“Li Huaiming, you may attend to your duties.”
The two paused just outside the training grounds.
Aya Tone gazed upwards, surveying the remarkable scene he had wrought.
While he couldn’t be held solely responsible, he was undeniably one of the primary architects of this spectacle.
The training grounds now lay bisected by a colossal chasm, the once eggshell-like structure appearing, from an external vantage, as though a fledgling chick had just burst forth from its confines.
It was fortunate indeed that only a single S-class training ground had been damaged; otherwise, even if Aya Tone were to empty his entire fortune, it would scarcely suffice for compensation.
‘Hmm… perhaps that’s not quite right.’
Given that an S-class training ground costs a minimum of ten billion, a mere millionaire would certainly find themselves utterly incapable of covering the damages.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
Li Huaiming did not linger; he, too, held a position within Dragon Court Academy.
However, overseeing Aya Tone simply took precedence over his other, more mundane duties.
Once Li Huaiming had departed, Aya Tone slowly turned, drawing a deep breath.
‘First class, here I come!’
“Identity authentication successful. Tutor Aya, greetings. Your assigned Magic Class 1 has convened at B-02. With only three minutes remaining until class commencement, please proceed there without delay.”
A calm, utterly devoid of emotion, mechanical voice resonated.
“Navigation, please.”
A verdant marker materialized in response to Aya Tone’s words.
‘Impressive!’
Dragon Court Academy’s training grounds were categorized into three tiers: S, A, and B.
Originally, there had been two S-class training grounds, but one had been rendered irreparably damaged during the exhibition match.
Consequently, only a single S-class training ground remained operational.
Five A-class and five B-class training grounds were available for student instruction.
Naturally, Dragon Court Academy’s array of facilities extended far beyond these basic provisions.
However, accessing certain specialized training rooms necessitated students expending their own earned credit points.
Moreover, as an academy dedicated to nurturing combat talents, these specialized training rooms inherently posed a degree of danger.
At the current stage, no student had yet achieved the requisite proficiency to utilize them.
Guided by the illuminated arrow, the B-02 training ground lay a short distance from the entrance.
Aya Tone found himself pausing before the door, a flicker of hesitation crossing his features.
‘He pondered what expression would be most appropriate to adopt.’
‘Students are not mere automatons; they are sentient beings, imbued with the full spectrum of emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.’
‘As a tutor, he was tasked not only with imparting knowledge but also with attending to his students’ mental well-being.’
‘Wait, no!’
Aya Tone reconsidered.
‘He was merely a physical education instructor; what need did he have for such profound mental preparation?’
‘Naturally, his role was to engage in play alongside his students!’
‘If physical education wasn’t about relaxation, then what, pray tell, was the point of it?’
‘And as for “mental guidance,” could someone who laughed with genuine joy truly be suffering from depression?’
‘Happy, happy indeed!’
His thoughts now unburdened, Aya Tone strode confidently into the training grounds.
“…”
In less than two seconds, however, he had retreated, his head bowed.
‘He had just, it seemed, mistakenly entered the wrong classroom.’
Yet, when he glanced up at the wall, the designation “B-02” was undeniably displayed.
‘Why, then, did a class meant for twenty-five only have fewer than ten students?!’
‘With so few individuals, even if divided by gender, they wouldn’t suffice to form a single basketball team.’
“Tutor Aya, what brings you here?”
Just then, Ying Li, clad in training attire, approached him with a measured gait.
Upon seeing her, Aya Tone swiftly articulated his confusion.
‘Surely, on his very first day of teaching, it couldn’t be that more than half the students were either late or absent?’
‘That would be truly disheartening,’ he thought.
“Did old Deng not explain Dragon Court Academy’s teaching methodologies to you when he sought you out that day?”
Ying Li regarded the white-haired individual before her with a peculiar gaze.
She recalled Deng Hongcheng mentioning that he would personally elucidate the teaching model to this “witch.”
Aya Tone’s face was a mask of bewilderment. “Ah?”
‘There seemed to have been such an occurrence, but he had entirely forgotten the specifics of what it entailed…’
‘So, what exactly was it?’
