Chapter 916 - 32: Get Along Well...
"I have a good news to announce to everyone, though I believe you might have already guessed it."
Standing at the podium, Gu Mo surveyed the audience and waited just a simple two seconds, allowing the classroom to quiet down.
"Well, I won't keep you guessing, I'll just tell you directly, today we have... two new transfer students joining our class."
Under the gaze of many eyes, he announced this good news to the students below, yet whether it's truly good news is debatable. Nonetheless, as a teacher, he has to embody exemplar conduct, even if it's just surface-level courtesy.
So, he must express welcome to his new students, rather than show any disdain.
As expected, this announcement immediately sparked intense reactions and enthusiastic discussions, with students bursting with curiosity.
The curious direction, however, seems just a bit off—
The topics of their discussions weren't about the specifics of the transfer students, such as gender, background, academic excellence, or delinquency...
Logically, after the "transfer student plot" emerges, these should have been the focal points subconsciously recognized by everyone.
"Another transfer student?"
"I heard several transfer students just arrived in the neighboring class..."
"What's happening today, so many transfer students all at once? Did their school shut down?"
The students below murmured amongst themselves, whispering, showing no surprise, just confusion over the sudden influx of transfer students, feeling like a lot of people suddenly surged in. After all, as they said, even the neighboring classes had quite a few new arrivals today.
Isn't this all looking far too strange?
A transfer student should be considered a rare occurrence, shouldn't they? Why are they refreshing en masse today, is there an issue with the server?
This is evidently an anomaly, piquing students' interest in the discussion, all chip in with their opinions, claiming to have insider info, saying some school is facing closure crisis, or the students' debut as idols' salvage action ended in failure...
In short, every kind of absurd speculation is thrown around, spoken with such coherence, tricking others into being bewildered.
Their imagination is truly rich...
Gu Mo heard it clearly from the podium, gently shaking his head, what is this strange phenomenon? If he hadn't selectively chosen only the two transfer students he'd met before from the list, while tactfully rejecting other students from joining the class, now that would be truly odd.
The class size would probably increase directly by more than double.
This isn't a joke; the length of the transfer student list he received appears longer than the current student roster in this class...
The reason for this phenomenon isn't hard to comprehend. Mainly, the Strategy Room can't represent the entire Mind Industry, and official organizations can't even claim to be absolutely mainstream; the collaboration between the Demon-Exorcising Clan and officials maintains a certain level yet retains considerable autonomy.
Plus, with civilian demon exorcists, and even wild ones in disparate groups, the interior isn't entirely uniform either... Such setup was designed to make the logic more realistic, as completely fulfilling the ideal of altruistic societal groups from top to bottom—
For current humans, such existence seems overly advanced.
If shaped according to this ideal form, evil spirits might not be the problem at all, rather this peculiar demon-exorcising group might become current humanity's enemy.
For they are absolute anomalies, just like humans and aliens are impossible to comprehend each other, ideologically, morally, thoroughly oppositional and conflicting, completely unable to coexist.
Moreover, even within the same faction or camp, different views and opinions must be allowed; that is the most realistic phenomenon. Thus, the Mind Industry can become intricately interwoven, mutually curbing, naturally explaining the cause of peace, preventing politicians and ambitionists from catering to outlandish fantasies.
Just as the premise of relative global peace is the ability for major nations to maintain mutual deterrence, otherwise...
All that can be said is that Hell is empty, Hawk roams the Human World.
Yet, it's precisely for this reason, hence the demon-exorcist factions, already disjointed, have their own calculations and ideas.
As Gu Mo once concluded—
From that great and profound thought, creations are projected one by one, from flashes of wisdom turning into flesh and blood souls in the material world, no longer mere puppets with empty shells. The figure in the painting comes to reality, not merely a shadow on canvas, but an independently existing individual.
However, both the beauty and the flaw lie in this reality.
Because each had their own thoughts and little plans, with their calculating minds ringing with clinking abacus beads, they all took action independently. As long as it wasn't blatantly illegal or against the rules, there was hardly anything to restrain them.
