Teitan High School.
Class J, third year of high school.
By the window in one of the front-three desks, a strikingly handsome boy leaned over his notebook, pen moving swiftly across the page.
Around him, admiration shimmered in the eyes of the girls nearby.
"Akihiko-san is just unreal."
"Look at that profile—can anyone be that perfect?"
"He got in early to Tokyo University, and his paper on enzyme kinetics was published last month—it's incredible!"
Soft whispers filled the air as they exchanged awed looks, their gazes never leaving Akihiko.
"Ahem!"
"Silence, please," called out the stern teacher from the podium, scanning the room with sharp eyes, "Who can solve the problem on the board?"
The room fell into a hush so complete you could hear a pencil drop.
Not a hand rose.
Ms. Maejima, the math instructor, sighed and glanced at the boy at the window.
"Akihiko Tou, would you come up?"
He tucked a strand of dark hair behind his ear and stood, eyes flicking to the chalkboard.
"I imagine you have this one covered."
"Certainly," he replied, voice calm and confident, and strode forward.
Chalk in hand, he began: "This integral simplifies easily if we apply the substitution u equals cosine x, then differentiate…"
His tone was smooth, almost musical, drawing the entire class into focused silence.
In his crisp white shirt and navy sweater, his warm brown eyes glowed as he worked through each step.
Ms. Maejima watched with a soft smile, genuinely impressed.
In mathematical prowess, he outshone even her, an accomplished teacher.
"Therefore, the area S equals 25.24 square units!"
"Thank you," Akihiko said quietly, handing back the chalk.
Applause rippled through the room, genuine admiration shining on every face.
For his brilliance and good looks, he inspired both respect and envy.
"All right, settle down," Ms. Maejima signaled, clearing her throat, "Let's all aspire to Akihiko's standards."
"Teacher, how do we reach his level?" someone called.
"He just sees the solution instantly, and he's so photogenic—it's infuriating!" laughed another.
Akihiko slid back into his seat, a faint grin on his lips as dozens of hopeful eyes traced his every feature, cheeks flushing.
Only three months ago, Akihiko Tou had arrived in Conan's world, an ex-forensic scientist from overseas named in a headline back home.
Freshly awakened on the sidewalk after an accident, he'd been struck and hospitalized by Eri Kisaki's late-night driving.
Racked with guilt, she had taken him in, offering shelter when he had nowhere else to go.
Soon after, Akihiko enrolled at Teitan High School, fitting in as any student must.
Thanks to a mysterious system plugin he called the Scholar's Path, he had been seeded with knowledge across all disciplines.
Its mission: mold him into an academic prodigy through tasks and milestones.
He welcomed it—after all, technology shines brightest when powered by human intellect.
The system spanned fields from math to humanities, promising fame, wealth, and scientific breakthroughs.
Although his previous career treated cold cases and cadavers, here felt ripe for discovery and glory.
He had no desire to spend his life among lifeless bodies when he could unlock the secrets of life itself.
Instead, he aimed to become a scholar-scientist, renowned and content.
With a system reward, he had mastered Japanese quickly and in three months vaulted to the top of Teitan's senior year.
As representative of Class J, his popularity even eclipsed that of Shinichi Kudo.
Akihiko's breakthrough biochemical papers had earned him early admission letters from top universities in Japan.
He checked the system interface once more, curious.
Scholar's Path System:
Host: Akihiko Tou.
A. Mathematics [LV3]—foundation of all learning.
B. Physics [LV1]—power to create or destroy worlds.
C. Biochemistry [LV3]—essence of life's mysteries.
D. Materials Science [LV1]—intertwined with biochemistry.
E. Informatics [LV0]—code is creation's blueprint.
F. Arts & Humanities [LV2]—beauty enriches the world.
Clearly, his strengths lay in mathematics and biochemistry, while other fields awaited growth.
Yet even at lower levels, he still aced every test at school, easily outpacing ordinary students.
Ms. Maejima resumed her lecture, admiration still in her voice.
"Remember, you can all learn from Akihiko, especially with exams approaching fast."
"Sensei, has he really secured Tokyo University already?" another student asked.
The teacher beamed, holding up a sealed envelope.
"He received a personal invitation to the Faculty of Medicine there."
"A personal invitation?" gasps arose.
In Japan, early entry usually happens through the national exam or independent recruitment, but rarely by direct invitation.
That made his achievement legendary among the student body.
"He also had offers from Kyoto University and Waseda, but chose Tokyo's medical program," Ms. Maejima revealed.
As the bell rang, chatter about Akihiko's future filled the room, and one bold girl approached, offering him a cherry-blossom–adorned love letter, her heart pounding as everyone watched for his response.
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