Chapter 8

The next day -- to be precise, from the end of classes that day, my teaching life began.

In the morning, I mainly handled announcements during homeroom, and it was the same in the afternoon.

I told them that they could come to me with any concerns, but I didn’t really expect any students to consult a kid like me.

"Hey, where did you learn to use a sword?"

"Over in the east. I had a great teacher, you see."

"You're too strong! There's no way we could beat someone that strong."

"Really, really! It's hard to believe a kid like you is our teacher..."

It wasn't what I had expected.

Well, to be honest, they were asking questions rather than seeking advice.

Even though it was after school, a group of girls had gathered and were asking me all sorts of things.

I had intended to quickly return to the staff room since it wasn't about consultations, but they wouldn't let me go.

The boys were also watching me closely, their gazes filled with jealousy. I wanted to tell them not to be jealous of someone younger, but...

"Hey, if you're free after school, let's play!"

"No, I'm a teacher, so I have work to do after school too."

The atmosphere was clearly not treating me like a teacher, and it was different from what I had imagined.

I thought that showing my strength would earn me some respect and awe, but to the students, I was just an incredibly talented kid.

Rumors spread quickly, and it seemed that the news of me defeating the "Sword Saint Princess" had already spread.

To be precise, I didn’t defeat her; I just won by the time limit.

I glanced at Iris, who was staring straight at me.

It was intense pressure, as if she was about to attack me at any moment.

I didn’t expect everyone to think highly of me, but it was a sad situation that my protection target was the one most wary of me.

"Um, everyone, I have work to do, so—"

"Wait a moment."

Just as I was about to end the conversation, Iris, who had been observing the situation, interrupted me.

Her expression was as serious as ever, and the girls around me shrank back.

She was truly the "Sword Saint Princess."

"Yes, is there something you need? I'm open to consultations."

"...Please fight me seriously."

"Hmm—what?"

I had expected her to say something like she didn’t accept me as a teacher, but what came out of Iris's mouth was this.

The classroom buzzed with excitement. Fighting seriously—her words implied that she wanted to fight at a level beyond a mock battle.

Or perhaps, what she meant was the same. Fight seriously and win—lose, and quit as a teacher.

"I fought with all my strength back then. I understand if you can't accept the result of a time limit—"

"No! I've accepted that Mr. Schweitz will be our teacher."

Despite the slightly reluctant atmosphere, Iris said this.

If that was the case, her wish was simply to fight me seriously.

Iris continued.

"I want to fight your full strength."

"But that was my full strength."

"Don't lie! My eyes—"

"Mr. Schweitz, are you here? It's time for the regular meeting."

At that moment, another teacher came looking for me.

It was perfect timing.

I turned my back to Iris and said,

"We'll talk about this another time!"

"..."

Iris, it seemed, wasn’t the type to stop me if I had work to do.

However, I hadn’t expected her to want to fight me seriously.

It would be inappropriate to seriously fight my protection target, and I was here to work.

I had considered using this as an opportunity to get closer to her, but after considering everything, the current distance felt just right.

I thought that if I kept dodging, Iris would eventually give up—little did I know that after the meeting, I would run into her waiting for me.