"I can't believe it. Were the rumours after the first period actually true? There really are loli teachers?"
On the rooftop.
Eriri held up the extravagant three-tiered bento her mother had prepared, her face a picture of astonishment.
"I thought that archetype only existed in doujinshi... cough cough..."
Noticing the looks Luo Shu and Utaha Kasumigaoka gave her when she mentioned 'doujinshi', Eriri immediately shut her mouth. She shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth, then picked up a piece of cod tempura. Chewing, she turned to Luo Shu and asked:
"So, that Natsuki-sensei is the teacher assigned to instruct you? But wasn't it supposed to be a transfer student this morning?"
"There might have been unexpected circumstances."
Luo Shu held a chicken cutlet sandwich in his hand—his lunch, bought at a convenience store on the way to the park that morning.
Utaha glanced at the sandwich in Luo Shu's hand but said nothing, calmly setting down her bento box before asking:
"Is there a possibility that the other party is just a normal teacher?"
"No, that's highly unlikely."
Luo Shu paused slightly as he spoke, his expression turning rather peculiar:
"Though I can't reveal the source, I actually know that Natsuki-sensei..."
Halfway through his sentence, Luo Shu's gaze sharpened as he suddenly looked towards the rooftop entrance.
There, standing at the stairway, a 'young girl' in a black gothic dress had appeared unnoticed, observing the trio:
"Oh? You know me? That's rather interesting."
Beside them, Eriri, who had been eating, made muffled noises while patting her throat, hands flailing about.
Luo Shu casually picked up the oolong tea beside him and handed it to Eriri, who unscrewed the cap and gulped down a large mouthful before exhaling loudly: "I'm alive!!"
Having said that, Eriri narrowed her eyes and stared straight at Natsuki Minamiya:
"You! How could you eavesdrop on us like this?!"
"Mind your manners when addressing a teacher, student. Besides, I wasn't eavesdropping - I merely overheard one sentence upon arriving."
Natsuki Minamiya stepped onto the rooftop, stopping about three metres away from the trio. Her gaze swept across Eriri, Luo Shu and Utaha Kasumigaoka's faces as they sat on a bench.
Their current seating arrangement - girl, boy, girl - held a certain suggestive quality:
"One boy with two girls, and on the rooftop no less. Quite the popular fellow, aren't you, Luo Shu?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Shu quickly finished his sandwich in three bites, wiped his hands and mouth with a tissue, then stood up:
"Have time to talk somewhere else?"
Natsuki glanced at him before replying: "There's a corner in the stairway leading here. Follow me."
"Right." Luo Shu nodded at Utaha and Eriri before striding after her.
"What's with this person..." Eriri muttered under her breath, then guiltily hunched her shoulders.
She suspected that Natsuki Minamiya might have overheard her earlier remarks. If true, hadn't she just leaked classified information? After all, her words had revealed that she knew Luo Shu had been assigned a teacher.
This realisation made Eriri nervous. She glanced at Utaha Kasumigaoka beside her, only to find the other girl wearing an unusually grave expression:
"Hey, Kasumigaoka... Huh? Why do you look so pale?"
At that moment, the visibly troubled Utaha spoke in a solemn tone:
"I don't recall hearing Natsuki-sensei's footsteps when she approached us."
The words made Eriri freeze as the implication dawned on her.
...
The stairwell corner leading to the rooftop was on the fifth floor. Since the rooftop wasn't directly connected to the floor below, this area served as a storage space for miscellaneous items.
It was here that Luo Shu found himself in a standoff with Natsuki Minamiya.
After nearly thirty seconds of silent staring, Natsuki suddenly curled her lips into a smile: "Not bad. Detecting my presence the moment I appeared on the rooftop."
"That was only because you went easy on me, teacher." Luo Shu replied evenly.
Natsuki rested one hand on her hip and chuckled casually:
"Hmph, that level of perception isn't typical for ordinary awakened abilities... I'm beginning to understand why Kirika Tachibana suspected you of being a mental-type ability user."
She paused meaningfully before adding: "Yet according to Chisato Nishikigi, you're supposedly a Wind Adept?"
Luo Shu smiled faintly at this and countered: "How much more does teacher know?"
Unfazed by the question, Natsuki answered thoughtfully:
"Beyond basic profile information, just that you recently established a school club... Though I must ask - physical manifestation or soul projection?"
"..."
Luo Shu frowned in surprise. "People from the Abyss can arrive physically or possess others?"
"There's also reincarnation," Natsuki remarked offhandedly while carefully observing Luo Shu's eyes. "Naturally, such feats are typically reserved for... important figures."
Realising Natsuki's misconception, Luo Shu chuckled:
"Does Natsuki-sensei truly believe I could be such a figure?"
Contrary to expectations, Natsuki nodded plainly: "Indeed, I rather do."
Luo Shu's expression stiffened, but before he could respond, Natsuki continued:
"However, uncovering your secrets falls under SDS jurisdiction - hardly relevant to a temporary instructor like myself."
"As per that woman's request, I'll be teaching you foundational mystical knowledge about this world."
"Foundational knowledge?" Luo Shu echoed with palpable irony.
From his understanding, Natsuki specialised in spatial-type Spells, and her homeworld possessed an exceptionally advanced magical system. Yet clearly, she currently showed no intention of imparting higher-level teachings.
"Advanced knowledge is beyond your current grasp, so focus on building your foundations properly." Natsuki Minamiya scoffed as she walked past Luo Shu, seemingly on her way out. After a few steps, she paused and said:
"By the way, I'll be taking over as your club advisor. Unless something unexpected happens, I'll be teaching you directly in the clubroom from 4 to 6 pm on school days."
"Your two little girlfriends can sit in if they want to learn, but I won't acknowledge them as my students."
"Of course, if you'd rather not involve them, you'd better make arrangements soon."
"After all... sometimes knowing the truth is better than remaining ignorant."
Having uttered these cryptic words, Natsuki Minamiya walked away without looking back.
Left standing alone, Luo Shu gradually curled his lips into a Light Yagami-esque 'plan successful' smile.