Chapter 197: Infiltrating the Academy? This Is My Specialty!
["Awesome!!! It's JK! This time Mashu-chan is definitely winning the title of 'Best Kouhai'!!!"]
["Nah nah nah! Sakura's a nurse, doesn't that attribute add any points?"]
["Clearly both of them are Best Kouhai, it should be double the joy—why argue at all? Host, just snatch up both Kouhai-chan and bring them to your Harem!!"]
["Bro above, you speak the truth. Only kids make choices—adults just take it all!!"]
["Why is everyone suddenly in uniform, are they planning to livestream the entire class?"]
["It's over, I've got a feeling this is turning into a school anime!"]
["School anime? Are we starting a rom-com slice of life arc now??"]
["You think Mooncell's school is a normal place? The students there either get their mana sucked dry or get ambushed by Servants—is that what you call a school? That's a horror movie!"]
["Shut up for a second, look over there! Look who Berserker Jack transformed into!"]
["LOL, it's Shinji!!!"]
...
[System: 'Good Big Brother, Matou Shinji' has sent 200 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: Young Master in the Type-Moon world, reincarnated as Jack the Ripper!]
[System: 'Matou Zouken' has sent 500 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: My grandson, do not disappoint me. This Holy Grail War shall be the victory of the Matou family!]
[System: 'Pendragon Oyakodon' has sent 300 Saint Quartz!]
[Message: At least this time it's Jack the Ripper in Shinji's body—maybe he won't be as useless as in canon, LOL.]
...
When Berserker Jack transformed into Shinji, the livestream room exploded. Comments and donations poured in!
Even though the Matou Shinji in SE.RA.PH. wasn't someone everyone knew.
He was just a child who had just turned eight.
But he was also the regional Asia champion in gaming and a famous elite hacker, ranked NO.2.
On a side note, NO.1 was some random otaku girl. (Note: Who?)
The livestream chat even started a discussion thread: If in the Fourth HGW, Shinji was Berserker Jack, would there still be a chance of victory?
Ethan, meanwhile, had no energy left to argue with those people—after all, in some Fake timeline, the rough answer had already been given.
However, the power of Berserker Jack was beyond doubt.
More importantly, his skill set was especially suited for infiltration.
Not the kind of infiltration done "Old Man"-style— with the bell, three Burster Cards and crits, behead someone.
But the kind of professional-level stealth and deception, to the point that Berserker Jack's version was more proficient than even his Assassin version.
"In that case, with this appearance, I should be able to infiltrate that academy smoothly."
The "Matou Shinji" before them lightly swung his arm, seeming to have completely adapted to his new body.
"Looks like I can still continue serving as your guide."
Ethan also turned his gaze to follow him, toward the city center where the iconic clock tower stood — Big Ben.
Though all three of them now had fake identities, Berserker Jack still chose routes that avoided patrol teams, steadily advancing toward the center.
Along the way, high-rise buildings stood tightly packed, modern architecture laid out neatly throughout the city.
On the smooth road, all kinds of differently designed vehicles kept moving forward nonstop.
It was clear SE.RA.PH. had deliberately recreated London in a 21st-century style.
The closer they got to Big Ben, the more people there were on the street.
"This place is completely different from the London I once knew."
"Matou Shinji" glanced around and let out a sigh.
"Senpai? What's that?"
Mash curiously pointed at the blinking pole up ahead.
"Ah, that's a traffic light."
As a model citizen at the moment, of course he would follow basic traffic laws.
"So this is what a traffic light looks like…"
When the green light turned on, the crowd around them began moving forward.
Blending into that flow of people, Mash looked around with curious eyes.
For her, crossing the street together with a crowd like this was a completely new experience.
After all, Chaldea was just a massive base, but it had nothing like traffic lights.
"Something like that would never exist in Old London."
"Anyway, this place has already been completely distorted. For you, the real streets of London outside must feel more familiar, right?"
Ethan spoke while walking alongside "Matou Shinji."
"That's true."
Hearing Ethan's words, "Matou Shinji" nodded.
