Chapter 207. [The Last Caller]

<<No, um. Well. Ah, haha.>>

The certifier was staring at me intently.

I vaguely smiled, trying to dodge the situation.

<<Stop laughing and explain properly.>>

Oh no, this won’t work.

There’s not a hint of them letting me off the hook.

<<…Alright.>>

I resigned myself and decided to explain to the certifier.

Ideally, I wanted to smoothly go through the process, and get certified by the Guinness World Records in a normal way.

<<The truth is, as written in the comments, I didn’t know Afrikaans.>>

<<What!?>>

>I knew it!

>I thought so too! (U.S.)

>↑ Well, why didn’t you point it out sooner? lol (U.S.)

The certifier’s face turned pale.

Immediately, they began contacting someone.

<<I apologize! Perhaps there was an error on our part! I’ll quickly check and confirm!>>

<<Oh, no! It’s not that! The problem is that the number of languages I claimed to have mastered became too much, and I couldn’t keep track myself!>>

>???

>What is this little girl saying? (U.S.)

>The cause of the trouble is so outrageous, I can only laugh lol (U.S.)

<<S-So, that’s how it is. Iroha-san received approval from a native speaker, right? So, does that mean you learned the language in just 15 minutes, even if we combined the time she spoke for only 5 minutes?>>

<<Um… Well, I guess that’s one way to put it.>>

The certifier, seemingly unable to accept the reality, pressed their forehead as if to say, “I can’t believe this” and looked up at the ceiling.

The silence is unbearable! What should I do!?

<<Sigh.>>

After a while, the certifier let out a deep breath.

Then, they mumbled.

<<Could it be, the truth is…>>

<<Huh?>>

<<We were already aware of Iroha-san, not to mention you. You’re quite famous. Additionally, we conducted additional investigations in the process of reviewing this case. Naturally, we also looked into the incident at that time.>>

<<Oh, I see.>>

>Well, rapid language acquisition is Iroha-chan’s specialty, after all (U.S.)

>It feels like it’s been a while since I last saw her do it

>Since that incident, right? (U.S.)

I didn’t realize it until it was pointed out, but I see.

The real-time language acquisition itself wasn’t a first for the certifier.

Regardless, the fact that the content was entirely different is another story.

<<I knew. I knew, but never did I expect to witness it right before my eyes like this.>>

>So, does this mean the certifier has given their approval? (U.S.)

>Honestly, I hadn’t completely ruled out the possibility of a trick yet… but did she really do it for real? (U.S.)

>↑At the very beginning, when she said, “I just learned Korean.”, I also had my doubts, like, is this for real?

<<It’s truly astonishing. In history, it is said that Kenneth “Scissors” Hale could do similar things.>>

>Who? (U.S.)

>He was a linguistics professor at MIT (U.S.)

>Apparently, he was a hyperpolyglot who could speak over 50 languages (U.S.)

<<Apparently, he could listen to a native speaker’s conversation and be able to engage in basic conversation himself within just 10 to 15 minutes.>>

<<Oh, really!?>>

Could it be that there are geniuses in the world who can do this on their own? I had always assumed it was a language cheat ability.

The world is truly vast.

Huh? Wait a minute.

<<Could it be that I’m not the only one with this ability?>>

<<That’s impossible! In Iroha-san’s case, it’s even more extraordinary! I haven’t heard any stories about him becoming ‘fluent’ in just 15 minutes like she did!>>

<<Well, yeah.>>

I got scolded by the certifier for speaking my mind. I thought there was no need to worry too much about being a ‘cheat,’ but apparently, that’s not the case.

<<Sigh… We shouldn’t deviate too much. Quite a bit of time has already passed.>>

<<Oh, really!?>>

With the trouble and everything, it had already taken close to 30 minutes for the current language.

I needed to hurry and finish the remaining two languages!

Although I should be in a hurry, unfortunately, it’s the Winning Run from here on out.

The certifier smiled and announced,

<<Now, let’s move on to the 59th language, which will become the Guinness ‘World New Record’! It seems the call has connected. Iroha-san, please go ahead!>>

And so, I stepped into uncharted territory.

The voice that came through was…

<<Iroha~! Congratulations on the Guinness new record! I knew you could do it!>>

<<Wow. Thanks, Ogu. Wait? Oguuu~!?>>

I quickly turned my gaze.

Right there, Angu Ogu, wearing a headset, was waving towards me.

She had a triumphant smile, like a mischievous child who had successfully pulled off a prank.