Kaede Jun'ya shoved another blood-pressure pill—specially crafted by Unohana Retsu—into his mouth and chewed it like his life depended on it.His breath came in sharp, heavy bursts.His bull-like eyes were locked on the boy standing before him.
"Kisaragi Akira…"He trembled with barely restrained fury."Tell me—is there anything you won't do?!"
Akira paused, thought seriously for a moment…then replied with absolute sincerity:
"…I haven't kissed the academy flower yet."
Kaede Jun'ya felt his vision go black.
His blood pressure skyrocketed.
For a moment, he looked like he might drop dead right there—and only the absurdly expensive, custom-made pills from Unohana kept him from ascending to the afterlife.
It took him several long breaths before he finally steadied himself.
"You're getting a major demerit for this incident."
Jun'ya swiped his hand through the air like he was swatting a fly, slamming down the punishment without hesitation.
"If this happens again, kid, don't even think about graduating from the Spiritual Arts Institute!"
Akira accepted the punishment slip, glanced down at the list of violations…
Then froze.
"Wait—why is last Saturday's Shin'o Cafeteria theft case written under my name?"
He scowled.
Sure, he used to sneak into the cafeteria and eat like a starving beast…but that was before inheriting the Shichijō family fortune.He had class now.
These days, he ordered double portions like a respectable rich man.
Don't ask why.Ask how it feels to be wealthy.
Kaede Jun'ya's expression stiffened.He blinked once.
Then frowned.
"…Wasn't it you?"
"The cafeteria lost nearly three days' worth of meat. In my memory, only you have that kind of stomach."
Kisaragi Akira was outraged.
So that's how his homeroom teacher saw him?A walking livestock pit?A bottomless void of consumption?!
Three days of meat?Even if you teamed him up with Arisawa Sōma, the two of them together still couldn't finish that much!
"…Forget it. You probably owe more violations anyway."
Kaede Jun'ya waved lazily, sounding like he aged ten years in a single breath.
"We'll call it even. I'm sure there are countless other rules you've broken that we just haven't discovered yet. Consider this… compensation."
And with that, he started shooing Akira out.
These days, simply looking at Kisaragi Akira gave him a migraine—a conditioned reflex at this point.
How had he not realized during admissions that this boy would become such a colossal problem child?
Kisaragi Akira wandered back toward the dorms, punishment slip in hand, looking like a man burdened with the weight of destiny.
Who could have imagined that a casual conversation with Arisawa Sōma back then would turn into a prophecy, defining the direction of his future?
At this rate, if he caused just a few more incidents, even Jun'ya wouldn't be able to save him anymore.
After all, the dean—Okiba Genshiro—was notorious for being as impartial as a guillotine.
And someone like Akira, who had already come this close to expulsion…was practically a rare specimen.
He really hadn't done anything wrong.Everything was just… a series of unfortunate accidents.
No one could have predicted that a future grand master of Ghost Arts would be turned into charcoal by a student's destructive spell.
Though, thinking about it now…
That was kind of impressive.
He hadn't even joined a squad yet, and he already managed to down a captain-class powerhouse.Give him two more years and who knows what he'd accomplish?
Fortunately, Akira did possess some level of self-awareness.
Kagetsu Tessa had taken Akira's full attack directly, with no defenses, and only suffered light injuries.The difference in their true power was still painfully obvious.
"I've got work to do," Akira muttered."But before that… today's sign-in reward."
Three seconds later—
Akira slammed a book onto the ground.
His voice boomed through the dorm hallway:
"By the One-Eyed Great Deity above—what am I supposed to do with a complete cookbook?!"
"Am I supposed to craft glowing cuisine now?!"
Staring down at the tossed recipe book, Akira hesitated… then sighed and picked it up.
Useless or not, maybe someone else could make use of it.
Three minutes later—
"Sōma!"
Akira burst into the dorm room with explosive enthusiasm.
"Look what I brought you!"
"…A recipe book?"Arisawa Sōma blinked, utterly lost.
"That's right!"
Akira puffed his chest proudly."This is from the Shichijō family archives! It records all kinds of dishes! Just the tofu recipes alone number at least—uh… well, a lot!"
Sōma liked tofu dishes.Akira had never forgotten that.
As expected, Sōma accepted the book and began flipping through it with genuine curiosity.
"…Question."He pointed at a page.
"Was this 'Great Arcane Panda Tofu' also collected by the Shichijō family?"
Akira froze.
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead.
That damned cookbook really DID contain glowing dishes?!
"Hahaha, well, the name is a little strange…"Akira forced a laugh."But the Shichijō family is an ancient noble house. Recording… unusual things is perfectly normal."
"You research it well. I'll stop bothering you now!"
And before Sōma could respond, Akira vanished from the room.
As he disappeared down the hallway, Sōma's smile slowly faded.His brows drew together ever so slightly.
A whisper, barely audible, drifted through the quiet dorm:
"…Coincidence?"
"Or… did he notice something?"
He had been incredibly cautious these past few weeks.Even captain-class individuals would struggle to detect his movements.
With Akira's current spiritual pressure and detection ability, there was no reason he should—
Then Sōma paused.
A faint glimmer flickered in his eyes.
"…That strange intuition again?"
"It seems I'll have to be even more careful from now on…"
His gaze slid to the cookbook on the table.After a moment of thought, his lips curved upward.
"…This might actually serve as a convenient excuse."
Having fled the dorms, Akira roamed the campus, debating whether he should visit Kagetsu Tessa with a peace offering.
After all, the man was his Ghost Arts instructor.And also the one he accidentally barbecued.
"Hopefully, Tessa-sensei likes eggs…"
Seeing no one around, Akira materialized three premium gift boxes of eggs from thin air.
If nothing else, the items granted by the sign-in system were always top quality.
Perfect for visiting friends, traveling,or… arson and murder.
When Akira reached the infirmary ward and was about to walk in, he paused.
Voices drifted from inside.
"Kisaragi Akira's talent in Ghost Arts is absurd, isn't it?"
"More than absurd. His self-created technique—Crimson Smoke, White Thunder—has shaken the current system of Ghost Arts."
It was Kagetsu Tessa's voice.
Driven by curiosity, Akira pressed his ear to the door and listened closely.
"The perfect fusion of Hadō #4: White Lightning and Bakudō #21: Crimson Escape… he didn't just increase the power—the attack range is monstrous. His talent in Ghost Arts far surpasses mine…"
Akira nodded proudly outside the door.
He agreed wholeheartedly.
But just as he waited for more—
The room fell silent.
Completely silent.
Even the breathing inside seemed to vanish.
Akira's heart dropped.
Before he could react—
The door yanked open.
And thrown off balance, he pitched forward—
—his face burying itself into something impossibly soft.
Something warm.
Something very, very not appropriate for a school hallway.
And that's where this scene ends.