Chapter 174: A Glimpse Into Yuzuki Nozomi’s World, Who Is He? (2)

Yuzuki slowly lifted his head from his phone after hearing his name echo throughout the enormous hall.

’What? Already?’ he grumbled inwardly.

’Haa... I thought my name would be called later.’

Around him, several students had already turned their attention toward the middle rows, curious about the next person being called.

Yuzuki let out a small sigh before sliding his phone into his pocket and standing up from his seat.

The young man beside him looked up nervously.

"Good luck, man," he said quietly.

Yuzuki only sighed again as though the words themselves were troublesome to hear.

’Whatever...’

Then, with both hands lazily inside his pockets, he slowly began walking down the rows of seats toward the stage below.

The countless eyes inside the hall naturally followed him.

Some students looked nervous for him.

Others simply looked curious. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Under the pale lights shining from above, Yuzuki calmly stepped onto the massive platform where the evaluation device waited at the center.

Up close, the device looked far larger than it had from the seats above. A massive crystal sphere floated above a circular silver pedestal covered in glowing lines and strange designs.

Several staff members stood nearby observing quietly.

Asuka gave him a gentle smile once he stopped before the device.

"Student Yuzuki," she said calmly while checking the floating screen beside her. "Please place your hand onto the center of the device and remain still until the synchronization process is complete."

"Yeah..."

Yuzuki answered absentmindedly before raising one hand toward the pedestal.

’Just give me an E-rank or something... and let it be done.’

The moment his palm touched the surface, the glowing patterns beneath the crystal suddenly lit up.

A faint humming sound spread throughout the stage.

The floating sphere above began releasing streams of pale blue light that slowly wrapped around Yuzuki’s body.

Several students leaned forward from their seats.

The hall gradually quieted down.

Then the light suddenly intensified.

Bright light rapidly appeared around the device one after another as the crystal emitted a sharp pulse of energy that spread across the entire platform.

The floating screens flickered violently.

One of the nearby staff members widened his eyes.

"Wait... t–the energy rate is rising too quickly..."

Another screen flashed.

40%.

57%.

71%.

The numbers continued climbing at terrifying speed.

Then finally... the entire crystal sphere exploded with brilliant golden light. A large glowing letter appeared across every floating screen in the hall.

[97% A-RANK POTENTIAL]

For a brief moment, complete silence filled the enormous hall.

Then the entire place erupted.

"Woah, woah!! What the hell!?"

"97% A-Rank!? Holy Shet!!"

"No way, no way... seriously!?"

Even several staff members nearby looked visibly shocked while staring at the floating screens. One of them quickly adjusted his glasses as though doubting what he had just seen.

"Asuka-san... the evaluation result has been verified."

The woman herself blinked in surprise before slowly regaining her composure.

Meanwhile, loud voices continued spreading throughout the seats.

"An A-Rank Potential! This is the second person in our hall who got that!"

"Damn... I wished that was me!"

"Ah, he probably has the highest chance to apply for enrollment into Tenryuu Academy now!"

"That’s insane... I’m freaking jealous!"

All of them stared at Yuzuki with envy, amazement, and disbelief.

An A-Rank Potential was not something people saw often. For most students, even obtaining a D-Rank would already be enough to completely change their future.

Yet standing in the center of all that excitement, Yuzuki only clicked his tongue softly.

’Shit. Why the hell did I get an A-Rank potential...’

Instead of excitement, annoyance quietly appeared across his face. The reactions around him only made him feel more bothered.

Asuka looked at him strangely for a brief second before offering a polite smile once more.

"Congratulations, Yuzuki Nozomi," she said warmly.

"Your first evaluation has officially been completed."

A nearby staff member stepped forward respectfully.

"Please proceed to the secondary assessment room for your talent analysis."

*****

[Asuka’s POV]

After finishing the evaluations in Hall 2, Asuka quickly headed toward the private assessment room where Yuzuki’s secondary evaluation was being conducted.

’Amazing... amazing! This is truly incredible! Who would have thought this school would produce two students with A-Rank potential?’ she thought excitedly, her face brightening with joy.

Having an A-Rank Potential nowadays was incredibly rare among the new generation, to the point that even a single appearance would be enough to attract the attention of major organizations, and spread across the country like wildfire.

’Thank goodness... this is really good news.’

But the moment she turned the corner leading to the room where that young man was undergoing his secondary evaluation, her steps slowly halted.

There was commotion ahead.

Several staff members had already gathered near the door, their expressions filled with shock and disbelief as hurried voices spread through the corridor.

Asuka blinked in confusion.

’Hmm? What’s going on over there?’

One of the staff members noticed Asuka approaching and quickly turned toward her.

"Ah, Inspector Asuka..." he called out nervously.

Asuka stopped right in front of them, slightly frowning after noticing the strange atmosphere surrounding the room.

"What’s the matter?" she asked. "How did the boy’s secondary evaluation go?"

The three staff members exchanged awkward glances with one another.

A heavy silence briefly filled the corridor before one of them finally let out a defeated sigh.

"Yeah... about that..."

He hesitated for another second before lowering his voice.

"The kid ran away."

Asuka’s eyes instantly widened.

"...WHATT!?"

Asuka could only stare at them in disbelief.

There had never been a case like this before.

Who in their right mind would run away immediately after receiving an A-Rank Potential evaluation?

And more importantly...

How did he even manage to slip past the security inside the facility?

"Why didn’t any of you stop him!?" she asked sharply, unable to hide the frustration in her voice.

The staff members visibly flinched.

"W-we didn’t know he was planning to escape," one of them explained anxiously. "He said he needed to use the bathroom, so we allowed him to leave for a moment. But he never came back."

Another staff member quickly continued.

"When we went to check on him afterward... he was already gone. He wasn’t even inside the bathroom."

Asuka immediately pressed one hand against her forehead.

"Haa..."

A deep sigh escaped from her lips as a headache slowly began forming.

An A-Rank Potential holder had just disappeared from the facility right under their noses.

This was going to become a nightmare once the higher-ups heard about it.

After calming herself slightly, Asuka lowered her hand and looked toward one of the examiners nearby.

"Do you still have his personal records and background file?"

"Y-yes, Inspector."

"Good," Asuka replied immediately. "Bring everything to me. Right now."

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[Chapter 174: A Glimpse Into Yuzuki Nozomi’s World, Who Is He? (2)]