"Wow... Today's lunch is exceptionally delicious. I'm going to dig in."
Komoe-sensei's pink eyes sparkled as she looked at the lavish spread of three dishes and one soup. She cheerfully picked up her chopsticks and exclaimed sweetly.
"Hmph. Komoe-sensei, these are my signature dishes: boiled beef in chili oil, shredded pork with garlic sauce, and twice-cooked pork. What do you think?" Arata introduced them proudly.
Komoe-sensei clenched her fists, inhaled the aroma, and gave a firm thumbs-up. "Arata-chan truly knows how to enjoy life. If you marry someone after graduation, you will definitely be a wonderful husband."
"That is still far in the future. When is Sensei planning to get married?" Arata asked casually.
"Um..." Komoe-sensei's cute expression froze instantly. She stiffened and replied in a slightly forced tone, "Well, the teacher is not planning on getting married."
"How can that be? Sensei, are you planning to live alone for the rest of your life?" Arata's voice softened. Komoe-sensei did wish to marry one day, but because of her physical condition that halted her growth at around twelve years old, finding a partner was realistically difficult.
"There is nothing I can do about it. After all, my congenital condition prevents me from living a completely normal life. Perhaps things will change once Academy City develops a suitable treatment."
Although Komoe-sensei spoke energetically, the faint sadness in her pink eyes was unmistakable. Even if someone were willing to marry her, her body made her feel incapable of fulfilling what she believed were a wife's responsibilities.
"If Komoe-sensei does not plan to get married, then I will take care of you. I really like Komoe-sensei." Arata smiled brightly as he said it.
"Alright, alright. Let the teacher properly enjoy Arata-chan's cooking first. I'm going to eat this slice of beef in one bite. Wow."
Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Komoe-sensei blushed deeply and quickly changed the topic. She cheerfully picked up a slice of boiled beef and placed it into her mouth, letting out a cute sound of satisfaction.
Arata smiled faintly and continued eating at a relaxed pace. With his mouth still partly full, he asked indistinctly, "By the way, why was Komoe-sensei not surprised at all when I became a Level 5?"
"Well, regardless of what level of ability you have, Arata-chan is still my student. Compared to ability, I value each student's character more. As a teacher, I am naturally happy whenever my students grow stronger," Komoe-sensei replied warmly.
"Komoe-sensei is indeed different. Teachers at elite ability schools that only care about rankings do not think that way," Arata said.
"I suppose so."
After finishing lunch at Komoe-sensei's apartment, she prepared to head to school to tutor several students. Meanwhile, Arata continued moving through Academy City, collecting any cards he could obtain.
Incidentally, he had already placed spatial markers throughout each school district.
North of the Seventh School District were numerous judicial and administrative facilities, including the Administrative University. To the west lay the Eighth School District, known for its commercial streets and teacher residences. The Ninth School District was concentrated with art schools. The most prosperous area was the Fifteenth School District, packed with media corporations and television stations.
Arata spent the entire afternoon gathering cards in the Eighth and Ninth School Districts. Every single one was a one star card.
However...
Arata returned to the Seventh School District with a dark expression, muttering to himself, "More than forty one star cards. What kind of trash luck is this? Did I use up all my fortune already?"
Collecting cards was like digging for treasure. One star cards accounted for ninety nine percent of Academy City's total. It was considered fortunate if a school district contained two or three two star cards, and even those were difficult to unlock. The Seventh School District concentrated most of Academy City's esper population, so it naturally had a higher number of two star and three star cards.
Correspondingly, the higher the rating, the more difficult it was to unlock.
The best reward he obtained this time was a Desert Eagle with unlimited ammunition. After exhausting its magazine, it would automatically generate one bullet every ten seconds. In addition, he received two Ability Crystals.
The rest were mundane everyday items.
"Let's try for a few more one star cards. If the luck is still this terrible, I'm calling it a day," Arata muttered.
Out of habit, he walked into a narrow alley and headed toward two nearby one star card markers. As soon as he arrived, he was greeted by a painfully familiar scene.
Two girls wearing the Tokiwadai Middle School uniform were cornered by five delinquent boys with dyed hair and piercings. The two girls stood close together, visibly frightened.
"Hey, hey... Tokiwadai students, huh? Tsk, tsk. Just hand over your wallets and we won't make things difficult for you. Sounds fair, right?"
"Don't forget debit cards and PIN codes."
"And credit cards too. Students from Tokiwadai must have plenty."
"Um... um..." One shy Tokiwadai girl stammered nervously, shrinking closer to her companion.
"Please do not come any closer..." another gentle voice trembled softly.
The delinquents grinned at the sight. They had deliberately targeted Tokiwadai students because they assumed elite girls would be easy prey. They had not expected them to look this defenseless.
"Tsk. That's right. Just hand it over obediently."
"Maybe we should take the uniform too. Hahaha."
"Stop stalling and give it here." One delinquent grew impatient and reached forward aggressively.
At that moment, a calm yet slightly mocking voice echoed through the alley.
"If you know they are from Tokiwadai, then you should also know that Tokiwadai's minimum admission standard is Level 3. What if one of them is a Level 4, or even a Level 5? Are you prepared for the consequences?"
"Who said that?"
Before they could react, the five delinquents were lifted as though seized by an invisible giant hand. They slammed into the wall like flies and slid down unconscious.
Arata walked forward slowly with his hands in his pockets. He smiled faintly at the two shaken Tokiwadai girls.
"My two young ladies, are you alright?"
With a casual wave of telekinesis, he flung the unconscious delinquents aside and let them collapse on the ground.
He despised people who targeted girls and extorted their belongings. Teaching them a lesson required no hesitation.
Incidents like this were extremely common in the back alleys of the Seventh School District. Even if he had not intervened, Judgment would have arrived soon enough.
The two Tokiwadai girls were stunned for a moment. Then they carefully held down the hems of their skirts and bowed gracefully.
"Thank you very much for helping us, Senpai."
"My name is Wannai Kinuho."
"My name is Awatsuki Maaya."
...
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