Chapter 41: The Sports Festival and a Bold Bet

It was another Monday morning. He Yao prepared for school with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

Still, he had packed the Magical Girl’s spare outfit into his backpack.

Lin Han drove his motorcycle, taking He Yao to school.

Starting today, the plan for Magical Girl Ink Crystal to pursue the physics teacher, Lin Han, would be put into motion. While the plan sounded simple, its execution was anything but easy.

Far too many objectives hinged upon this single endeavor.

Lately, He Yao had become significantly more conspicuous than before. Consequently, many people greeted him as he entered the classroom.

Feeling a slight unease, he responded to each of them in turn.

“He Yao, we have our monthly exam this week. Are you feeling confident?”

His deskmate, the cheerful and handsome Ye Liuyun, inquired about the upcoming exams. In truth, He Yao held little concern for his test scores. Previously, he would have relied on good grades to secure living expenses from his parents.

However, ever since he took on the role of a Magical Girl, his own income had soared.

Moreover, he had already reached an understanding with his parents, allowing him to ask them for money whenever needed.

Thus, he had no intention of aiming for high scores. He planned to simply answer a few questions during the exam and settle for a mediocre result.

Truthfully, his gaming time had also decreased recently. Though he was wealthy, it didn’t mean he was prone to wastefulness. He wouldn’t spend money on in-game purchases if he knew he wouldn’t use them.

Consequently, his spending on such things had lessened.

‘At this rate, I might just gradually become a popular normie!’ he mused.

He Yao’s gaze fell upon his girlfriend, observing her watching him with a hint of challenge in her eyes.

‘Ah… she’s quite the competitive one. Are grades really that important?’ he thought.

‘Come to think of it, Liu Xingyue is also a Magical Girl… But everyone has their own hobbies and desires. Just as Teacher Lin enjoys modifying motorcycles and I like gaming, Liu Xingyue might simply enjoy studying and excelling academically. There’s nothing wrong with that.’

‘Having such a competitive spirit is a good thing. Perhaps true aging begins when that drive starts to fade,’ he pondered.

Lost in these meandering thoughts, he eventually turned to Ye Liuyun and proposed, “How about we make a bet?”

“A bet?”

“If I score higher than you this time, you have to grant me one condition. And vice versa.”

He Yao found himself rather pleased with his bold declaration, feeling quite formidable.

Upon hearing this, Ye Liuyun’s face broke into a smile, his eyes alight with newfound determination. “Excellent, He Yao, I like your spirit! Let’s bet! But let’s be clear, nothing morally questionable!”

“Of course. I’m hardly a villain; I wouldn’t ask you to do anything of that nature.”

“Could you perhaps not sound so utterly convinced you’ll win, He Yao? I admit your learning ability is formidable, but my hard work and sweat won’t be defeated!”

‘Hoho~ Hard work and sweat, huh? Teacher Lin and Ye Liuyun might surprisingly get along… After all, Teacher Lin also seems to be the diligent type,’ He Yao thought, a smirk playing on his lips.

Just then, the class bell rang.

Liu Yun strode in, her heels clicking against the floor.

Immediately, the entire class fell into stunned silence.

Every eye in the room widened in disbelief.

“What’s wrong, everyone? Why are you all looking at me like that?”

‘No… what’s wrong with *you*?’ they all wondered, bewildered.

Today, Liu Yun actually had a faint smile gracing her lips!

It was common knowledge that this teacher bore the moniker ‘Iron-Blooded Queen’.

She was renowned for her stern, unsmiling demeanor. Consequently, even many adolescent boys, despite their intense interest in her long legs, dared not utter a single insolent word or cast a disrespectful glance.

Yet today, the aura she exuded was entirely different!

‘Could it be that one could actually witness something called ‘gentleness’ emanating from the Iron-Blooded Queen?’

‘Unbelievable,’ they collectively thought.

Everyone was plunged into a state of shock.

Only Liu Xingyue and He Yao had a slight inkling, for they were both aware of Liu Yun’s confession to Lin Han.

“Ahem, as usual, before we begin today’s lesson, let’s discuss this week’s agenda. As everyone knows, the sports festival is about to commence.”

The sports festival!

In this era, the sports festival held a significance far beyond those of previous generations.

Ever since the emergence of monsters (Kaijin) and demonic aberrations (Guai Mo) alongside the Magical Girls, the prestige of school sports festivals had risen dramatically.

For instance, the hundred-meter dash would be replaced by events like the “Three-Thousand-Meter Ultimate Obstacle Run.” This simulated emergency escape through complex terrain during a monster attack.

Many other events, too, were transformed into combat-oriented duels.

The prizes were exceptionally generous, often including direct cash rewards.

Athletic prowess was an exceedingly vital skill in this age.

What was even more crucial was that most events weren’t segregated by students and teachers, or by gender; instead, everyone participated together.

