“No need…”
“Don’t worry, I’m a steady driver.” This time, it was Li Huaiming who grew anxious.
Aya Tone remained silent, simply offering a noncommittal chuckle.
In her estimation, the word ‘steady’ simply didn’t exist in Li Huaiming’s driving vocabulary.
Still… “Just drive the car outside the training grounds later,” she instructed, then ended the call.
He wasn’t wrong about one thing: driving required a license…
In his office, Li Huaiming clenched his fists.
‘I knew my senior trusted my driving skills,’ he thought.
****
Following the arrows, Aya Tone located Magic Class One, who were already waiting for her.
“Do you all have a group chat? Add me.”
It was only upon reaching the training grounds that she remembered the existence of group chats.
And she… well, she hadn’t joined any.
‘It could have been handled with a single message, yet I walked all this way,’ she mused.
“Teacher, scan me.” Shen Sirong took the lead, promptly pulling out a QR code and presenting it.
The practiced ease of his movements left Aya Tone momentarily stunned.
Her expression turned odd, her gaze unconsciously drifting to his rather handsome face. “You don’t usually hit on female classmates like this, do you?”
“How… could I…”
Unfortunately, the girls in the class mercilessly exposed him.
“That’s right, last time on the sports field, I saw him asking a girl to add him as a friend.”
“Mmm-hmm, on the first day of class, he asked for my WeChat the same way.”
Shen Sirong chuckled, realizing his ‘glorious achievements’ hadn’t gone unnoticed by them.
Yet, he showed no trace of embarrassment. ‘Adding one more person means one more path in the future,’ he reasoned.
‘These youngsters are still too naive,’ he thought.
‘They only see the surface of things, never bothering to think deeply.’
‘Women? No, no, no~ They are my future wings.’
“Alright, it’s done.”
Below a chat group named “Aya Tone Fan Club.”
[Boss Shen invited Aya Tone to the group chat.]
Aya Tone: “…”
‘This is awkward,’ she thought.
‘What kind of group is this!?’
‘It was supposed to be a class group, but something feels very wrong.’
‘And what in the world is that announcement!?’
[‘Comrades, let’s all work hard and strive to win over the teacher someday?’]
She wondered if she should pretend not to have seen it.
‘Yes, that’s what I’ll do.’
Having made up her mind, she casually sent a message, [@everyone, the bus is assembling outside.]
Then, without a change in expression, she put away her phone and gave a light cough.
“Alright, today we’re having class outside—live combat!”
Aya Tone paused, observing her students’ reactions.
Her decision hadn’t been announced in advance, and whether the principal had mentioned it was unknown to her.
Not everyone possessed strong mental fortitude.
If some couldn’t accept it, she would understand.
‘Live combat? Isn’t sparring with the teacher already live combat?’ the students wondered amongst themselves.
The students exchanged bewildered glances, failing to grasp Aya Tone’s meaning for a moment.
Helpless, Aya Tone could only clarify further.
“Live combat means entering a dungeon and facing monsters directly. If anyone is afraid, speak up now.”
A ripple of excitement swept through the group.
To Aya Tone’s great surprise, however,
No one showed any fear; their eyes were instead alight with an eager yearning for battle.
“Really, Teacher!? We’re only freshmen, and we can already enter a dungeon?”
The school regulations stipulated that only students who completed the practical combat training course and achieved satisfactory grades were qualified to enter dungeons.
‘Uh, it seems I might have misunderstood the academy’s admissions policy,’ Aya Tone realized.
Aya Tone stroked her smooth chin. “The principal has agreed. With me here, you can all unleash your full potential.”
She then added, “Does anyone know how to drive a bus? If so, chirp up, otherwise, we might be in for a rather unforgettable journey.”
Even now, she remained unwilling to trust Li Huaiming.
‘Though, to be fair, I really don’t trust him,’ she thought.
The students shook their heads in unison.
‘They’ve only just reached the age to get a driving license; do they look like they can drive a bus?’ she mused.
