From a distance, Sougo anxiously watched Haruto, who was the last to be evaluated.
She wanted to be by his side in this situation, but the other students were currently asking her for advice.
Her attention was stolen by the princess, who had lost interest in the other heroes and was now approaching Sougo. Sougo couldn't tell what the princess's intentions were.
"Princess... Do you need something?" Sougo asked as she slowly turned toward the princess. Sougo wasn't sure how to address such a noble figure, especially one who hadn't even shared her name. In fact, not even the man in black armor had introduced himself.
Ever since the entire 2-B class was summoned to this new world, Sougo had been at an impasse about how to respond. She knew that, with everyone feeling lost, she had to act as a beacon of hope for them. That was her job as a leader, as the president of the student council.
But even so, her heart was hesitant. She was just as scared and confused as the other students, but her sense of responsibility wouldn't allow her to falter.
Before the princess arrived, Sougo had been observing the other students, particularly Sakurai, Kensuke Arata, and Yuto Nakamura. The first two had talents of over 90%, while the latter scored below 70%. Coincidentally, this group made up the delinquents of the school.
Sougo was cautious of these three, as they were known for causing trouble. Now that they had even more power at their disposal, she couldn't predict what they might do.
The third person, besides herself, to have a talent score above 90% was Aoi Takamura, a girl who sat at the back of the class. She was one of the smartest in 2-B and had also wanted to become the class representative but lost to Sougo.
Sougo knew how shrewd and ambitious Aoi was. In fact, she was familiar with the personalities of everyone in her class. But even though that was true, and she understood Aoi on a surface level, she didn't know what to expect from her.
She was worried—worried that her class, full of teenagers, might cause problems in this world. The responsibility of being a hero was far too great for people who hadn't even matured yet.
"Akari!" a girl shouted as she approached Sougo. Her black hair streaked with pink reflected her extravagant personality. That was Erina Suzuhara, Sougo's closest friend and the leader of the gals in class 2-B. Despite their contrasting personalities, Sougo and Erina were childhood friends who had grown up together.
"Erina..." Sougo replied, her voice slightly low. She could see Erina's group following her slowly.
"This whole thing is insane, huh? I didn't expect to be saddled with so much responsibility before even finishing high school!" Suzuhara said, her voice exuding charisma and carefree energy.
"Sigh... Yes, that's what I'm worried about right now," Sougo replied as she slowly turned her gaze toward King Kailandor. "That king... Does he really know what he's doing? And besides, I don't remember seeing any gods during the teleportation..." she murmured to Suzuhara while keeping a suspicious look fixed on Kailandor.
Erina, still carefree, glanced toward the king. "Hmm," she thought, before turning her gaze back to Sougo.
She knew full well how much her friend worried about those she was supposedly in charge of and understood the weight on her shoulders. "Hey!" Erina said with a smile on her face, catching the president's attention. "You know there's no point in stressing about this now, right? We don't know anything yet, so we should focus on gathering information first." Despite her personality, Erina was very smart and cautious. "Let's keep a low profile for now," she said, looking Sougo in the eyes with her purple gaze.
Sougo knew her partner very well and trusted that her judgment was correct 90% of the time. So she simply agreed and decided to tone down her concerns for the moment.
"By the way, what did you get, Erina? I wasn't really paying attention—Sakurai was busy bragging to me about his class and talent," Sougo asked, trying to lighten the mood and out of genuine curiosity.
"Hmm... The old man couldn't identify my class for some reason, but he did get my talent!" Erina proclaimed. "87%! That's what I got!" Pride radiated from her voice as she tried to show off to her friend.
"Heh. That's good, I didn't expect anything less from you." Sougo reached out and gently patted Suzuhara's head, appreciating her potential.
After some time, the princess approached Sougo and the other girls. Her expression remained mysterious, her actions unclear, but it was evident that she was interested in Sougo, whose attention was now diverted from Haruto to the princess.
"Hero Akari, I believe I haven't introduced myself properly, have I?" the princess asked, her posture as elegant and graceful as her hair and dress. "My name is Alicia von Eldraéthia. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine, Princess," Sougo replied, bowing.
"There's no need for that, hero! You are one of the people destined to save the kingdom—it is I who should show respect to you," the princess responded to Sougo's action. The other girls remained in the background while Erina continued to observe Alicia's behavior.
"I came here to express my gratitude to all of you for answering the call and coming to save the kingdom," Alicia said, placing her hand on her chest. "You, who have proven to be the leader of this group, I'm here to announce that tomorrow, after you've had time to rest, you'll be taken to a training field to test your abilities."
Sougo raised her head and signaled her agreement. "We'll do our best to meet your expectations, Princess," she replied.
"Haruto Tanaka. The Talentless One... 0% talent," Sougo heard Negulos announce. She was instantly shocked and confused, her expression betraying her disbelief. '0%? That's impossible!' she thought. She didn't want to believe that Haruto possessed such a low level of talent.
The people in the hall all displayed expressions of pity. Even the king looked disappointed. The princess didn't pay attention—she simply closed her eyes to it.
Sakurai was laughing harder than he ever had in his life, and the same went for his friends. But for Sougo, it was different—she was stunned.
Kailandor signaled for the man in black armor to escort Haruto out of the hall.
Sougo couldn't move. Her eyes were fixed on Haruto, who was now being escorted by the armored man. Every step he took seemed to echo in her mind. He kept his head down, but she could feel the weight of humiliation on his back, even without seeing his face.
"This can't be right!" Sougo shouted as she approached the king, with Erina close behind her, holding her back. Sougo knew Haruto wasn't exactly the brightest or most hardworking student, but zero percent? That was simply absurd.
"What are you doing, Akari!!" Erina shouted as she pulled Sougo back with all her strength. "This isn't like you! Calm down!" But it didn't matter—Sougo was indignant about the evaluation. Nothing could stop her now.
The king maintained his stoic gaze, glancing at Sougo out of the corner of his eye. His quiet expression provided no answers, but another voice responded to her.
Sakurai's voice echoed through the hall again, dripping with scorn. "Ah, just as expected from useless Haruto! Looks like even in another world, he can't amount to anything." The laughter of his delinquent friends resonated in unison.
Sougo clenched her fists, restraining herself from confronting him right then and there. She turned her attention back to the king, determined to remain composed. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, how is this evaluation conducted? Haruto may not be exceptional, but I know his potential. Zero percent? That seems impossible to me."
King Kailandor raised an eyebrow. "Akari Sougo... Do not concern yourself with the boy. We will accommodate him, but he cannot fight alongside you. With zero percent talent, he wouldn't be able to face even a child. I hope you understand." The king's benevolent smile didn't soften the blow. "Now, summoned heroes," he continued, giving no room for Sougo to respond. She was still reeling from the situation.
"I hope you can live up to my expectations! Negulos and the others will show you around the castle." The king spoke as he turned and walked toward the back of the hall, with Alicia following him, humming a tune.
Sougo fell to her knees as Erina tried to comfort her.
'I couldn't do anything for you, not even here...'