“Ehh…” Ying Li gently touched her forehead.
Observing Aya Tone’s utterly lost expression, she surmised, ‘Another student who failed to heed their instructor’s words.’
“For this enrollment cycle, the Magic Department only admitted around thirty students. Given that the academy employs a small-class teaching approach, rest assured, you haven’t entered the wrong place.”
“Ah, I understand. Thank you, Vice Principal.”
After offering his thanks to Ying Li, Aya Tone pushed open the door and re-entered.
As he closed the door, he cast a fleeting, almost timid glance at Ying Li through the narrow gap.
The exhibition match that day had culminated in the destruction of the venue.
Aside from his internal energy, Aya Tone’s other faculties had been at their peak condition.
Yet, Ying Li had clearly been incandescent with rage then.
Had Ge Lun not intervened with a stealthy silence spell from behind, Aya Tone genuinely feared that the formidable woman would have thrown caution to the wind, determined to settle their rivalry.
‘It’s a relief to see that the formidable woman now appears emotionally stable and capable of normal conversation!’
The B-class training ground, in terms of sheer scale, could not hope to compare with its S-class counterparts.
Spanning the area, it was roughly the size of a modest sports field.
Within the training grounds, a dozen or so young men and women, clad in their training uniforms, were diligently performing warm-up exercises of their own accord.
‘Were students nowadays truly so self-disciplined?’
Aya Tone’s mind drifted back to his own days in physical education class.
‘Gathering was always a sluggish affair; it would take ten oxen to budge them.
Yet, at dismissal, they vanished with the speed of hungry students rushing to lunch.’
‘Could these be the fabled honor students?’
Tutor Aya suddenly felt an immense weight of responsibility descend upon him.
‘If he were to somehow lead them astray, would the education bureau actually sue him?’
At this thought, Aya Tone involuntarily shivered, shaking his head vehemently to dislodge the dreadful conjecture from his mind.
He clapped his hands thrice.
Aya Tone clapped his hands, drawing every gaze toward him.
“Good morning, everyone. Please pause your activities for a moment.”
“Tutor Aya…!”
“Good morning, Tutor!”
“…”
Recognizing that the newcomer was their magic tutor, everyone promptly ceased their movements, swiftly assembling before Aya Tone.
‘Er…’
‘Such swift movements.’
Aya Tone’s brow subtly arched as he spoke, seemingly to himself.
“Ahem, since you all already know me, I shall forgo the customary self-introduction.”
“As someone who has walked this path before you, I naturally understand the preciousness of physical education class. Therefore, in my lessons, you are free to revel and play to your hearts’ content, provided you simply check in before dismissal.”
Aya Tone’s notion was remarkably simple.
‘Everyone would collectively pass the time, the students would gain happiness, and he, in turn, would enjoy an effortlessly earned salary.’
‘Heh heh, what a delightful arrangement.’
“Tutor!”
Suddenly, a young woman, radiating boundless vitality, raised her hand.
“Hmm?”
“Tutor, does ‘free activity’ imply individual training, subsequently evaluated by you?”
‘Hmm?’
Aya Tone’s brow subtly furrowed as he tilted his head, utterly perplexed.
‘He could comprehend each word individually, yet when strung together, the meaning eluded him entirely.’
‘Had he ever uttered such words?’
‘He seemed to possess not a single memory of it.’
“Ah, no, it’s just… well, never mind. Do as you please.”
Aya Tone simply couldn’t fathom the peculiar methods by which honor students unwound.
He recalled a television report from his youth, detailing how a top scholar’s preferred method of relaxation was, astonishingly, to solve practice problems.
‘Good heavens.’
That revelation had, at the time, inflicted cataclysmic damage upon Aya Tone’s tender young mind.
‘Perhaps this was simply the world of honor students, after all.’
“Understood!”
Hearing this, a wave of excited expressions swept across the students.
The prospect of one-on-one guidance from an S-class magic tutor was, for these magic-aligned ability users, nothing short of an imperial legacy.
In an instant, several streaks of magical light erupted, blossoming before Aya Tone’s utterly bewildered gaze.
Aya Tone: ‘What in the world is happening?’