"How ironic… to me, the true London is a place where no one lives anymore."
"Come to think of it, there are a lot of machines outside—did you fight them?"
In response to Ethan's question, "Matou Shinji" gave a slight smile.
"This city periodically expels out-of-control machines. They naturally become dangerous entities that attack any person on sight. Those heartless things—killing them doesn't mean anything."
"So those dangerous machines were dumped from the inside?!"
Ethan immediately understood the issue.
Old London had been treated like a garbage dump. The massive piles of waste there were likely the result of this.
"Compared to the flashy 'New London,' maybe it's 'Old London' that has truly been abandoned."
As soon as "Matou Shinji" finished speaking, he pointed forward:
"Looks like we've arrived."
Under the gazes of Ethan and Mash, yet another tall wall stood in their way, separating the area ahead.
A solemn school gate appeared before them.
The tall walls, just like the ones outside, made it impossible to see what lay behind the academy grounds.
This was most likely the Tsukumihara Academy that Sakura had mentioned.
"Senpai, look! There are so many people over there!"
Mash quickly noticed something unusual.
From afar, there were quite a few civilians with varying expressions gathered about fifty meters from the school gate.
"This is a letter of recommendation from Lord Tesla! I'm begging you, please let me inside!!!"
A man in a cloak was kneeling and pleading right in front of the gate.
"I want to know where the bottleneck in my research lies. Could it be that everything I've studied so painstakingly is truly meaningless?!"
"Individuals who have not passed the examination — are not permitted to enter. Repeating: individuals who have not passed the examination — are not permitted to enter."
A cold voice from the AI system echoed in the air.
"I also want to learn about the new technologies inside! Please let me in!!!"
The man cried and pleaded without stopping.
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzz——————————!!!"
Suddenly — a bright laser from above shot straight down at the man?!
His body was struck and turned to ashes in an instant!
"——————?!"
The scene before him made Ethan's eyes widen in horror.
A living person right in front of them — just vanished completely?!
"Invalid observer has been dealt with. Retrieving records from the database... Retrieval complete. Backup complete."
The AI voice continued to echo.
"Next applicant — please begin the examination."
"Finally, it's my turn!!!"
A curly-haired man stepped excitedly out from the crowd.
"I will definitely pass the test, and then together with Lord Tesla, reach the seventh floor and obtain the knowledge that can change the entire world!!!"
"Stop bluffing already! What if you get rejected in the first round?!"
"Be careful or you'll get burned alive too!"
"Good luck! As a fellow scientist, I believe in you!!!"
The crowd behind him responded with mixed reactions.
"Observing subject No. 1874, commencing data inspection. Scanning accumulated knowledge related to physics... Examination result: Meets standard."
"Current subject is qualified for admission to Tsukunihara Academy."
The moment the AI confirmed eligibility, the curly-haired man jumped up in excitement!
"Amazing! I finally qualify!!!"
"Please comply with the academy's regulations and proceed to your assigned classroom."
Once the system finished its announcement, the school gate slowly began to open.
Perhaps because the image of the man being incinerated by the laser was still haunting everyone's mind, aside from that man, the rest could only watch with envious eyes—no one dared to make a move.
"So, shall I go first again this time?"
"Matou Shinji" turned to the other two, as if asking for their opinion.
"No, let's go together this time."
Ethan immediately stepped forward.
After all, if they couldn't get into the academy, everything else would be meaningless.
Moreover, the leyline was located inside—as long as they could get in, they'd find a way to summon more Servants to strengthen their combat power. Most importantly, they could trace Noah's trail.
If Noah joined, it might be possible to use Noah's Ark to bring all the Servants from Chaldea over.
"Visitor detected."
As the three approached the academy gate, the voice of the AI suddenly rang out from above.
"Verifying visitor identification information."
Ethan confidently looked up.
Rings of light beamed down from above, scanning over their bodies and producing an indescribably strange sensation.
"Identity of three visitors confirmed — students of class 2-A of the academy."
