Chapter 32: I refuse!
Even as Akira was desperately chasing after the two brown bears and making a big ruckus, the rest of the crowd surrounding them was actually in a stunned silence.
They were all staring at the strange and wonderful ways in which the Ice Energy was being manipulated by the strange and barbaric young man shouting about eating hearts.
For the students, they were spellbound by Akira’s skill and accuracy.
The frost curved with his every motion, precise and responsive. Spikes formed without effort, patterns wove along the ground with elegant symmetry, and every pulse of his mana seemed perfectly timed. Not a single shard was wasted. Not a single flicker of power was out of place.
"I have never seen anybody control their elemental energies with such dexterity. Not... not even the professors!"
"My God... Why are you so unfair!" A girl cried, slamming her fists against her thighs. "I’ve been training in elemental control since I was five days old! Five!! And I still can’t even sculpt a proper frost needle without shattering it!"
"Bastard. He is showing off in front of Shiina-san. So what if he has great control? His power is clearly still at a very low level. Hmph. I will teach him a lesson later!" A jealous voice growled from the back.
But not everyone was wallowing in envy.
Professor Tsunaka, standing in the front row with her clipboard forgotten at her side, had eyes wide enough to swallow moons. Her pupils sparkled like polished coins, and visible ¥ symbols glinted within them as the ghostly sound of cash registers echoed in her mind. Somewhere, the opening chorus of "Money Money" by LaLeesa was blaring at full volume in her imagination.
"S-rank control..." She breathed heavily, chest rising and falling rapidly under her silk academy robe, which was now straining to contain her massive twin peaks.
"A genius... Surpassing even Shiina?!"