Hold It In, Don't Laugh.

[All-Heavens Rescue Club] activity room.

As usual, Lin Xiao was spacing out, while the group chat was abuzz over the "post-disaster reconstruction work" in the world of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

[Magical Girl of Infinite Reincarnation]: "Mr. Lin Xiao, let me report on the follow-up. Those original Kyubey units have already been collectively humanely destroyed by their main network."

[Magical Girl of Infinite Reincarnation]: "The ones being sent to Earth now are a newly manufactured batch of Kyubeys. They are extremely obedient and even voluntarily handed over all control permissions. It's just that..."

For once, Homura Akemi's words carried a hint of the mortifying embarrassment of wanting to claw a hole through the floor with her toes.

[Magical Girl of Infinite Reincarnation]: "It's just that before transforming, we now have to shout an incredibly embarrassing slogan and call ourselves—[Light Magical Girls]. If we don't shout it, our magical wands won't light up..."

The moment she said that, the chat group instantly became a sea of joy.

[The Shut-In Princess of Eientei]: "Pfft—Hahahahahaha!!! Light Magical Girls? What the hell is that?!"

[The Shut-In Princess of Eientei]: "@He Is Simply God, Lord Group Owner, I really have to hand it to you! You forcibly crammed your tokusatsu preferences into a depressing anime! Your tokusatsu fan chuunibyou is even more terminal than the big bat's paranoia!!!"

[Dark Knight of Gotham]: "Mass-destroying the old models and replacing them with new terminals implanted with the underlying logic of 'Light Worship'... An extremely efficient civilization-level survival measure involving severing one's own arm. As for the name, while it is somewhat childish, using it to reinforce positive psychological suggestion is also an excellent safety mechanism."

[The Underdog Who Wants to Be Hokage]: "I think it sounds really cool! Light Magical Girls!"

[He Is Simply God]: "Ahem, just get over the psychological hurdle. Once you get used to it, you'll even have your own BGM when shouting the slogan."

Lin Xiao shamelessly defended his own bad taste, then contentedly closed the chat group. The troubles of another world had finally come to an end. Next, he could finally enjoy a few peaceful days of campus life.

With a bang, the activity room door was kicked open by their homeroom teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka.

Yukino Yukinoshita took a deep breath.

"Please knock!!!"

"Next time, definitely."

Shizuka Hiratsuka held a stack of extremely thick flyers and slapped them directly onto the table.

"Listen up! Since the area around the school has recently suffered three unprecedented monster attacks, in order to celebrate the school standing firm through the disaster, and to improve the students' physical fitness..."

Shizuka Hiratsuka announced loudly, "The principal has decided! Next Monday, the entire school will hold an extremely grand [Post-Disaster Revival Autumn Sports Festival]! Parents and citizens from outside the school will also be allowed to enter and watch!"

"Huh?!" Eriri's eyes widened as she pointed at the streets outside, where ruins could still be seen in the distance. "Ms. Hiratsuka! A sports festival at a time like this?! Did the principal get kicked in the head by a monster?!"

"The principal's exact words were—" Shizuka Hiratsuka said, imitating the old principal's grave tone.

"When a sixty-meter monster appears before you, getting full marks in math cannot save you! Only by running one hundred meters in under twelve seconds can you keep your life before a Self-Defense Forces helicopter falls on you! Therefore, exercise is the foremost productive force for survival in troubled times!"

Yukino's hand holding her tea paused slightly, and a trace of extreme speechlessness flashed through her cool eyes. "...Somehow, the principal's words are impossible to refute."

Miko nodded frantically in agreement. "The principal is right! Running fast is the true path!"

"So!"

Shizuka Hiratsuka slapped both hands on the table and bluntly declared, "As a newly established club, your [All-Heavens Rescue Club] must choose a sporting event to participate in! You only need to play one match, and you can pick the event yourselves!"

