Hana started going to and from school with Hazuki, since there was no guarantee that their parents wouldn’t try to contact them again.
If they came for Hana, she would send them flying before they could say a word, but Hazuki wasn’t one for violence. Therefore, staying together was the most reassuring option for them both.
Without fail, Nozomu would tag along as well. He had heard from his beloved brother that Hazuki might be hassled by their parents and was gung ho to help.
Considering Hana was the more powerful one, she had low expectations, but Nozomu did directly descend from the Ichinomiya bloodline when all was said and done. His birthright could provide a sturdy shield against their parents who folded easily in the face of social status.
“I’ll protect you while I’m at it, since you’re Saku’s wife and all,” Nozomu said to Hana bashfully.
He was definitely a softy beneath his bluff and bluster.
It was rare for him to act sweet toward her. She was amused, but since he was genuinely trying to help for once, she didn’t try to tease him.
So far, they hadn’t encountered any trouble. Perhaps they had Nozomu’s overattentiveness to thank for that.
Yanagi had warned them that their parents were scheming something behind the scenes, so Hana had her guard up, but it might all have been a waste of effort.
That said, until they could be absolutely positive their parents had given up, they couldn’t afford to relax.
Hana figured they should be safe on school grounds, but she still asked Kikyou and Kiriya for their cooperation.
“—Basically, our trash parents might be planning to trap Hazuki. I can’t be by her side since I’m in Class C, and Nozomu can’t cover for her all the time, right? That’s why I’m asking you two to keep an eye on her when you have time. Will you help?”
Hana told the twins about their toxic parents and explained the general situation. Kikyou responded to her request with frightening enthusiasm. “Understood. Your sister is my sister! It’s my job as your best friend to come running when you’re in a pinch!”
“That’s going a little too far…,” Hana said.
“I’ll rain punishment down on any pests that come buzzing! Think of me as a gigantic lifeboat. You can count on me, your BFF!”
Not only was Kikyou not listening to Hana, she was also hyperfixated on being Hana’s “best friend.”
Hana was suddenly worried about whether she could rely on the other girl at all.
Was this so-called lifeboat made of mud, or was she just imagining it?
“Please, Kiriya. Make sure Kikyou doesn’t run wild, and look out for Hazuki for me,” Hana said.
“Sure. Kikyou’s always like this. I’ll think of something. It’ll be okay. Don’t worry.” Kiriya gave her a thumbs-up while staying perfectly expressionless.
He and Kikyou might have been twins, but his words sounded much more trustworthy.
With Nozomu and the twins watching over Hazuki at school, Hana could relax and spend her time in Class C. The regular reports the twins texted her gave her further peace of mind.
Incidentally, unlike Kikyou’s impassioned reports, Kiriya’s were logical, easy to read, and explained the current situation. They were a lifesaver.
From Kikyou, she received nothing but emotional texts along the lines of, “Hazuki’s followers were bad-mouthing you! How dare they insult my best friend,” and “Nozomu acts like a shy girl when he talks with Hazuki. It’s creepy.”
There was too much extraneous information. Hana only wanted news about Hazuki.
Her replies to Kikyou’s messages were perfunctory, but she read Kiriya’s carefully.
Previously, Hazuki had played the part of the perfect honor student. Now that she had dropped the act, the sycophants were keeping their distance. On the other hand, she was starting to make friends she could actually talk with.
Hana had given some thought to the problem of Hazuki’s followers, who did nothing but flatter her, so it was a blessing that they had distanced themselves of their own accord.
Nozomu was constantly attentive toward Hazuki and treated her kindly, so there were whispers that there was something going on between the two.
In any case, the two of them had been close from the start. There had always been rumors here and there that they were dating. They had merely increased.
It was a golden opportunity for Nozomu. Unfortunately for the poor boy, Hazuki had not even a flea-size inkling that he had feelings for her. Even Kiriya pitied him.
Nevertheless, Nozomu ardently protected Hazuki day after day. Such nobility could inspire one to shed a few tears, but for Hana’s part, she didn’t intend to help him one bit.
Hana kept up with Hazuki’s situation via the twins’ reports. Meanwhile, she was having a tough time of her own.
As a result of the assault on their school, their curriculum had changed, and Hana’s class bore the brunt of the changes.
The number of lecture-based classes had been reduced to the point where she no longer had the time to nap, and the number of practicals had increased.
Practicals were classes for practitioners.
The ones who had been most freaked-out by the incident were none other than the teachers who were responsible for the students.
They were frenzied in their mission to teach the students to protect themselves, and their desperation influenced the classes. Every day, the students were subjected to such hot-blooded instruction.
Hana had already had more than enough, but to her consternation, her teachers, having found out about her powers, were determined to put her to use.
One time, the teacher had her erect a barrier, which her classmates all attacked at once.
Another time, they had a shikigami battle where it was Aoi versus everyone else.
So Hana was made to participate.
She felt taken advantage of to some extent, but when she saw the enthusiastic faces of her classmates, it was hard for her to say no.
At first, when the extent of her powers had been revealed to the public, there had been some who questioned why a master of two human shikigami was in Class C. However, that only lasted until she became infamous for failing her exams across the board. Afterward, the consensus became that, given her awful grades, her placement was understandable.
Magically powerful but intellectually weak. This was the scenario she had wanted to avoid the most.
The compassionate way Arashi—the softy—looked at her hurt. She would rather he have laughed at her outright.
She should have been happy to be accepted into the fold, but the day she had been told, “Don’t be too hard on yourself,” she had felt her eyes grow hot.
The busy days continued, until one day, a rumor swept through the school that a short-term instructor was going to come.
“Did you hear, Hana? About the new teacher?” Suzu asked Hana with interest.
“Yeah.”
“Apparently, they were hired for our sake.”
“I guess our class is even weaker than our teachers gave us credit for,” Hana joked.
They might have been vaguely aware of Class C’s incompetence, but now the reality they had been avoiding was staring them right in the face, especially given how little hands-on experience the class had.
The students’ performance was so atrocious that even their teachers were throwing in the towel.
That was where the short-term instructor came in.
“Apparently, they’re an active-duty practitioner, and an accomplished one at that,” Suzu said. “Do you think they could be an Obsidian-rank practitioner?”
“No way,” Hana said. “Obsidian practitioners are like protected species. That’s how rare they are, and therefore, they’re busy. They wouldn’t come just to teach washouts like us.”
She could say that with confidence because she knew how busy Saku was.
Admittedly, Saku also had his duties as the clan lord to contend with.
“I guess you’re right. I had my fingers crossed. That’s too bad,” Suzu said.
“You said ‘active-duty,’ but realistically, isn’t a third rank on the cusp of retirement the best we can expect?”
“That’s still amazing.”
Their teachers all belonged to the Association, too, but they were all first or second rank.
Low-ranking practitioners were rarely ever deployed to the front lines.
A third rank might not be the elite of the elite, but they would still have real experience fighting on the front lines. Their teachings would no doubt greatly impact the students’ growth.
After such a discussion, who should come but a practitioner newly promoted to the fifth rank, Yukizasa Sankourou.
“Hello. I’m Yukizasa Sankourou. I’ll be your instructor temporarily. It’s nice to meet you all. I’m an Obsidian practitioner, though I achieved the rank only recently. I plan to very nicely and thoroughly work you to the bone, so be prepared.”
Yukizasa introduced himself, oozing with an overconfidence that rivaled Saku’s.
Hana was shocked by the turn of events.
What surprised her wasn’t that their teacher came from the cream of the crop, but that it was someone she knew.