Stepping through the school gate, Shichen suddenly felt nervous.
Even though he'd been granted the special perk of "Teaching Ability," and his mind now contained the relevant knowledge, he'd never actually taught before.
Now, all of a sudden, he was starting a teaching job for the very first time. It was impossible not to feel anxious.
Luckily, it was P.E.—aside from the handful of required lessons, most of the time he could let students have free activities. There were only a few classes each week, so he wouldn't have to stay on campus all day.
P.E. teachers definitely have it easy, though they don't hold a high status among teachers. Other subject teachers could seize P.E. class time at will, throwing around the flimsiest excuses—like an imaginary "illness."
In reality, someone who's fit enough to be a P.E. teacher couldn't possibly be that weak.
Thankfully, students these days knew the score, so there was no misunderstanding about that sort of thing.
From the main school gate, Shichen walked straight to the school building. He entered the front door and passed the shoe-change area, then saw the sign for 1st-Year Class B.
He could hear voices drifting from inside, somewhat rowdy.
It was still between classes. He figured he should briefly greet everyone, and decided not to go sit in the staff room just yet. He also heard kids wanting the teacher to show up quickly—nobody wanted to lose any time from P.E.
After taking a deep breath, Shichen approached the doorway and walked in.
"…"
His entrance abruptly hushed the classroom, not just because a teacher had arrived, but also because of how he looked.
"Wow, he's gorgeous!"
"He's so handsome!"
"He looks really young!"
"That's our new P.E. teacher?"
The girls began whispering to one another, making no secret of their interest. They openly stared at him.
They were only junior-high students, yet the girls already seemed so outgoing and bold.
The boys, for the most part, were silent, simply curious about him. At this age, they cared more about having fun than romance. Seeing such a teacher—one who didn't exactly look like a P.E. teacher—puzzled them.
"Hey, Asagi, what a good-looking guy!" Yase Motoki said, leaning over to talk to Aiba Asagi.
"Mhm." Asagi merely nodded, giving Shichen a calm glance.
She wasn't the type to fuss over looks and didn't have the mindset to care about such matters right now.
Shichen headed to the podium. Sweeping his gaze across the class, he took note of three specific students in the very back; blinking in mild surprise.
He hadn't expected to run into them so soon. Even if they still looked young, their identifying traits were unmistakable. And Asagi's black hair was somewhat unfamiliar—very different from the blonde style he remembered.
There was the slightly lazy, faintly brash Akatsuki Kojou with grayish hair; that was familiar enough.
And Yase Motoki, who looked pretty much the same except smaller, wearing his signature headphones around his neck.
Aiba Asagi alone stood out: no blonde "hot-girl" image, just short black hair and a cool, aloof look.
When Shichen's eyes fell on Asagi, the "voice" in his mind chimed in again:
[Found a Divine Fragment host.]
[Target: Aiba Asagi.]
[Task: Gain her trust and cure her mother. Afterward, you can collect the Divine Fragment.]
"…So Asagi has a Fragment too," Shichen thought, feeling a little taken aback. The quest seemed simpler than Natsuki's, but this time acquiring the fragment didn't automatically allow him to leave the world. Possibly because, with Natsuki, he'd encountered the first fragment host he needed to address.
Well, he certainly needed to do it. Besides getting that Divine Fragment, he'd have to help cure Asagi's mother.
Reeling in his thoughts, Shichen picked up a piece of chalk. He turned to the blackboard and wrote his name, then turned back to the class with a smile:
"Hello, everyone. My name is Shichen—I come from China. Starting today, I'm your new P.E. teacher. Pleasure to meet you."
"Eeeek—!"
"He's so good-looking!"
"He's super handsome—!"
"He looks young!"
"Is he really our teacher…?"
Just that mild smile had some of the girls squealing in hushed excitement, their cheeks flushing red. At this age, the girls were absolutely swayed by appearances with no way to hide it.
The boys didn't say much, but a few of them wore sullen faces—the girls they liked were all blushing over someone else.
"Argh, so the pretty female teacher's gone, and now we got a super-hot male teacher…" Yase Motoki said resentfully to Kojou Akatsuki.
"Don't care; I just wanna play basketball," Kojou muttered, itching for action.
"What's with you, don't you like girls or something?" Motoki teased.
"I do!" Kojou quickly retorted.
"Then what's with that reaction? Maybe you're siscon or something, and so you don't pay any mind to other girls—"
"I—I am not a siscon!" Kojou snapped, leaping up with a face as red as a tomato, practically yelling. His voice echoed through the classroom, drawing everyone's attention.
"C-crap…" Kojou slumped back into his seat, thoroughly mortified, his face still crimson.
"Hahaha," Motoki cackled.
"You there—what's so funny?" Shichen asked casually.
"S-sorry," Motoki squeaked, clamping his laughter and straightening up.
Asagi shook her head slightly at those two's antics, gazing blankly out the window.
"And you, what's your name?" Shichen continued.
"…I'm Yase Motoki," the boy murmured.
"Yase, hm? All right. I'll remember you."
"…" That shut Motoki up. It wasn't always great being remembered by a teacher—especially since he'd just made a scene. Maybe he'd get penalized for it?
"And you, classmate over there," Shichen turned to Kojou.
Still flustered, Kojou remained hunched over.
A girl enthusiastically answered for him: "That's Akatsuki Kojou, teacher."
"Akatsuki, yeah? How about you become the P.E. rep, then?" Shichen asked with a grin.
"Huh?" Kojou blinked, confused.
"Is there already a P.E. rep in this class?"
"N-no, not yet," Kojou shook his head.
"Then it's settled. Akatsuki, gather everyone up—let's head to the sports ground."
"Okay." Kojou seemed both eager and anxious, then led the way out of the classroom.
Shichen left first, with Kojou still dazed for a moment before rounding up the rest of the class.
"Man, I thought the teacher was going to punish me," Motoki remarked sourly, falling in step with Kojou toward the equipment room.
"Told ya you worried over nothing," Kojou replied. "You and that paranoid streak…"
"No way. I bet he's letting me off the hook for now—he must be plotting something."
"Huh? Why would he be out to get you, specifically? It makes no sense," Kojou said, exasperated.
"All because of you, man! You flipped out over that siscon junk and dragged me down with you—"
"It's your own fault for mocking me first!"
"But I was telling the truth: you're a siscon!"
"Shut it! So if he punishes you, you'll deserve it for stirring things up."
"…You have a point," Motoki admitted. "But if he decides not to let it go, we're doomed."
"You're just paranoid."
"Hmph! Wanna bet? I guarantee he's not letting me off easy. My instincts are never wrong… Wait, hey, where's Asagi?"
~~~
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