He glanced at Vignette, who watched Gabriel with a face full of exhaustion and disapproval.
"If anyone was born in the wrong faction, it's her," Izumi thought.
Vignette should have been the angel.
Gabriel should've been launched into a volcano.
Soon after, Hiratsuka Shizuka and Nangou Natsuki arrived at the training ground.
They paused.
And stared.
Hard.
The students were all glowing with buffs, sparkling like overloaded MMORPG characters.
But even that wasn't what made the two teachers twitch.
Their eyes landed on Megumi, Asia, and Eriri, all holding terrifying weapons.
Both teachers nearly swore on the spot.
"Are they trying to kill someone?"
The weapons may have been categorized as "low-tier artifacts," but any experienced adult could feel the thick quantity of magic packed into them.
Not something normal students could handle.
The two teachers exchanged a grim look.
Emergency response mode: engaged.
They would intervene the moment someone's bones turned into paste.
Because accidents were definitely going to happen.
Hiratsuka cleared her throat.
"Seems you're all fully prepared."
"In that case, let's not waste time."
"We'll start immediately."
"When your name is called, step forward."
She pulled out the register, scanned the list, and—without hesitation—crossed out Izumi's name, writing "Full marks" next to it.
Then she began the roll call.
"First match: Totsuka Saika vs. Yukinoshita Yukino."
Silence.
Pure, blissful disbelief.
She was starting with that matchup?
Two top-tier students fighting right off the bat?
Was she insane?
Yukinoshita was one of the strongest in class.
Totsuka too—although his strength was… unconventional.
And yet, their names were paired immediately?
A battle between two aces to open the show?
Yukino didn't seem troubled.
She stepped forward with quiet confidence.
Totsuka followed, expression calm, posture refined.
He had already purchased Gabriel's buff earlier.
So yes, he was confident.
"Yukinoshita-san," he said politely. "Please treat me well."
He bowed with elegant femininity, which only made the contrast more surreal.
Yukino nodded.
Totsuka hesitated slightly, cheeks flushed, before speaking again:
"Well then… excuse me."
And his body changed.
Breasts swelled gently, Adam's apple vanished, clothes transformed into a gown like a bridal dress.
A collective murmur rippled through the crowd.
His transformation was well-known—but seeing it in real time always stunned people.
In girl form, Totsuka Saika's power increased significantly.
Boosted strength, boosted agility—
and boosted heartbreak.
Plus, he still had Gabriel's buff.
Izumi sighed, expression complex.
He gave Yukino a sympathetic look.
"You're screwed."
She didn't show fear—but her posture shifted, defensive.
Meanwhile, among the student crowd, Hikigaya Hachiman stared at the transformed Totsuka.
His heart pounded violently.
This is bad.
This feeling… this excitement…
Totsuka is way too cute.
...Though can a transformed girl get pregnant?
As the thought crossed his mind, he actually shivered in excitement.
This was not a development evolution ever accounted for.
Hiratsuka stared at Totsuka's bridal form as if questioning God's design choices.
"What kind of absurd talent is that?"
Being a teacher was suffering.
Totsuka raised his fists into a martial stance.
Hiratsuka exhaled.
"Well then—begin!"
Totsuka charged instantly.
Yukino, reacting sharply, conjured a magic circle.
Several ice spears burst forth, streaking toward their target.
Totsuka clenched a fist, magical energy flaring around it, and roared:
"Haaah!"
CRACK!
Ice exploded into shards.
He tore through them with brute force.
A berserker in a dress.
In seconds, he was in Yukino's face.
Her pupils shrank.
She abandoned magic and switched to direct martial arts—Aikido techniques she had practiced since childhood.
But—
The moment they clashed—
BOOM!
Yukino was launched backward, rolling across the ground.
She gasped, the breath knocked out of her.
Totsuka pursued relentlessly, fists flying.
And the class witnessed something they never expected:
Yukinoshita Yukino—top student, queen of logic and discipline—was being beaten senseless.
Totsuka overwhelmed her in every exchange.
Strength, speed—
everything was in his favor.
Gabriel's buff had tipped the balance brutally.
Students stared with open mouths.
A feminine martial artist with wedding aesthetics was beating the hell out of their icy leader.
Izumi leaned back, amused.
"If she'd just spent a hundred yen, she wouldn't be suffering right now."
She had lectured others about fairness.
And now, the world was punishing her for it.
Poetic.
Eventually, Hiratsuka raised her hand.
"That's enough! Match over!"
Totsuka halted immediately.
Yukino staggered to her feet, arm throbbing viciously.
Bruises were already forming.
For the first time, Yukinoshita Yukino tasted regret.
It would've cost just one hundred yen.
One hundred.
But she had refused.
And now she had been socially—
and physically—
demolished.
The realization hit.
And her mood plummeted.
Without a word, she stepped away from the field, quietly tending to her injuries alone.