy City, the granddaughter of Kihara Gensei, and a member of the Kihara family, the power she wields is far beyond what a mere researcher like you can match. Without the assistance of a Level 5 esper, going there now would be like delivering yourself to the enemy. Not only would you fail to achieve your goal, but you might also alert her prematurely, making the children's awakening even more difficult." Ishihara Akira advised, looking at Kiyama Harumi who seemed to be deep in thought.

“A Level 5 esper…” Kiyama Harumi ignored him and continued to stand there muttering to himself.

Could it be that his own words have further solidified Kiyama Harumi's determination to develop and expand Fantasy Might Hand?

"Kihara's granddaughter? I'll try to investigate and see if we can get that ability crystal back from her through other means." Just as Ishihara was pondering Kiyama Harumi's change of heart, Meito Tsurugi spoke up again.

Chapter 25 is coming.

The three of them stopped discussing the topic and instead let Kiyama Harumi, who was a direct participant in the experiment to analyze and detonate the out-of-control ability law, and Mingtu Zhuihun discuss ways to save the children. Kiyama Harumi only stopped when Mingtu Zhuihun had to return to the hospital to work.

Afterwards, Haruo Kiyama and Akira Ishihara left the medical research institution where the children were being cared for—since there were professionals there to take care of them, there was no need for them, as laymen, to go and cause trouble—and drove back to the AIM Analysis Institute where Haruo Kiyama was currently working.

"Are you sure that without the assistance of a Level 5 superpower, it's impossible to obtain the power crystal from Theristina?" After returning to his office, Kiyama Harumi asked Ishihara Sho, who was studying the materials.

"If you don't believe me, you can use your privileges to search for Theristina's name and see her current position," Ishihara Akira replied with a smile, knowing that Kiyama Harumi was unwilling to give up.

Without hesitation, Kiyama Harumi immediately began searching the research institution's internal network for information on Theristina Kihara Leifrain.

"The current captain of the Advanced Situation Rescue Team and the director of its affiliated research institute!"

"See? She's not only the director of a research institute, but also the captain of that Advanced Situation Rescue Team. The forces she can openly mobilize are far beyond what an ordinary researcher like you can match. Not to mention, the Advanced Situation Rescue Team deals with all sorts of situations and disasters caused by ability users, and their equipment is among the most advanced in Academy City—" Ishihara Akira, who had also stood up and stood behind Kiyama Harumi while she was searching, pointed to the information and related pictures displayed on the screen.

"Look, this is a mecha! Are you sure your skinny arms and legs can handle this thing?"

The spring life of Mushan is silent.

"So instead of worrying about how to get the ability crystal from Therese, it would be more reliable to figure out which LV5 esper or several other LV4 espers can help you," Ishihara Akira advised.

“I’ll consider it. You should focus on your studies,” Kiyama Harumi said after a moment of silence, standing up.

Then, ignoring Ishihara Akira's expression, she left the office and disappeared from Ishihara Akira's sight.

"Looks like they're really planning to ramp up the sales of Imagine Breaker..."

Ishihara Akira shook his head, plopped down in the empty executive chair that Kiyama Haruo had made, picked up the materials he hadn't finished studying, and continued learning.

Instead of worrying about the safety of other students or getting involved in the plot, it's more important to focus on developing your own superpowers.

Besides, he's currently an unregistered individual, and the only reason Aleister hasn't come knocking on his door is because he's been honest enough. His goal is also very clear: he wants to become an ability user and join the scientific faction that Aleister has established. Therefore, even if he had such thoughts at the beginning, Aleister should have suppressed them by now and is simply continuing to keep an eye on him.