Ding-a-ling.
"That concludes today's lesson. Class dismissed."
The familiar bell rang as Masamichi, who never dragged out lessons, closed his book and left the classroom right on time.
"Hey, hey, hey, everyone, look at me!"
As soon as Masamichi stepped out, Satoru spun and jumped onto the podium.
"That look... did you think of something fun again, Satoru?"
Suguru, who understood him best, was the first to speak.
"As expected of Suguru."
Satoru gave Suguru a thumbs-up and a playful wink.
"Let's go outside."
In the next second, Satoru jumped onto the window.
"You should use the door, Satoru."
"No, Suguru, are you a stick in the mud?"
"If Suguru admits it, are you willing to call him Mom?"
"Eichi, I think you're more suited to adopt Satoru."
"No, I don't raise cats."
"Wait, I'm not a cat!"
Satoru, who had just jumped out, immediately poked most of his body back through the window to protest.
As the three argued at the window, Ieiri Shoko silently took Artoria's hand.
"Shall we go for afternoon tea, Saber?"
At the mention of "afternoon tea," Artoria immediately stood up.
"Let's go, Shoko."
Shoko smiled.
"Indeed, Artoria is much cuter than those three idiots."
"Wait, Shoko, don't leave me behind!"
Satoru dove back into the classroom from the window and clung to Shoko's leg.
Shoko casually kicked his Limitless.
"No doubt about it, whatever he planned is probably boring."
Most girls truly didn't get the joy boys found in games.
Just like how girls rarely said what they really wanted, boys could only do their best to guess.
"Don't abandon me, Shoko~"
Satoru put on his best cat-like charm.
Shoko took a critical hit.
"Suguru, control your Satoru."
Shoko looked at Suguru with an exasperated face.
Suguru sat with his legs crossed on the desk, casually whistling toward the window, acting like he didn't see a thing.
"It's very rude to disturb a lady's meal, Satoru."
Artoria, standing beside Ieiri Shoko with her arms crossed, spoke with authority.
'Saber is always dependable.'
Shoko gave Artoria a subtle thumbs-up with her eyes.
"It is a bit rude..."
Hearing Artoria speak, Satoru flopped onto the ground, pinching his chin in mock thought.
"Alright then!"
Satoru suddenly jumped up.
"After we're done playing, let's go out for a big meal, Saber! Eat whatever you want. I will cover everything."
He instantly appeared in front of Artoria, pointing toward the bustling direction of Tokyo.
"Sushi, oden, hot pot, sukiyaki... so many good things, I can't eat them all."
The next moment, Satoru pretended to have a headache.
"It's fine. I can eat them all."
Shoko saw Artoria's eyes shine at that moment.
"Hunger is a formidable enemy! We must eliminate all delicious food with unwavering determination!"
Artoria clenched her right fist in front of her, her 1.5-meter frame radiating the aura of a 2.5-meter giant.
'Ah, here we go again.'
Shoko covered her face helplessly.
'It feels like Artoria's been completely led astray.'
She spent a lot of time with Artoria, partly because they were the only girls in their year.
But mostly, Shoko liked the joy of feeding Artoria.
That joy had now been stolen by Satoru.
'Oh well. Saber only acts like this with people she trusts anyway.'
Shoko recalled what had happened not too long ago, when Medea approached Artoria.
"Is class over, Saber?"
Medea suddenly appeared from around a hallway corner, pretending it was just coincidence.
"Mm."
Artoria simply nodded.
"Do you have time now? Would you like to come to my room for a bit? I prepared tea and some delicious snacks."
Medea clasped her hands together, tilting them beside her cheek. Her pretty face tilted with them, like warm light and flowers bloomed around her.
"No."
Snap.
Artoria refused without the slightest hesitation.
Medea was instantly frozen by the answer.
"Wh-why, Saber? Don't you usually enjoy snacks with friends? Why..."
"My intuition tells me you have ill intentions."
Artoria's words made Medea's heart skip a beat.
'Has she found out? My plan to make Saber do this... then that... and finally...'
"Let's go, Shoko. Afternoon tea in your room."
"Mm."
Shoko had no objections. She gave Medea a slightly sympathetic glance before the two returned to the dorm for a peaceful tea time.
[End of flashback.]
The group quickly gathered outside the classroom.
Each held a small item Satoru had requested.
Shoko and Suguru carried pencils and erasers. Artoria held a ruler.
Eichi said he'd join later and secretly headed to the spot where Shoko hid her liquor.
Realizing what Satoru was planning, Eichi decided to prank him.
He took out a case of beer, poured it into a bucket, and stored the bucket in his shadow.
"Later, have Satoru buy you another case."
Eichi clasped his hands together and offered a Void Realm apology to Shoko.
Then he vanished into the shadow.
"Let's begin."
At Satoru's signal, the group launched their items at him all at once.
The eraser hit Satoru's forehead, while the pencil and ruler were halted mid-air by Limitless.
Splash.
Eichi emerged from Satoru's shadow and dumped the bucket of water onto him without hesitation.
"You said 'anything goes.'"
"Too bad."
The water curved and splashed outward just before hitting Satoru's head, as if blocked by an invisible umbrella.
"It's no use."
Satoru leaned back and made a face at Eichi.
"Is Limitless automatically targeting Techniques now?"
Suguru was the first to voice his observation.
"That's right."
Satoru curled his lips smugly.
"The old Limitless was like a manual transmission. I upgraded it to automatic."
He caught the pencil and ruler floating mid-air and twirled them.
"The current Limitless doesn't just rely on Cursed Energy strength anymore. It now assesses danger levels automatically using factors like speed, mass, and shape."
"However, it still can't filter out poisons and such. That's too much of a hassle."
"Now, I can run Limitless almost infinitely with minimal consumption."
"If you keep doing that, your brain will burn out."
Shoko, the med student, voiced her concern.
"It's fine. I'll just keep Reverse Cursed Technique active to repair my brain. That way, I always have a fresh brain supply."
Satoru twirled his right hand around his head a few times.
'Fresh brains... I suddenly feel like stewing one.'
Eichi thought that as he watched Satoru speak.
"I can also activate Techniques without hand signs now. And the seamless switching between Blue and Red, as well as simultaneous dual activation, is complete."
Blue and red lights alternated on Satoru's spinning pen hand.
"Next is Domain Expansion and long-distance teleportation."
Technique Lapse and Reversal, huh?
Eichi rested his chin on one hand, falling into thought as he watched the alternating glow of red and blue.
(To be continued.)