Chapter 1137: Interlude · Arcueid’s Date (Part 4)

On this day, an unremarkable little city gained a new legend.

A tale of a strikingly handsome couple who dominated the entire arcade.

From competitive fighting games to claw machines, from side-scrolling action games to basketball and motorbike simulators, they mastered everything with ease. No matter how difficult the game or how complex the controls, they swept through the arcade in one afternoon, becoming the undisputed champions.

There's no need for doubt—the couple in question was none other than the True Ancestor Princess, Arcueid Brunestud, and her escort, the Azure Knight Shinji Matou.

The reason for their dominance was simple: they were both cheating, in a sense.

Though they had agreed not to use any abilities beyond the limits of ordinary humans, that restriction only applied to raw power. In other aspects, however, they were unrestricted. With dynamic vision, reflexes, and immense mental calculation abilities as their foundation, it was hard for them to perform poorly.

Moreover, as they played, Arcueid's competitive spirit against Shinji ignited, turning what started as a playful activity into a serious contest. Ultimately, they left with envious stares from the crowd and a mountain of prize tickets exchanged for rewards.

Since they had won so many prizes, Shinji and Arcueid only kept a few as mementos and gave the rest to the onlookers, before leaving triumphantly.

By the time they walked out the door, the sun was already setting. After an entire afternoon of intense gaming, the princess stretched contentedly in the golden light of the sunset and said:

"Ahh, that was so much fun. Playing games alone is fun, but playing with others is even more fun. I've found another place worth visiting!"

"There are plenty of places, but I'd advise you not to come too often," Shinji, who was carrying a human-sized stuffed bear, reminded her.

"Why not?"

"Because the arcade owners won't be happy. They run the arcade to make money. With the way we play, not only do they not make money, but they also lose it. Didn't you notice? The owner's face turned green when I exchanged the prizes."

"Hahaha, I guess that did happen. Okay then, I'll only come once every two weeks—no, once a month."

"Make sure you visit different arcades."

"Oh, Shinji, you're so smart."

Arcueid laughed foolishly.

"You're just too adorably dumb."

Unable to resist, Shinji hit her lightly on the head with an inflatable hammer they had won. Not one to back down, Arcueid grabbed a plush toy and struck back.

"Oh, you dare hit me?"

"I sure do."

"Well, I'm going to hit you too."

Both of them launched attacks without defending, and soon they had each taken several hits. Their playful scuffle drew comments from passersby: "Look, a pair of idiot lovebirds." Only then did they stop, reluctantly.

Since they had been play-fighting while walking, they found themselves at a considerable distance from the arcade, now standing outside an iron fence.

"This is... a school?"

"Yeah, it looks like a school. Judging by the sign, it's a middle school."

"Why is no one here? There were a lot of people earlier when we passed by."

"Because school's over. The day's lessons are finished."

"Oh, I see. Let's go in and take a look?"

"Nothing is interesting to see—it's just a school."

"But I want to see! And since no one's here, there's no harm in us going in, right?"

She had a point.

Even though Shinji had spent so much time in school in his previous life that he was sick of it, Arcueid had no such experience and was easily curious. Sneaking in when no one was around wouldn't cause any harm.

So, in the end, he didn't refuse. He helped Arcueid climb over the fence, and they snuck into the empty campus after school hours.

They casually wandered through the deserted playground, quietly entering the school building, and chatting as they strolled.

"Arcueid, you know, schools are places where humans learn knowledge."

"I do know that. Humans have had schools for a long time, and the time they need to spend in school has only increased over the years."

"Yep. In modern society, humans generally stay in school until they're around 20 before they enter the workforce."

"That long? But Shinji, why didn't you go to school? You don't look 20 yet."

"I did go to school. Whenever I'm home, I attend. Although I don't go as often as Sakura and the others, I've still advanced through the grades as expected."

"Oh, I see. Then why don't you need to go as often?"

"Because I've already learned most of the material through other means."

"I see," Arcueid nodded thoughtfully.

"What do they usually teach at these schools?"

"Basic social knowledge. From history to the deeper aspects of one's national culture. Physics, mathematics, and chemistry to develop a better understanding of the world. And English, in case you travel abroad."

"Hmm, I thought they'd teach things like combat or magecraft."

"So that's what you were getting at. You're still holding a grudge from our first meeting, huh?"

Shinji knew that Arcueid was recalling their disastrous first encounter. He shrugged helplessly.

"Haha, you guessed it!"

Arcueid clapped her hands playfully and walked into an unlocked classroom, seating herself in the first row.

"I'm the student, and you're the teacher—Teacher, I have a question."

"What's your question, Ms. Arcueid?"

Shinji asked naturally, standing at the podium.

"Do you ever use all the knowledge you learn in school?"

"Of course not. You learn countless mathematical formulas, but in the end, only basic arithmetic is useful in daily life. And as for English, it's not very helpful unless you leave the country. It's the same for most other subjects. Unless you work in a highly specialized field, you end up using less than 10% of the knowledge you learn in school."

"Then, why do something so pointless? You humans don't have much time, so you shouldn't waste it like that, right?"

Arcueid looked genuinely confused.

That was a surprisingly complex question. Shinji shook his head. Back when he was still in school, he wouldn't have been able to answer that.

"To be honest, I used to think the same way. But later on, I started to understand a little. The goal of the school isn't to make sure everyone uses all the knowledge they learn—it's to select the people who can. Those who can apply the knowledge go on to research further, advancing their fields and giving back to society, making it more prosperous."

"How many of these people are there?"

"I don't know. It's never been measured, but I'd guess it's one in a thousand or one in ten thousand, maybe even fewer. And even those people won't use all the knowledge they've learned—only what's relevant to their field."

"I can't believe it. That's such a waste. So many people's lives are wasted just for the sake of a few."

Arcueid's voice was deep and contemplative. For a moment, Shinji even thought it was Gaia speaking through her.