A student was kicked into the wide-open classroom door. Jill, who was taking attendance, looked up.

“Good work, Sergeant Sauté.”

“Damn! I even hid in the dragon’s stable, yet it still found me! Does this chicken fear nothing!”

“Shit!”

“Okay, only three left. Looks like I’ll win today too.”

Jill smirked as she sat on the teacher’s chair. Over the past few days, the reactions in the classroom had varied. Some sighed, some said they were tired, and the rest asked questions for reference. They were heading in a good direction.

After successfully getting all the students of the Blue Dragon Class into the classroom, Jill chose to teach a simple lesson. There was no way these students would sit down and study properly anyway. They’d definitely run away. So, she decided to have them play a game of tag with Sauté.

After morning assembly, the students would scatter around the school. Then, Sauté would search for the students and chase them back to the classroom. If Sauté managed to chase all the students back before the bell rang to end morning classes, the students lost. Conversely, if Sauté was unable to chase the students back to their classrooms, Jill lost. They had an agreement in which the losing side would do whatever they were told. Lutiya was the one who suggested this.

Actually, Lutiya was the one who came up with the idea. They must’ve thought that they’d been taken by surprise. Surely, if they hid properly, a chicken would be no match for them? However, Sauté was a clever gamecock that could trace the signs of magic. Moreover, as long as platforms were available, he could easily fly to the top of the school building. Sauté would track the students from the sky with his ordinary eyesight.

On the first day, the hiding students were chased into the classroom within an hour and completed the assignment Jill had given them: “Spend the afternoon in the classroom with a teddy bear.” Haddy attacked if they made even the slightest movement. Jill had requested Hades to lower the doll’s damage, and she also kept a close eye on it so nobody would get hurt.

Of course, there were some students who had underestimated Haddy. The consequences? They were beaten to pulp.

Then, from the second day, the students began to devise strategies, perhaps because they’d been beaten so much. In any case, they seemed to have decided to take her seriously. The game of tag with Sauté ended in less than two hours. But after the third day, some students were able to escape Sauté even after being spotted. They also took note of how Haddy didn’t attack Jill if she moved.

As expected of the students of the best military academy in Leyca! All of them were excellent!

“We were so close…”

“Wow, it’s amazing that you managed to get this far.”

“It’s okay, there are still three left. We haven’t lost yet.”

The boys, led by Lutiya, were refining their strategy and analyzing the reasons for their defeat. As a side note, a few girls had started calling Jill “Teacher.” All of them had high magical powers.

“Teacher, doesn’t your teddy bear seem dirty? Shall I wash it for you?”

“I don’t mind, but if you cast any strange spells, you’ll be countered right away. Have you taken any precautions?”

“…Never mind, then.”

So, they were trying to set something up after all.

Jill sighed, yet laughed at their strength.

“A tactical retreat? That’s a good call.”

The girls exchanged glances after being praised, smiling bashfully.

“Can I touch it? Mr. Bear, you look so adorable. Oh, look, Rho is sleeping with you. Should I wake him up?”

Rho, who’d just been playing with the boys, was now sleeping soundly in a cage with Haddy. Despite his cute, pet-like appearance, the students were strangely afraid of him. Perhaps because Haddy didn’t attack him. Some students jokingly concluded that Rho was the reason why the dragon didn’t attack back then.

“You can touch it. Don’t attack it, or it’ll hit back.”

“I know, I’ve seen the boys get beat up by it. Teacher, did you make this magic tool?”

“No, it was a gift.”

“Oh, really? From whom? Your parents?”

Jill, who’d been jotting down the students’ behavior over the past few days in her journal, paused. She could’ve said that it was from her brother, but the impressionable female students seemed to have picked up on Jill’s reaction.

“Eh, a lover?!”

“Are you stupid? There’s no way she’d have a lover at this age. Is it someone Teacher likes?”

“Oh, an older man, perhaps?! Did he treat Teacher as a kid…? An unrequited love…”

“No, that’s not it… Well, it’s a private matter.”

When the students started sympathizing with her, Jill couldn’t resist speaking out. However, that seemed to convince them even more. The boys stared at her in bewilderment.

“But Teacher, aren’t you like, 11 years old? Guys who get serious with someone that young are the worst.”

“No, like I said—!”

“I’ll be cheering for you! Good luck, Teacher! I had a senior I looked up to as well, but… I don’t think I’ll ever get a chance to talk to him again. He’s an elite, whereas I’m just a brown rat…”

The female student laughed while twirling with her hair, which must’ve been neatly arranged.

Jill spoke coldly, “If he’s a really good guy, don’t give up just yet. Pursue him with the intention of getting revenge.”

“…Getting revenge? Teacher Jill always says the most outrageous things.”

“It’s pretty fun to step on the guy you like.”

“…Honestly, that sounds like what you’d do, Teacher.”

The girls started laughing. Jill looked over and saw Lutiya staring at her coldly.

…It’ll take a while to get that boy to warm up.

More and more students were opening up to her. They might be scouting her, but if she spoke to them, their wariness would disappear. However, despite leading the students to win against Jill, Lutiya never spoke to her.

The students rely on him and he’s quick-witted. What a difficult kid.

As expected of Hades’ little brother, she couldn’t help but think. Jill looked at the clock, thinking that she had to make sure not to get complacent. There was less than an hour left until the afternoon bell.

Today is a fruitful day.

She was glad that the students were starting to outwit Sauté. But since the loser would obey the winner no matter what, she couldn’t let them win so easily. Should she start participating as well? If she did, the students would never be able to win. At the same time, it would teach them that some opponents simply couldn’t be defeated.

However, the sound that came rushing in wasn’t the sound of students being kicked by Sauté.

“Everyone! The Principal is taking a girl to the punishment cell…!”

Two male students came rushing in. Something seemed amiss. The students became white, while Rho looked up with drowsy eyes. Lutiya stood up and asked sharply.

“Where are they?”

“Wait. What happened? There’s no reason for her to—”

“—What reason do they need? She must’ve been framed. Shut up, you goodie-two-shoes teacher.”

Lutiya sternly cut her off. Jill frowned.

“That’s not how this works. I’m your homeroom teacher.”

“How annoying!”

“Uh, uhm! We were almost taken away too, but Teacher Sauté helped us escape. So, we thought we should tell Teacher Jill…”

Lutiya shut his mouth. A male student bowed and shut his eyes.

“Teacher Sauté tried to help the girl as well… But the Principal ordered the guards and used all sorts of spell… No matter how good Teacher Sauté is, at this rate…”

“Everyone, please stay in the classroom. Rho, you stay here.”

“Kyuu.”

“What are you planning to do?”

Lutiya approached Jill who was about to turn away.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ll go and negotiate directly. I need to grasp the situation first.”

“We’ll go too.”

“No, even if you guys come, the situation won’t change. Also, it’s in the middle of lesson—”

“—Are you really going to help? I don’t trust you.”

Jill froze. Lutiya stared at her with a frigid look in his eyes. The students were also glancing around, not knowing which side to take.

“Okay, you may come.”

It’s just a waste of time to argue here.

Jill turned around. Without hesitation, Lutiya followed behind, along with other students.

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