Scene 1
"Good morning! I hope you're all doing great. My name is Hiroshi Marumoto."
The man stood before the blackboard — a chubby, bald teacher with a round, friendly face, a small mustache, and thin tinted glasses perched on his nose. A skewer of kushi dango rested in his hand, one half-eaten as he spoke. His voice carried that soft, muffled tone of someone talking with food in his mouth.
"Today I'll be teaching both Class 1 and Class 2 together. The Hunter's Exam is near, so we're speeding up the lessons to get you all ready."
Haruto sat quietly at his desk, his expression dull as he scanned the classroom. Why the heck is everyone here so fit? he wondered. They all look like mini-warriors... and this teacher? What even is this class supposed to be?
Marumoto lazily flipped open a register, glanced inside, then closed it again. "Hmm… I know Class 2's attendance already. None of you ever skip. Good kids."
He picked up another register. "Anyone here from Class 1?"
Only Haruto raised his hand.
Marumoto stared at him, chewing another dango ball. "Just you? Alright, I'll mark it later myself."
Suddenly, Daigo shouted, his tone irritated. "Hey, Marumoto-sensei! Stop dragging it out and start the class already — we're getting late!"
Marumoto blinked, then frowned slightly. "Daigo, why are there bandages all over your face? What were you up to?"
Daigo stayed silent, jaw tightening.
Tetsuya raised his hand. "Sensei, Daigo got into a fight with Class 4 again. They did that to him."
Marumoto's voice turned stern. "I told you before — stay away from those Class 4 seniors. You're in Class 2. Picking fights with them will only get you hurt."
Daigo looked away, pretending not to hear.
With a sigh, Marumoto grabbed a piece of chalk and began drawing on the board — a large hexagon, and inside it, a smaller one. He connected each corner neatly with straight white lines.
Turning around, he grinned. "Today, we're going to learn about the different parts of our world!"
A girl raised her hand. "Sensei, wasn't that topic for Class 1? Why are we learning it again?"
Marumoto finished his dango and replied. "That was just about the Main Lands. Today, we'll talk about the places between them — the regions that lie at the borders."
Another student frowned. "Between lands? What kind of places are those?"
Marumoto erased the connecting lines and redrew them as double lines — six border spaces in total.
"Look," he said, tapping the chalk against the board. "Think of it like this: every two lands share a border. For example, between Stone Land and Gust Land lies the Desert Land. We call these Border Lands. They're not just plain regions — each has its own unique elemental energy."
Tetsuya leaned forward, eyes wide. "So does that mean we actually live on a planet shaped like a hexagon?"
Marumoto burst into laughter. "Hahaha! No, no — it's just a diagram for understanding. But yes, you could say our world is perfectly balanced. Each land has its place, its role. Not perfect, but structured."
Tetsuya asked again, "That kind of balance… how did it even form?
Marumoto smiled faintly. "That's the result of ancient times. No one knows how this world took this shape — maybe it's natural."
He pointed between two lands. "For example, between Gust Land and Blaze Land lies Ash Land, where firestorms and heatwaves never stop."
Then his chalk moved faster, his tone growing more animated.
"Between Blaze and Flow — Mist Land!
Between Flow and Snow — Ice Land!
Between Snow and Lightning — Storm Land!
And finally, between Lightning and Stone — Charged Land!"
Daigo leaned back, yawning. "What a boring class… are we done, Sensei?"
Half the students were still paying attention, while the rest had already zoned out — whispering among themselves or secretly playing little games.
Marumoto laughed. "Looks like you're all getting bored. Fine then — let's do something fun. Today, you'll go on a mission!"
The room burst into excitement. One boy stood up eagerly. "Sensei! Are we really going on a mission?!"
Tetsuya smirked confidently. "It'll probably be something lame — like hunting a weak demon. I want a real challenge… maybe a strong devil!"
Haruto's eyes lit up. Finally! A chance to go outside!
Scene 2
Not long after, Marumoto led Class 2 to a small farming village on the edge of Stone Land. The air was fresh with a hint of soil and dust. Farmers worked on small fields surrounded by low rocky hills.
Marumoto clapped his hands. "Alright, this is your mission! If you want points, help the farmers — clean up, work the fields, feed the animals, anything you can. It's not mandatory; if you want, you can go home."
Half the students instantly began walking away — Daigo among them. "What a waste of time. Who even cares about points? I'm out."
But Haruto, Tetsuya, and a few others stayed.
Tetsuya scratched his head and said, "Well, not the kind of mission I wanted… but this might be fun too."
He looked at Haruto. "What about you?"
Haruto smiled faintly. "If it means helping others, I'll do it — even if I don't get any points."
"I'll do it!" he said firmly.
Seeing them, the rest of the remaining students shouted, "We'll do it too!"
Marumoto grinned. "Good! Complete this mission, and you'll earn ten… maybe twenty… or even thirty points! And if you get bored, I'll come pick you up."
He waved, climbing onto a horse-drawn wagon with a few other students, and left toward the village.
The rest ran toward the farmers, laughing and racing each other. They divided the work — cleaning barns, watering crops, feeding animals, and even milking cows.
By sunset, the village glowed in a warm orange hue. The students were tired but satisfied.
Haruto, however, wasn't done. Wiping his forehead, he asked, "Do you have any more work?"
Before the farmers could answer, the creak of wooden wheels echoed again — Marumoto had returned, smiling proudly. The farmers waved and praised the students' effort.
"Wonderful!" Marumoto said, laughing. "You all did great! Forget twenty — I'm giving everyone thirty points!"
He led them back toward the kingdom as the stars began to rise. "You all worked hard today. The moment you reach home, get some rest."
Haruto nodded, a small determined smile on his face. His brow lowered slightly, eyes glinting with resolve as he clenched his fist.
But when I get home… I'll start training right away