“Oh-ho, well then, everyone, let’s do our best.”
****
It was lunchtime.
The cafeteria was once again sparse and empty, with only a few scattered figures.
Students gathered in small groups, chatting about rumors they’d picked up from who-knew-where.
“Did you hear? The Magic Department’s instructor took her class into a dungeon for live combat training.”
“I’m so envious! I wonder if they’ll implement it school-wide.”
Another student chimed in, “I doubt it. The Magic Department only has a few people per class, unlike us…”
“That’s true, but what if we mention it to Old Ge? You never know.”
“You can say it, but Old Ge is just a support-type. Do you really expect him to take us?”
Though envious, the students understood that each instructor had their own unique teaching methods.
For instance, Teacher Ying next door—her students were currently recuperating in the infirmary.
“By the way, where are they?”
“Heh heh, I heard they all got motion sickness. It’s hilarious.”
Not far from them, four young women overheard their conversation clearly.
Lin Ling’s heart swelled with joy, yet she deliberately lowered her voice. “Did you hear that? We’re going into a dungeon for live combat this afternoon! We’ll finally get to show Teacher our progress.”
“Mmm-hmm! (x3)”
‘Fighting Aya Tone is always the same; we can’t see any change in our strength,’ they thought.
‘If we enter a dungeon, we’re sure to shine!’
After the initial excitement, Ye Liu voiced a suspicion: “Teacher isn’t going to make us work, is she?”
The memory of Aya Tone taking them to run dungeons in Yan’an City was still fresh in their minds.
And upon their return… they hadn’t received any remuneration, but instead, a thorough scolding…
“Teacher is an S-rank powerhouse; how could she be short on money?” Lin Ling defended Aya Tone without a moment’s hesitation.
“Hmm, you’re right.”
Aya Tone herself: ‘I’m not, I didn’t, don’t talk nonsense!’
****
Time flew by swiftly.
Even the scorching sun couldn’t deter the enthusiasm of the fishing enthusiasts.
“Come one, come all! Starting bid one yuan, highest bidder takes it!”
By the lake.
Over a dozen people gathered, shouting with excitement.
“I bid fifty!”
“Get lost! I bid a hundred!!”
“…”
Watching the crowd below continuously raise their bids, Aya Tone’s heart blossomed with delight.
‘Coming out to fish at noon, and I can even earn enough for a meal,’ she thought.
‘Not bad at all.’
Ultimately, this meter-long behemoth was sold for two hundred and fifty.
Watching the buyer clumsily tie the large fish to the back of his electric scooter,
Aya Tone knew that this fellow’s journey home would be quite long.
“Alright, I’m off to class. You all carry on.”
After waving goodbye to her fellow anglers, she, just like that morning, requested to be added to Class Two’s group chat.
“…”
Silence. Nothing but silence.
Class Two’s group name was no better than Class One’s.
At least the other one was a fan club, a bit more subtle. These guys, however…
Their name? “Knock Out Teacher and Take Her Home.”
‘Incredible…’
After sending her message, she quietly tapped the top right corner and found the ‘Exit Group Chat’ option.
‘Just as I came quietly, let me leave quietly.’
‘I saw nothing.’
“Ahem, Fire Wushuang, the four of you don’t need to participate. Stay by my side and be responsible for protecting everyone.”
“Why can’t we participate? Teacher, you can’t show favoritism!” Lin Ling protested, bewildered.
She had been hoping to give the teacher a surprise today.
Aya Tone cast a sidelong glance at her, her tone laced with resignation.
“Don’t you have any sense of your own abilities?”
“We’re only going to an E-rank dungeon for practical combat training, not to ‘fish-fry.’ Understand?”
‘Hmph, I absolutely detest ‘fish-fryers’,’ she thought.
‘Don’t think I don’t know that their strength, having awakened the power of Magical Girl Bonds, is definitely not to be underestimated.’
And Fire Wushuang, of course, went without saying.
‘She just can’t be contained.’