Upon hearing the AI's announcement, Ethan finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Although he trusted that Sakura had thoroughly prepared all the forged information, there was always the chance of unforeseen circumstances.
This was already the second time, and Ethan was still mentally preparing: if anything unusual happened, he'd have Mash activate her Noble Phantasm to block the first wave of attacks.
"Error! Discrepancy detected!!"
Just as Ethan was about to lead Mash into the academy grounds, an alarm suddenly blared!
"Unable to retrieve departure logs of the three students from campus. Please provide a clear explanation of the current situation. Repeating..."
In an instant, countless red dots locked onto Ethan's group!
"Trying to fool the Oracle? These people must have a death wish."
"The academy is the dream of every scientist—who would willingly leave a place like this?"
"Inside, you can learn electromagnetic manipulation directly from Lord Tesla. For a physicist, that's an irresistible opportunity!"
"Poor guys, looks like they're done for too."
The crowd waiting in line began whispering among themselves.
"——————?!"
The situation instantly grew tense, and Mash and Berserker Jack immediately took up combat stances, ready to retaliate.
"Wait!"
Ethan quickly raised his hand to stop the two, preventing them from making any sudden moves.
Then, Ethan raised his voice and shouted:
"We came out from the infirmary! Somehow ended up all the way out here—now we just want to return to school!"
Hearing Ethan's explanation, the AI began processing:
"Retrieving data... Retrieval complete."
"Confirmed that two students have medical room registration history. The remaining individual possesses off-campus clearance."
Upon hearing that even Jack the Ripper had been granted approval, Ethan finally relaxed his clenched fist.
Thankfully, "Shinji" in this world had secretly granted himself special access permissions—after all, he was a genius hacker, ranked No. 2 on the leaderboard.
Otherwise, they really would've had to say goodbye to Berserker Jack just now.
"To further verify identity, please state the name of any teacher from class 2-A."
The AI continued its verification protocol.
"Please respond within 10 seconds. 10… 9… 8…"
"Senpai!!!"
This time Mash was genuinely panicking — after all, her identity, Ethan's, and even Jack's were all fake!
How could they possibly know the name of a class 2-A teacher?!
"7… 6…"
Before the system could finish counting down, Ethan boldly called out a name:
"Fujimura Taiga!"
That universal name... Hopefully, there was a teacher like that in Tsukunihara Academy as well…
Just moments later, the AI's confirmation finally echoed from the main gate:
"Identity verified. Access to academy grounds granted!"
Only after hearing this announcement did Ethan finally breathe a sigh of relief.
However, worry soon crept in again.
While they had successfully slipped inside for now, the troublesome part was: what if there really was a teacher here named "Fujimura Taiga"?
If it turned out to be that "gluttonous tiger," then it would be fine — but if it was the other nun, then...
Whatever. We're in. Deal with it later.
Ethan glanced at Mash beside him and gave her a nod.
"Mash, let's go."
"Yes, Senpai!"
Mash responded and walked forward with Ethan.
Looks like my plan wasn't wrong… Maybe if I keep following this boy, I really can find out who I truly am.
"Matou Shinji" also strolled lightly behind them, walking into the academy together with the two.
As a soft white light passed over them, the scenery before Ethan finally shifted — into the true image of a school.
Right ahead stood two parallel three-story school buildings, with students faintly visible walking along the hallways.
Green lawns lined both sides of the paths, and a few students could be seen passing by, chatting about something as they walked.
The atmosphere was distinctly school-like.
"Senpai, is this really what a school looks like?"
Mash's face was full of curiosity and wonder. She kept attentively observing the place she had only known through records until now.
"Senpai, you used to study somewhere like this too, right?"
"Umu, more or less."
Ethan nodded.
"That sounds so enviable…"
Mash unconsciously let out such a sigh of admiration.
"Rather than envy, studying at school is something everyone goes through."
Ethan smiled as he pointed toward the school building ahead.
"Anyway, this is a rare chance — Mash, why don't you try experiencing a bit of student life for yourself?"