_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
The spell Common Sense Rewrite was incredibly bizarre. It didn't just alter how people perceived things, it could tamper with their memories too.
As Jack explained the key points from the textbook, he casually used the spell to force the information into the girls' minds.
"In math, memorizing alone isn't enough. You need to understand how to apply it flexibly. Next, I'll go over some practical examples."
He spoke patiently, but even with magic backing him up, the girls sitting in front of him looked distracted.
Jack didn't really care.
Whether they liked it or not, he was going to cram everything into their heads.
…The knowledge, obviously.
About half an hour later, he tapped the desk lightly.
"Anything you didn't understand?"
"Ah—nope, got it all!" the five of them nodded in unison.
Jack pressed his lips together and glanced at Yotsuba's notebook before giving a small nod. "That flower you drew is pretty nice."
Yotsuba: "…Ahaha…"
She scratched her head awkwardly.
"Let's take a ten-minute break," Jack said.
The mood instantly lifted.
Even Miku, who had been quietly listening the whole time, perked up a little. Nino tossed her pen aside and slumped onto the desk, groaning.
"Why do we still have to sit through lessons when you have magic…?"
Clearly, she was still bitter that Jack couldn't just magically make them smarter.
They really hated studying.
"Ugh… my head starts hurting the moment class begins… Is this some weird illness?" Itsuki muttered.
Jack glanced at her calmly.
"Don't worry. Your brain's probably just growing."
Itsuki: "…??"
Everyone: "…"
They couldn't help laughing, while Itsuki puffed up her cheeks like a little squirrel, looking ridiculously cute.
Seriously, this guy never says anything nice.
"Hey, it's Saturday. The mall should be lively today. Want to go shopping this afternoon?" Ichika suggested with a smile.
"Sure! I want to catch the new movie!" Nino immediately chimed in.
Miku shook her head. "I don't feel like going out."
A new Three Kingdoms strategy game had just come out, and she was completely hooked.
As for Yotsuba, she barely had free time to begin with. Her club activities never stopped, and she accepted every invitation that came her way. She was ridiculously popular at school.
Itsuki…
Well, compared to shopping, she'd much rather hit up a food court.
Seeing Jack sitting quietly off to the side, everyone turned to him with curiosity.
"What about you, Jack? What do you usually do?"
It was impossible not to be curious about someone like him.
In fact, even during the lesson, they'd all been sneaking glances at him.
No matter how they looked at it, he didn't resemble a demon at all.
Thinking about how the guy teaching them was actually a demon made reality feel strangely distorted.
Nino, especially, kept stealing looks at him.
Do all demons look this handsome? He's totally my type…
Of course, she'd never say that out loud. Way too embarrassing.
Noticing all eyes on him, Jack thought for a moment before answering simply:
"School. Training. Taking commissions. Fighting."
"Eh??"
Miku couldn't help asking, "By fighting… do you mean duels?"
"Like magic flying everywhere?" Nino perked up instantly.
Miku frowned. "Nino, I asked first."
"Oh, come on, what's the difference? Jack, hurry and tell us…"
Looking at the group of curious girls, Jack nodded slightly.
"Yeah. Magic flying everywhere… you could also call it life-or-death combat."
"Life-or-death?!" Miku's voice rose, her eyes sparkling.
Jack gave her a strange look. What's with her?
What he didn't know was that Miku was a hardcore history nerd, obsessed with warlords and battlefield legends.
To her, stories of fighting to the death felt noble, almost sacred. She had no idea that what Jack meant was nothing like the duels she imagined.
He fought fallen angels. One wrong move meant actual death. There was no talk of honor or chivalry. Just doing whatever it took to kill the other side.
Well… no need to explain all that. They could interpret it however they liked.
"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" Ichika asked carefully.
"There's been danger," Jack replied calmly. "But I've been lucky. Made it through every time."
His casual tone only made the girls' imaginations run wild.
If he really meant life-threatening situations… then how could he be this calm about it?
Nino's eyes darted as she suddenly reached out and pinched his arm.
Jack turned his head, puzzled. Nino instantly pulled her hand back and sat up straight.
"What?" he asked.
"N-Nothing…" she stammered, her face flushing as she grabbed her cup and gulped down some water.
Inside, she was screaming.
Oh my god—those muscles are real!!
He looked so lean, but—
Cough… what am I even thinking…
She quickly reminded herself that Jack was dangerous. Not someone to get close to casually.
Jack didn't pay much attention to her little stunt. He just said casually, "If anyone needs the bathroom, go now. Then we'll continue."
The girls froze, their expressions instantly turning miserable.
"Ehh… do we have to…"
Jack sighed. "We just started."
"But we seriously can't take it anymore…" Ichika said pitifully. "This is exhausting…"
"I'm the one doing all the work here," Jack shot back. "You five just sit there without reacting."
He looked at the quintuplets. Same faces, completely different expressions. It was oddly entertaining.
"Hey, we've been trying our best to cooperate, okay…" Nino pouted slightly.
"Let's slow down. No need to rush," Miku said softly.
"Yeah, we can take it step by step…" Itsuki agreed.
Only Yotsuba was still bursting with energy. "I'm fine! I can keep going! Jack, let's continue, come on!"
Yotsuba really was the best.
Jack smiled faintly—then suddenly paused.
…Wait a second.
That last exchange… why did it sound kind of off somehow?
"..."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________