The Appraisal ceremony ended peacefully, albeit with a bit of a commotion.
The cause of the commotion wasn't only because Su and I had abnormally high statuses.
Using my enhanced Hearing Enhancement to eavesdrop on the nobles' conversations, it seemed that Skill Points were something you could only obtain through leveling up. Apparently, having 100,000 points at Level 1 was considered abnormal.
Come to think of it, Su had zero Skill Points too.
I figured this was probably because I was a Reincarnator, but what caught my interest was that the so-called "duke's daughter," who kept coming up in conversation, reportedly possessed Skill Points from the moment she was born.
Piecing together what the nobles were saying, the "duke's daughter" had undergone the Appraisal rite a few days before I did.
She had displayed outstanding statuses unlike anything seen before and possessed Skill Points that shouldn't have been possible.
And she also had that same garbled-looking Skill that I had.
A certain deduction rose in my mind.
If that was the case, I absolutely had to meet the "duke's daughter."
The chance came quickly.
After the Appraisal rite, the venue was moved and a light party was held.
Su and I were brought by the king to the center of the party venue to greet the lines of nobles.
The nobles in line were each accompanied by children roughly my age or a little older.
In other words, this gathering was for introducing and letting everyone see the faces of young nobles of similar age.
That was when I was introduced to the duke's daughter in question.
"Pleased to meet you. I am
She was a beautiful girl with hair burning a fiery red and a face that radiated a strong-willed impression.
She had a striking presence just by looking at her, but beyond that, my Magic Power Perception was already picking up on her enormous magic power.
It was roughly on par with mine or Su's.
House Anabald was one of the most prominent noble houses in the country.
They had a long tradition of holding important positions in the kingdom, and their distinguished bloodline was said to connect to both the royal family and the Heroes of old.
Those born into the duke's house were raised with exceptional talent and a rigorous Spartan education, developing abilities sufficient to support the nation.
And yet, the magic power of the girl before me was still abnormal.
She had already surpassed the red-haired man standing beside her, who I assumed was her father.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Shurein Zagan Analight. 'Pleased to meet you.'"
With a certain conviction, I spoke those last words in Japanese.
The duke's daughter's eyes widened for just an instant before narrowing slightly.
That movement told me my guess had been right.
"Father. Would it be all right if I went to talk with this child?"
"Hmm?"
The king showed a moment of hesitation at my words.
Well, behind the first duke's daughter brought over, there was still a long line of nobles with children waiting.
But I couldn't back down here.
"Is that not allowed?"
"Umm."
The king looked back and forth between me, the duke, and the nobles standing behind before speaking.
"It's fine. Don't stay away for too long. Come back in a bit."
"Thank you very much."
I grabbed the duke's daughter's hand in a childlike manner and dashed off.
Behind me, I could feel Su's killing intent surging violently, but I couldn't worry about that right now.
I left the venue and entered a private room being used as an anteroom.
Nobles sometimes slipped away from parties to discuss business deals, so these private rooms were built right near the main venue.
The soundproofing was solid here, and a guard stood in front of the door, so it was safe.
"Phew. This'll do."
I dropped all pretense and spoke freely in Japanese.
"I had my suspicions, but to think the prince really is a Reincarnator."
And the duke's daughter spoke in Japanese too.
"Man, oh crap, it's been forever since I heard Japanese coming from someone other than me. I'm kind of moved."
Her strong-willed impression hadn't changed, but this noble girl's manner of speaking was surprisingly casual.
"So, I've been meaning to ask — do you remember a place called Heishin High School?"
What I asked was the name of my former high school.
"Are you kidding, of course I do! So we really are comrades from the same high school reborn in this world!"
Just as I'd predicted, this duke's daughter had also been caught up in that mysterious crack in the classroom and reincarnated in this world — she was a former classmate.
"My original name was Shunsuke Yamada . What about you?"
"Bwah!?"
When I said my original name, the duke's daughter let out an ugly snort.
"Bwahahaha! Hah, bwahaha! You — you were Shunsuke?! Shunsuke is a prince?! Hahahaha, it doesn't suit you at all!"
She burst out laughing.
What was this sense of déjà vu?
The duke's daughter standing before me bore no resemblance I could recognize, yet her words and mannerisms overlapped perfectly with someone I knew well.
"W-Wait, could it be — you're Kanata ?"
"Yeah."
Now it was my turn to burst out laughing.
My old buddy, my gaming partner — Kanata had turned out to be a duke's daughter.
It was like the most opposite possible creature had been reborn from her existence.
"Don't laugh. You know, when I first reincarnated, I was seriously depressed about this?"
"Sorry, sorry. But you were laughing too, weren't you? We're even."
"Fair enough. But I'm glad I got to see you. It's been pretty rough being on my own all this time."
"Yeah. I feel the same. Glad we found each other."
Kanata and I bumped fists.
That was when the private room's door let out a tremendous roar.
"What the—!?"
Kanata panicked.
I panicked for a moment too, but once I realized who was outside the door, I calmed down.
Well, I panicked in a different way.
A second roar sent the door flying inward.
Standing beyond the doorway was Su, her physical abilities boosted by magical enhancement, her fist still extended from the devastating magic-infused punch she'd thrown.
The moment Su laid eyes on me and Kanata, she locked onto Kanata.
"Su, stop, stop!"
I barely managed to slip my body between them before Su's fist could send Kanata flying.
"I won't let brother go."
Su clung to me and whispered softly.
"Your sister is scary," Kanata muttered in Japanese.
That day, I reunited with my first classmate.