This was to illustrate that when monsters and demonic creatures appeared, anyone, regardless of age or gender, could be attacked. Therefore, mutual cooperation and assistance were essential to achieve outstanding results.

Thus, it served as a comprehensive test of overall capabilities.

It was far from a simple undertaking.

Yet…

Given the current social climate, students poured their passion into the sports festival.

“Last year! Our class actually fell short of the neighboring class in overall points! This year, we absolutely must redeem ourselves!” Liu Yun declared, her voice filled with fervent excitement.

Someone from the audience called out, “But Teacher Lin is too overpowered! Last year, he took first place in almost every solo event! He also played a massive role in the team competitions! If we want to win, we absolutely have to factor in Teacher Lin! I wonder which class he’ll be assigned to this year!”

“Teacher Lin is indeed incredibly powerful!”

Liu Yun smiled. “But we are not weak! And even more importantly… He Yao! Stand up!”

He Yao immediately rose to his feet. “Yes, Teacher Liu!”

“I order you, using your relationship with Teacher Lin, to bring him into our class! Last year, the neighboring class invited Teacher Lin! This year, we absolutely must have him contribute to *our* class!”

“Understood!”

Despite her words, Teacher Lin would likely not be in their class this year. He was the type of man who, once he made an agreement, would not change it.

Having collaborated with the neighboring class last year, he might have already made a commitment, implying he would participate with them again this year.

“If you cannot secure Teacher Lin’s agreement, then you must find a way to ‘assassinate’ him!”

Assassinate!

Of course, they all understood precisely what that entailed!

The brutal school sports festival, naturally, came with brutal rules!

While it certainly wouldn’t lead to fatalities, incidents like slipping laxatives into drinks had occurred in previous years. That was the true meaning of ‘assassination’ in this context!

Hence, as the sports festival approached, everyone had to diligently guard their own water bottles and their class’s collective water dispenser.

“Ye Liuyun! Find two trustworthy individuals! Starting today, they will serve as the Water Dispenser Generals, solely responsible for guarding the classroom’s water dispenser! No suspicious individuals are permitted near it! The sports festival runs from Wednesday to Friday! Three full days! No mistakes allowed!”

“Yes, Teacher!”

“Liu Xingyue! I order you to immediately organize everyone, arrange the participant list, and create a reasonable schedule! Those not participating in events should cheer on those who are!”

…

With these directives, Liu Yun meticulously arranged all the tasks.

Following this, the class officially began.

It was physical education class.

Today, everyone was exceptionally enthusiastic during PE class.

He Yao couldn’t possibly remain uninvolved in such a sports festival. Even last year, he had been compelled to participate in team events, let alone this year, with his increased notoriety within the class.

Therefore, he signed up for the solo event, “High-Speed Movement.”

He could now transform into Magical Girl Ink Crystal, whose skill, ‘Stinger,’ granted her incredibly high movement speed. If used deftly, it could produce unexpected results.

Naturally, he couldn’t participate in the competition as a Magical Girl.

However, he could still leverage some of the Magical Girl’s techniques.

Everyone hoped to improve themselves as much as possible before the sports festival officially began. Furthermore… there would be no classes in the afternoon.

Starting from the afternoon, the competition venues would be set up, spanning the entire school grounds.

Essentially, students wouldn’t have to attend classes for the rest of the week.

This PE class marked the final official lesson of the week.

‘The school’s arrangements are far too rushed! Shouldn’t something like this be announced a week or two in advance? Who announces it in the same week?’ he mused.

‘Speaking of which… will my parents come?’

Parents were invited to such sports festivals to watch their children in action. Typically, anyone free would attend.

Even if they couldn’t come, they could watch the live broadcast remotely, and the school would later send recordings. So there wouldn’t be any regrets.

From a Magical Girl’s perspective, such an intense sports festival might also serve to dissipate negative energy, allowing everyone to release their accumulated frustrations and dissatisfaction through the games.

The PE class quickly concluded, and today’s sports teacher was also very popular.

Although Teacher Lin had shone brilliantly in last year’s sports festival, everyone still trusted the sports teacher. After all, this teacher was also a very powerful individual, and their inclusion in a class would guarantee excellent results!

He Yao found a secluded spot and transformed into Magical Girl Ink Crystal. Then, using Ink Crystal’s powers, he created a pitch-black area where he changed into the clothes he had brought for the day.

Thus, the JK-clad beauty, Ink Crystal-chan, made her dazzling debut!

“Hm? Who’s that? She’s wearing our school uniform! But since when did our school have such a beautiful girl? Which class is she from?”

Just then, Lin Han was strolling across the sports field, greeting teachers and students.

The JK-clad girl darted towards Lin Han.

“Teacher~~~~”

She immediately latched onto Lin Han. “Teacher! I’ve missed you so much!”