PMZ 062 – The classroom is on fire.

“Shouldn’t the King be one of the other students? If we explain the situation beforehand, we won’t be able to use the dummy King strategy.”  

Even though I gave her valid reasoning, Esmeralda refused to back down.  

“This is my own opinion. A dummy strategy sounds interesting, but can’t we do it another time? I believe that Ellie-sensei can stop Hayato in his tracks.  

It’s probably the only time we’ll have an excuse to make you the King.  

So, … please? Mrs. Ellie. You can stop Hayato, can’t you?”  

I feel a tremendous amount of pressure when she asks me if I can do it. She gently touched my cloak and quickly closed the front.  

Ah … this is her way of saying “Do that,” the Honey trap operation.  

“Without Hayato, Team A isn’t powerful, so even we, who are one less, can undoubtedly secure a victory.  

Suppose we announce in advance that Ellie-sensei is the King. In that case, their forces will try to rally to Ellie-sensei’s side automatically, right?  

So we should stick together in one place to let them know where Ellie-sensei is. We’ll be able to catch a lot of small fish for sure.  

Then we can have Ellie-sensei draw Hayato away from the battle so that it’s impossible for him to support them… Hopefully, we can get this done in a few minutes.  

This no longer about stopping Hayato, it’s about creating a distraction using the real kings.”  

“I’m sure you’re right, it’s going to be tough if we don’t bring this to a short battle. …Even more when we assume that we don’t need to defeat their King, then this tactic will make it easier for us.”  

“I don’t know if it will go that well. Maybe Hayato will be the only one chasing Mrs. Ellie.”  

“That also do just fine, We’ll just have to deal with the small fry, and that ”ll happen either way.”  

The members of Team B, who have been convinced for some reason, nod each other.  

But the important thing is how long should I continue to run away – if I do it normally, I will probably be caught in a second. Even if I try to find a way to escape, I don’t think I can last that long.  

By the way, I don’t think that honey trapping works for Hayato, who has an iron-walled heart, so I rejected it.  

“Assuming that I succeed in luring Hayato ……, how long will it take for you guys to defeat Team A?  

I’m sure I won’t last that long.”  

“Is that so? Then… please try your best for five minutes, at least. And in five minutes, we should be able to defeat all the small fish on team A. Isn’t that right? Everyone!”  

There was a loud “Uh-OH!” Battlecry coming from Team B  

“It’s decided then, I’m counting on you. Ellie-sensei. Our better bet is to destroy all of them except the King, and our absolute best bet is to destroy the necklace. Either way, you have five minutes. Please do your best.”  

Five minutes…….. I wonder if I could escape that long from Master Hayato.  

I need to think carefully about my escape route to buy as much time as possible.  

After that, I apologized to Maurice, who woke up and explained the situation to him. Then, I refined my new strategy.  

To get the job done in five minutes, we decided to abandon support this time, and all the girls would join in with attack magic. It was really a speed game.  

We had to make it last no more than five minutes no matter what.  

I walked around the school building, trying to figure out how to escape.  

The old school building was a vast three-story structure in the shape of a square surrounding a courtyard.  

There were two staircases on each of the four sides of the square, and the distance from the nearest corner to the stairs was about five seconds if I ran as fast as I could.  

After thinking about it, I decided to show myself to Team A as soon as possible around the stairs on the first floor to attract their attack.  

After all, I had to lure him out before Hayato could do anything to the rest of team B.  

Once we see each other, I will run up the stairs, freeze the floor, and then run as fast as possible to the third floor and hide in a nearby classroom.  

I don’t think I can last five minutes, but I’m sure I can’t do any better than that.  

There are still desks and chairs left in the classroom, so even if I’m spotted, I can use the desks as shields or throw the chairs to buy some time.  

Yesterday, I was the ogre in a tag game, but today I’m the one running away… What am I doing as an instructor?  

I’m sure my initial objective was to keep an eye on Hayato, right?  