Since there was no strong regulation, everyone's ideas naturally collided.
This can be understood, as the saying goes, "Great minds think alike." When faced with the same situation, knowledgeable people's opinions tend to be very similar.
So unless someone was reckless enough to think they could solve the problem with simple brute force without considering the consequences, the remaining choices were obvious. Therefore, almost unanimously, everyone showed their skills and adopted very similar methods.
And for this school, what happened today unfolded rather magically and wonderfully.
The semester is already halfway through, and suddenly there are so many transfer students. What are they after? This school, although decent, isn't that outstanding, especially in the Kyoto Area, it might not even rank in the top ten. Is it really this popular?
"Another transfer student, huh? Didn't expect our class to have one, and... they're so pretty!"
Yurikawa Hana murmured quietly, staring intently at the two new classmates on the podium. She leaned over to her friend and asked, "Mikko, do you feel your status is threatened? These two girls don't seem any less than you."
The two Demon Exorcists who transferred into this class were indeed Kenshan Yellow Springs and Togami Kagura.
The former had long black hair in a hime cut, looking dignified and unique in temperament, exuding a dashing flair. She was almost too handsome for a girl, like a high mountain flower... One couldn't help but feel that if such a handsome girl were skilled in Sword Dao and was the student council president, it'd be perfect.
——If she had long pink straight hair, then she'd be utterly lethal.
As for the latter, though lacking in heroism, she was sweet and cute, with silky shoulder-length hair. Her slightly confused vibe made her more approachable. Unlike the former, who, although politely smiling, gave off a slight sense of distance.
Their common traits were evident, prompting Yurikawa Hana to tease her friend about feeling pressured.
"Mikko?"
Not getting a response, Yurikawa Hana turned her head in confusion to see Yatsugaya Miko staring at the two new students on the podium with an odd expression.
A thought arose in her mind, and Yurikawa Hana curiously asked, "Mikko, do you know them?"
"I suppose you could say I do..."
Yatsugaya Miko nodded, coming back to her senses, answered, and couldn't help but glance at the teacher on the podium.
Over time, she gradually got used to it, despite the initial awkwardness and discomfort, which even led to some misunderstandings and jokes, making her blush. But overall, it was no big deal.
In this process, Mikko's trust in them grew, thoroughly dispelling the lingering instinctive wariness and doubt.
She firmly believed the other party wasn't an Evil Spirit. Otherwise, if they intended harm, there was no need for such grandiose efforts... If they had grand designs, she hadn't noticed any schemes—honestly, with a teacher who seemed leisurely like a salted fish, they didn't have the air of the Great Demon King.
If that's the case, there's nothing to fear.
So she let her guard down completely, growing increasingly familiar with her teacher during this time.
——On the surface a teacher-student relationship, secretly a Gods-Witch dynamic, it gave off a particularly novel-like vibe...
But now, it seemed the peaceful campus atmosphere was suddenly broken. Seeing the two transfer students on the podium, Yatsugaya Miko recognized their identities as Demon Exorcists, and suddenly understood. So, this year's wave of transfer students...
Are they actually after the teacher?
For a moment, Mikko felt a wave of urgency and tension. She instinctively turned her gaze to the teacher, trying to discern anything from his face, but he remained calm and indifferent.
This discovery made her slightly relieved; perhaps it wasn't a big deal? Or maybe the teacher could handle it?
Beside her, Yurikawa Hana eyed her friend's expression, taking note of her tension, gaze, and little glances at the teacher, nodding thoughtfully.
Mikko had previously said it was nothing, but now it seemed she was lying. Otherwise, why be so concerned...
"Alright, Yellow Springs, Kagura, please go to your seats."
Teacher Gu Mo patiently waited until the two lovely students finished their introductions, then gently nodded, showing no emotional fluctuations.
"Get along well. From now on, you're all good friends..." he advised, giving a gentle precaution.