The bell for the lesson rang, and the teacher entered the classroom.
"Silence in the class!" she said, raising her voice a little.
All the students quickly sat at their desks.
"Today, we will have a small theoretical lesson, after which I will make an important announcement."
"An announcement?" Shiari quietly asked.
"Probably related to the fact that we will be keeping order at tomorrow's festival," Kifuru guessed.
"Now it's clear," Shiari nodded.
"Let's begin our lesson," the teacher continued.
"This is going to be boring..." I said, resting my head on the desk.
"I think I can take a nap..." yawned Tasu.
"Are you serious?" Kimi was surprised. "Today's topic will be very useful in the future. It's one of the basic self-defense spells."
"Sounds like it's going to be about barriers," I guessed.
"Now I can definitely sleep," Tasu agreed.
I had just settled my head on the desk when the teacher called out to me:
"Akusa Takaru? Sleeping in class is forbidden!"
Reluctantly, I sat up.
"Sorry, but I already know this spell," I replied calmly.
"You know the rules, right?" the teacher asked.
"I think so." Even though she didn't correct me, this will be more interesting than a regular lesson...
"And what's the punishment for trying to sleep in class?"
"You need to come to the board and explain the topic. If you don't, there will be physical punishment."
"Right. Which option do you choose?"
"First one, I guess. I don't want to waste energy on physical punishment."
"Then come to the board and tell us today's topic."
Tasu, who was sitting next to me, smirked, watching me.
I slowly approached the board.
"Tell us how to use a barrier and everything you know about this spell."
"I won't tell you everything I know, but I'll talk about the barrier," I replied, turning to the class.
"First of all, I'm sure everyone here can cast at least the simplest spells, so this will be easier for you to understand. To create a barrier, you need to imagine its shape, its outline. It can look different for everyone."
I focused and created a barrier around the teacher's desk.
"The barrier consists of your mana. The more mana you pour into it, the stronger it becomes."
"Now you see the most basic, standard barrier. If anyone wants, you can come out and try to break it."
The class watched me with interest.
"Can I try?" Shiari asked.
"Of course."
Shiari approached the barrier.
"Try hitting it lightly," I suggested.
She gently touched the barrier with her fingers, and it cracked slightly.
"Is it really that easy?" she asked, surprised.
"Yes, this is the simplest barrier. Now try again."
I increased the barrier's strength several times, and Shiari hit it again, but this time, the barrier stayed intact.
"See? I strengthened it twenty times, and it became much tougher."
"But Shiari hit it pretty weakly," someone in the class shouted.
"True, but now the barrier didn't crack. Though, of course, it's still vulnerable," I snapped my fingers, and the barrier disintegrated into the air.
"By the way, the method I just explained is more advanced. For the standard barrier, and even for more advanced ones, there are spells and magical circles that you can find in textbooks."
"And that's all. From here on out, it's just practice," I yawned, returning to my seat.
"I'm surprised that you explained the material so well," the teacher praised me.
"It's nothing special," I replied, sitting next to Tasu.
"And now, let me briefly elaborate on the 'barrier' spell," the teacher said.
The teacher then went into detail about creating barriers and their applications.
"And now, a small announcement," she continued.
"Tomorrow, there will be no classes, and the day after tomorrow, either. There will be a big festival in our city, and because of that, you have the weekend off."
We haven't even really started the lessons, and we already have the weekend off, I thought.
"And also, I need three people to maintain order at this festival. Last year, there was an assassination attempt on the city's residents during the celebration. It was by a group of so-called 'Robbers.'"
"Robbers? I've never heard of them," I thought aloud.
"At first, they just stole money, but when they were starting to be caught, they began killing both the guards and innocent people. Are there any volunteers to help with the security?"
"Isn't that dangerous?" "It is, but you'll only be responsible for passing information to the guards, not for capturing the offenders."
The entire class eagerly expressed interest, but it was obvious the teacher would choose us.
"Akusa, Shiari, Tasu," she finally announced. "Would you like to participate?"
"I don't mind," Shiari agreed.
"I don't mind either!" Tasu cheerfully supported her.
"Hey, Akusa, let's go too."
"Alright, I don't mind either."
"Great. Then come to class tomorrow at 9 AM."
"Got it."
"Alright, you can leave now. I'll see you after the weekend."
"Goodbye."
We left the class.
"Akusa, can you help me a little?" Kimi said, a bit embarrassed.
"Of course," I replied.
"You go ahead, I'll come home later," I said to the others.
"Alright, good luck with your 'help,'" Tasu said, waving his hand with a smile.
"Kimi, what do you need help with?"
We slowly walked down the school corridor. Kimi looked a little embarrassed.
"I have a lot of work related to the festival. I was hoping you could help. Are you okay with that?" she turned to me and asked.
"No problem," I said, also a little embarrassed. She looked so charming when she was flustered...
"I don't know why, but I've trusted Akusa since we met... It feels like we've known each other for a long time. Plus, he's very kind, smart, and willing to help me... I'm happy..." Kimi thought to herself.
"Then... let's move to my office."
We held hands and teleported to Kimi's office. It turned out to be quite spacious.
There was her desk on the right, and in the center, a conference table. On her desk were two large stacks of papers.
"We need to review and sign these papers," Kimi explained.
"All of these?" I was surprised by the volume of work.
"Yes..."
"Can't we use magic to do this?"
"We can, but we'll still have to read through them to avoid mistakes."
"Got it."
I moved the papers to the conference table.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Kimi sat across from me, looking a bit embarrassed and anxious.
"Kimi, is something wrong?"
"No, everything's fine," Kimi waved her hand.
"Kimi-chan, don't worry so much."
"Kimi-chan?!" Kimi blushed deeply.
"Yes, we're together now."
"I... know..." she grabbed her cheeks and shook her head.
"If it's too embarrassing for you, I won't say it like that."
"No, no... I'm not against it at all," Kimi answered in a soft voice.