Chapter 17: Part 1 – “Stupid … it’s too Soon,” Boss Said

After Ig used her healing ability once, things progressed quickly. At first I experienced pain on a regular basis, and sometimes Ig healed me, but sometimes she didn’t. When she did heal me, I made sure to be overly excited and heap praise on her, and eventually, she started to actively make use of her healing ability. Roughly two weeks after using healing for the first time, Ig became able to use healing the majority of the times that she sensed pain or injury.

Healinglycogen’s growth rate isn’t very clear, though. Ig will absolutely refuse to use healing the day after using it frantically, which probably means that she’s experiencing growing pains, so it’s likely that the pace of her growth is once every two days. After two weeks, because it had grown to a certain extent, Ig became able to heal light injuries that were underneath a bandage. Even if the growth rate is extremely low, it’s not like it’s not growing at all. I can’t really clearly put it into numbers, but the growth rate is probably somewhere between 1.2-1.8, since the strength seemed to double .

I think applied training will be necessary sooner or later, since basic training is only about using Healinglycogen freely. It’s been about a month, and I’m still trying to think of a good way to teach Ig to apply her healing ability. At the end of February, when the cold of winter is dying down and spring is about to come, I clearly realized the shitty unfairness of Ig’s healing ability. To be frank, Ig’s Healinglycogen doesn’t need applied training. She could heal anything from the beginning (although, right now, her recovery rate is still rather low).

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First of all, I’ve already confirmed that cuts and bruises can be healed. It’s just, I’m not sure whether that’s due to natural healing or her healing ability. It’s well within the range of assumption. After that, I tested out Ig’s healing ability on burns and bone fractures. Particularly bone fractures, since – depending on the nature of Ig’s healing ability – there is the potential danger of it getting healed while in the wrong position and then getting stuck that way. It took a considerable amount of courage, but I broke the bone of my little finger and had Ig cure it. It took three rounds of healing due to Ig’s low degree of skill, but the broken bones returned to their normal positions on their own. The burn healed normally and left no marks.

Thirdly, I tested the effect of Ig’s healing ability on old wounds. Ig seems to have gotten a taste for healing; sometimes she spontaneously uses her healing on old womens’ teeth and lower back. When Ig uses her healing ability on her own old wounds, they get smaller; her bald patches have also started growing hair back. Seems like it can revive dead hair roots and even heal old wounds/scars; just what kind principle does this work on?

The fourth thing I checked out was its effect on disease and poison. I tried to get infected with the flu by purposely going to a place where it was prevalent, but Ig also cured that. I wasn’t able to instantly make a complete recovery because of Ig’s insufficient training, but I was cured by the end of the day. I even tried taking various poisons on purpose (They had been adjusted so there were no unpleasant side-effects remaining. Kaburagi-san persuaded a doctor who she was acquainted with from when she was a university student to make them.), but Ig was able to cure them, although it’s still not a complete recovery.

The final thing I examined was its effect on cells. I snuck Ig into wards of small hospitals in other prefectures in order to try to not leave any evidence, and had her use healing on cancer patients that were asleep in bed. There was a clear reduction in the amount of cancerous cells. Furthermore, when Ig’s blood was taken at the vet’s office three months after her first visit and compared to the blood taken on her first visit when she arrived in Japan, the results showed a difference in her estimated age. It seems that her cells had been rejuvenated, and she went from 9 years old to 7-8 years old. Ig’s healing was able to solve her cell failure problem.

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It’s amazing, unfair, and outrageous. Why is Ig able to display such an unbelievably versatile ability even with zero applied training? How long do you think I spent doing applied training with my psychokinesis by merely pushing and pulling objects in view? The answer is ten years, ten years! But Ig has no training, and she can do all-purpose medical treatment! What kind of baseline is that?!

Amaterasu’s brain, Kaburagi-san, also quickly threw in the towel when faced with such an unidentifiable and versatile ability. It’s definitely a “super” power alright. I’m so jealous that it’s making me mad. No, isn’t it amazing? I’m happy that Ig’s ability far exceeded my expectations. I’m happy, but I’m also mad.

Stop this “cheat” ability! Don’t mess with me! I look like an idiot, steadily persevering and expending a lot of effort to become an ESP’er!

However, even though I’m thoroughly irritated, that completely disappears when I find myself making eye contact with Ig’s wide eyes that have complete trust in me. Ig’s really unfair that way. There’s not even a hint of malice in those eyes, you know. Rather, there’s nothing but good intentions.

Besides, if I say that her ability is a cheat, then mine is too, since it has no growth limit. Shouta-kun’s high initial value is as well, so is Kaburagi-san’s 44 second stop, and so is Touka-chan’s daily growth. Everyone, somehow or other, has a prominent point in their ability. That’s just how it is.

