"Y-you!"
Mafuyu startled, surprise and panic flashing bright. The last thing she wanted was another stunt in front of the girls that would wreck her image. She jerked to pull free, but his grip, casual as it seemed, didn't allow it.
"Come with me for a second. Small thing," he saidflat tone, the kind of matter-of-fact command that left no room for debate.
He didn't give her the chance to argue. He just drew her along, no questions asked, toward the dimmer corner of the hallway off the entry that led to the bedrooms.
~~~
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Chapter 868: This night is too much for High School Students
"Rei Ao! What are you doing? Let go! My students are still"
Mafuyu kept her voice low, struggling in a mix of shame and panic.
But up against Rei Ao, her strength might as well have been an ant pushing a tree.
Fumino Furuhashi and Rizu Ogata stared, dumbstruck, watching their beloved Kirisu-sensei get pulled into the shadowed corner of the hallway in a way that looked almost like she was being spirited away.
""
They both opened their mouths, but in the end didn't dare make a sound.
They just stood there, stiff, trading complicated looks.
Was wasn't this getting a little too adult?
In the shadow at the bend of the hall, the light was completely cut off.
"Rei Ao-kun! Are you insane? Fumino and Rizu are right outside! You"
Mafuyu was pinned to the cold wall, her back pressed to the wallpaper. Shocked and furious, she glared at the man inches away, her lowered voice trembling.
She didn't get to finish.
Rei Ao lowered his head and, with a hint of "punishment," sealed the words right off her lips.
"Mm!"
Mafuyu's pupils snapped tight, her mind going blank.
That forceful kiss unraveled every bit of her resistance and speech.
She reflexively tried to push him away, both hands braced against his solid chestlike shoving a steel wall. He didn't budge.
Time lost its meaning in the dark.
Only when Mafuyu felt the air in her lungs about to be wrung dry, her consciousness going fuzzy,
did Rei Ao finally ease back,
ending that long, domineering contact.
They stared at each other in silence, swallowed by the dark.
Mafuyu's body was still trapped between the wall and his chest,
her whole body weak, barely able to stand.
She couldn't make out his expression,
only feel his searing gaze still locked on her face, carrying a satisfied, dangerous aftertaste.
"Now."
His voice came low and faintly hoarse, filling the narrow space.
His fingertips, not quite finished, stroked her burning earlobe.
"Still mad?"
"You"
Mafuyu panted fast, chest heaving, her cheeks in the dark so hot it was scary.
Humiliation and anger tangled together, but all her strength and bravado had been stripped away.
She could only bite her kiss-swollen lower lip and glare at his blurred outline, unable to force out a single word.
Mad?
Of course she was.
But even more than that was a hollow, helpless sense of being completely at his mercya mix of shame and some secret, unsettling pleasure.
Rei Ao seemed very pleased with that reaction.
He released his hold on her,
took a step back, and smoothed the slight rumple out of his shirt.
"Alright. I'm heading out."
His voice slipped back into its usual calm, as if the man who had just plundered her in the dark wasn't him at all.
He turned and walked out of the shadows at an easy pace.
Light from the living room washed over them again.
Fumino and Rizu were still frozen where they stood.
They watched Rei Ao stroll out from the corner, composed as ever, his face unruffled.
Right after, Mafuyu followed with her head lowered, her steps a little unsteady.
The flush on her cheeks hadn't fadedif anything, it had deepened, running to her ears and down her neck.
Her red hair was messier than when she'd gone in, a few strands stuck to her damp temple.
The collar of her loungewear looked slightly tugged askew, exposing the faintest hint of a suspicious red mark.
Her lashes were lowered and trembling hard; she didn't dare look at anyoneespecially not her students.
""
Fumino and Rizu let their eyes flick between Rei Ao's calm face and their teacher's very-obviously-been-bullied look.
CPU: overheatedagain.
Those few minutes in the dark hallway what on earth had happened?
They didn't dare imagine it,
but their brains sprinted there anyway.
Mafuyu could feel their curious, gossipy stares.
The shame nearly drowned her.
She snapped her head up and shot Rei Ao a glare steeped in grievance, as if to say, "Will you just leave already?!"
Catching the look, Rei Ao's mouth curled into a knowing, pleased smile.
He lifted a hand, and with languid ease, his long fingers brushed his lower lip
the very place that had just left Mafuyu's soft mouth.
