Chapter 98: Teasing Angelina
With the short break over, First High School welcomed the start of a new term.
After Shizuku left as an exchange student, naturally, a corresponding exchange student from the USNA arrived to take her place.
The moment the exchange student stepped into the classroom, she stunned every student in Class A.
"So pretty..."
"She's a total beauty!"
"Looks like she could rival Shiba-san in looks..."
...
Whispers spread throughout the class.
Even Honoka, sitting in front of Mahiro, leaned back to whisper to him.
"Hey, isn't that the girl we saw at the shrine the other day? She's the exchange student?"
"Surprised?"
"Aren't you surprised, Mahiro-kun?"
"I'd say it was expected."
Mahiro smiled faintly, his gaze fixed on the girl on the podium, who flashed a bright grin.
"Hello, everyone! I'm Angelina Kudou Shields, an exchange student from the USNA. You can call me Lina if you like. I look forward to spending the next few months with you!"
Her Japanese was fluent, with only slight emphasis on certain syllables—proof that she was more than qualified to study abroad in Japan.
But more importantly—
Kudou...?
Most people, especially those from the Hundred Families, immediately associated that middle name with the Kudou family of the Ten Master Clans—and the strongest magician of their era, Kudou Retsu.
But when did the Kudou Family have an American member?
Yet even greater surprises were yet to come.
"Faculty member?"
The students exchanged puzzled glances.
Following the exchange student, a young woman in a business suit entered, appearing to be around twenty-five years old. She had striking features, a tall and mature figure, and an upright posture.
Even in what seemed like ordinary professional attire, she exuded a uniquely captivating charm.
Standing before the automatically rising podium, she placed a large mobile terminal device under her arm onto the desk and scanned the classroom.
It was as if she were searching for someone or checking whether all the students were present.
But in the end, Mahiro felt the woman's gaze linger on him for about two seconds.
Moreover, he recognized her—
"Good, it seems no one is absent."
The woman spoke, her voice clear and resonant, filling the entire classroom, while her face wore a professional, warm smile.
"Though some of you may already know me, I'll introduce myself anyway—"
"I am Second Lieutenant Fujibayashi Kyouko from the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion. Starting today, I will serve as your comprehensive guidance counselor."
The class erupted in murmurs.
Of course, many knew of Fujibayashi Kyouko, and even more were aware of how renowned her alias, the "Electron Sorceress," was.
But the problem was—wasn't Fujibayashi Kyouko supposed to be a soldier?
Why would she come to First High School as a guidance counselor?
Was this a mission?
Lina, seated in front of Honoka, showed a hint of confusion and wariness in her eyes.
She was beginning to suspect whether her identity had been exposed.
Otherwise, why would the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion send someone here...
"I'll need to be more careful from now on..."
Lina muttered under her breath, her gaze gradually shifting to the person seated in front of her.
Her front-row seatmate was none other than Mahiro, who had approached her at the shrine!
Meanwhile, as Mahiro observed the teacher on the podium—Fujibayashi Kyouko, who didn't look away even when their eyes met—and felt Lina's faint gaze from behind, he thought things might just have gotten interesting.
Angie Sirius became an instant sensation at First High School.
First, on her very first day as an exchange student, her looks made her the talk of the entire school.
Miyuki had long held the title of the school's top beauty.
This was a consensus shared by students across all grades, including the girls.
But after Lina's arrival, the "Queen" became one of the "Twin Jewels."
Since the two often had opportunities to interact, the impression of "a beauty rivaling Shiba Miyuki" grew even stronger.
Golden locks shining like sunlight, eyes bluer and brighter than sapphires.
Raven hair deeper than the night sky, icy-blue eyes clearer than frost.
Equally stunning, Lina and Miyuki stood side by side, their contrasting beauty all the more dazzling—yet utterly distinct in style.
Like the clash of frost and flame.
Their beauty alone was enough to spark endless discussions.
And Second Lieutenant Fujibayashi Kyouko, from the military, also became a prominent figure on campus.
Under the influence of multiple attribute auras, she was even more popular than Ono Haruka, who occasionally gave out benefits and had a bit of baby fat.
However, things didn't unfold as Mahiro had imagined. The school didn't erupt into any major upheavals or undercurrents.
A lieutenant from the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion and a spy from the USNA maintained a peaceful coexistence, each going about their own business.
It was as if Kyouko had truly come just to teach.
As if Angelina had merely come to First High School as an exchange student.
Except that this faculty member seemed overly attentive to him.
Except that this exchange student seemed eager to integrate into his circle.
Though she didn't show overt enthusiasm on the surface and had built good relationships with every classmate in A-Class, one could still sense that excessive, almost abnormal fervor.
"...Truly astonishing. This Lina-san possesses magical power almost on par with Miyuki's."
