And so, the story reaches the present… Renji Kuroma, the homeroom teacher, imposed a Guin Assessment Test on Class Golden on the first day. The last-place student would face expulsion.
The test was "A Physical Fitness Test Utilizing Guins to the Fullest." Hearing this, Takumi Kurata could only cry. Why? It was simple.
"Because there's nothing in these events that my Guin can help with." Farewell to the path of being a hero. Farewell, V.G. High School. He cried as he hummed a sorrowful tune to himself.
"Next, Kurata."
But giving up? Could he give up? Not a chance! Wiping his tears and lighting a fire in his eyes, Kurata stepped into the lane for the 30-meter dash.
---
"Takumi Kurata… Guin: Dominion, huh."
Renji Kuroma, the homeroom teacher, watched the results of the students' tests and thought about this particular student.
"All perfect scores, huh. It's clear he's trained extensively… but only within the limits of being Guinless."
As a teacher, Kuroma knew about Kurata's Guin. He was also one of the people who had witnessed his dedication during the entrance exam. He had read through his background and thoughts and even heard from Mr. White.
"Right now, we could lock him in the cage that is V.G. and shape him into a hero. Even if he lost hope and turned to villainy, this Guin wouldn't let him become a major criminal. Not that he'd ever want to."
Desperately, desperately clinging on, persistently moving forward… It was such a tragic sight. Perhaps putting an end to this here and now would be an act of mercy. If stopped now, he could hide his Guin and live a normal life.
"But… I don't dislike hard workers. I don't dislike those who struggle…"
A ball soared through the air. The distance was… top-level for high school. Impressive. If this were the Guinless era, he could have been a successful athlete.
Kuroma's lips curved into a sly smile.
"Alright, let's wrap up and announce the results."
---
He had given it everything, left nothing behind. There might not have been any classmates he could defeat in terms of numbers, but he knew that. Gasping for breath and dripping with sweat, Kurata tried to convince himself.
People with Guins are born with bodies that can handle them. Fire resistance, muscle strength, unique physical traits… Their specs are different from the start. Meanwhile, Takumi Kurata's body was that of a "Guinless person."
Takumi Kurata's weakness was that he lacked the special physical traits that come with Guins. He was a normal person whose body could only rely on the lethal aspects of his Guin. It was hopeless.
He began packing his things. This had all been a fleeting dream. He stepped forward to thank his homeroom teacher of just one day before leaving.
"Thank you for everything—"
"Oh, by the way, the expulsion was a lie. I can't expel anyone over a physical test...."
"…Huh?"
""""Huhhhhh!?""""
His tragic resolve was shattered in an instant.
"Oh, Kurata… I need to talk to you later. Come see me."
---
Summoned, Kurata stood face-to-face with his homeroom teacher, Kuroma. With his dry eyes staring down at him as if appraising him, Kuroma opened his mouth to speak.
"Your Guin, Dominion… It's a highly dangerous and brutal Guin. And most of all, that's all it can do."
That was true, and Kurata felt it keenly. No matter how powerful it was in a fight, that was its only function. He could only nod in agreement, his head bobbing up and down.
"Whether your Guin ends up being one that's only for killing or one that saves people will depend on your determination and passion. If you want to be a hero, don't just accept your limits and settle for them. At the very least, you trained yourself this hard to get into this school, didn't you?"
It was a message of encouragement from a teacher to a student. Hearing this, Kurata nodded, trembling and crying in tears of gratitude.
Takumi Kurata's physical test results: 12th place out of 20 students.