Chapter 487: Other Popular Characters

"Miyano Shiho's parents really were something else—they could actually create such a bizarre drug."

Sanzenin Nagi could not help sighing in admiration.

"It's strange that scientists like them were never given the recognition they deserved."

"Nagi, I think this has a lot to do with funding. Developing a drug like that must cost an enormous amount of money, and Miyano Shiho's parents clearly didn't have that kind of wealth."

"And on top of that, research like this almost never breaks even."

Sanzenin Nagi thought it over briefly, then understood as well.

"True. Even if a drug like that made it through R&D, there's no way to recoup the costs."

"A drug that could restore youth and extend lifespan sounds like something straight out of a dream just thinking about it. But once such a drug was finished, it would never be made public. If it were announced, the whole world would be thrown into an uproar."

"And if things went badly, war might even break out."

At this, Amamiya Ren simply smiled and nodded.

"If a drug like that really could be developed, it might indeed cause a huge stir. But at its core, even if it were researched to completion, all it could do is extend lifespan—it couldn't achieve true immortality."

"In the end, the number of times human cells can divide still has a limit. I don't know exactly how that drug works, but I'd guess it just temporarily revitalizes the body—at most pushing the cell division count a bit further."

"So even if someone took that drug and went from old age to looking like a kid the same age as Kudo, fundamentally their lifespan wouldn't be reversed. At best they'd gain a few extra decades as the cell division count increased, going from old age to youth—improving their quality of life a little, that's all."

"True."

From a scientific standpoint, Sanzenin Nagi felt that extending lifespan and becoming younger did fit the logic of things better.

"Ren, even for us, achieving immortality isn't easy, is it~?"

Amamiya Ren gave a slight nod.

"Relying purely on one's own strength to reach immortality requires reaching at least the level of a demigod. And from our perspective, in the process of gaining power and walking the path of power, we ourselves are slowly separating from ordinary humans."

"When we ourselves begin to gravitate toward power and fundamentally shift away from the identity of being human—that is when we begin to possess the qualities of immortality."

"But crossing over into the demigod stage isn't something easily accomplished either."

"Even for us, who have the chance to pursue immortality, it's incredibly difficult. That's why I said Miyano Shiho's parents were overthinking it. The best that drug could ever do is extend lifespan and make you younger—wanting immortality from it is a bit too much."

Amamiya Ren never denied the power of science, but he was also certain that human immortality couldn't be solved with just a few pills.

At the very least, the limit on cell division would have to be resolved before any breakthrough in human lifespan could be possible.

Although Amamiya Ren had already made this fact clear from his own perspective, those two scientists probably still believed that if they kept researching that drug, they could develop something more perfect—a drug that could break through the cell division limit.

He took the maple-leaf coin from the Source Vault, flicked it with his thumb, and the coin tumbled through the air before finally landing in Amamiya Ren's palm—heads side up.

"Looks like my guess was right."

"Even if APTX4869 were developed to perfection, at most it would only have the function of extending lifespan."

He flicked the maple-leaf coin in his hand once more; this time too it landed steadily, heads side up.

"That's the limit."

Amamiya Ren shook his head slightly and put the maple-leaf coin back into the Source Vault.

"The limit of what technology can achieve is extending lifespan—technology can't make normal cell division stop entirely."

"So only by adding other variables into science can the possibility of true immortality appear, rather than mere lifespan extension."

All the girls present knew that variable was the supernatural.

But the supernatural variable would never be added to normal science—at least, as long as they didn't cooperate, that variable could never be incorporated.

"The topic of immortality is truly troublesome, yet no matter the era, there is never a shortage of conversations surrounding it."

Sanzenin Nagi shook her head slightly; she wasn't that disappointed—if two pills could solve the greatest problem in human history, that would be far too easy.

"Well, let's skip this topic for now. We're still just kids in our teens—we don't need to be thinking about immortality yet."

That remark made all the girls present laugh.

True—their average age was still under twenty, so why think about immortality so early?

"~~Earlier we talked about the popular characters in Mao Li's and Suzuki's stories, so what about the popular characters in my story, and in Kaguya Sigong's story?"

Sanzenin Nagi steered the conversation back on topic, but this gave Amamiya Ren a headache.

"The popular characters in Kaguya's story are basically all clustered around Kaguya herself—there are no surprises there. I think the most popular character is probably Hayasaka."

"As for the very popular character in Sanzenin's story... I think you, Nagi, should know exactly who that is, right?"

Hearing Amamiya say that, Sanzenin Nagi immediately understood who that super-popular character was.

"Katsuragi Hinagiku, right?"

Amamiya Ren gave a slight nod.

"In both popularity polls, that female student council president absolutely dominated. Each time she left the runner-up behind by more than double—you could call it a numerical crush."

"Besides Katsuragi Hinagiku, probably only Tennouzu Athena could surpass her. Equally talented in academics, with athletic ability even greater than Katsuragi Hinagiku's, and personal strength beyond Shirono Miya's—she was the first to give Shirono Miya a taste of defeat."

"Although some others have a bit of popularity too, when it comes to the strongest, aside from the two I just mentioned, everyone else is already accounted for."

Suddenly thinking about the topic of popularity, Amamiya Ren looked at Maria, who was sitting beside Sanzenin.

"Also, for the record, Young Lady Maria was the runner-up in the first two popularity polls—both times she firmly edged out Nagi."

PS: New book on the shelves, please send data.