Oh, I see. So this is what they call getting sidetracked.  

Then the bell rang for the end of the second period, and we all gathered in front of the old school building.  

“I’m looking forward to it, Mrs. Ellie.”  

Esmeralda talked to me with a wicked smile.  

I returned it vaguely with a wry smile and waited for Team A to join us.  

In the meantime, the members of Team A, who had already changed their clothes, began to gather, and my eyes quickly spotted my beloved Hayato among them.  

I knew he had a different aura. Whether from afar or amid people, I can easily spot him because of his sparkling presence, as if a fresh breeze is blowing only around him.  

I wonder what it is. Is it because of his beautiful light brown hair that the light shines through? Or is it because of his marvelous style?  

He seems to have gained some height in the past few months alone, adding more and more spice to his good looks.  

The men’s training uniform he is wearing now is almost like a military uniform, all black and very cool. No, I didn’t realize how cool it was until just now.  

Hayato’s influence is significant because I didn’t think much of those things until last year.  

“ah… as expected, he is so dreamy.”  

I thought I had accidentally let my mind’s voice leak out, but it was the voice of a girl from Team B.  

I wonder who she’s talking about? I’m not going to pursue it too deeply, but I do agree with you.  

As I watched, he said something to the student beside him and laughed.  

The one beside him – Anna. My fluttery heart cooled down immediately.  

If you look closely, you can see Julius (Esmeralda’s fiancé) next to Anna.  

In the midst team member of team A, it appears that there is a very complicated human pattern unfolding.  

“Alisha… what are you gonna do about that?”  

Esmeralda whispered into my ear.  

Apparently, everyone wants to be sentenced to whipping. But I won’t do it, I’ll…  

“…I’ll put them inside the ice during the mock battle…”  

“That’s too harsh. Please make sure they can breathe, okay?”  

Evil though was completely dominating our way of thinking, but when my eyes suddenly met Hayato’s, and he smiled and gave me a little wave, we both backed away as if something had shot us in the chest.  

“Alisha ……! I just felt a tremendous destructive force! What is this? What has been destroyed in me?”  

“Please calm down. It must be our evil heart. Even though it’s evil, it’s still a part of you, so when it disappears, there will be some kind of impact.”  

I don’t know what I’m talking about anymore.  

But I’m pretty sure we’re looking like the girl version of giant right now. {Doraemon’s giant}  

I don’t think anyone should be whipped or frozen for having a friendly conversation with a classmate or anything inhumane like that.  

“… I agree. It’s a strange and gentle feeling. It’s no use. Let’s just limit the icing to their feet.”  

While we were conversing with purified minds, everyone was present. When Dr. Blaze also appeared, I explained the B team’s situation (Ellie’s blunder).  

Although they didn’t have any particular objection about me being the King, since I was being made to reenact the blunder.  

I felt that a piercing stare from Hayato’s eyes and chills ran down my spine.  

“I’m going to give the King’s necklace to both teams. Go inside and put it on when you’re ready. When the game is over, stop fighting immediately and come back to report the results to me.  

As you all know, there is no need to lie or deceive me. The necklace is connected to a recording device, so it will tell you roughly when and how the game was won.”  

Oh, I bet it’s a system similar to the adventurer’s guild tags.  

It records not just what monsters have been defeated but what magic has been used.  

Each team received a necklace with a red heart-shaped crystal glass on top and entered the old school building.  

We took our positions as decided by our strategy, and when the bell rang, we were off to our respective position.  

We, Team B, gathered near the stairs on the first floor, where King (me) put on the necklace and let the magic flow through.  

The glittering red heart stone strangely lifted my fighting spirit.  

I have a feeling that the members of Team A are lurking behind the left and right corners.  

No matter what the other team’s plan was, we would just have to intercept them here.  

If we can get Hayato away from the A team, we’ll have a better chance of winning.  

“Everyone, let’s do our best.”  

“Yes!”  

Somehow, the team’s hearts seemed to have united.  

