"So, what do you want from me?"
As they walked down the hallway, Mamoru turned to ask Arisu.
The entrance ceremony had ended, and it was now after school. He was on his way to the staff room to meet his homeroom teacher, Mashima.
"No, I just wanted to thank you. You helped me this morning, so I thought we could have tea together. You said your hobby was visiting dessert shops, right?"
"I did say that... but what's your real reason?"
Mamoru asked again, certain that wasn't her only motive.
"That's mean. Mamoru-kun, do you think I'm plotting something?"
"At the very least, I doubt it's pure kindness."
As a sorcerer—and as someone from one of the Three Great Families—Mamoru had encountered plenty of people who approached with ulterior motives. It was second nature to be suspicious. One of the most suspicious people he knew was in his own family, after all.
"That's disappointing. I thought I'd finally met someone I might get along with. I was hoping to deepen our friendship."
(Still suspicious.)
Her cheerful smile only made him more doubtful. Even so, he hesitated to call her out directly.
(The chairman asked me to watch her, but if she keeps clinging to me like this, it'll just be annoying. I wouldn't care if she hated me for being blunt... maybe I should say something a little harsher?)
Just as he debated internally, Arisu chuckled beside him.
"Fufu, sorry—I teased you a bit too much. Since you've already figured it out, I'll be honest."
"That's sudden."
"You clearly don't trust me. I can see it all over your face. But this is a long conversation. Let's save the full explanation for later, okay?"
"Fine. We're almost at the staff room anyway."
(This is going to delay things, but it can't be helped. Sorry, Chairman. If you've got complaints, take them up with your daughter.)
In his mind, Mamoru offered a quiet apology to the chairman.
For now, all confirmed cases were minor—well below Grade 4 level—so postponing the start of his actual work by a day or two wouldn't cause any real problems.
Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the staff room. Mamoru knocked and slowly opened the door.
"Excuse us."
They entered together, scanning the room. But Mashima was nowhere in sight. Mamoru approached a nearby teacher.
"Excuse me. Is Mashima-sensei here?"
"Mashima? He was just here a moment ago... maybe he stepped out to the restroom?"
"I see. Thank you."
At the very least, Mashima should know they were coming. Deciding to wait, Mamoru glanced at Arisu, then turned back to the teacher.
"Sorry to trouble you, but is there somewhere she can sit while we wait?"
Arisu looked momentarily surprised. After their earlier exchange, she hadn't expected Mamoru to show such courtesy.
"That's fine. My seat is near Mashima's. She can use that."
"Thank you."
"Thank you."
A beat after Mamoru, Alice echoed his gratitude.
"You two are in Class A, right? I'm Hoshinomiya Chie, the homeroom teacher of Class B."
"Yes. Gojo Mamoru from Class A."
"Sakayanagi Arisu, also from Class A."
At Arisu's self-introduction, Hoshinomiya blinked in surprise.
"Sakayanagi? Oh—you're the one all the teachers have been talking about. Apparently, you scored excellent results on the entrance exam."
"Did I? That's a little embarrassing."
She said it modestly, but there was no hint of embarrassment in her tone. Rather, she radiated confidence—as if being praised were only natural.
"...Impressive."
Mamoru looked at her with a touch of admiration. He had taken the entrance exam too, and knew how difficult it was. To perform well enough to be remembered by name was no small feat.
"Is he your boyfriend, by the way? You two looked so natural and considerate together—almost like the perfect couple."
Hoshinomiya's eyes sparkled with amusement, but Mamoru shut the thought down immediately.
"Not at all. Please think of me as just an acquaintance."
Though Hoshinomiya came off as friendly, Mamoru kept a respectful tone. Teachers were still above students, after all.
At that, Arisu pouted dramatically.
"How cold. If you're going to shoot me down that quickly, I might lose my confidence as a woman."
"No no, Gojo-kun, don't say stuff like that. You'll hurt a girl."
(These two… they're going to be a pain.)
Mamoru sighed inwardly. It was already clear that both Arisu and Hoshinomiya enjoyed teasing people—and right now, Mamoru was their favorite target.
"Sorry about that," he said flatly, masking his irritation.
(Mashima-sensei… please come back soon.)
As if answering his silent plea, the staff room door opened, and Mashima finally entered.
"Oh, you're back already? I wanted to talk to you two a bit more."
"Hoshinomiya? What are you doing with my students?"
Mashima had noticed them and quickly approached.
"I was just chatting with them until you returned."
"Sorry for the delay. I just had to confirm something."
"Something important?"
"Nothing for you to worry about. Now, is Sakayanagi here regarding the issue from homeroom?"
"Yes. After what happened, the class had some questions. I've compiled them into a form. Please take a look."
Arisu pulled a sheet of paper from her bag and handed it to Mashima. The questions ranged from point system changes to class rankings and penalties.
Curious, Hoshinomiya peeked at the paper over Mashima's shoulder—and gasped.
"Wait, Mashima-kun! Did you break the rules or something!?"
His voice was so loud it drew the attention of other teachers.
"Calm down, Hoshinomiya. Don't say that in front of the students."
Hoshinomiya quickly covered his mouth and turned to Mamoru and Arisu—but it was too late. That reaction alone confirmed their suspicions from earlier.
"I swear I didn't break any rules. If you doubt me, check the classroom recordings."
"Then why—"
Apparently, even among the teachers, information about the school system was tightly controlled.
Mashima turned to Mamoru and Arisu again.
"You've probably guessed most of it already, but let me be clear—I cannot answer the questions on that form."
"None of them?" Arisu asked.
"None. I will neither confirm nor deny. That's my decision."
His voice was firm—completely free of the uncertainty he had shown earlier.
(I see. So the delay was to check with higher-ups on how to respond.)
"Understood. I'll inform the class tomorrow."
"Thank you. Is that okay with you, Gojo?"
"Actually, I have a different question—something I didn't get to ask during homeroom."
"What is it?"
Mashima seemed cautious. After Mamoru's earlier disruption, he was wary.
"I didn't ask how many days we're allowed to be absent—or how much it costs. Is that something you can tell me?"
"Ah, that. Yes, I can. It's 5,000 points per subject. A full day off is 35,000 points. It counts as an official absence.
But if there's a test during that time, there's no retake. It'll be recorded as a zero."
Mamoru nodded. That meant with his current 100,000 points, he could afford just two days of absence. Barely.
"Understood. One last question—if I get expelled, how many points would it take to reverse it?"
That had been a concern ever since the chairman mentioned expulsion before enrollment. He needed to know if it would interfere with his actual work.
Mashima grimaced, pressing his fingers to the corner of his eyes. Hoshinomiya's eyes widened again.
"...You weren't told about that in advance?"
"Huh?"
"No, it's fine. The answer is: 'I can't answer that.'"
(You can't answer... but that's different from 'you can't reverse it.')
That left one possibility.
(So it's not just about points—you need something else.)
"I see. Thank you for your time."
"It's my job to answer student questions. Don't hesitate to ask."
As Mamoru thanked him, Arisu stood and gave a small bow.
"Excuse us."
The two of them left the staff room together.