...
Tokai Teio insisted on running back to school, while Lucian took the members of "Dream" to a sushi restaurant.
As everyone was enjoying their meal, Urara suddenly asked:
"By the way, has Teio-chan joined any team yet?"
Special Week thought for a moment and replied uncertainly, "Seems like she hasn't."
"Wouldn't that make it perfect for her to join our team then!"
Lucian chimed in, "That still depends on her own wishes."
Whether to join a team and which one to join—Lucian knew Tokai Teio had her own considerations. That was also why he hadn't extended an invitation earlier.
"Eh, Seiun-chan, you're already done eating?" Special Week noticed Seiun Sky's plate was completely empty and thought to herself how little the other girl ate.
"Finished. It wasn't as good as what Trainer makes. I still want Trainer's cooking~" Ever since tasting Lucian's dishes, Seiun Sky couldn't help but compare everything else to them.
When would her next victory be?
She also wanted Lucian to hold a celebration just for her.
...
The next day was another routine day of classes.
Lucian hated having classes scheduled for the first two periods—it meant he had to attend the dreaded "early 8 a.m."
Even so, as a teacher, he had to set an example. He forced a smile and greeted, "Good morning, everyone."
After taking attendance, he began the lesson.
In today's class, there was only one familiar horse girl—Dextrous Bailey.
The white-haired girl still wore her signature eyepatch, but after the previous incident, her fierce exterior had lost its deceptive edge. Her gaze at Lucian now carried obvious fear.
Strangely, despite her fear, she stared straight at him without hesitation.
Lucian, of course, noticed her gaze.
But since the matter had been resolved, he had no intention of singling her out anymore.
"Today, I'll be teaching you one way to prepare salmon..."
...
After thoroughly explaining the background and demonstrating the method with a video, Lucian looked at the class. "Does anyone have any questions?"
For a moment, no one raised their hand.
Lucian wasn't surprised—he felt he had explained everything clearly enough.
"If no one has questions, then I'll ask a few myself..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a hand abruptly shot up. "Dextrous Bailey, do you have a question?"
"Yes." Dextrous Bailey stood up. As more and more eyes turned toward her, she gritted her teeth and blurted out, "Sensei, how old was this salmon when you cooked it?"
The room fell into complete silence.
Lucian raised an eyebrow, taken aback by the question. It felt vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
"That's... hard to determine." Lucian then asked, "Dextrous Bailey, do you have any other questions?"
Dextrous Bailey remained standing and didn't answer immediately. Instead, she seemed to ponder for a moment before blurting out anxiously, "Sensei, is this salmon male or female?"
Lucian's eye twitched, but he maintained his patience. "Any other questions?"
...
"Can we buy this salmon and release it back into the wild?"
...
Now he understood.
But Lucian suppressed his irritation from waking up early and being teased by Dextrous Bailey.
Don't get angry, don't get angry...
The main lesson was already over, and the remaining time was just for fun anyway...
But three strikes was the limit—he couldn't take it anymore!
When the bell rang, Lucian walked over to Dextrous Bailey's desk and lightly tapped it. "Come to my office after school."
After confirming she heard him, Lucian left.
But he didn't see the eager expression that flashed across Dextrous Bailey's face.
...
After school, the teachers in the office gradually left, but Lucian remained, waiting for Dextrous Bailey.
He checked the time and wondered if she had forgotten.
Should he just let it go? His anger had already subsided...
Just as he was thinking this, Dextrous Bailey quietly entered the office and carefully closed the door behind her.
"Take a seat." Lucian unscrewed his thermos and took a sip of water. "Explain—why did you ask so many irrelevant, attention-seeking questions in class today?"
"Hah? It wasn't attention-seeking!" Dextrous Bailey didn't sit down, and her tone was as brash as ever.
"Then what was it?"
"No reason!" She crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, and turned her head away. "If you think I was wrong, just scold me."
Her gaze seemed to catch sight of something, and she added, "Or hit me..."
Though she wasn't sure which part Lucian preferred to hit...
Lucian also glanced over and noticed the long wooden ruler on the neighboring desk.
Slowly, he began to understand Dextrous Bailey's intentions. A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Alright, you can go. Just don't do it again."
"G-Go back?" Dextrous Bailey looked stunned. But since her goal wasn't achieved, she refused to give up. "Next time... I can't guarantee I won't do it again!"
Yet her words seemed to land on cotton—utterly ineffective.
Lucian remained unmoved and took another sip of tea. "Mhm, finished? You can leave now."
Dextrous Bailey grew frantic and gripped the edge of the desk. "I'll keep disrupting class, not listening... and even sleeping next time!"
"Sure, sure~ Got it. You can go now." The more agitated she became, the more relaxed Lucian seemed.
"You...!" Dextrous Bailey was at a loss for words. Her nose twitched, and she clenched the desk tightly, unsure how to express the emotions swirling inside her.
She didn't dare say it—afraid Lucian would find out.
"My theory course is almost over. Since you seem so uninterested in cooking, I assume you won't be attending my classes anymore. And of course, I won't go out of my way to recruit you."
"As for classroom discipline... this is just an elective. You're free to relax however you want."
Lucian found the tea today especially fragrant. A warm sip later, he felt refreshed.
Had he awakened some kind of sadistic streak?
"You—how can you be like this!"
"Like what?"
"Not taking class seriously!"
"Wasn't it you who wasn't taking class seriously?" Lucian countered, deciding not to drag this out any longer. "Just say what you really want to say."
Dextrous Bailey bit her lip, her heart tormented as if countless ants were crawling over it.
Those shameful words...
How could she possibly say them out loud?