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A common feature of originally sourced superpowers, such as Nenrikin, is that their growth occurs in a geometric sequence. This means that growth is slow in the initial stages, but at the midpoint there will be sudden, rapid growth. If you multiply 1 by 1.1, it only grows by 0.1; but if you multiply 1000 by 1.1, it grows by 100. Ig is also starting to show signs of rapid growth. In early March, she was able to reach a level of healing where she could completely heal serious illnesses within seconds. But she’ll probably reach her growth limit soon.

The healing environment for people who get injuries was almost ready. Before long, we’ll be able to have a ‘large scale battle event’.

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As an adult I tend to forget, but students are often busy dealing with student things. Shouta-kun and Touka-chan are in their second year of middle school. In a little over a month, they’ll be third years1. Before long, they’ll be taking their high school entrance exams. Kaburagi-san tutors them when she has time, but she isn’t always available to help them study. And a considerable amount of study time is going to be needed, depending on where they want to go for high school. Amaterasu’s activities are “officially” about protecting the world, but in reality, it’s about adding some ‘color’ to their youth. It shouldn’t be something that interferes with them studying for exams and causes a dark shadow to be cast over their futures. Schoolwork takes priority.

Fighting the world’s darkness from early evening to late at night simply eats into their time. “Alright, let’s get studying,” they may think to themselves, but the moment they’re told they’ve been summoned to go out and fight, they get frustrated and unable to concentrate. I decided to hold myself back and reduce the number of battles with the world’s darkness from now on. I’ll keep it to the degree where it’s just a break from studying for exams.

Kaburagi-san is taking care of Shouta-kun and Touka-chan. Hopefully, she’ll be able to distract them so they won’t become suspicious even though a reduced amount of battles = reduced amount of appearances of the world’s darkness. Kaburagi-san was supposed to be protecting Tokyo alone before Touka-chan became a member, after all. I mean, it’s not like the world’s darkness can read the mood and will refrain from coming out in order to let them study for exams. I wouldn’t dream of it.

Another reason for holding a ‘large scale battle event’ (besides being a chance to de-stress from exams) is that lately, there have been signs that fighting the world’s darkness has become boring. It’s mainly because of Shouta-kun.

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After the defeat event, Shouta-kun realized his skills were lacking, so he concentrated on training and refrained from fighting. Thanks to that, his [Eternal Force Blizzard] has reached absolute zero (though according to Kaburagi-san, it seems that it’s impossible to reach absolute zero, so he’s actually only as close as humanly possible to absolute zero), and it seems that he’s become able to manipulate the cold air that emits from his hands a little bit. He also devised an interesting skill; [Instant Weapon Formation]. By pouring out water from plastic bottles and condensing it with his cold air, he can form a sword or shield. Generally, he seems to be able to manipulate the shape and size of the cold air so long as it’s within arm’s reach.

Touka-chan also became able to make a sword or shield out of flames, after receiving advice from Shouta-kun. It also seems that their cold air and fire naturally have the property of being controlled remotely for 1-3m in any direction. If you consider the fact that their powers are originally from Nenrikin, it’s not strange if there is a slight remnant of it.

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Shouta-kun’s cold air is not just a cold mist, as seen from the fact that he can both emit it and manipulate it. Instead of cooling via the transfer of thermal energy2, it acts on the molecule itself to reduce molecular motion and cool it. As a result, things that are cooled by Shouta-kun’s cold air receive an increase in strength… apparently (this is all according to Kaburagi-san).

As I roughly understand it, normally, cold air slows down the movement by taking away the heat of an object. But Shouta-kun’s cold air slows down movement by forcibly stopping the molecules of the object. This results in the object’s molecules slowing down, which is the same as what happens when cold air takes away the heat, but the principle is quite different.

Normal molecules that have been cooled by cold air move slowly due to a lack of energy, and thus are easily broken apart. But molecules that have been cooled by Shouta-kun’s cold air have forcibly been stopped, so they won’t break apart as easily. In other words, the molecules being not prone to change = increase in strength, even if external pressure is applied.

Footnotes:

1: They’re in 8th grade and about to start 9th grade. Japanese schools are usually divided so 1st-6th is elementary school, 7th-9th is middle school, and 10th-12th is high school. The school year starts in April and ends in March ⇒ Japanese Educational System

2: Thermal energy is usually transferred using either conduction, convection, or radiation. Shouta-kun apparently bypasses all of that and affects the molecules directly. Read more about thermal energy transfer here ⇒ Thermal Energy Transfer