"Indeed. Even her spell activation speed is only just comparable to Shiba's."
Inside the student council room, Mari and Mayumi huddled together, recalling the match they had just witnessed between Miyuki and the exchange student.
Though the match consisted of five rounds, with Miyuki achieving a flawless victory—and seemingly with ease—the exchange student Angelina's performance was still remarkable enough to leave an impression.
Even now, as they reminisced, the two couldn't help but exchange glances.
Then, their eyes turned to the third person in the room.
"What about you? What do you think? This exchange student surely isn't just a simple student, right?"
Mari directed her question to Mahiro, seated at the far end of the table, who was sipping coffee from the automated meal dispenser.
Truth be told, Mari already had an inkling of the answer.
Before the enhancement injections, Angelina's performance might have been plausible, but as someone who had undergone the enhancements herself, Mari knew all too well the potency of those drugs.
Even if Miyuki had held back and not gone all out, the fact that Angelina could stand her ground was already absurd—far beyond the scope of a student.
"I do know something about this, but I can't say until the others arrive."
Mahiro set down his coffee and looked at the two as he spoke.
"Others? Who else is coming?" Mari asked, puzzled.
"Naturally—they're already here."
Just as Mahiro was about to answer, he sensed someone approaching outside and stopped mid-sentence.
"Excuse me, Watanabe-senpai, President."
The student council room's door swung open, and Miyuki stepped inside.
Behind her followed five others: Honoka, Erika, Sayaka, Mizuki, and Tatsuya.
"Wow, this is actually my first time in the student council room."
Erika acted like a tourist, her eyes darting around as if everything fascinated her.
"Enough, Erika. If you want to explore, you can do so later. Let's focus on the matter at hand first."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it~"
At Mahiro's urging, Erika took a seat at one of the empty spots. Meanwhile, Mahiro stood up, locked the student council door, and then deployed the Juumonji family's "Phalanx" barrier to envelop the entire room, adding an extra layer of soundproofing.
"...Mahiro-kun?"
Mayumi's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She seemed to realize that the situation wasn't as simple as imagined—otherwise, why would they need to install so many layers of barriers?
"Is it really that serious?" Mari asked, somewhat confused.
"You'll understand how serious it is soon enough. But before we discuss it, I'd like to ask Tatsuya first."
Mahiro returned to his seat, resting his chin on his hands as he gazed at Tatsuya like Commander Ikari. "You've probably already guessed Lina's identity, haven't you?"
"Yeah."
Tatsuya nodded and stated plainly, "That level of overpowered magical ability is extremely rare in the entire world, with only a handful of individuals in USNA possessing it. And with the Kudou surname on top of that—she's likely related by blood to the Kudou family."
"As far as I know, I remember Kudou-sama had a younger brother who went to USNA years ago and started a family there. The Kudou bloodline probably comes from him, which is also how she became an exchange student."
"Wait, what are you all talking about?"
Mari was completely baffled.
Initially, she had only thought the exchange student Angelina was somewhat special, but now it seemed it wasn't just a matter of being special—she was incredibly powerful.
This even involved the Kudou family, which was no trivial matter!
"What are you talking about? Of course, it's about Miss Lina's identity."
Mahiro knew what Mari was thinking, so he didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Actually, Angelina Kudou Shields is the overall captain of the Stars team under USNA."
"Wait a minute!"
Mayumi's eyes widened in shock as she stood up abruptly. "Mahiro-kun, are you saying she's Sirius from the Stars team, Angie Sirius???"
"Mhm." Mahiro hummed in confirmation.
"Do you have any proof? This isn't something to joke about."
Mari spoke very seriously, and Mayumi agreed wholeheartedly.
"There's no concrete proof at the moment. All I can say is that the name is a homophone. Even if you pressed Lina about it, she probably wouldn't admit it. So, I can only say this intel comes from the Yotsuba family. Is that enough?"
"The Yotsuba family..."
At this point, Mari and Mayumi had no further doubts. Instead, they gasped in shock one after another.
After all, this was Angie Sirius—one of the publicly known Thirteen Apostles of Strategic Magicians in the world, a figure representing the pinnacle of American magical prowess!
No one knew her appearance, age, or ethnicity.
The only thing known was her strategic-level magic, comparable to a nuclear explosion and carrying intense radiation—"Heavy Metal Burst."
And now they were being told that this person was just a student around their age?
It was simply too unbelievable.
Seeing their reactions, Mahiro merely smiled. What expressions would they wear if they knew Tatsuya was "Mahesvara"?
"Well, I don't think there's much to be surprised about."
Erika chimed in, propping her chin on one hand as she looked back and forth between Tatsuya and Mahiro with a teasing expression.
