In the end, the after-school class meeting went more or less as Arisu had predicted, and it wrapped up without incident.
Afterward, I walked home with her, heading straight back without making any detours. Once I'd seen Arisu off at the dormitory, I doubled back and made my way into town.
Mamoru now found himself 300 meters above the school grounds, looking down at the vast campus sprawled out below.
(This school is massive.)
Seated cross-legged inside a cubic barrier, one elbow resting casually on his knee, Mamoru studied the view while deep in thought.
Of course, to anyone outside, he was completely invisible. The barrier was cloaked—distorting perception so that no one could detect his presence.
(If I try to plant sensing wedges everywhere, I'll never finish. Better to focus on key locations.)
Mamoru had several types of detection barriers at his disposal. The wedges he was about to deploy—similar to the ones already hidden around the student dorms—were mass-produced types: easy to make, but with limited range and durability.
The school grounds covered over 600,000 square meters, with buildings rising and falling across different elevations. To fully cover every nook and cranny, he'd need hundreds of wedges.
(Blanketing the entire school would probably get the Technical College's attention.)
Sure, Mamoru could use cursed items to set up a massive sensory barrier—but doing so would risk exposing his abilities. A barrier that large would be noticeable even to less skilled sorcerers.
Just like he kept his true power under wraps during his time at the college, placing anything too conspicuous now would be like sending up a flare: "Hey, something important is hidden here!"
He didn't want to attract any unnecessary trouble—especially from malicious types.
(I'll start with a perimeter setup… then work inward.)
Mamoru compared the live aerial view with a campus map displayed on his device, marking each area that stood out.
(Yeah, this should be enough for a week's worth of work. Guess it's better to scout on foot after all.)
While Mamoru could teleport between cubic barriers without cursed tools, the barriers had a limited range. That meant he'd only be able to teleport in short bursts, which wasn't very efficient.
Setting up cloaking barriers and jumping from one to the next cost a fair amount of magical energy and focus. For the short distance it covered, the energy spent just wasn't worth it.
Walking was far more practical.
Mamoru stood, formed a hand sign, and in an instant, the scenery shifted from the sky to a deserted back alley on campus.
After confirming no one was nearby, he dismissed the cloaking barrier and started walking.
(Hmm?)
As he stepped out of the alley, Mamoru sensed someone approaching.
He turned to see three male students walking his way—each one with a strong presence.
The one in front had long hair and an air of arrogance. Flanking him were two others: a huge black man in sunglasses, easily over two meters tall, and a buzz-cut student with a scowl that practically screamed delinquent.
(Already picking fights on the first day?)
There was tension in the air, but it didn't feel like bullying. The two flanking students clearly had hostility directed toward the long-haired one.
But when Mamoru looked at the long-haired boy's expression—a bold, almost taunting grin—he realized this wasn't someone who needed saving.
Mamoru decided to walk past and pretend he hadn't noticed.
"Hey, you there."
The long-haired student called out, halting Mamoru.
Mamoru turned back with a sigh, knowing this would be a hassle.
"…What?"
"Hehe. What were you doing in such a quiet alley all by yourself?"
The guy chuckled for no clear reason, like the situation itself was amusing.
"Oi," one of the boys—likely annoyed—glared at the long-haired student. He probably didn't appreciate being dragged into this nonsense.
But the long-haired one just waved him off dismissively.
"Relax. Just wait a sec."
Mamoru answered coolly, keeping up his poker face.
"I'm still new here. Just exploring the school a bit."
"You sure took a weird route. Not exactly the scenic path, is it?"
The boy eyed him suspiciously.
(Why do people like Arisu and this guy always look at me like they're analyzing something?)
Not that it mattered. An ordinary person with no sense for magic wouldn't be able to tell what he was really doing here.
He casually threw out the first excuse that came to mind.
"There was a cat. I followed it, and before I knew it, I'd wandered down here."
"A cat, huh? Sounds like something out of a children's book."
The guy laughed again—whether in disbelief or amusement, Mamoru couldn't tell.
"What's your name?"
For a moment, Mamoru considered giving a fake one. But if they were all enrolled at the same school, it'd be pointless.
"…Mamoru Gojo."
"Heh. I'm Ryuen Sho."
Then, with a grin:
"Hey, Gojo. We're about to have ourselves a little party. You wanna come?"
Mamoru immediately understood—it wasn't that kind of party.
"Oi!"
"Shut it, Ishizaki."
"Don't bark orders at me, damn it!"
The one named Ishizaki snapped again, but Ryuen dismissed him without a glance.
Mamoru calmly declined.
"Sorry, I've got something to take care of. Maybe next time."
"Too bad," Ryuen said, without pushing further.
"Well then. See you around."
"Kuku. Yeah, Gojo. Ma・ta・ne."
(Great. Another troublesome guy to deal with.)
As Mamoru turned to leave, Ryuen's teasing farewell rang behind him.
He didn't look back.
A few moments later, he heard a loud "Ow!" and what sounded like a punch landing hard. Mamoru didn't stop walking.
A crow soared across the sunset sky, cawing as it passed.
"…So peaceful."
There was no real reason to say it.
The words just slipped out.