“Damn, why?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Why is this happening?”

“Why can a guy like him get into S Class?”

“And he’s sitting right next to Luna, too.”

“You don’t think this guy’s planning something shady with Luna, do you?”

“I say we form an alliance to protect Luna.”

“I’m in.”

Inside the S Class classroom at Saint Diyashi Academy, several boys watched Yu Ge sitting beside Luna and whispered among themselves.

Because Yu Ge had touched Saya’s chest during their fight yesterday, his reputation around the academy was terrible. The girls kept their distance, while the boys hated him to the bone. He’d touched Saya’s chest, yet not only had he survived, he’d also made it into the S Class every new student dreamed of joining.

“Thanks for yesterday.”

After entering the classroom, Yu Ge spotted Luna sitting alone at a desk and hurried over to sit beside her. He smiled as he spoke, referring to how she’d lent him her handkerchief when his nose started bleeding yesterday.

“I should be the one thanking you, shouldn’t I?”

Luna smiled warmly at Yu Ge.

“Thanking me? For what?”

Yu Ge blinked, not quite understanding what Luna meant. But it didn’t take him long to figure it out. She must be talking about how he’d saved her life yesterday. He hadn’t expected her to know already.

“I-It’s nothing, Yu Ge. I’m glad to meet you.”

Seeing how confused Yu Ge looked, Luna felt a little disappointed. So he wasn’t the one who’d saved her life yesterday. Still, out of politeness, she smiled and replied.

“Hehe, I’m glad to meet you too. Oh, right—I got you something.”

Yu Ge nodded like a pecking chick. The girl’s smile was just too beautiful. Then he took a handkerchief from his pocket. It had a six-pointed ice flower printed on it.

Yu Ge had gone into town yesterday and picked out the handkerchief himself. The girl had lent him hers to wipe away his nosebleed, after all. He couldn’t exactly return it with bloodstains on it.

“Oh? Thank you.”

Luna’s eyes lit up. The handkerchief really was pretty, and she hadn’t expected this boy to be so thoughtful. She got a good impression of him, accepted the handkerchief, and lowered her head to thank him.

Although Luna’s first impression of Yu Ge was a good one, her thoughts were still entirely occupied by the person who’d saved her life during the entrance exam. She could never repay the debt she owed him, but she truly wanted to find him and return the magic card that could change the world.

“Mirror of Refraction”—creates a shield that nullifies all damage and returns it to the attacker exactly as it was.

Luna had gone out of her way to check the Encyclopedia of Magic last night, but it had no record of this card. She’d even asked her former tutor, a highly respected high-ranking Mage in the empire, whether there was a defensive magic card that could reflect any and all damage.

Her teacher’s answer had been, “A magic card that defies common sense like that can’t possibly exist in this World. If it did, it would overturn everything the magical world knows.”

Once Luna realized what this meant, she put the card away safely. If she made it public and let her teacher study it, they might be able to figure out how it was made. If they could mass-produce it, the empire might become the most powerful nation in the World. But in the end, the card wasn’t hers. So Luna said nothing to her teacher and kept it carefully with her, hoping to find its owner and return it.

“Oh, right. You can just keep that. It might come in handy someday.”

Yu Ge remembered that he’d left a magic card with Luna, so he told her to keep it. He could make as many of those cards as he wanted, and if he ran out, he could just make more. Giving one to a pretty girl as a present ought to earn him plenty of points with her, right?

“That? Oh, okay. Thank you.”

Luna’s expression blanked for a moment, then she understood. Yu Ge must mean the handkerchief. It was very pretty, and she’d treasure it.

“They’re actually chatting now.”

“And Luna looks pretty happy, too.”

“Senior Xibolai told me to keep an eye on him yesterday. Looks like I should report back.”

“Someone like Senior Xibolai is the kind of outstanding man who deserves Luna. What’s this Yu Ge got going for him?”

To the people around them, Luna and Yu Ge’s polite conversation looked like two old friends chatting and laughing together. The boys who’d been watching Yu Ge whispered among themselves.

“All right, quiet down. Class is starting.”

Just then, Teacher Chris walked into the classroom, set her textbook on the lectern, and cleared her throat.

“I’m your homeroom teacher and your Magic History teacher, Chris Instelf. I look forward to working with you.”

Chris gave a slight nod. When her gaze landed on Yu Ge, sitting beside Luna, she wore a helpless expression. Saya had told her there was something unusual about this student. Let’s see what makes you so special.

“Today, we’ll begin with modern magic history. As you all know, the earliest magic was a special art that could alter reality and causality, but it required long incantations to cast. In the modern era, people developed a way to turn those incantations into formulas and embed them in cards. That means we can cast magic simply by using a magic card, without needing to chant.”

