"Everyone did well in this exam. I'd especially like to commend Yuigahama, Yanami, and Yakishio-san; you three made the most progress."
After the mid-term academic test, during a homeroom period, Hiratsuka Shizuka spoke in a clear voice from the podium.
Her fingers gently tapped on the desk; if one looked closely, the rhythm was the theme song of a certain tokusatsu that this iron-fisted teacher quite liked. It was clear that she was in a very good mood today.
"If you have any special study methods, you can share them here so that others in the class can also refer to them."
Yuigahama Yui: "Study methods... I feel like some unpleasant memories are about to resurface in my brain..."
Yanami Anna: "I've had enough of algebra and geometry... Gulp, anything but quadratics, please not quadratics..."
Yakishio Lemon: "Oxford... The first word, Abandon... means to give up..."
The three of them held their heads and muttered something, as if Hiratsuka Shizuka's unintentional words had awakened some psychological trauma in them.
Hiratsuka Shizuka's face was lined with black, and her gaze shot towards Asakura like a sharp sword. After all, Asakura had greeted the families of the three, and Hiratsuka Shizuka knew that he had held study sessions with them.
Given that, the suspect was undoubtedly Asakura.
The latter nonchalantly turned his head, avoiding her gaze, to prevent entering the combat phase.
Hiratsuka Shizuka was at a loss for what to do with this slippery fellow for a moment.
After all, even she couldn't just punch a student for no reason during class; that would be an educational incident.
"Asakura-kun, come to my office after class."
"Hiratsuka-sensei, I'm very busy after class."
"What are you going to do?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka asked curiously.
"I'll be busy emptying my mind and body at my seat, examining myself with the essence of 'dan-sha-ri,' and experiencing the highest realm of 'tranquility leading to far-reaching clarity and a mind like a still Mirror' that was known in ancient times, with the clearest possible brain—"
"It's useless even if you make staring blankly sound elegant; get over here!"
Battle item change? Flee.
Escape failed.
—Teacher's Office—
"Hello, Hiratsuka-sensei. Is black tea alright?"
"Why do you look like you're back home! This is my office, and you're the visitor! Stand properly!"
"Oh."
Asakura stood indifferently beside Hiratsuka Shizuka's seat.
"Have you grown a little taller?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at him with some surprise, gesturing with her hand: "I remember the last time you stood here, you weren't this tall."
"Because I've been eating well."
..."It's good to have an appetite, but don't overeat."
Hiratsuka Shizuka evidently recalled the appearance of a certain member of Asakura's club, and so she earnestly advised him.
"Is that why Hiratsuka-sensei called me here?"
"Of course not just that. Yuigahama, Yanami, and Yakishio-san have all joined your strange club, right? Is their improvement in grades also your doing?"
"I merely shared a little of my study experience as the top student in the grade. No need to thank me."
Asakura said modestly.
"If I hadn't seen their tormented faces for days before the academic test, I might have actually believed you..."
"How rude! I am a gentleman."
Asakura made a 'V' sign, revealing a villainous grin: "I only tormented them for two days. At first, they would cry and shout, but later, they had no reaction."
"Hah!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka threw a jab.
"Wow, how scary~"
Asakura nimbly dodged.
"Damn it, why can't I hit him..."
Hiratsuka Shizuka said through gritted teeth.
"So, is Hiratsuka-sensei calling me here because she wants a free punching bag?"
Asakura asked nonchalantly: "Just to clarify, what I just said was only a joke."
"I haven't become so senile as to take a joke seriously."
Hiratsuka Shizuka took out a list and handed it to Asakura: "What do you think of this?"
Asakura took it and glanced at it, discovering it was the grade ranking from the recent academic test.
He firmly held the top spot, but the person below him was Asagumo Chihaya, not Yukinoshita Yukino, whom he was already used to seeing.
Asakura frowned slightly and continued to look down, only finding her name around the twentieth position.
"That girl's mindset seems to have had some issues after the hot spring trip."
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked calmly at Asakura: "Do you have any idea why?"
Asakura shook his head.
If there was any difference before and after the hot spring trip, it was that Gokou had lifted the curse for her, removing her cat ears.
But that shouldn't affect her studies to that extent, right?
"Tsk,"
Hiratsuka Shizuka also knew that Asakura wasn't the type to hide things like this, so she could only click her tongue in annoyance: "If only I hadn't been drunk that day."
"Is it possible that we didn't include her when our club had its team-building event?"
Asakura asked on a whim. After all, from beginning to end in this arc, aside from guiding Yuigahama, who was afraid of the dark, Yukinoshita Yukino had been outside of the situation. Perhaps she felt excluded?
"Hahaha, are you joking? That's Yukino."
"You're right."
"In any case, this can't go on. Since your Chiba Magic Society and the Service Club share a clubroom, please keep an eye on that girl's situation for me. Otherwise, her older sister might invite me to a boxing match anytime."
"Is her older sister very strong? Are you afraid of boxing with her, Sensei?"
"No, I'm afraid that one punch will make me kneel before her and beg her not to die."
"..."
Asakura clapped his hands, decisively changing the subject: "By the way, I also have something I wanted to talk to Hiratsuka-sensei about."
"Hmm? Didn't you say before that you were busy trying to understand 'accelerated synchronization' with your body, so you didn't have time to talk to me in the office?"
"It was the 'Mind Like a Still Mirror'... never mind, I want to do this."
Asakura pulled a slip of paper from his pocket.
"The club 'Chiba Magic Society' is changing its name to 'Magic Club'? What do you mean by this?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka asked curiously.
"Because the original name is too clunky."
"So you knew it yourself..."
Actually, that wasn't the reason.
It was just that Asakura found it too troublesome to always say "Chiba Magic Society (Inner)" and "Chiba Magic Society (Outer)" (and there was also the suspicion of padding word count). He figured it would be better to simply rename the club to the Magic Club, while the original (Inner) would continue to use the name Chiba Magic Society. This way, it would be easier to distinguish between them.
"But wouldn't that overlap with the Supernatural Club's purpose?"
"It's fine,"
Asakura said with a gentle and kind smile: "I will utterly crush them."
"Don't do that! Be normal!"