Stella was about to lose her temper at the mocking, disdainful, contemptuous tones.
Ikki stopped her, smiled, and shook his head.
"Ahem."
At the classroom door, a young, beautiful female teacher stood there, interrupting the students' discussion.
Once the room had quieted down, the female teacher stepped onto the podium and smiled.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Oregi Yori, the homeroom teacher in charge of Class 1-A, which means all of you here."
"This is my first time being in charge of a class, so you don't need to be so formal. You can call me 'Little Yori,' too."
Stella looked at Oregi Yori on the podium, who was as enthusiastic as fire and seemed to be performing a one-woman show.
"She somehow feels like the kind of teacher who'd be exhausting to deal with."
"Hehe... Still, she's a very good teacher."
While Ikki was talking with Stella, Luo Mio beside them was staring blankly into space, muttering nonsense.
After all, since he already knew part of the plot, he basically knew what she was going to say next.
"Mm, since it's the first day, there won't be any classes!"
"However, please take out your Student Handbooks."
Hagun Academy's Student Handbook was an extremely useful tool with many functions. It could serve as an ID card, phone, wallet, and network device.
"What I'm going to talk about now is the representative selection battle for the Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival."
"The chairman also mentioned during the entrance ceremony that, starting this year, the 'ability value selection system' will be abolished and replaced with a 'practical combat selection system' open to all students."
"The entire school will participate in selection battles, and six outstanding students will be chosen as representatives for the Seven Stars Sword Dance Festival."
"The schedule, information, and relevant rules for the matches will be sent by the Selection Battle Executive Committee to everyone's Student Handbooks."
"Of course, if you don't want to participate in the selection battles, you can send the committee a message saying that you won't compete or that you aren't interested. The committee will remove your name on its own."
"Now then, everyone! Let's give it our all together over the coming year!"
"Together! Eeeehhh, ooohhh—!"
A large amount of blood sprayed from Oregi Yori's mouth.
"Yori!"
Stella stood up and looked at Oregi Yori.
Oregi Yori's sudden blood spitting left the students panicking.
Ikki simply slapped a hand against his forehead.
"Ah... Just as expected. Miohua, give me a hand."
Ikki snapped Luo Mio out of his daze.
"I'm terribly sorry, Kurogane, and also..."
"Toudo Miohua."
Luo Mio supported Oregi Yori from her other side.
"Eh... Toudo..."
The other students also stepped forward to check on Oregi Yori.
"Cough, cough... It's fine. Ever since I was little... I've had to vomit about a liter of blood."
"Teacher, stop bragging. Anyway, the two of us will take you to the infirmary."
After returning from the infirmary, Ikki and Luo Mio relayed Oregi Yori's message.
"Teacher said everyone can go home for today."
After Luo Mio finished passing along the message and was about to leave with Ikki and Stella.
"Please let me interview you, Senior!"
A girl from their class blocked their path. She had large-framed glasses, peach-gold hair, and a voluptuous figure.
"Eh? Me?"
Ikki froze.
"My name is Kusakabe Kagami, and I want to establish the Brother News Department! Actually, I watched that mock battle you had a few days ago, Senior. It was absolutely amazing!"
"And the match between Toudo Miohua and Senior Touka, too!"
Kagami took out her Student Handbook. Its screen showed Ikki and Stella's fight, followed by Luo Mio and Touka's battle.
The other girls in the classroom also timidly raised their hands.
"I saw it too..."
"I watched that video too."
So that was it. No wonder everyone had been talking about Stella and Ikki, yet I kept getting strange looks.
Luo Mio looked at Ikki. Clearly, he had noticed the students' strange gazes in the classroom as well.
Ikki said gently, "Sorry, but now that we're classmates, you don't have to be so reserved. It's fine if you want to talk to me."
Luo Mio beside him also shrugged in agreement.
"Really!?"
Upon hearing that, the girls suddenly crowded excitedly around Ikki and Luo Mio.
"Thank you so much, Senior Kurogane."
