A simple punch…
Just cracked the wall?
Was that even humanly possible?
Except for Kure Ragna, everyone was stunned. Even Kouenji Rokusuke, who always carried himself with elegance and pride, flicked an eyebrow in surprise—before quickly composing himself again.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka watched the scene unfold, his expression unchanged. It wasn't the teacher breaking the wall that caught his attention—it was something else entirely. Something no one else seemed to notice.
"Ah… I might've overdone it a little."
Mochigase, the new physical education teacher, swept his blond hair back and scratched his forehead, looking at the damage he'd caused.
"I had a little chat with your chairman before coming here. He said I should be firm with you guys… and, well, I got carried away. Anyway, not important."
He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Since this is our first class and we're still getting to know each other, let's keep things simple. We'll start with a few small tests."
Small test?
Does that include testing how many of us can survive that punch?
Kure Ragna, standing in the back row, twitched his lips slightly but said nothing.
It didn't take long to understand what Mochigase meant by "small test."
"This will be our first task," he announced, pulling out a handgrip dynamometer with the Advanced Nurturing High School logo on it.
"The test is straightforward. Stand naturally, feet apart, arms relaxed, and squeeze the grip meter with one hand as hard as you can. You get two attempts, and we'll record your best score. Since it's just an initial test, I won't set a passing mark. Just give it your all."
His eyes scanned the class.
"Any volunteers? No? Alright, I'll pick."
Before anyone could respond, he glanced at the roster.
"Hmm… First up—Kure Ragna!"
"…"
Of course.
Without a word, Kure Ragna stepped forward, took the grip meter, and muttered, "If you wanted me to go first, you could've just called me. No need to be subtle."
Mochigase smirked. "Gotta make sure you're actually in this class. Imagine calling the wrong name—that'd be embarrassing."
"…Sure, whatever."
Their exchange sounded oddly familiar, almost like they were old acquaintances.
With a casual squeeze, Kure Ragna completed his test.
152.6 kg.
The black-and-white screen displayed a number that far exceeded the average grip strength of a grown man.
Mochigase leaned over, raising an eyebrow.
"That's it? You sure you squeezed properly?"
Kure Ragna gave him a deadpan look. "You expect a cheap grip meter to handle anything more?"
"Good point."
Mochigase reset the meter and looked at the list again.
"Next, Sudo Ken."
"Alright, let me show you how it's done!"
Sudo rolled up his sleeves, took the grip meter, and squeezed.
82.4 kg.
One by one, the students completed their tests.
Kure Ragna, now finished, stood off to the side, hands in his pockets, staring at the sky absentmindedly.
Since the test results weren't announced publicly, only Mochigase and the individual students knew their scores.
Then—
"Hey…"
A slight tug on his sleeve.
Kure Ragna assumed it was Kei Karuizawa, but when he turned, he found someone else.
A familiar boy.
Expressionless. Eyes devoid of emotion. Even his voice, when he spoke, was dry and calm.
"Generally speaking," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked, "what's the average grip strength for a male student?"
"Usually around forty kilograms."
Kure Ragna answered truthfully, curious as to why he was even asking.
"Forty, huh… I see." Ayanokoji nodded. "Thanks."
At that moment, Mochigase called the next name.
"Next—Ayanokoji Kiyotaka."
"Coming."
With his usual blank expression, Ayanokoji walked forward.
Something clicked in Kure Ragna's mind.
Ayanokoji…
Why does that name sound so familiar?
The grip strength test ended quickly.
Just when the students expected the "musclebound devil" of a PE teacher to announce another test, Mochigase surprised them.
"That's it for today. Everyone, you're free to go. Practice however you like."
A few students sighed in relief, while others looked confused by the sudden dismissal.
But then—
"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, stay back."
A few heads turned.
Kure Ragna glanced at Mochigase, who wasn't looking his way, and decided not to interfere.
Well… Not my problem.
He shook his head and left.
Meanwhile, as the students dispersed, Ayanokoji stood alone with Mochigase.
"You wanted to talk?"
"Yeah. This isn't the place for it—let's change locations."
Ayanokoji tilted his head slightly. "Won't that mess with your schedule?"
"Doesn't matter. Not like I'm getting paid."
"The school isn't paying you?"
"Not a single yen."
"…Alright then."
"Enough chit-chat. Follow me. I'm a busy man, you know."
Ayanokoji gave him a casual glance before silently following.
10 minutes later—
They arrived at the top floor of the school shopping mall.
Ayanokoji followed Mochigase through the brightly lit corridors, suspicion creeping in.
"A karaoke bar? In the middle of class? That's not very… teacher-like."
Mochigase smirked. "Relax, I arranged everything in advance. This is the perfect spot."
Arranged in advance?
After a few turns, they stopped in front of a small, nondescript room.
"Here we are. Go in and see for yourself."
Ayanokoji sighed, already feeling something was off. "…Fine."
He pushed the door open—
And froze.
Not because there were beautiful girls lounging inside.
No.
There was nothing inside.
Literally nothing.
No TV, no microphone, no sofa, no table. Just an empty room.
"Ah… I see."
Ayanokoji exhaled, his body tensing slightly.
In an instant, he spun around and raised his arms—
BOOM!
A fierce gust of wind followed as a killing elbow strike came straight for his head—
But—
Smack!
Ayanokoji caught it.
With perfect precision, his palm halted the blow mere inches from impact.
The air in the room grew heavy.
Mochigase grinned.
"Not bad."
---
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