Like a lightning bolt, that little motion struck all three women at once.
Fumino & Rizu: "!!!"
Mafuyu Kirisu: "!!!"
Boom.
It felt like all the blood in her body rushed straight to her head; she was about to explode on the spot.
"Go. Now!"
Mafuyu couldn't hold it together anymore. Mortified and furious, she shoved him hard.
He rocked back a step, unbotheredthen chuckled low.
"Then I'm off."
He didn't linger. He turned for the entryway, opened the door, stepped out, and shut itclean and swift.
Just before the door closed,
he glanced back into the apartment with a layered look that made Mafuyu want to sink through the floor.
Thump.
The door clicked softly shut.
A strange quiet fell over the place,
leaving only the jackhammer thud of three hearts and air so awkward it felt solid.
Mafuyu stood there, frozen, for a full three seconds.
Then she drew a deep breath, forcing down the heat in her face and the tidal shame in her chest.
She turned without daring to look at her students' expressions.
Head down, she forced her voice into something like calmeven if it sounded like a last-ditch act. "Aalright. Fumino, Rizu, come see the room you'll use tonight."
Everything had happened so fast she hadn't even had time to tidy the guest room.
All Rei Ao's fault.
She spoke, then practically fled, striding toward the guest room first.
Even her back looked flustered.
Fumino and Rizu watched their teacher's hurried retreat.
They glanced at each other again,
and saw the same cocktail in each other's eyesshock, gossip, and, somehow, a dash of sympathy.
"I think tonight had way too much to process. I might need a minute," Fumino said, pulling a strained but polite smile.
"Same" Rizu nodded gravely.
Chapter 869: Nine School Competition
Student Council Room, First High School is a National Magic University Affiliated High School.
The afternoon sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the room with bright, gentle warmth. A faint air of rigorso typical of an elite academyhung in the space.
Miyuki Shiba stood in the center, straight and poised like a pine in winter. Her uniform was immaculate. Her long black hair fell like the finest silk, and on her flawless face rested the usual cool, distant calm that kept people at arm's length. Her beautiful eyes, like frozen amethyst, rested without a ripple on the figure seated behind the broad desk.
Behind the desk, Student Council President Mayumi Saegusa tilted her head slightly to look up at Miyuki. A perfectly ladylike smilebefitting a Ten Master Clans heiresscurved her lips. Her black hair was smooth as a waterfall. Petite yet perfectly proportioned, she had the exquisitely sculpted lines of a porcelain doll. Yet in the depths of those equally lovely eyes, something complicated flickeredwonder, wariness, and a trace ofdiscontent.
"Please, have a seat, Miyuki Shiba."
Mayumi gestured to the chair opposite, her voice sweet and pleasant.
Miyuki dipped her chin, slid the chair out with practiced grace, and sat. Not a single unnecessary crease marred her skirt. She didn't speak. She simply met Mayumi's gaze with those amethyst eyes and waited for the reason she'd been called. She was curious why the leader of the Student Councilthe Saegusa heir of the Ten Master Clanshad asked to see her alone.
Mayumi folded her hands on the desk, fingertips unconsciously stroking the smooth surface. She adjusted her breathing, and the smile on her face became a shade more formal.
"Miyuki Shiba, I asked you here to discuss the upcoming Nine Schools Competition."
Nine Schools.
At that name, the ice-still surface of Miyuki's gaze rippledbarely.
Jointly hosted by the nine top magic high schools, it was the largest, most prestigious competitive event in the field. It wasn't just a stage for schools to showcase strength and fight for honor; it was also a prime avenue for the next generation of magicians to break outand even to catch the attention of state-level strategic agencies.
Events ranged from individual contests (CAD operation, spell computation speed, live combat, etc.) to team tactical battles. The competition was brutally fierceso much so that, in private, people called it "the magic world's war game." Every year's champion carried unmatched glory and a future with no ceiling.
"After careful deliberation," Mayumi said, voice turning solemn, "the school leadership unanimously believes you, Miyuki Shiba, should represent First High in this year's Nine Schoolsand that you are the key to taking the title."
She paused, eyes intent on Miyuki.
"Your recent performance in the magical arts has beennothing short of astonishing."
