The students of Class 4A yawned as they lined up in front of the Ninjutsu training hall. Sleep still clung to their eyes, but terror quickly replaced it as Sayu-sensei leapt from the shadows.
"BOO!"
"AHHHH—!"
Kazuha nearly dropped his poetry notebook. Heizou pulled out a magnifying glass instinctively. Xiao didn't even flinch. Wanderer bonked his head on a bamboo post.
Sayu landed with a spin. "Welcome to the art of stealth! Today you'll learn to sneak without waking a sleeping Teyvat boar."
"Do we have to wake up early for this?" groaned Wanderer.
Sayu yawned mid-spin. "Yes. If I'm suffering, you all suffer."
---
Training Session: Operation Ninja Pain
The boys were handed bamboo masks and fake kunai.
"Today's exam: infiltrate the library, steal the scroll under Faruzan's nose, and escape unseen."
"That's not ninjutsu. That's suicide," Heizou muttered.
"Begin!" Sayu clapped, then curled up under a tree and instantly fell asleep.
Kazuha attempted to blend with the wind. Heizou tried to distract Faruzan with a fake overdue book alarm. Wanderer just walked in with full confidence.
Faruzan: "You again?"
Wanderer: "...I forgot my homework in here."
Faruzan raised an eyebrow. "You don't have homework."
"Exactly," he whispered, grabbing the scroll anyway.
Xiao simply teleported behind Faruzan, grabbed the scroll, and left without anyone noticing.
Heizou stared at him. "I hate how you're good at this."
---
Afternoon Agony: Gliding with Chasca
"Today, young winds, we soar!" Chasca yelled from the top of the tower.
The gliding practice involved spiral dives, midair flips, and collecting wind coins while avoiding flying pigeons.
"Why are the pigeons attacking us?!" screamed Heizou.
"They remember the traveler feeding them bread crumbs and then slicing their uncle," Chasca explained.
Kazuha spun in the air with elegance, while Xiao glided like a bullet. Wanderer fell into a tree. Again.
---
Combat Class with Xianyun
"Form a line! Channel your inner wind and strike!" Xianyun's drill sergeant energy shook the classroom.
Wanderer: "Do I look like a guy who channels?"
Xiao didn't say a word. He simply summoned his polearm and decimated the training dummy.
Heizou's punches were oddly effective.
Kazuha used poetry to distract his opponent before gently sweeping their legs.
Wanderer used sarcasm. It didn't work.
---
Dorm Night: Forehead Mysteries
Later that night, the boys collapsed in the dorm, bruised, sweaty, and emotionally scarred.
"How are we still alive?" Heizou groaned.
"I think I glided into a pigeon's nest…" Kazuha whispered.
"Xiao," Wanderer muttered, flopping onto his bed, "what's with that red mark on your forehead anyway?"
Kazuha blinked. "Yes, I've been wondering too. It's not just decoration, is it?"
Heizou perked up. "Detective senses demand an answer. Spill it."
The room went quiet. Xiao sat on his bed, moonlight highlighting the red diamond mark.
He finally spoke, voice low and calm.
"It is a seal. A symbol of karmic debt. A reminder of my duties and the pain I carry from centuries of fighting dark forces. I bear it alone."
The room was silent.
Heizou snored.
Kazuha was drooling on his pillow.
Wanderer was halfway off the bed, muttering something about bread and vengeance.
Xiao sighed. "...Why do I even bother."
To be continued...