"Even though strategic-level magicians are strong, let's not forget we have two monsters here—Yotsuba-kun and Tatsuya. Oh, and Miyuki is also incredibly strong. Lina even lost to her just now."
"..."
Put that way, it did make some sense.
"But... if Lina is a strategic-level magician, then what's her purpose in coming to First High School?"
Mizuki voiced the question on everyone's mind.
Tatsuya already had his suspicions, but without evidence, he chose not to speculate recklessly.
"As for her purpose, I actually know."
Mahiro said cryptically, "It's nothing more than targeting the 'Scorched Halloween' and me."
He had no intention of hiding anything and spilled all the intel at once.
Including his past grudges with Bandit Beef Pizza... no, with Jiedo Heigu, and the connections involved.
If this had been in the past, he definitely wouldn't have told them so much. After all, knowing too much without the strength to back it up was just asking for trouble.
But now, even Mizuki's abilities could be considered among the top in the First Course, so there was no harm in saying it.
If they wanted revenge, they'd have to weigh their own strength first.
After hearing this, everyone except Tatsuya—whose face remained as cold as ice—and Miyuki, who already knew the details, looked at him with complicated expressions.
"Mahiro-kun, this time... is there anything I can do to help?"
Sayaka, sitting beside him, gently reached out and took his hand.
For so long, Sayaka's greatest wish, aside from staying by Mahiro's side, had been to be of help to him.
But Mahiro had gone too far ahead, leaving her—and everyone else—far behind.
Especially after injecting the enhancement serum, she realized just how vast the gap between their abilities truly was.
"Well, no need. As always, I'll handle this myself."
Hearing this, Erika's expression immediately darkened with displeasure, but before she could speak, Mahiro quickly added:
"But if you really want to help, there is one thing. Please treat Lina as you normally would, and don't expose her identity. Also, her identity must not be leaked."
The last point went without saying.
None of those present had the habit of gossiping about others.
As for the first two points, it was essentially asking them to play along with Lina in a charade. Though they didn't know what Mahiro was planning, given his strong insistence, they ultimately agreed.
After all, the game had only just begun—how could it end so soon?
Lunchtime, the usual school cafeteria.
Today, just like yesterday, Lina came to share their table. Though her exemplary social skills as an exchange student had forced her to turn down numerous invitations.
"Lina is really popular."
"Thank you. I'm glad everyone is so kind to me."
Having promised Mahiro, Erika teased Lina as usual.
Lina didn't respond with pointless shyness or modesty but replied naturally.
Come to think of it, aside from Miyuki, Erika seemed to get along best with Lina at this table.
Perhaps it was because both were of mixed European and American descent, giving them an inexplicable common ground.
Though one was from the USNA and the other from Germany.
"Speaking of which, Miyuki, your magical power is truly amazing," Lina said, sounding slightly dejected. "Even though I've never lost to any high schooler in the states, I still can't beat you."
"And Honoka too—though I'm stronger overall, I'm completely outmatched in precision control."
"Lina, internships are internships, not competitions. I think it's better not to focus too much on winning or losing."
Miyuki comforted her softly.
This wasn't an act—Lina genuinely felt defeated.
Especially when it came to Miyuki.
Driven by the most primal competitive instinct among women, since their looks were evenly matched, she always wanted to surpass her in other areas.
But she ended up losing in some of the most critical aspects for a magician.
Just what kind of monsters were Japanese high schoolers?
If Miyuki is already this strong, just how powerful must that guy Yotsuba Mahiro be?
Unconsciously, under Miyuki's comforting words, Lina's gaze fell upon Mahiro sitting across the table.
Meeting her eyes, Mahiro slowly curved his lips into a teasing smile and spoke:
"Speaking of which, there's something I'm quite curious about. May I ask you a question, Lina?"
"What is it?"
"Your name is Angelina, right? Normally, the nickname should be the first two characters 'Angie' rather than 'Lina,' shouldn't it?"
"Well, that would usually be the case... But being called 'Lina' isn't strange either. Mainly because when I was in elementary school, there was a girl in my class named Angela, and everyone called her 'Angie,' so I became 'Lina.'"
This shouldn't be a question that would shake her composure.
At least, Erika, Mizuki, and Honoka at the same table thought so.
However, a look of panic undoubtedly flashed across Lina's face for an instant, and even her smile while answering seemed awkward and forced.
This was only natural.
After all, the alias she used as "Sirius"—Angie Sirius—was derived from her real name.
If she were called Anji, wouldn't that expose her?!
But why would he ask such a question? Had she already been exposed?
Lina realized she really wasn't cut out for espionage work.
Every day, she was on edge, worrying about whether she had been exposed. The most frustrating part was that the target always wore that smile, and what he was really thinking was completely incomprehensible!!!
How infuriating!
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