"You don't need it?" Hearing Kars's new decision after he returned, Patchouli was surprised he had suddenly changed his mind.
"Yeah, I suddenly thought that making you do so much might be too tiring, so I decided against it. But I still don't understand why Little Auntie wants me to go to the Terakoya in the first place." Kars complained, unable to grasp any benefit from attending that school.
Patchouli understood. The main reason was Kars's concern for her health. It seemed the issue had been raised during his conversation with Remilia, leading him to this decision.
"I'm happy you thought of me, but are you really sure about this? If you truly dislike going there, you don't need to agree just because of my health. I could actually arrange for Koakuma to help tutor you."
"No need. I agreed too quickly because I was concerned about your health, and if I back out now, Little Auntie will be angry. I was just too naive." Kars lamented. He blamed himself for going to the Human Village and for saying those things to Teacher Keine. If he hadn't, none of this would have happened.
"I'm also wondering if Little Auntie has some hidden agenda by specifically asking this of me." Kars felt Keine shouldn't be the one to do this, but his Little Auntie insisted, making him curious about her true thoughts.
"You don't have to worry too much about my health, you know. I'm already used to it."
"Don't say that. Those words are completely unconvincing. Every time you have a flare-up, you look miserable. How is that 'used to it'?" Kars clearly remembered the look on Patchouli's face during her flare-ups; it showed no sign of acceptance.
"But no matter what Little Auntie thinks, if I learn the curriculum ahead of time, I won't have to listen to Teacher Keine's lectures. Then she won't have any reason to keep me there." Kars had decided to learn the textbook material in advance. Otherwise, listening to Teacher Keine's lectures might result in him learning nothing and getting stuck at the Terakoya indefinitely.
However, the thought of listening to Teacher Keine's lectures made Kars's mind involuntarily shudder. He wondered how long he could endure that environment.
"Is that so? Then, good luck. If it truly becomes unbearable, tell me." Patchouli seemed to know something about Remilia's decision, perhaps a prediction made with her ability, which led to this course of action.
"Don't underestimate me! I believe I'm quite intelligent." Kars was confident in his learning ability. He believed he would definitely succeed in escaping the school.
"Then, I look forward to the day you achieve that."
"Hmph! Just wait and see." Kars was certain that day wasn't far off.
Later, as Fujiwara no Mokou was preparing to leave, Kars followed her to the Human Village, ready to return to the Terakoya.
"Kars, be sure to be careful there, understood?" Remilia cautioned, hoping not to hear any more terrible news.
"I know! Just you wait and see! I'll definitely surprise you!"
"I hope so. Otherwise, I won't know how to help." Remilia watched Kars's retreating back, observing the fate line on his body that others couldn't see, and let out a faint sigh.
"So, what is this now?" Kars looked at the Engineering textbook in his hands. It was filled with various mechanical concepts and instruments, which gave him an even bigger headache than the history book. He knew this subject was part of Teacher Keine's curriculum, but he hadn't paid any attention to it. Now that he saw the contents of the subject, he felt history was child's play!
And why did he need to study this? What use was it in Gensokyo?
"For this subject, I have specifically asked Nitori Kawashiro to help instruct you all." Kamishirasawa Keine introduced the small girl with blue hair and eyes standing beside her.
Kars glanced at the girl, whose hair was tied into twin tails. She wore a green sun hat and a blue exploration suit, with a large blue canvas bag strapped to her back. He had no idea what was inside.
"Well, what's the point of teaching these kinds of kids anyway?" Nitori muttered, especially after glancing at Cirno below. If that girl could understand what she was saying, Nitori would write her name backward. However, since she had already agreed to Keine's arrangement, she had to fulfill her duty and teach. Whether they understood or not wasn't her problem. Besides, she doubted any of them would understand what she was saying anyway. It might be better to teach these students how to make small gadgets.
Having decided on a course of action, Nitori pulled out various tools and equipment from the huge backpack behind her, starting with the most basic and easy-to-understand concepts.
Kars couldn't help but think that lessons not taught by Teacher Keine were actually bearable. At least he could grasp some of what Nitori was saying. Aside from the occasional technical jargon he didn't understand, he could generally follow along.
"It seems to be going quite well." Kamishirasawa Keine, observing the situation, felt it was better than she expected. She then started considering other potential instructors. For Math, she had thought of Ran Yakumo, but she rarely got the chance to contact her and wasn't sure if she had time. For Biochemistry, she considered Eirin Yagokoro from Eientei, but it was unlikely Eirin would come personally, though her disciple would probably suffice. And for Agriculture, the only candidate was the person from the Flower Field. Their relationship was quite familiar, and she remembered Yuuka Kazami was generally good with children, so that arrangement should work out.
Just as Keine was deep in thought, Nitori suddenly became interested in Kars.
"Do you have some kind of special energy inside you?"
Hearing this, Keine saw Nitori pointing an unknown instrument at Kars, scanning him. Nitori's eyes glowed strangely, clearly indicating something unexpected had occurred.
Nitori hadn't expected to make such a discovery while just helping out with a class. She hadn't anticipated such a strong potential energy reaction inside this student's body. Compared to the super high-temperature nuclear fusion reactor underground that might never be completed, this was the strongest energy reaction she had ever seen. The amount seemed small, but it could definitely be increased over time. Most importantly, the source was right in front of her! She had to find a way to obtain this energy.
Nitori beamed at Kars, her smile dazzling.
"Say, student, are you interested in Kappa technology?"
Kars: ⊙ω⊙