The spell known as "Common Sense Alteration" was a fascinating form of magic.
It didn't just tweak how people perceived the world — it could even reshape their memories.
As Ryuichi explained the lesson material, he quietly used that magic to imprint the knowledge directly into the girls' minds.
"In mathematics, simply memorizing formulas isn't enough," he lectured patiently. "You have to learn how to apply them flexibly and understand the logic behind them. Now, let's go through a few practical examples."
Even with his magic reinforcing the learning process, the five girls seated before him looked… less than focused.
Ryuichi sighed inwardly. Oh well.
Whether they were paying attention or not didn't really matter — he'd make sure they learned this one way or another.
Of course, he thought wryly, I mean the knowledge. Obviously.
About half an hour later, he rapped lightly on the table.
"So," he said, "anything you didn't understand from what I just explained?"
"Nope! We got it all!" the five answered in perfect unison.
Ryuichi pressed his lips together, glanced at Itsuki's notes — or rather, the doodle of a flower on the corner of her page — and nodded.
"Nice drawing," he said dryly.
"Ahaha… th-thanks," Itsuki laughed awkwardly, scratching her head.
"Let's take a ten-minute break," Ryuichi announced.
The mood immediately brightened. Even Miku, usually so quiet and reserved, perked up a little when she heard the word break.
Nino, on the other hand, dropped her pen and slumped dramatically across the desk.
"Why do we have to sit through a class when you can just use magic? This is so unfair…"
Clearly, she still hadn't forgiven Ryuichi for not using his powers to simply make them smart.
These girls really didn't enjoy studying.
"Ugh… my head hurts the moment we start a lesson," Itsuki muttered. "Maybe I've got some rare brain disease or something."
Ryuichi looked at her with a calm, unreadable face.
"Don't worry. That's probably just your brain growing."
"...Huh??"
"..."
The room went silent before the girls all broke into helpless laughter.
Itsuki puffed up her cheeks in protest, looking like an adorable little squirrel.
Seriously, they all thought, this guy never misses a chance to be a smartass…
"It's Saturday today," Ichika said cheerfully. "The mall should be lively — wanna go shopping this afternoon?"
"I'm in!" Nino replied instantly. "There's a new movie I wanna see too!"
"Not going," Miku mumbled.
She'd recently gotten addicted to a new Three Kingdoms-style strategy game and couldn't pull herself away from it.
Yotsuba, of course, was always busy with her club activities — she never turned down an invitation, and was ridiculously popular on campus.
As for Itsuki… well, if given the choice between shopping and food, she'd pick the food court every time.
Their chatter gradually died down as their gazes drifted toward Ryuichi, who was sitting quietly off to the side.
"What about you, Ryuichi? What do you usually do when you're not teaching us?"
Curiosity was natural. After all, the mysterious, otherworldly young man before them wasn't just anyone — he was a Devil.
During class, they often found themselves sneaking glances at him.
But no matter how they looked, he didn't feel like a Devil at all.
It was still surreal to think that the person patiently tutoring them in math was, in truth, a being from another world.
Nino especially couldn't help stealing glances.
Do all Devils look this handsome? she wondered. He's totally my type…
Not that she'd ever say that out loud. That would be way too embarrassing.
Ryuichi noticed their expectant stares and replied simply:
"I go to school, train, take on requests… and fight."
"Huh?" they chorused.
"Fight?" Miku blinked. "Like… duels?"
"Wait, wait — do you mean the kind where spells go flying everywhere?" Nino asked, eyes sparkling.
"Hey, I asked first!" Miku shot back.
"Oh, come on, who cares— Ryuichi, tell us!" Nino pressed eagerly.
Ryuichi gave a small, helpless smile.
"Something like that, yeah. You could call it a magical free-for-all — or a life-or-death battle, depending on how you look at it."
"A life-or-death duel!?" Miku's voice rose in excitement, her eyes shining.
Ryuichi gave her a puzzled look. What's with this kid…?
He didn't realize Miku was an absolute sengoku geek — the kind who considered life-or-death duels between warriors almost sacred.
Of course, what Ryuichi meant was something entirely different: clashes with Fallen Angels, where one wrong move could mean death.
Not exactly the noble "samurai showdown" she was picturing.
Still, there was no point explaining that in detail. Let them imagine what they wanted.
"Wouldn't that be… dangerous?" Ichika asked carefully.
"Sometimes, yeah," Ryuichi admitted. "But I've been lucky so far — always made it through."
His tone was so calm and casual that the girls couldn't help imagining the kind of battles he must've faced.
To speak that lightly of something that risked his life…
Nino's eyes flicked mischievously, and before she could stop herself, she reached over and poked his arm.
Ryuichi turned to her, eyebrow raised.
"What's up?"
"N-nothing!" she stammered, cheeks flaring red as she quickly grabbed her drink and gulped down a mouthful of water.
Inside, she was practically screaming.
Ahhh! His arm is so solid! Those muscles—!
How does someone look this lean and still feel that strong!?
She caught herself, mentally slapping her own cheeks. Stop it, Nino! He's a dangerous guy — you can't just… touch him like that!
Ryuichi didn't pay her much mind. He simply said:
"Alright, if anyone needs a bathroom break, go now. We'll continue after."
The girls' faces instantly fell into expressions of collective despair.
"Ehh… do we have to?"
"We've only just started," Ryuichi said flatly.
"But we're exhausted already…" Ichika whined, feigning a pitiful look. "You're so mean…"
"I'm the one doing all the work here," Ryuichi countered. "You've been sitting still this whole time."
The five identical faces looked up at him, each with a completely different expression — it was strangely entertaining.
"We've been trying really hard to keep up!" Nino pouted.
"Let's take it slow," Miku murmured softly. "No need to rush…"
"Yeah," Itsuki chimed in. "We can… you know, take our time."
And then, Yotsuba — ever the bundle of endless energy — bounced in her seat.
"I'm fine! Let's go, Ryuichi! Keep it coming!"
Ryuichi chuckled. Yotsuba really is the best…
Then, suddenly, something about the way they'd been talking clicked in his head.
Wait a second… did that whole exchange just now sound weird to anyone else?