"People aren't coming to class because they love the lessons. They're coming because they love the teacher," Shokuhou said sharply, cutting to the point.
No one knew better than her what the girls at Tokiwadai were really thinking. Despite the school's elite and mysterious image, in the end, they were still just girls.
In a place like the School Garden, where it was rare to see men at all, any male teacher was bound to attract attention. Especially one like Su Mo—a rare oasis in the desert.
The mix of curiosity and admiration, paired with his good looks and abilities, had formed the perfect storm.
Even with Shokuhou keeping a close eye, the flood of attention was impossible to stop. The number of love letters Su Mo had received recently had already reached a staggering level.
Fortunately, he hadn't responded to a single one—something that had finally allowed Shokuhou to breathe a little easier.
"Well, I can't argue with that," Misaka admitted. She knew for a fact that some of her classmates had already formed a kind of fan club around Su Mo—unofficially calling themselves his faction.
But even so, she added, "There really are a lot of us who enjoy the actual content of Su Mo-sensei's lectures too!"
She stole a glance at him.
Unlike her classmates who only gossiped about romance, Misaka genuinely enjoyed his lessons. As someone who had been scouted by several top-tier schools, Su Mo's teaching ability was top-notch. His deep understanding and novel ideas had opened her eyes in many areas of ability development.
Despite both being Level 5s, his perspective was much broader than hers, and she had learned a lot.
"I see," Su Mo said casually, returning her glance. "In that case, I think I'll quiz you later."
"Eh?!"
Misaka froze, her face dropping instantly.
Why had she opened her mouth just now?
If only she had a time machine, she'd go back a few seconds and slap her own mouth shut.
But of course, there was no such thing as a regret pill.
Su Mo stood up and casually walked toward the classroom, while Shokuhou and Misaka trailed obediently behind.
Shokuhou was unbothered. And Misaka… well, she knew being anxious wouldn't help.
When Su Mo finally arrived at the large lecture hall, he was already a minute late.
Despite being called a "lecture hall," the space was far larger than any typical classroom. It was usually reserved for public seminars or special lectures and could easily accommodate several hundred students. But because Su Mo's classes were different from the standard curriculum and applicable to students across all grades, all junior high students from Tokiwadai gathered here together for his sessions. Naturally, this made each of his classes exceptionally crowded.
"You're late, Sensei!" one student immediately called out the moment he walked through the door.
"We even sent Misaka-san to remind you, and you're still late," another grumbled.
"Don't tell me you were giving Misaka-san and Shokuhou-san a private lesson?" a third teased.
"Hiss! Maybe Misaka-san used the opportunity to sneak ahead?" someone else joked.
The room erupted into chatter as the girls voiced their suspicions. And slowly but surely, all eyes turned toward Misaka Mikoto—like she had just been caught red-handed, sneaking something she shouldn't have. A bead of cold sweat rolled down Mikoto's back. The last thing she wanted was to become the common enemy of a classroom full of love-struck girls.
But just as she was about to explain herself, she paused. Why… was no one pointing fingers at Shokuhou?
Turning her head, Mikoto saw Shokuhou Misaki casually holding her remote control, having already cast a low-presence buff on herself. She had skillfully erased herself from the focus of the room, leaving Mikoto to fend for herself.
Just as Mikoto struggled to figure out how to defend her innocence—
"Onee-sama is not the kind of woman who'd sneak around!" a voice rang out proudly.
"...Kuroko?" Mikoto blinked, surprised to see Shirai Kuroko standing up to shield her.
For once, her eccentric underclassman had stepped up at the perfect time. Maybe she wasn't so hopeless after all.
But that warm feeling quickly disappeared when Kuroko continued with even more fervor, "Onee-sama is my destined life partner! No matter how amazing Su Mo-sensei may be, she would never fall for a man!"
"That's right! You can all rest easy—Onee-sama only has eyes for me!"
With that bold declaration, silence fell across the entire hall.
All eyes turned back to Mikoto—only this time, the suspicion had vanished, replaced by something far more bizarre. So that's how it is! they thought. The rumors were true after all.
The girls' expressions softened. If Mikoto was into girls, and especially if she was in love with Kuroko, then there was no need to treat her as a romantic rival. In fact, she was now seen as trustworthy, harmless, and someone who absolutely wouldn't try to seduce Su Mo.
From the outcome alone, Shirai Kuroko had completely cleared Mikoto's name.
Though judging by the look on Mikoto's face… she didn't seem particularly happy about it.
"Kuroko—!" Mikoto growled, her voice low and dangerous.
Sparks danced across her forehead as electricity crackled in the air. "How many times have I told you to stop spouting nonsense!?"
"Bzzzt!"
A bolt of lightning arced through the room and slammed into Kuroko, who immediately fell to the ground twitching.
"Ahh~! Senpai's whip of love…!" she moaned, practically in ecstasy.
The girls nearby flushed red, unsure whether they were embarrassed or impressed. And as they glanced between Mikoto's scolding and Kuroko's delighted suffering, they became even more convinced: Those two are definitely for real.
In a blur of misunderstanding and reputation management, Misaka Mikoto found herself saddled with labels like "certified yuri," "safe and reliable," and "absolutely not a threat to Su Mo-sensei."
Whether that was a blessing or a curse… even Mikoto couldn't quite tell.
Watching the chaos unfold, Su Mo finally cleared his throat, asserting order over the room. The moment he spoke, the entire class straightened up obediently. At this age, teacherly authority still held significant weight, especially when the teacher in question stood among the top espers in Academy City.
Once the classroom had quieted down, Su Mo began his lecture.
As one of the earliest and most successful cases in the development of esper abilities, he possessed unparalleled insight into the principles and techniques of power cultivation. And before long, the girls forgot about his good looks and fan club-worthy charm and began furiously scribbling notes.
Even Mikoto and Shokuhou Misaki had their heads down, diligently copying his points.
Roughly thirty minutes passed before Su Mo finished the more technical and dry portion of the lesson focused on power cultivation. Now, it was time to move on to the more engaging topic: ability application.
"Generally speaking," he began, "each person is born with one unique ability. That said, the real skill lies in how many different ways you can use that ability."
"To do that, it's not injections or hypnosis that matter most. What you really need—" he paused for emphasis—"is scientific knowledge."
As he swept his gaze over the classroom, his eyes settled on the front row.
Specifically, on Misaka Mikoto.
"Last time, I gave an example," he continued. "Misaka Mikoto's ability is fundamentally electromagnetic manipulation—one of the four fundamental forces in modern physics."
"This gives her ability immense development potential and a wide array of possible applications. It's one of the most versatile powers in existence."
Then, he called her name.
"Misaka Mikoto."
"Present!" Mikoto immediately stood up, a trace of nervousness in her voice.
She had hoped he'd forgotten about his earlier "pop quiz" threat. But clearly, Su Mo remembered perfectly.
Seeing her squirm, Su Mo smiled faintly and went on.
"Last time, I mentioned how light is actually a form of electromagnetic wave. You learned that back in first-year physics."
"Given that, someone with electromagnetic control should also be able to manipulate light."
"So theoretically, your power shouldn't be limited to lightning and magnetism. It should also allow you to use light-based attacks."
"It's been a month since that lecture."
"Tell me—have you made any progress in developing that aspect of your power?"
He looked at her expectantly.
"Uhh…" Mikoto stiffened like a child caught without her homework.
She fidgeted uncomfortably under his gaze, wearing the same guilty look as someone who forgot to finish an assignment.