Hoshinohara couldn’t quite see the specific content of the chat, but judging by Sayaka Fujito’s expression, the battle between the two had reached a fever pitch.
The second class featured a teacher for a new subject, yet as she lectured, she remained seemingly oblivious to Sayaka’s various little gestures.
This teacher clearly warned the front-row students not to whisper, so why does she ignore the person right next to me openly playing on her phone?
Rather than the possibility of Sayaka using magic to mask her presence, Hoshinohara preferred to believe she was simply a student the teachers had given up on.
In other words, as long as she didn’t disturb others, she could do whatever she wanted, and the teacher would just ignore her.
The second period ended quickly, leading into the lunch break.
During the previous break, word had spread that Hoshinohara had no girlfriend or even any dating experience.
Consequently, the girls’ interest in him remained high.
The moment class dismissed, Hoshinohara was once again surrounded by a dense crowd of curious students.
Just as he was preparing to handle the girls’ enthusiasm, a figure suddenly appeared at the classroom door.
The moment she showed up, the temperature in the entire room seemed to drop significantly.
“Let’s chat again later, Hoshino-kun.”
The girls suddenly got cold feet.
After bidding him a hasty goodbye, they slipped out through the back door.
Shotaro Kaede tried desperately to wink at Hoshinohara, his eyes blinking so fast they rivaled a hummingbird’s wings.
However, Hoshinohara only looked puzzled, seemingly unable to grasp the signal.
Shotaro tapped his left chest, right chest, and forehead, muttered something, and hurried away.
Judging by his lip movements, he seemed to be saying: “Amen, may the Lord protect you.”
Hoshinohara: “?”
In an instant, the students scattered like startled birds, leaving only Hoshinohara and Sayaka Fujito.
Sayaka looked toward the door, but her words were directed at Hoshinohara: “You should leave. Run as far as you can.”
Since the target was walking straight toward them, Hoshinohara had no intention of hiding.
He pretended to notice belatedly, looking toward the door where a girl in a black dress with long, straight black hair stood.
She was marching toward them aggressively, her face as cold as ice.
“Move,” she commanded Hoshinohara.
Sayaka’s seat was in the back row by the window, meaning Hoshinohara, sitting on the aisle side, acted as a physical barrier between the two girls.
Hoshinohara’s face darkened instantly.
“Hey, classmate, didn’t anyone at home teach you how to greet a stranger?”
He added, “Do I need to teach you myself?”
Seeing the conflict ignite, Sayaka became anxious and tried to push Hoshinohara away.
“Just go! This has nothing to do with you.”
Hoshinohara didn’t budge; Sayaka found she couldn’t move him at all.
“Classmate, though I don’t know your name yet, I want to tell you something,” Hoshinohara said.
Sayaka froze.
She had been so focused on arguing with the person on her phone that she realized she hadn’t introduced herself to Hoshinohara.
“When facing a bully, you must never back down. You have to let them know that bullying you comes with a price.”
Hoshinohara stood up, looking down at the girl in front of him.
“Apologize to me and my friend.”
The girl was momentarily startled by his imposing aura, but she quickly recovered and burst into laughter as if she’d heard the funniest joke in the world.
“Hahaha! What is this? Are you playing the hero saving the damsel in distress?”
She mocked.
“What if I don’t apologize? What are you going to do about it?”
Sayaka had no idea where Hoshinohara got the courage to confront her.
The only logical explanation was that, as a newcomer, he had no idea who she was.
“Hoshino-kun, leave now! You can’t afford to mess with her!”
Sayaka urged, her heart racing.
Hoshinohara shook his head, his eyes firm.
“I cannot sit idly by. Trust me, she’s just all bark and no bite.”
All bark and no bite?
Are you kidding me?!
Sayaka thought.
This was Shiori Shiratori, the eldest daughter of the Shiratori family—the entire high school was built for her!
“I’ll prove it to you right now,” Hoshinohara said.
The girl continued to laugh, completely unfazed.
“Come on then, I’d love to see how you prove—”
Slap!
Hoshinohara’s hand moved so fast it left an afterimage.
He delivered a solid slap right across the girl’s face.
She stared at him in utter disbelief.
The stinging, burning pain on her cheek served as a brutal reminder that this was actually happening.
“The best way to stop bullying for good is to show the bully how powerful you are right from the start,” Hoshinohara explained to the stunned Sayaka.
As he spoke, the girl’s expression shifted from shock to humiliated rage.
A terrifying surge of energy erupted from her, and the classroom temperature plummeted once again.
Sayaka’s eyes widened.
“Stop!”
She screamed.
Hoshinohara felt as though he had fallen into an ice cave.
Turning back, he saw a palm made of frost lunging toward his face.
In that split second, Sayaka was forced to act.
Beneath her gloves, her hands erupted in crimson flames.
She intercepted the attack just in time.
The violent reaction between ice and fire left Hoshinohara in shock, witnessing something that completely shattered his worldview.
“You guys…”
Before he could finish, Sayaka delivered a quick chop to the back of Hoshinohara’s neck.
He let out a muffled groan and collapsed backward into her arms.
Still fuming, Shiori Shiratori moved to kick him, but Sayaka blocked her path.
“How many times have I told you?”
Sayaka snapped.
“Unless it’s a special circumstance, you absolutely cannot use magic on ordinary people!”
“He attacked me!”
Shiori shouted back.
“How is that not a special circumstance?”
“Weren’t you only slapped because you were being careless?”
Sayaka countered.
Shiori opened her mouth to argue but couldn’t find a comeback.
Given a Magical Girl’s physical capabilities, a normal human shouldn’t stand a chance.
She hadn’t taken Hoshinohara seriously, but even without her magic active, that slap had been so fast she hadn’t even seen it coming.
Shiori snorted.
“Where did this guy come from? Doesn’t he know who I am?”
Looking at the unconscious Hoshinohara in her arms, Sayaka’s expression was complicated.
“I suspect even if he knew, he would have done the same thing.”
The two girls weren’t in a bully-victim relationship at all; they were teammates—a Magical Girl captain and her member.
In terms of rank, Sayaka was actually the superior.
They had carefully cultivated this dynamic at school so they could always ensure they had private space when needed.
The reason the other students fled whenever Shiori arrived was exactly because of this “fearsome” reputation.
However, she hadn’t expected the new guy to have such an overwhelming sense of justice.
Instead of running, he had stepped up to protect her.
“So, what do we do now?”
Shiori asked.
Even with all her experience, Sayaka had never dealt with a situation like this.
She fell into a deep silence.