The bathroom door made a faint click as it was pulled open from the inside.
Ange walked out, her face showing a trace of exhausted relief, silver hair plastered to her temples and cheeks by a sheen of sweat.
She rubbed her face hard, trying to dispel the lingering flush and fatigue.
Before coming out, she had already cleaned up the “battlefield” in haste, washed her face with cold water, carefully put her clothes back on, and even remembered to rinse off any potentially embarrassing traces left on the floor with the shower.
As she stepped out, she came face to face with Sakika, who was about to enter the bathroom.
Ange’s heart leapt to her throat.
Oh no! Will she smell something strange?
Nervously, she snuck a glance at Sakika’s expression, but the other girl’s face was as calm and unfathomable as always, just giving her a slight nod before stepping sideways into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.
She probably…didn’t notice, right?
Ange breathed a silent sigh of relief. With the heavy smell of pizza, the aroma of cheese and roast meat should be enough to cover up anything… probably.
She took a deep breath, adjusted her expression, and tried to look as if she’d only made a routine trip to the restroom. Then she walked back to the table and sat down.
“Ange-sensei, are you alright?”
Ingrid immediately shot her a concerned look, her green eyes brimming with genuine worry.
“Ah, I’m fine now, much better.” Ange waved her hand, forcing a casual tone as she picked up a piece of pizza that had already cooled somewhat, trying to hide her embarrassment by eating.
“It’s probably just… an upset stomach.”
Beside her, Huayin gave her an unceremonious eye roll, the look clearly saying, “Keep making things up, go on.”
Huayin picked up a slice of pizza with elegant fingers, took a small bite, chewed thoughtfully, then frowned, her face displaying unabashed disgust.
“Tsk.”
She put the pizza down, wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin as if she’d been contaminated by something filthy.
“Ange-sensei, aren’t you a bit stingy? Even if you don’t want to go to a decent restaurant, couldn’t you at least order a pizza with better ingredients? This cheese… is it made of plastic? It won’t even stretch, and the texture is terrible. If it wasn’t for the rare occasion of you treating us, I wouldn’t force myself to eat this stuff.”
A flush crept onto Ange’s cheeks, half from embarrassment and half from being hit where it hurt.
She stammered in defense.
“Uh… the cost-performance ratio is high, there’s plenty to eat… Next time, next time I’ll definitely treat you to something good!”
She made a promise even she didn’t quite believe.
At that moment, Sakika came out of the bathroom, still with that calm, unruffled demeanor, and quietly sat back in her seat.
With everyone present, Ange cleared her throat, deciding it was time to get to the point and start introducing the core mechanisms of the Academy, which would determine their future work.
“Alright, that’s enough small talk. Let’s get down to business.”
Ange’s expression became a bit more serious.
“You all know about the Demon Hunter Academy, but you might not be clear about how it actually operates. Officially, it’s a school, but in reality, it’s more like a… survival-of-the-fittest arena.”
She paused, then continued explaining.
“Every year, quite a few students graduate from the Academy, but in the end, only a handful are granted the official Demon Hunter title, registered by name at the Academy. Only official Demon Hunters are qualified to take on Official Missions with high rewards. And the bounty from Official Missions is clean—you can spend it however you want, without worrying about where it came from.”
Huayin immediately grasped the key point, her red eyes narrowing.
“So, the students end up fighting fiercely just to compete for those few spots?”
“Fighting fiercely would be an exaggeration.”
Ange shook her head, recalling the past, her tone a little complicated.
“At least in my time, no one ever thought of laying a hand on me.”
Of course, Ange.
Huayin sneered inwardly. What kind of fool would try to challenge a crazy powerhouse who started hunting High Demons before graduation and radiated killing intent?
That’s not competition—that’s suicide.
Ingrid, meanwhile, was more concerned about the dynamics within the Small Squad. She asked a little nervously.
“So… do we have to compete against each other, too?”
“No.”
Ange replied decisively, even with a hint of pride.
“With my connections, as long as you all graduate successfully, I’ll definitely find a way to make sure you all get the official Demon Hunter status.”
As she said this, her face practically announced that only a fool wouldn’t use their connections.
Sakika blinked her dark eyes and, in her usual flat tone, commented.
“I never thought that an orphan like me would become someone with connections one day. Not bad at all.”
Ange: “……”
For a moment, she wasn’t sure if this child was genuinely moved or just being sarcastic.
“So, what exactly is the competition mechanism?” Huayin brought the topic back on track.
“The Academy will periodically assign specific, high-difficulty practical or investigative missions,” Ange explained.
“Those who perform well and are highly rated can accumulate an advantage and score points. Those who fail, or do very poorly, will naturally be eliminated.”
Sakika suddenly asked a very practical question.
“How many students are there in the other classes?”
Ange fell silent for a moment, her eyes wandering as if she didn’t want to answer. But with three pairs of eyes fixed on her, she braced herself and forced out a number.
“…Thirty, at minimum.”
The room fell into a brief, heavy silence.
Thirty… at minimum? That meant their Small Squad might have to face competitors dozens of times their number.
Huayin was the first to break the silence. She gave a cold snort, lifted her chin, and returned to her proud, young-lady demeanor.
“Hmph, so what? No matter how many small fry there are, they’re still small fry.”
Ingrid clenched her small fists, her face still a little nervous, but her eyes were determined.
“I’ll do my best! I definitely won’t drag everyone down!”
Sakika once again showed her unconventional way of thinking. She looked at Ange and very seriously suggested,
“Can I look for an opportunity to spike their food with laxatives? That would effectively reduce our competition.”
Ange held her forehead, her tone absolute.
“No!”
She looked at the three problem children in front of her.
One was a haughty young lady, one was a simple-minded powerhouse, and the other was a poker-faced, scheming girl.
Ange could only think that the coming days of Academy competition would probably be far more “interesting” than she had imagined.