In the end, under Nao's persistent persuasion, Hakuto reluctantly sat up.
"If you have something to ask, do it quickly… I'm really sleepy…"
"Tell me everything you've calculated!"
The moment Nao said this, Hakuto was completely dumbfounded.
Wait, what? What did I calculate? And now you want me to tell you everything…
"(눈_눈)? What did I even calculate?"
"Huh? You're always acting like some cryptic mastermind, and now you're saying you haven't figured anything out?"
"Uh? I…" Hakuto was at a loss for words. How could he explain that these things weren't something he calculated but were simply memories he retained?
"Everything I've calculated… President, wouldn't it be better to just tell me what you want to know?"
"That works too…" Nao nodded. "Then, what is the side effect of your ability?"
To be honest, if this were a month ago, Hakuto might still be interested in hiding the side effects of his ability.
But now, there was no need for that. At the very least, he was certain that Nao wouldn't harm him.
And now that she was directly asking, there was no reason for him to keep it a secret.
"You should be able to guess, right, President?"
"I have a rough idea…"
"Actually, the side effects of my ability aren't too complicated—just excessive strain on my body and mind."
"No wonder you fell asleep during the concert last time…"
No… That was actually for another reason.
"You don't need to worry too much about me, President. I know my own physical condition better than anyone else, and I wouldn't do anything that harms me."
"If someone else said that, I might hesitate. But for you, I believe it."
"Huh? So my self-serving image is that well-established in your eyes?"
"Pretty much…" Nao nodded.
"By the way, if possible, I hope you can tell me everything you know, at least let me help in some way."
Nao was well aware that Hakuto was hiding many things from her, but she never pressed him about it.
First, because she trusted him unconditionally.
Second, she had witnessed the terrifying power of his calculations, so she didn't think she could even participate in the game he was playing.
Hakuto chuckled when he heard her words, though he wasn't sure if she could see his smile.
"Like I said before, if the sky falls, Otosaka Yuu, the one with the Plunder ability, will be the first to step up. After that, it'll be me…"
"Of course, if Otosaka Shunsuke isn't blind, then I'd have to rank third."
Although Hakuto believed his ability was strong, he still felt he wasn't on the same level as Otosaka Yuu and Otosaka Shunsuke.
After all, those two brothers wielded abilities based on fundamental rules—one could plunder, and the other could manipulate time.
Meanwhile, Hakuto's super-calculations were more like an extreme enhancement of his body and mind to an incomprehensible level.
If it were just a fight, Hakuto could probably defeat both Otosaka Yuu and Otosaka Shunsuke in an instant.
But the truth was, rule-based abilities had no weaknesses.
No matter how powerful he was, if Otosaka Yuu possessed him for five seconds, his ability would still be stolen.
However, when Nao heard his words, she furrowed her brows, a trace of confusion flashing in her eyes.
"In my memory, Shunsuke was extremely nearsighted, but he was never actually blind…"
"Huh?"
Now it was Hakuto's turn to be shocked.
While he had speculated that his presence might have changed things, he hadn't expected Shunsuke to actually avoid going blind.
"So there are still things you can't predict, huh…" Nao remarked indifferently after hearing his astonished tone.
"It's not that I didn't predict it—it's just a little unbelievable."
If Otosaka Shunsuke wasn't blind, then this changed everything. Even if he could only use time leap one last time, it was still an extra chance to reset.
And with Otosaka Yuu in the equation, plus himself, that meant they had several opportunities to redo everything.
Damn, at this rate, what are the researchers even supposed to do? They might as well just surrender now.
Can't win? Time leap! Someone died? Time leap! Plan failed? Time leap!
I'll just keep jumping! I can mess up infinite times, but if you make one mistake, victory is ours!
Memory Leap is god-tier! So is Plunder!
"So, you're still keeping secrets from me, aren't you?"
"Since the future is uncertain, telling you now wouldn't make a difference." Hakuto waved his hand dismissively.
Honestly, Otosaka Yuu's future of plundering every ability in the world wasn't exactly a secret.
But Hakuto wasn't sure if Yuu would become "I don't eat beef" level stubborn.
Besides, revealing this information wouldn't help anything—it would just add to Nao's worries.
"Since you say Otosaka Shunsuke isn't blind, then I guess I can afford to be reckless."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Heh… Sleep time."
"You're being cryptic again?!"
Hakuto ignored Nao and lay down to sleep.
What he meant by "being reckless" was that tomorrow, he was going to tell Otosaka Yuu about his own Plunder ability.
Originally, he had kept it a secret because he worried that Yuu's immature mindset might cause him to lose himself.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have hidden it from the start.
But now, if Otosaka Shunsuke could still use Memory Leap, then even if Yuu did go off the deep end, they'd still have a reset option.
Hakuto wasn't about to kill Otosaka Yuu—after all, if he did, who would save the world?
"By the way, President, when was the last time you saw Otosaka Shunsuke?"
"A few months ago… Why?"
"Nothing."
Hakuto's only concern now was whether Shunsuke had somehow ended up blind due to some special circumstances.
If that happened, then he wouldn't have the luxury of playing around—because if he accidentally broke Otosaka Yuu, the world would descend into chaos.
That said, he had a feeling that Yuu wouldn't lose himself so easily. If anything, he'd only start getting drunk on power after collecting a significant number of abilities.
But what Hakuto didn't know was that, at this very moment, somewhere else, Otosaka Yuu was staring blankly at his own hands, unable to speak.
Beside him, Takajo Joujiro and Nishimori Yusa stood silently, not knowing what to say.
Perhaps Hakuto didn't even need to push things—Otosaka Yuu was already walking down that path on his own.
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