Katsura Kotoha, who had just finished lunch on the rooftop, was surrounded by Kato Otome and her three companions as soon as she returned to the classroom.
"Katsura, where did you run off to during lunch break?"
Kato Otome, with her arms crossed and a displeased expression, loudly accused Katsura Kotoha, while the three people behind her also looked at Katsura Kotoha with playful expressions.
The four of them seemed to have forgotten the reason Teacher Zhong Chen had punished them to write self-reflection essays, or perhaps they felt that it was just writing essays and didn't take it too seriously.
"It's all your fault for not being here. They just shoved this onto me."
Saying this, Kato Otome slapped a stack of application forms onto Katsura Kotoha's desk, the loud bang instantly startling Katsura Kotoha.
"Seriously, you're the executive committee member for the Academy Festival."
"You're making things very difficult for me."
Hearing Kato Otome's words, Katsura Kotoha was about to apologize, but before she could speak, Teacher Zhong Chen's voice came from the doorway.
"Difficult? Then don't do it!"
"Teacher Zhong Chen!"
The girls heard the voice and quickly turned their heads to look at the doorway, only to see Teacher Zhong Chen leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking at them expressionlessly.
"Teacher Zhong Chen, please let us explain. We didn't bully Katsura this time; it's just that she didn't do her job well."
"That's right, she's supposed to be the executive committee member, but all these things were pushed onto Kato Otome."
Koizumi Natsumi quickly chimed in from the side, afraid that Teacher Zhong Chen would misunderstand and punish them to write self-reflection essays again.
However, they were clearly overthinking it. If Teacher Zhong Chen were such a reasonable person, his reputation for being petty wouldn't have spread throughout the entire Monster Country Federation.
"Oh? Is that so? Katsura Kotoha?"
Hearing Teacher Zhong Chen's question, Katsura Kotoha pursed her lips and nodded, looking a little wronged.
She hadn't wanted to be an executive committee member; it was forced upon her because no one else wanted the position.
"I understand. In that case, Kato Otome, from now on, you are the new executive committee member. Take these things back and deal with them."
"What? Teacher Zhong Chen, it was the entire class's suggestion for Katsura to be the executive committee member. Even if you are the homeroom teacher, you can't…"
Before Kato Otome could finish speaking, Teacher Zhong Chen's lips curled into a cold smile, and he glanced at the girls with icy eyes:
"What, did you not hear what I said? Or do I need to repeat myself?"
"I…"
Kato Otome and the others, who still wanted to say something, suddenly noticed the coldness in Teacher Zhong Chen's eyes and couldn't help but feel a chilling sensation throughout their bodies.
It was as if something terrifying would happen if they dared to object.
Then, they quickly changed their tone, responding loudly with fear in their eyes:
"I… I understand, Teacher Zhong Chen…"
Hearing Kato Otome's words, the coldness in Teacher Zhong Chen's eyes instantly vanished, and a smile appeared on his face, as if the person who had just wanted to kill someone wasn't him.
"Now that's a good student of a teacher. Remember, you must listen to your teacher well."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
The girls quickly stood straight and answered loudly. They only realized today that this new, handsome homeroom teacher was definitely not the sunny, handsome, good teacher they had imagined him to be.
Underneath his sunny and handsome exterior, this guy definitely hid something terrifying.
"Um, Teacher Zhong Chen, if you don't have anything else, we'll be leaving now."
After saying that, Kato Otome picked up the stack of application forms from Katsura Kotoha's desk and, with her three little followers, ran out of the classroom.
As they passed Teacher Zhong Chen, none of the four dared to look him in the eye.
Noticing this, Teacher Zhong Chen stroked his chin and muttered softly:
"Am I that scary? Young people nowadays have such weak mental fortitude."
Actually, Teacher Zhong Chen was just trying to scare them. As a Great Luo Golden Immortal, it would be too demeaning to casually lay hands on a few ordinary high school girls.
Of course, having his subordinates take action wouldn't be demeaning.
"Mr. Zhong Chen, um… thank you for helping me again."
Katsura Kotoha stood up and looked at Teacher Zhong Chen with gratitude.
"I say, Kotoha, you need to toughen up. You're clearly a strong person, so why do you always act so timid?"
Teacher Zhong Chen looked at Katsura Kotoha, who appeared weak and submissive, and couldn't help but cover his forehead in exasperation.
Logically speaking, if Katsura Kotoha truly fought, Kato Otome and the others wouldn't be able to defeat her.
After all, this was a woman who had practiced Kendo since childhood. In the game sequel "Summer Days," there was a scene where Katsura Kotoha swung her sword and cut a falling water droplet from a height.
Furthermore, she also knew Iaijutsu, a one-hit kill drawing technique. He couldn't understand how such a powerful person could constantly be bullied.
Teacher Zhong Chen could only attribute it to her personality.
"Um… Mr. Zhong Chen, what does 'toughen up' mean?"
Katsura Kotoha clearly didn't understand the strange dialect in Teacher Zhong Chen's words.
"Uh… it means you need to stand up for yourself, to be firm."
Katsura Kotoha nodded obediently after hearing Teacher Zhong Chen's explanation.
"If… if Mr. Zhong Chen wishes it, I… I will try my best!"
After saying that, Katsura Kotoha even made fists and put them in front of her chest to encourage herself.
"Mm, that's right. The more you're afraid of them, the more they'll take advantage of you."
"On the contrary, if you show a desperate stance, they will be afraid of you. This is what they call 'going dark makes you twice as strong, going light makes you three times weaker'."
"Remember, other people's opinions are all rubbish. Everyone is living for the first time, so why should you accommodate them? You don't owe them money."
When he mentioned owing money, Teacher Zhong Chen's tone was slightly weaker, after all, it was because of owing money that he didn't even have the confidence to speak loudly in front of certain people.
Hmph, you annoying little pinballs, when Lord Chen returns this time, he will definitely teach you a good lesson.
"Pfft… Hahaha… Mr. Zhong Chen, you always speak so… well… unrestrained, yes, unrestrained."
A hint of envy flashed in Katsura Kotoha's eyes. If only she could be like Mr. Zhong Chen, he must live happily every day.
"Hmph hmph, of course, the word 'unrestrained' was tailor-made for me."
The word 'humility' does not exist in Lord Chen's dictionary.
Looking at Teacher Zhong Chen's triumphant expression, Katsura Kotoha inexplicably felt her heart beating so fast. She truly wanted to become someone like Teacher Zhong Chen.
"Remember what I said. If anyone tells you to do something, don't be polite, just refuse directly. If anyone dares to say another word, curse them right back."
"That's all for now. I have something else to do, so I'm leaving. We'll meet at the usual spot after school."
After saying that, Teacher Zhong Chen waved his hand and walked out of the classroom, leaving only Katsura Kotoha staring blankly at his retreating figure.
Academy City, Chairwoman's Office
"I didn't expect A Chen to send you back to handle this matter."
She sat quietly behind her desk, hands clasped under her chin, with her usual gentle smile on her face.
"There's someone I know inside, so my master sent me back to handle it."
"I see. Then I'll leave everything to you."
"Chairwoman, just leave it to me…"