"I watched Miohua's match. Even though you lost, you were super, super, super cool."
"Senior Kurogane, can you teach me swordsmanship?"
"Ah! You're too sneaky! I want Senior Kurogane to teach me too!"
"Then please teach me boxing too, Big Sister Miohua!"
Big Sister Miohua!?
The affection, respect, and enthusiasm in the girls' eyes left Ikki a little overwhelmed.
Ikki looked at Luo Mio as though asking for help.
Luo Mio looked as if he had begun questioning his entire life, muttering under his breath.
Big Sister Miohua? Big Sister Miohua?
Ah...
And at that moment.
"Hey, Senior, why don't you teach us too?"
Five fierce-looking boys shoved the girls aside.
"You're really popular, Senior, but aren't you getting a little too cocky? You already have two beautiful girls by your side, yet you're still fooling around with other girls in the classroom."
One of the sturdily built boys threatened him.
Ikki froze after hearing what the boy said, then seemed to realize something.
Stella beside him had also heard the boy's words.
"Two beautiful girls..."
"Ah..."
Her gaze shifted toward Luo Mio.
She recalled that awkward accident from several days ago.
Indeed, if one did not look closely at his body, Miohua could easily be mistaken for a girl.
Just as Ikki was about to say something.
"Hey, you over there. If you've got the guts, say that again."
Luo Mio walked toward the muscular boy with a dark expression.
Watching Luo Mio approach with such a vicious glare, the boy gathered his courage and lowered his head. "Huh? What is it, shorty?"
"Pfft."
Stella instinctively laughed upon hearing his words.
Ikki beside her merely rubbed his forehead and shook his head.
It hurt! It hurt so much! It hurt terribly!
Ever since coming to this world and growing up here, Luo Mio had discovered a serious problem.
His height was 165 centimeters!!
When he was younger, he could still use his trained strength and height to bully Ikki a little.
But as time passed, Luo Mio discovered that his growth had become slower and slower. At one point, Ikki's height suddenly shot past his.
Once he reached 165 centimeters, Luo Mio had never grown another centimeter.
He only learned why after asking the system.
It was because the Character Carrier he used, Immortal Chi Yuan Fu Hua, was 165 centimeters tall.
Even though he was male, he would still inherit some of the Character Carrier's physical data, including height and appearance.
That had even led to him being mistaken for a woman when he once went shopping with Touka.
And at Hagun Academy, Luo Mio was considered short even among the first-year students.
Luo Mio exhaled, suppressed the anger in his heart, and spoke with an extremely unfriendly gaze.
"Come on! Right here. If you lose, I'll give you one chance to reorganize your wording."
The boy asked with a baffled expression, "Huh? What if we win?"
Luo Mio waved his hand.
"You won't get that chance."
"Huh?!"
Luo Mio's scornful words deeply wounded the boy's pride, especially in front of so many girls.
"Don't get too cocky!"
The other four charged at Luo Mio, wielding their Devices.
The girls around them hurriedly scattered in all directions.
Ikki tried to stop the five of them. "Using them on campus is prohibit—"
Before he could finish, Luo Mio charged toward the five.
He did not even use magic power or his Device.
Luo Mio's actions only angered the group of five further.
The first boy swung a katana.
As Luo Mio stepped toward him, he extended his left arm and opened his left hand into a palm.
He slapped the blade aside, then opened his right hand into a palm as well and struck the hand holding the sword, knocking the boy's Device away.
"Inner Style: Falcon," first and second strikes.
Then Luo Mio shifted slightly and slipped past him, extending the tip of his foot just enough to trip him.
Luo Mio turned to face the boy behind him holding an iron rod, who swept half the rod toward him.
Luo Mio stepped back slightly, dodging the sweeping iron rod, then grabbed its front end with his right hand.
He then tilted his body sideways and drove his left elbow into the boy's shoulder, knocking him back before pulling the iron rod free.
"Inner Style: Falcon," third strike.
Before you continue