Chapter 8: I Said I Was Just a Tutor!
The morning sun filtered through the academy's towering stained-glass windows, casting fragmented rainbows across the desks of Class A. The buzz of teenage magic users filled the room: gossip, sparks from misfired spells, and the occasional thud of someone forgetting how gravity worked. Typical day at Halcyon Academy.
Yuuji entered with his usual goal: don't get involved. Sadly, fate — and the glowing notification box hovering beside his head — had other plans.
[System Notice: New Passive Skill Activated — "Tutor's Instinct"]You will now sense incoming academic disasters within a 10-meter radius.Good luck.
"Are you serious," Yuuji muttered, barely moving his lips as he took his seat. His eyes darted around the room, hoping no one noticed the transparent screen floating beside his head. He swiped it away with a sigh, but something was off.
The class was shifting. Buzzing. But not in the usual magical misfire way. Everyone was staring.
Correction: They were staring at Elira.
She had just walked in — white hair cascading down her back like moonlight, crimson eyes cool and unreadable. Her uniform was spotless, her posture royal, and her aura? Terrifying. But instead of ignoring everyone like she usually did, she paused. And then…
She locked eyes with Yuuji.
"Good morning," she said, calmly. Softly. In public.
Silence.
Someone dropped their wand. Another student gasped so hard they almost inhaled their spellbook. Somewhere, faintly, a girl muttered, "No way..."
Yuuji felt the air leave his lungs. "G-Good morning?" he replied, voice cracking like a cursed flute. His hands instinctively gripped the desk, grounding himself. His brain screamed: What did you do to deserve this?
Elira said nothing more. She walked past him, her hair brushing his desk, and sat two rows ahead. Her cheeks — barely — pinked.
[New Objective: Survive this class without imploding your cover.]Optional: Do not make eye contact with the Ice Queen. (Failure Imminent)
Twenty Minutes Later
Professor Daelin, their instructor in Spell Theory, strode into the room like a living lightning storm, robes snapping and sparking. "Today," he barked, "we cover Controlled Elemental Fusion. Pair up!"
Yuuji moved fast. The nerdy kid in the back was within reach. Almost—
"We're partners," Elira said, suddenly beside him.
Yuuji froze. "We are?"
She gave him a small nod. "You're my tutor. Why would I lower standards with another partner?"
Gasps. Whispers. The room turned into a cauldron of gossip stew. A few students glared daggers at Yuuji, others looked terrified. The sheer audacity of a commoner being claimed by the Ice Queen had thrown the class hierarchy into chaos.
[System Alert: Social Aggro Level MAXED. Brace for impact.]
The assignment began. Elemental fusion: combine fire and wind into a stable flame spiral. Easy. On paper.
Elira's hand moved with fluid grace, conjuring a stream of flame that swirled around her fingers like a loyal pet. Yuuji, heart racing, called on wind.
A focused breath. Mana guided. Hands raised. Despite his nerves, the old habits kicked in. This was just like in the game — minus the judgmental stares.
"Here goes—"
BOOM.
The flame spiral overloaded, twisted into a purple monstrosity and started screaming. Literally screaming.
Students ducked. One kid cast a shield spell and still got singed. Someone in the back yelled, "Why does it have teeth!?"
Yuuji's pupils shrank. "Shit—hold on!"
[System Activated: Quick Command - "Stabilize Sequence"]Execution successful. Mana thread override engaged.
He flicked his wrist in a practiced motion, carved from muscle memory back in his gaming days. The spiral shuddered, spun, and imploded into a quiet puff of smoke.
Dead silence followed.
Professor Daelin adjusted his monocle. "Mr. Yuuji. That was... unorthodox. But effective."
Yuuji nodded once, face blank. "I'm just a tutor."
After class, Yuuji almost made it to the door. Almost.
"You handled that well," Elira said, appearing beside him with that same unreadable calm. Her gaze flicked to the charred desk. "Though you nearly vaporized school property."
"Character development," Yuuji replied with a half-shrug.
There. There. A flicker. The tiniest twitch of her lips. A half-buried smile. Maybe. Or indigestion.
"Don't be late tomorrow," she said.
And with that, she walked off, utterly unaware of the class still staring like they'd just watched a forbidden romance anime episode in real life.
[New System Prompt: Your tutoring has unexpectedly raised Elira's Affection Level. Would you like to see her character card?]
"Nope," Yuuji muttered. "That way leads only to pain."
Meanwhile, across the hall...
"So that's the rumored commoner she chose to be her tutor?"
A tall figure leaned against the doorway, blond hair immaculate, posture arrogant. A silver badge gleamed on his uniform: Liam Everhart. Top student. Noble. Second male lead. The guy whose smile probably came with background music.
He narrowed his eyes at Yuuji. "Interesting."
[System Whisper: Rival Detected. Initiating Rivalry Subplot.]
Back in the classroom, Yuuji sneezed. Violently.
He wiped his nose. "Great. I knew that sneeze felt expensive."
Later That Evening...
Back in his assigned dorm room — which was technically just a supply closet the administration repurposed for "non-traditional entrants" — Yuuji flopped onto the squeaky bed.
"Okay," he muttered to the ceiling. "Let's review: got called out by the Ice Queen, embarrassed myself in Spell Theory, created an elemental demon, survived social combustion, and now have a probable noble rival."
He glanced at the floating [System Menu]. The options shimmered faintly in the candlelight.
[Available Commands: Skill Tree, Elira Status, Item Box, Settings]
"Let's see what kind of hell tomorrow has waiting."
He tapped Skill Tree, and his eyes widened.
[Unlocked Skill Branch: Adaptive Magic Tactics — Game Experience Bonus Applied]You retain all in-game mechanics understanding and reflexes from your playthrough.
Yuuji blinked. "So... I'm not just winging it?"
[Correct. You're overqualified. But emotionally underprepared.]
"Yeah. Sounds about right."
He rolled over and groaned. Somewhere in the distance, a thunderstorm brewed. Probably dramatic foreshadowing.
And still, all he wanted was a normal tutoring session. Too bad the universe had other plans.
He sighed and passed out.