Hearing that request, Lin Xiao, who was leaning against the sofa, let out an extremely bored yawn.

"Ms. Hiratsuka, forget it."

Lin Xiao lazily waved a hand and said in a world-weary tone, "Making me participate in a sports festival would be a dimensionality-reduction strike. Bullying children is no fun. You should save the opportunity for those hot-blooded youths who need to spill the sweat of their youth."

Faced with Lin Xiao's refusal, Shizuka Hiratsuka casually spat out four words.

"Triple credits."

"..."

Bang!

Lin Xiao, who had just been sprawled on the sofa as though he had lost all worldly desires, abruptly sprang to attention, his eyes instantly filled with fighting spirit!

"For Sobu High School's athletic cause, for the grand vision of post-disaster revival! Forget one match—even if you make me take on the entire school alone, I will absolutely not fail my mission!"

"Rest assured, teacher, I am 'invincible'!"

Looking at the Light Giant, whose change of expression was faster than turning the pages of a book and whose integrity had shattered all over the floor.

Yukino, Eriri, and Miko in the activity room collectively fell into an extremely strange silence.

"So a god's backbone... is only worth triple credits?"

Yukino rubbed her brow in exasperation, feeling that her understanding of "great existences" had once again hit a new low.

"Very good! I admire young people like you who are so greedy for money... Ah, no, so full of fighting spirit!"

Shizuka Hiratsuka happily slapped the registration form against Lin Xiao's chest. "Report your event to me before school ends today!" With that, she turned and left with great flair.

After Shizuka Hiratsuka left, the four members of the [All-Heavens Rescue Club] gathered around the long table and fell into thought as they looked at the densely packed sports festival flyer.

"What should we sign up for?" Eriri bit her pen.

Lin Xiao's gaze swept across the registration form. In the end, he grandly extended a hand and heavily poked the [Tennis] section with one finger!

"This one!"

A wildly arrogant curve lifted at the corner of Lin Xiao's mouth, and the soul of chuunibyou blazed in his eyes.

"If we're doing this, we're doing it with style! I'm definitely becoming the King of Tennis!"

"Wait a moment, Lin Xiao."

Yukino sharply pointed out a line of small print at the bottom of the registration form. "Each team must have six people. Our club doesn't have nearly enough members."

"Huh? We have to gather more people too?" Lin Xiao scratched his head. "Whatever. Let's first see who our opponents are. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll win every battle."

Lin Xiao casually activated the livestream function of the Myriad Worlds Chat Group.

[Ding! Group owner "He Is Simply God" has started a group livestream!]

[The Underdog Who Wants to Be Hokage]: "Wow! Big Brother Lin Xiao started a livestream! What kind of monster are we fighting this time?!"

[He Is Simply God]: "It's my daily life. I'll let you guys see what life is like here."

[Dark Knight of Gotham]: "Everyday school life in another world?"

Lin Xiao brought Yukino and the others to the bulletin board outside the gymnasium and found the list for [Tennis].

Club name: [Ordinary Life Club].

"The name does sound pretty ordinary." Eriri leaned over for a look.

However, when Lin Xiao's gaze moved downward and swept over the other club's extremely luxurious "participating member list"...

[Participating members: Hachiman Hikigaya, Miyuki Shirogane, Kousei Arima, Houtarou Oreki, Ken Kaneki]

"Pfft—"

Lin Xiao clamped a hand tightly over his mouth, his shoulders beginning to shake violently.

Damn mouth... hold it in... absolutely cannot laugh...

Lin Xiao took a deep breath, but two seconds later, he was still leaning against the bulletin board as he burst into an outrageously arrogant fit of laughter!

"HAHAHAHAHA!!! What kind of ridiculous god-tier lineup is this?!!!"

Lin Xiao laughed until tears came out, slapping his thigh arrogantly. "Those five are forming a team to play tennis?! Even if I brought a dog up there, I'd still win!!!"