The complexity in Mayumi's gaze deepened. As a carefully groomed heir of the Ten Master Clans, she had always been utterly confident in her talent and strength. But Miyuki Shiba standing before her
She was like a supernovasudden, blindingoutshining every peer, Mayumi included. The spell computation speed that defied belief. The mana control so precise it bordered on the absurd. And thenthose never-before-seen "new spells" with effects so overwhelming they broke every expectation.
Some of them carried a cold that seemed to freeze the soul; some roared with the violence of storm and thunder; some even bent space itself They overturned the existing framework of magic theory.
Mayumi had even begun to suspect that behind Miyuki stood some vast, unknown power exceeding the Ten Master Clans. How else to explain growth that lookedfranklylike cheating?
Miyuki listened quietly. No pride, no delightjust the same calm as ever. She knew exactly what Mayumi meant. The source of those beyond-common-sense techniques and jaw-dropping "new spells" wasn't any hidden patron.
It was the chat group anchored deep in her consciousness, linked to countless other worlds.
There, she held in-depth exchanges and studied alongside friends who wielded entirely different systems of power. She had asked Rei Ao for guidance on pushing "conceptual freezing" to its limit; discussed with Tohru how to violently convert elemental energies; even drawn unique insights on fine control of mental force from Misaki Shokuhou. Sparks of wisdom from other worlds, absorbed, fused, and remade by a genius of this oneuntil they became the "new spells" that drove local prodigies like Mayumi to despair.
"For the honor of our schooland to prove First High's absolute leadership in magic education," Mayumi said, centering herself, a president's sense of mission in her tone, "the administrationand I personallyearnestly hope you'll take on this responsibility, represent us at the Nine Schools, andwin the championship."
She enunciated the last four words with unusual clarity and force, her gaze locked on Miyuki.
Win the championship?
Miyuki's lashes trembled ever so slightly. As for worldly honors and the school's expectations, she no longer cared much. After she met that person, her world had already outgrown the confines of this one. The title of champion held little appeal.
And yet
A thought dropped into the still lake of her heart like a stone into an icy pool, sending rings of ripples outward. She remembered how the Crimson Princess, Stella, had excitedly shared her campus ranking match in the group.
More importantly, she'd invited Rei Ao to watch.
He would see her at her most dazzlingat her strongestand then offer his recognition and praise
That notion, like a seed, settled quietly into Miyuki's heart.
~~~
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Chapter 870: Winning the Championship? And... New Part Timer Kaneki Ken
Let Rei Ao-kun come watch my match?
Deep beneath the never-melting ice in Miyuki's eyes, something loosened the tiniest bit.
She pictured herself on the Nine Schools stage, casting magic forged from the wisdom of countless worldsbeyond the limits of this oneleaving the crowd breathless. And somewhere in the stands, Rei Ao would be watching quietly. Maybe the corner of his mouth would lift in a small, approving smile.
Just imagining it sent an indescribable tremor and longing twining around Miyuki Shiba's heart like vines. Even her cold blood seemed to warm by a barely perceptible degree.
Did she need the championship?
No.
But she needed the stage.
A stage grand enough, dazzling enough
to let her pour out all her light for one purpose only: to catch his eye.
Miyuki slowly lifted her lashes, those ice-cool eyes meeting Mayumi Saegusa's head-on. Her lips parted, and a voice as clear as spring water rang through the council room:
"I understand. I'll enter the Nine Schools."
Not for the school's honor.
Not to prove anything.
Only to await his arrival.
Tokyo, 20th Ward.
Anteiku Caf.
Afternoon sunlight spilled through the wide glass windows, laying warm patches across the polished wooden floor. The air was rich with coffee and fresh pastries; soft jazz drifted lazily by.
At this hour, there weren't many customerslittle clusters here and there, savoring an easy afternoon.
Touka Kirishima pushed open the caf's heavy wooden door, bringing with her the faint chill from outside and the tiredness of a student's day. She'd just finished her morning classes; the wind had left her short dark-blue hair a little tousled.
She inhaled the familiar aroma on reflex, and a bit of tension eased from her shoulders.
But that calm snagged the moment her gaze slid toward the bar.
A stranger was fumbling behind the counter.
He was a slight, skinny boymessy black hair, black-rimmed glasses, a careful, nervous look behind the lenses. He wore Anteiku's dark server apron, a tray in hand with two cups of coffee. His movements were stiff and awkward.
