For purely selfish reasons, Kiana absolutely did not want Mei to ask that question.
After all, just looking at the silent exchange of glances between Mei and Shu, Kiana didn't even need a brain to realize they were coordinating a tag-team effort to drag her into this class and make her go to school with Bronya.
School!
If it were purely a training regimen—no matter how grueling or punishing the difficulty—Kiana wouldn't utter a single word of complaint.
Becoming stronger and shouldering more of Shu's burdens was her duty. She was completely fine with that. As long as it was training that directly improved her combat strength, Kiana would accept it openly and willingly.
But this was school!
She had to study academics!
She had to take exams!!
She was purely built for combat. Was she really expected to sit down and chew on textbooks?
I absolutely refuse!!
Kiana's heart screamed in denial, but for some reason, her body refused to follow suit. Move, hands, move! Speak, mouth, speak!!
Wait... Does studying actually make me stronger?!
In just two short exchanges, Kiana arrived at a horrifying realization, one she couldn't possibly deny.
Studying. Actually. Works!
Upon realizing this, a profound sense of despair washed over her.
It was simple: the moment she acknowledged that attending classes and studying would genuinely increase her combat effectiveness, she knew she had lost any valid excuse to reject whatever scheme Mei and Shu had cooked up.
Finally, under Kiana's despairing gaze, Shu delivered his half of the scripted dialogue "just as she wished."
"Don't worry, you two will also receive full evaluations and tailored training regimens," Shu and Mei exchanged a knowing smile before turning their attention to the utterly miserable Kiana.
"Ah..." Mei put on an act, feigning sudden realization. "How about this... why don't the two of us just join the Principal's class?"
"Oh?" Theresa blinked, seamlessly linking into their wavelength. "That's wonderful news! Give me one moment, I'll contact Grandpa right now and have him process your enrollment."
"Pfft—" Bronya couldn't hold it back anymore. Seeing Kiana's utterly defeated expression, she actually let out a laugh.
Kiana immediately shot her a look full of intense resentment. Bronya swiftly composed herself, returning to her usual deadpan expression.
"Bronya is not laughing at the idiot Kiana's self-inflicted misery. Bronya simply remembered something amusing."
"You literally just stated exactly what you were laughing at!" Kiana yelled indignantly.
"No, Bronya simply felt..." Bronya nodded solemnly, even managing to squeeze out a trace of grievance, as if Kiana had falsely accused her of a terrible crime.
"Bronya felt that it's truly wonderful that our squad can finally reunite and continue moving forward together."
It was such a grand, noble justification that it could bring tears to a listener's eyes.
But Kiana simply took a deep breath, a glint of genuine "malice" flashing in her eyes.
"And where does that leave Shu, Bronya? He's a member of our squad too!"
Kiana knew there was no escaping her fate of going back to school. Therefore, driven by pure spite, she made a decision...
If I'm going down, I'm taking you all with me!
The suffering of school... wait, the benefits of school absolutely couldn't be enjoyed by her alone!
Shu, you're coming down here too...
"I'll be teaching the practical combat classes from now on," Shu preempted Kiana, casually stating his plans.
"Wuh?"
Kiana whipped her head around, the spiteful tirade she had half-brewed dying in her throat and coming out as a weird noise.
Shu smiled, nodded, and repeated himself.
"From now on, I will be the instructor for your practical combat classes.
"Of course, it's strictly the practical portion. Combat training also includes tactical theory, technique analysis, scenario response, and so on. I'm only responsible for the live-fire exercises.
"Hmm... basically, I'll just be acting as your sparring partner to help you practice."
That was Shu's current plan.
He certainly wasn't going to get any opportunities to take the initiative on the front lines anytime soon. There was zero chance Otto would organize another "Journey to the West" for him.
Currently, the Fire Moth's entire focus was on rebuilding Arc City. And his role in ensuring the smooth progression of said reconstruction was...
A mascot.
Yes, a mascot.
He only became the Captain of Fire Moth's 1st Pioneer Squad when an enemy like a Herrscher appeared.
And when a Herrscher wasn't around, he was just a mascot.
So, how was he supposed to determine if a Herrscher had appeared or not?
By waiting for it to appear, obviously... Wait, was that just a tautology?
Yes, it really was.
Shu had already blanketed the entirety of Arc City in his perception. While it was somewhat draining, he had wised up and started using his scepter as a relay to filter out the vast majority of the useless noise.
Although the precision of his monitoring had slightly decreased, at least he wasn't driving himself paranoid over every little rustle of the grass.
More importantly, he no longer received crystal-clear updates on whatever trashy novels Kiana was secretly reading under her covers at night—
Overall, it was a massive improvement.
If a Herrscher caused any anomalies, Shu would sense it almost immediately. Combined with the Fire Moth jurisdiction system Otto was currently establishing, it was functionally identical to him maintaining absolute focus over the entire city.
The true difference was that Shu could actually maintain a healthy mental state. By allowing his brain to rest during peacetime, it would process information much faster when it actually mattered, and he was less likely to fall into the trap of rigid, inertial thinking.
Avoiding inertial thinking is crucial.
The lesson he learned from the Herrscher of Desire was still far too painful. Even now, Shu recognized that he was subconsciously holding back and acting overly cautious in certain situations.
But now, with the scepter handling the background processing, Shu genuinely wasn't that tired anymore. Which immediately led to a new problem.
He was bored.
Of course, it wasn't the kind of boredom that would drive him insane. Shu knew full well he could easily lock himself in his room for a year or two without stepping outside once.
Avoiding social interaction whenever possible and enjoying his personal space? Sounded like paradise. Surely, the majestic Herrscher of Wish wouldn't degenerate into a useless shut-in with flab on his stomach, right?
...
Wait, actually, that was exactly the problem.
The moment he remembered that the Kiana from the original timeline—who was literally the Herrscher of Finality—had gained 0.9 kilograms just from "staying home," a profound sense of crisis washed over him.
He realized he desperately needed to find something to do, if only to prevent himself from becoming a slave to instant noodles and junk food.
It was either school or work.
Working for Otto? Hadn't he already seen Dr. Schrödinger trapped in a quantum superposition of working herself to death and just barely clinging to life?
If one day the hyper-exploited Dr. Schrödinger finally snapped, barged into Otto's office to assassinate him, only to find that Otto had already worked himself to death first, Shu genuinely wouldn't be surprised.
So, school?
He, Shu, had already attended school for over a decade. He had to go back?! Couldn't he just enjoy life for a bit?
He didn't want to work, and he didn't want to go to school. So, he compromised.
He would teach the classes!
He, Shu.
Would become a glorious teacher of the people, utilizing his life's knowledge to brutally shred every single umbrella his students tried to hide under!
Wait, no. To nurture every future flower of the Fire Moth!
It was his undeniable duty!