Teacher Chris spoke as she wrote on the blackboard.

“The same principle applies to Weapon Cards and Monster Cards. A Weapon Card is a completed weapon embedded in a card. Using one materializes the weapon. A Monster Card contains a monster, which you summon by chanting. Monster Cards are very rare for now, though. Here’s a question: who can tell me what the strongest attack and defense magic cards are?”

Teacher Chris looked around the classroom. Apart from Luna, not a single student raised a hand. The question might sound advanced, but the answer was in the textbook. Any student who’d done the assigned reading should know it. Looks like none of these kids prepared.

Teacher Chris sighed. She was about to call on Luna when Yu Ge, sitting beside her, suddenly raised his hand too.

Yu Ge raised his hand, thinking the question was easy. This was a rare chance to show off in front of Luna.

“Then let’s have Yu Ge answer.”

Remembering what Saya had told her, Chris decided to let Yu Ge answer the question.

“Are you asking about single-target or area-of-effect magic cards, Teacher?”

“If you know both, Yu Ge, go ahead and tell us both.”

Chris blinked. The textbook’s standard answer should’ve been just two cards: the strongest attack spell, Instant-Kill Light, which released a flash of light in an instant, and the strongest defensive spell, Absolute Defense, which could block one lethal attack.

“The strongest single-target attack card is Beheading Sword, and the strongest defense card is Deus Ex Machina. The area-of-effect attack card is Light Genesis, and the defense card is Mirror of Refraction.”

He’d been sneaking glances at Luna the whole time, so Yu Ge hadn’t heard what the teacher had actually asked. Thinking she wanted to know what he considered the strongest cards, he recited the effects of a few cards he’d seen before.

“Huh?”

After Yu Ge answered, Teacher Chris and the entire class froze.

“Yu Ge, would you explain the effects of each card for us?”

Teacher Chris was baffled by Yu Ge’s answer, but curious too, so she asked him to explain what each card did.

“Beheading Sword lets you select one target and destroy it outright, without calculating damage. Deus Ex Machina prevents its holder from being targeted by attack skills.”

As soon as Yu Ge said that, the whole classroom fell silent.

“Light Genesis destroys every target in a selected area indiscriminately. Sacred Barrier: Mirror Force creates a shield that nullifies all damage and returns it to the attacker exactly as it was.”

“Hahaha, what’s that supposed to be?”

“I’ve never heard of effects like those.”

“How could magic cards like that possibly exist in this World?”

“Wouldn’t the holder be invincible if cards like that existed?”

“You still dreaming, kid?”

After the silence, the classroom erupted. The first to stir things up were the boys who’d been watching Yu Ge. Soon, the rest of the class was looking at him with mocking expressions. They all thought he was still half-asleep and making things up. This was the S Class at Saint Diyashi Academy, after all—the top level among the new students. They might not have prepared for class, but they knew a thing or two. None of them had ever heard of cards with those effects, so they figured Yu Ge was just spouting nonsense.

“Ahem. Yu Ge, I admire your imagination, but that answer is completely wrong. Luna raised her hand too, so let’s have her answer. Yu Ge, listen carefully.”

Chris coughed and grumbled inwardly at Saya. So this was what she meant by Yu Ge being unusual—his imagination was especially wild. But no Card Maker could create cards with such absurd effects right now.

But while the whole class, Teacher Chris included, didn’t believe Yu Ge’s claims about those cards, one person did: Luna. Yesterday, the most powerful area-of-effect defensive magic card Yu Ge had named, “Sacred Barrier: Mirror Force,” had saved her life.

If “Sacred Barrier: Mirror Force” really existed, then the other cards had to be real too.

Wait a second. Maybe this wasn’t the time to get caught up in that.

Yu Ge knew about “Sacred Barrier: Mirror Force.” That meant he was the one who’d saved her life yesterday. And with the bloodstain on the card, there was no doubt. It was him.

Luna looked up at Yu Ge’s awkward expression, and her body trembled. Her heart surged with excitement. I finally found you. So it really was you!

“Luna?”

Luna’s attention was entirely fixed on Yu Ge, so she hadn’t heard Teacher Chris’s question at all. Chris tried again, tentatively.

“Huh?”

Luna turned to look toward Chris. Without realizing it, her eyes had grown wet with tears.

“Luna, are you crying?”

Teacher Chris asked tentatively.

Then word spread throughout Saint Diyashi Academy that Luna had burst into tears because Yu Ge had answered a question wrong and was being mocked by the teacher and his classmates…