“What’s wrong? Was there something difficult to understand in the last class?”
“No, Geek-sensei’s class was very easy to understand and extremely informative. Including yesterday’s mock battle, I apologize for the disrespectful comments I made.”
It looks like Cyril spoke up first.
“No need to apologize. It’s true that my predecessor as a teacher here was terrible, and it’s only natural to doubt the abilities of a new substitute teacher.”
When I asked Anon about it yesterday, it turned out my predecessor was a teacher who got in through connections and had no real qualifications. I believe Anon, as the new headmaster, will hire proper teachers, but there are still such questionable ones around in this academy.
“I’m glad to hear that. Um, I actually have a few questions unrelated to defensive magic. Would it be okay if I asked them after class?”
“Sure. I’m free until 5 PM, so just stay in this classroom after class.”
“Thank you very much.”
For the record, my working hours end at 5 PM. In my original world, public school teachers didn’t get overtime pay. While teachers at this magic academy earn a decent salary, teachers back in my old world were absolutely underpaid considering their actual working hours.
On top of that, if you became a club advisor, you’d have to come in on weekends for a meager club allowance. These days, even minor complaints from students’ parents can cause major headaches, leaving no time for mental rest.
Teaching is a tough job. Honestly, I think teachers in my old world deserve double the pay.
“What about you, Melia? You have another class next, so if you have any questions, you can stay in this classroom after class like Cyril.”
“N-no! It’s not a question about magic, but…”
Melia shook her head vigorously. Being small in stature, she looked like a cute little animal.
But despite her appearance, her expression seemed slightly troubled.
“If it’s something urgent, I don’t mind postponing my questions, Melia.”
“N-no, it’s fine! Sorry for the trouble!”
After saying that, she bowed once and dashed out of the room.
“What was that about? Did I say something strange?”
“Maybe Geek-sensei scared her?”
“That’s an awfully rude thing to say out of nowhere.”
“If you think so, you should take better care of your appearance. Your hair is messy, you’ve got stubble, and that lab coat doesn’t make the best impression on female students.”
“Well, honesty is appreciated, but maintaining appearances is just too much trouble. Still, I’ll make an effort to ensure it doesn’t interfere with class.”
Ever since my research days, I haven’t cared much about my appearance. Spending a week holed up in the lab was pretty normal.
“Well, about 20% of that was a joke.”
“So, 80% was serious… By the way, do you know anything about her situation?”
This student seemed to have gotten closer to me quickly. Maybe they started to recognize me as a teacher after yesterday and today.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t say. If I handle it poorly, it could bring trouble to my family.”
“…I see. In that case, I’ll just keep an eye on her.”
“I’m surprised. I thought Geek-sensei wouldn’t care about students’ personal lives.”
“I’m not about to interfere in disputes between families or anything like that. But Melia seems motivated and takes her studies seriously. It’s only natural to want to support such students.”
She had attended my classes diligently over the past two days. Being a special scholarship student from a commoner background like me, I can’t help but root for her a bit. Of course, I’d never show favoritism in grading.
“I see. So, Geek-sensei is a lolicon.”
“…Did you even listen to what I said?”
“You mentioned wanting to personally support cute, small students like her.”
“Don’t twist my words! I’d support her even if she were a boy!”
And stop using words like “support” with such malicious intent!
“So, you’re into boys too?”
“…You’re really something else.”
“Just joking. Well then, I’ll see you later.”
With that, Cyril left.
Good grief… It’s the first time I’ve shouted since coming to this academy.
“From today, I will be serving as the substitute teacher for Defensive Magic. My name is Geek. It’ll be a short period, but I hope we’ll get along. Now, let’s begin.”
After the first period, the next class was for the special S-Class.
Unlike the other three classes, they at least seemed to sit and listen to what I had to say.
“In this class, you’ll be learning defensive magic designed for both anti-monster and anti-human combat. The plan is to alternate between practical training in the training grounds and theory lessons in this classroom. For today, I’d like to assess your abilities, so let’s head to the training grounds.”
The room buzzed with murmurs. I didn’t think I’d said anything unusual since this was the same approach as for other classes.
“…Professor Geek, may I ask something?”
One student raised her hand smoothly.
Silky silver hair, nearly unseen in this world, and fiery red eyes. Among all the students in this class, hers was the only face and name I knew.
“You’re Eliza Bounce, right? Go ahead.”
Yes, she was none other than the third princess of this country.
“We don’t need defensive magic.”
