Fortunately, on the way to school, Yukino didn’t follow her. Instead, she parted ways with Sakuya at the intersection and went off to Hyakki Yakou Academy.
It seemed her plan had worked. Yay! Sakuya-chan wins big!
The black-haired girl threw a V-sign up to the sky, only to realize everyone around her was staring. Her face flushed red, and she quickly buried her chin into her collar, hurrying toward the school.
This week, Sakuya planned to teach at Arkham Academy. If she were a normal student, as a teacher she’d of course go around to the various academies to get acquainted with everyone. But the students in this city’s academy were all Eldritch Gods, and getting familiar with Eldritch Gods probably wouldn’t end well for her. Just dealing with those two little ones already had her feeling overwhelmed.
After arriving at the academy, Sakuya found that rumors about her had indeed already spread. First, when she entered, that security salted fish gave her a hat-off salute. Sakuya nodded symbolically, but as she left, she couldn’t help but wonder how that salted fish managed to take off its hat with its fins.
Walking through the campus, it was obvious that many more people were paying attention to her. Passing by some students, she could even hear them whispering. Most of the discussions went like this:
—”Did you hear? That teacher turned Lord Kusu into her toy yesterday.”
How did the rumors get so twisted?
Sakuya sighed, passing under the curved corridor between two teaching buildings and arriving at the central courtyard.
She was early today. Sakuya thought she’d take the long way to the classroom to get familiar with the environment.
But as she walked, she realized something was off:
The teaching buildings on the left side of the school were spotless, like they were newly built, with lots of students around, making the place lively. But on the other side, the right-side buildings were dilapidated, like unfinished projects from the last century. Looking through the windows, it was pitch black inside, not a single student in sight.
Dark moss crawled over cracked walls, collapsed desks and chairs mixed with litter scattered all around. The constant dripping of water completed the scene, making it look straight out of a horror movie.
Curious at first, Sakuya took a few steps inside before quickly backing out—not because she was scared! As a legendary investigator, no matter how terrifying a place was, she would never feel the slightest bit of fear. She just needed to get to class, that’s all. She was simply running out of time.
Just you wait, if you dare, don’t run off after class!
Sakuya shook her fist at the dark corridor, shrank her neck, and hurried away.
If she had walked any slower, she would have seen the patch of shadow she was facing shudder and shrink back into the wall. Suddenly, the corridor brightened considerably, and sunlight streamed through the broken windows onto the old floor tiles.
Back in the courtyard, Sakuya walked along a cobblestone path. On both sides grew some kind of unusual plants:
Their colors ranged from pink to blue, with thick, broad leaves pocked with holes. They didn’t look like they belonged in a garden at all—more like plants from the bottom of the sea.
At the center of the courtyard stood a towering tree, its leaves shifting in a wonderful gradient from orange to deep blue. Numerous vines hung down from its branches, and when the wind blew, a wave of blue phosphorescence would rise, like fireflies scattered across the sky.
It must be beautiful at night. Sakuya stood under the tree for a while, admiring it. Just as she was about to head upstairs, she noticed a petite girl sitting at the edge of the round flowerbed beneath the tree. Her silky golden hair was lifted by the breeze, glowing like wheat under the setting sun.
The girl rested a notebook on her lap, head bowed. Her triangular pupils stared intently, and her fair little hands gripped a pen, ceaselessly sketching something.
After a moment’s hesitation, Sakuya walked up and cautiously asked:
“Xiaoyi?”
Huang Xiaoyi’s pen paused for a moment as she slowly looked up. Her golden eyes, as emotionless as ever, met Sakuya’s. After seeing it was her, she put away her notebook and stood up quietly, speaking in a soft voice:
“Miss Sakuya……”
“Good morning.”
She thought for a moment and added.
“Mm, good morning.” Sakuya glanced at her notebook and asked with a smile, “What are you drawing?”
“……Manga.”
Huang Xiaoyi brushed the blue tree dust off her black skirt and walked toward the teaching building. Sakuya followed behind, the two of them—one tall, one short—making their way through the corridor thronged with fish-like students.
Automatically ignoring the stares fixed on her, Sakuya asked:
“What kind of manga are you drawing?”
Literary works often reflect some aspect of the creator’s inner world. If she could learn what Huang Xiaoyi was drawing, maybe she could get to know her a bit better.
“Does it have anything to do with you, teacher?” Huang Xiaoyi replied rather coldly.
“Fair point……”
Sakuya didn’t press further. For one thing, they were nearly at the classroom; for another, she usually wouldn’t force students to open up.
Well, usually anyway. Just thinking about what she had planned for noon made Sakuya want to laugh.
The classroom was bustling with activity in the morning. Students were grouped in threes and fours, chattering with their own cliques about yesterday’s games, the fish they’d caught, and all sorts of real or fake news.
“……It was super scary, even their eyes got gouged out!”
That was definitely fake news.
Sakuya knocked on the door and felt several gazes settle on her.
“Teacher’s here!” “Quick, get back to your seats!”
“Lend me your homework, quick…….””What subject is ‘human’? That’s my only blank spot. Oh… humanoid… Got it!”
So this is what teachers saw when they looked at us.
Making her way to the lectern, she observed the vibrant lives of the fish-like students. With a single glance, she could spot who was sneaking around or who was furiously scribbling away with someone else’s homework under their own.
But seeing so much mischief was honestly exhausting to manage, so she patted the lectern and the classroom instantly quieted:
“Good morning, everyone. Before we start, let’s pick a class representative. Anyone want to volunteer?”
Sakuya pretended to scan each student sternly. The fish she glanced at all looked away, or buried their heads, studying the patterns on their desks.
The fish with eyes on both sides of their heads had no way to look away, so they just stood upright in their seats, facing her with their bellies instead.
There were only two exceptions, and Sakuya wasn’t surprised:
One was Kusu, whose gaze could only be described as seductive. Class representative was a position that often required visiting the teacher’s office alone, and Sakuya didn’t dare imagine what would happen if she gave the role to her.
The other was her deskmate, Huang Xiaoyi, whose indifferent gaze seemed to say that nothing in the world concerned her.
Alright, you it is.
“You’ll do, Xiaoyi. Please collect everyone’s homework,” Sakuya said, pointing at her.
“Eh~~!”
Kusu made a sound of protest, staring resentfully at her best friend.
Huang Xiaoyi didn’t say anything. She simply stood up, quietly walked to the front of the class, held out her hands, and watched as the seafood students handed their homework over.
Soon, Huang Xiaoyi had collected them all and placed the stack on the lectern.
There were 58 students in the class, but judging by the pile, only a little over thirty had turned in their homework—at least half were missing.
Under Sakuya’s inquiring gaze, Huang Xiaoyi let her arms hang at her sides and calmly said:
“They’re all here.”
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