I’m sorry to Maurice, who was sent to the infirmary. … I’ll apologize again later.  

The bell rang. Now it’s time for the Mock battle to begin.  

I put up wards on everyone again, then buffed them to strengthen their bodies and increase their magic strength.  

The buffs would only last for a short time because of the strain they would put on the body, but this is a race against time. The supporting girls would also be joining in the attack.  

If we want to win the game in a short time, it doesn’t matter if I do it now.  

“You’re amazing, teach… The magic cast time is quick, and all three types are used at once. Is there no bottom to your magic power?”  

“There is a bottom, but seen it yet. I have not.”  

“Seriously?”  

Then, red-orange fireballs flew from the other side of the left and right corners at the same time.   

The attacking force also appears and runs towards us.  

Esmeralda created an ice wall with a relaxed expression and blocked the fireball.  

“Ellie-sensei’s buffs are amazing. I feel like I can annihilate them all by myself now.”  

“As expected. I can rely on you.”  

“Yeah, leave it to me.”  

I saw a glimmer of red light from the corner. The tension increased, and I stepped onto the first step of the stairs.  

Not yet. I have to make sure that the light is Hayato.  

As I stare, Hayato comes out of the corner, pulled by Lady Anna’s arm.  

What are you doing?  

I stared at him as my evil heart welled up again, and he recognized me.  

As soon as he spotted me, his eyes instantly turned into those of a hunter. Although I was horrified inside, I was convinced that I had successfully lured him and started running up the stairs as fast as possible.  

As I passed the second floor, I heard a voice say, “Whoa, that was fast,” and heard footsteps coming up the stairs behind me so that he might have already caught up with me.  

Wait, this is scary!!  

I quickly filled the stairs behind me with ice, made some kind of slide, and managed to run to the third floor. 

I ran to the nearest classroom and froze the entire door from the inside to prevent it from opening. I was still worried, so I hid behind the curtains while filling half of the classroom with ice walls.  

I was so nervous that my heart felt like it was going to burst out.  

I held my breath and looked for any sign of him.  

Not long after, I heard the sound of a door being slammed from the hallway.  

I’m scared!  

Being chased is such a scary thing!  

As I was shivering on the third floor, opposite the noisy first floor, where the sound of the doors echoed like a horror story, the classroom, which was icy and cold like a freezer, was instantly filled with high temperature.  

I was so surprised that I peeked out from the curtain and saw – a surprise!  

The whole classroom disappeared as half of the ice wall had been cut off, and smoke was rising.  

Not only the desks and chairs, but the floor and even the ceiling had all disappeared, and through a hole in the floor, I could see down to the second floor.  

A small blue flame blazed beautifully on the border between the safe and the missing areas, but it soon turned from white to red and disappeared without a trace.  

I could only stare in amazement at the dramatic transformation of the classroom from a quiet, old-fashioned atmosphere to the appearance of a post-war ruin.  

I’ve never seen blue flame magic before in my fifteen years of living!  

It’s terrifying!  

Up above, the ceiling and even the roof of the school building have been erased, and the beautiful blue sky and white clouds are everywhere.  

The air was still meltingly hot, and I could feel the blue flame’s power even though I didn’t want to.  

This is it? Am I going to meet my end like this?  

No, I have to get my shot in before I finished! I owe everyone on team B so much apology!  

I managed to inspire my heart and look for signs, but there is no Hayato in the corridor.  

The tension is building up.  

Where will he appear from?  

Where will the magic come from?  

To the right, to the left, up or down?  

I was doing my best to keep my nerves sharp as I headed out of the classroom into the hallway, but I was too late to react when I saw a red light flicker behind me.  

I was on the third floor! and there’s no balcony, naturally I wouldn’t expect to find anyone outside the window!  

Bang! By the time the window opened with a great force, it was already too late, and I was captured firmly by hands reaching out from both sides.  

TL note: 

He is mad because Ellie sensei outfit?  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)