Turning back time, Mashima Tomonari was explaining the Command Tower's system to everyone.
Chabashira Sae, looking bored, slipped out of the multipurpose classroom.
Chabashira Sae went to the end of the corridor and leaned against the wall, pulling a ladies' cigarette and a lighter from her pocket.
She knew smoking was a bad habit and affected her health, but at this point, smoking improved her mood.
After all, a certain someone drank all day and reeked of alcohol, which was far worse than her habit.
"Oh my, oh my, is Sae-chan hiding out here for a smoke again?"
An unwelcome voice appeared, and its owner's ample chest immediately pressed against Chabashira Sae's body.
Arms wrapped around Chabashira Sae's waist as she clung to her like a small animal.
"You look cool smoking with one hand, but be careful not to poison your lungs, okay?"
Chabashira Sae pulled her arm out of the embrace and said nonchalantly, "Someone who treats alcohol like the water of life has no right to criticize me."
"Eh, you can't say that. Alcohol is a friend to humanity. It restores the truest world inside our minds. It's not the same as smoking."
Evidently, Chie Hoshinomiya had already developed her own unique brand of twisted logic.
One could only hope this teacher wouldn't be a bad influence on her students.
Chabashira Sae had no interest in humoring her.
She savored the sensation of the tobacco, the brief pang in her lungs that lightly stimulated her weary, numb body.
"Hey, Sae-chan."
Chie Hoshinomiya wouldn't let her be, whispering, "Are you worried about this exam?"
Class 1-D currently had less than 200 points.
If they returned to a state of zero points, it would likely set a new record—their third time hitting zero.
Chabashira Sae's face was visibly twitching.
After a moment, she steadied her breathing and said calmly, "It has nothing to do with me. It's simply due to their lack of ability."
"Yahaa, Sae-chan is so strict with her own class's kids."
Chie Hoshinomiya sounded a little displeased. "If it were me, I might feel sorry for the kids and secretly help them out."
Chabashira Sae shot her a sharp glare.
The latter gave an embarrassed smile, which seemed to carry a hint of shyness.
The air trembled in the silence, and her smile slowly faded.
Clang—
Both of them instinctively looked toward the staircase.
To be precise, they had noticed a sound coming from the bottom of the stairs.
Chabashira Sae frowned.
Could it be a student loitering here?
...
[The Bloodstained Holy Grail has accumulated one instance of Miracle Power!]
[Until Divine Miracle: 2/7]
Kaoru looked at the beaker in his hand.
The sulfuric acid that was originally inside had been turned into potable pure water by the effect of [Purification].
No one else should be able to do this.
After all, it was a wondrous magic.
Pouring out the water from the beaker and carefully cleaning up any remaining traces, Kaoru restored everything to its original state, minus a little sulfuric acid.
He planned to try [Explosion magic] next time.
Although it had "magic" as a suffix, humans had already mastered explosives technology, even nuclear weapons like the atomic bomb.
An explosion might not count as a miracle.
Kaoru felt a pang of regret.
The [Teleportation Scroll] he had used before was definitely a miracle.
But what's done is done.
No amount of complaining would help.
Kaoru closed the door to the science classroom and glanced at his phone.
It was still early before their appointed time, leaving Kaoru feeling suddenly at a loss for what to do.
"Whoa, what are you doing here?"
Someone let out a cry of surprise. "Don't tell me you're trying to eavesdrop on the Command Tower's secrets, Kaoru-kun?"
Kaoru turned around to see Chie Hoshinomiya and Chabashira Sae standing not far behind him.
They must have just come down the stairs, likely having heard him close the door.
What a coincidence.
"Routine Student Council inspection and patrol. I had nothing to do, so I came to have a look."
Kaoru said it without batting an eye.
He had a legitimate reason to wander around the school grounds.
"Ehehe, I don't believe you."
Chie Hoshinomiya walked up beside him and lowered her voice. "Are you waiting for Honami-chan?"
Her proximity brought a faint, sweet fragrance to Kaoru's nose, like a ripe peach, subtly emitting an appetizing scent.
It could be perfume, or it could be her natural body scent.
"What brand of perfume have you been using recently, Sensei? It smells quite nice."
Kaoru reached out and touched a strand of her hair.
"It's a bit like peaches."
Chie Hoshinomiya froze on the spot.
She, who had been about to tease the young boy, suddenly found her mind a complete blank.
If it had been a grown man, she might have put on a false mask and played dumb with a giggle.
But this was a young boy!
Looking into Kaoru's clear eyes, Chie Hoshinomiya felt a strange sensation rise within her, as if she had jokingly asked him to call her "onee-chan" and he had actually done it.
"Ahaha, no can do. While I understand how you feel, this perfume wouldn't suit Honami-chan. She's a young girl, she's fine without any perfume!"
Chie Hoshinomiya returned to her usual self, the silky strands of her hair slipping through the young man's fingers.
Her smile even held a big-sisterly playfulness.
"Honami-chan?"
Kaoru withdrew his hand. "I wasn't planning on buying it for her. I was just genuinely interested in your perfume, Sensei."
Chie Hoshinomiya's smile froze.
She instinctively took a small step back, unable to remember what she had been about to ask.
Kaoru looked at Chabashira Sae on the other side.
She was dressed in an OL uniform that accentuated her feminine figure.
Below the black pencil skirt was a pair of jade-like legs wrapped in black pantyhose.
The high heels made her seem even taller, making her presence hard to ignore.
Similarly, Chabashira Sae was also staring at him, her fingers unconsciously digging into her palm.
This year's A-Class had destroyed her dream.
"See you next time, Chabashira-sensei, Hoshinomiya-sensei."
Kaoru bid the two women farewell.
The moment he turned to leave, Chie Hoshinomiya finally snapped back to her senses.
"Whoa, what's with this student!"
Chie Hoshinomiya gestured exaggeratedly. "Who was it that said he had hypnotism? This guy could seduce women with just that face alone!"
"Stop pretending. I know you have a thing for younger guys."
Chabashira Sae extinguished her cigarette in the portable ashtray she carried.
"As a teacher, I hope you can be mindful of your distance."
"Hey, don't slander me! I like mature, reliable men!"
Chie Hoshinomiya was displeased.
She wasn't some rich sugar mommy; she couldn't afford to keep a pretty boy.
Chabashira Sae couldn't be bothered with her.
She turned and walked back upstairs.
Running into Kaoru here had soured her mood somewhat.
Chie Hoshinomiya had been curious about why Kaoru was here, but seeing her leave, she had no choice but to hurry after her.
"Oh my, Honami-chan is going to face off against A-Class. It makes one curious about what happened. Sae-chan, do you think she can win against A-Class?"
"I don't know."
"Why so cold? I actually think it's a 40-60 split. After all, the current A-Class is terrifying, isn't it? Who knows, this year's students might not see any class changes for all three years, you know?"
"..."
And so, on the way back, Chie Hoshinomiya chattered on and on about A-Class, occasionally bringing up D-Class.
When she saw Chabashira Sae's face darken, she would change the subject with a giggle.
Seeing her swallow her anger, Chie Hoshinomiya felt her mood lift wonderfully, and at the same time, Kaoru's face flashed before her eyes.
---
First year arc will end in another 50 chapter, it took almost 650 chapter for first year alone T.T.
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