CHAPTER 527: CHAPTER 527

Hoshino spoke seriously. "Unless there’s a special reason, the Academy doesn’t allow students to stay off campus, you know. Besides, the Blue Dorm’s accommodations aren’t that bad, right?"

Akasha tilted her head and pouted. "It’s not about the dorm’s conditions... I just wanted to stay with you, Hoshino-nee..." she mumbled softly.

The moment she finished, that strange vibration beneath her returned—stronger than before. Akasha frowned, sensing that something was off.

"Don’t take what you have for granted. Look at Jaden, for example..."

Just thinking about Jaden’s written test score—4 points, right below the passing line—made Hoshino both exasperated and amused.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Jaden tore open a bag of chips. "I don’t really mind, honestly. I actually kinda like the Red Dorm. Passionate like fire—the color of a duelist’s soul! Feels like it fits me perfectly!"

Hoshino sighed. "You sure are carefree. But things might not stay that easy for you after this..."

She spun her chair toward her computer and opened a document that had arrived in her inbox that afternoon—a top-level file from KaibaCorp.

Subject: Announcement Regarding This Semester’s Blue–Yellow–Red Dorm Group Battle Event

From: Duel Academy Administration

"Kaiba must’ve been in a weird mood when he came up with this..." Hoshino muttered.

Jaden leaned closer to read. "Hmm... ’To encourage competitiveness among students and strengthen dorm unity, the Academy will host a Dorm Group Battle event. Each dorm will be led by assigned faculty. Matches will be fought in teams, wagering Duel Points... Students whose points fall below zero will be expelled.’"

Akasha frowned. "Then doesn’t this put Slifer Red at a huge disadvantage? Even if Jaden’s strong, he can’t carry every Red student by himself."

"Exactly," Hoshino sighed. "That’s why I said the days ahead won’t be so easy. Kaiba must’ve decided that dorm separation alone wasn’t enough to inspire competition. I’ve noticed some Red students have been slacking off since the very first day of enrollment."

Akasha nodded vigorously — those Red students who’d been "slacking off since day one" definitely included Minazuki, who’d spent the entire first day napping beside Jaden.

"But Hoshino-nee," Akasha asked curiously, "you said things won’t be easy for you either. What did you mean by that?"

She glanced at Hoshino’s adorable loungewear and relaxed posture. Nothing about her screamed trouble ahead.

With a resigned sigh, Hoshino scrolled to the bottom of the email.

Obelisk Blue Dorm Leader: Professor Crowler

Ra Yellow Dorm Leader: Instructor Hakutaku

Slifer Red Dorm Leader: Academy Director Hoshino Chiyuki

"Yep," she said flatly. "Kaiba’s definitely targeting me. Guess he thought I was living too comfortably, so he’s making me personally lead the Red Dorm."

Akasha blinked. "That’s all? It’s just a dorm competition. As long as you win, there’s no problem, right? Easy~"

Jaden grinned in agreement. "Yeah, sounds fun!"

Hoshino rubbed her temple. "If only it were that simple. Crowler has always hated the Red Dorm. Now that he’s leading Blue, who knows what kind of dirty tricks he’ll pull."

Akasha asked, "Then if a student actually gets expelled, what happens to you as the dorm leader, Hoshino-nee?"

Hoshino’s expression darkened. She glanced at her phone, its screen filled with rows of gacha games, and answered gravely, "My salary gets docked..."

"That is pretty serious," Akasha nodded in sympathy. As a fellow gacha gamer, she fully understood the agony of losing one’s financial means—and being unable to "feed her wives."

Jaden suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah, speaking of mail—Sensei, I think there’s a letter in your mailbox outside."

"A letter? In this day and age, someone still writes those?"

The mailbox by her door was mostly decorative; she never thought it would actually get used.

"Anyway, enough of that. It’s almost dinner. You came all this way, so why not stay for Emiya’s cooking? Just make sure you head back before it gets dark."

"Nooo!" Akasha flopped onto Hoshino’s bed, rolling around dramatically. "I don’t wanna go home tonight! Even if I can’t stay here all the time, can’t I just sleep over this once, pleeease?"

Trying to fend off her playful tantrum, Hoshino scratched her head. "Fine, fine... just for tonight—"

"—Absolutely not, Master (Senpai)!!"

Two voices suddenly cried out as Mash and Kiyohime popped out from under the bed.

Akasha froze. "_(ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ I knew I felt something moving under me! Hoshino-nee, you’ve been hiding girls in your room!?"

"Kiyohime? Mash!? When did you two even—"

A chill ran down Hoshino’s spine. She’d been in her room gaming since morning and hadn’t stepped outside once. Just how long had those two been under there?

"Forget Kiyohime—why you too, Mash?"

Blushing, Mash fidgeted. "I was just trying to stop Miss Kiyohime from sneaking in while you were in the bath, Senpai. But you finished bathing faster than I expected, so to avoid any misunderstandings... I hid with her."

Hoshino pressed her palm to her forehead. "You mean... you’ve both been hiding under there for an entire day!?"

"Exactly! Which means the passion I’ve been holding in for you, Master, has been building up all day and night—burning even hotter now~!" declared Kiyohime.

Jaden quietly slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind him. "Sensei... you really do have it tough."

Evening.

"Tch... we got interrupted today. I’ll come back over the weekend to stay again, okay, Hoshino-nee~"

Akasha reluctantly left the villa, only a step away from victory before she, Mash, and Kiyohime were politely escorted out by Hoshino herself.

Patting his stomach, Jaden wore a satisfied grin—a sharp contrast to Akasha’s frustration.

"The Red Dorm food’s not bad, but Mr. Emiya’s cooking is on another level. Let’s come again next time, Akasha~"

"Hmph! (｀＾´)ノ You idiot! Next time I’m coming alone! You’re way too bright of a third wheel!"

"Aw, come on, don’t say that. We’re friends, aren’t we?"

"Friends should think about each other’s happiness!"

Riding the island tram back to the academy, Jaden and Akasha gazed out the window—spotting the familiar duo still being chased around, their slapstick antics continuing as always.

Meanwhile—

"So this is the letter?"

Standing on tiptoe, Hoshino reached into the small mailbox beside her door and pulled out an envelope. Her brow twitched slightly.

"Wait, does this island even have a mail delivery service? It’s hard enough just getting one package delivered here."

The envelope in her hand bore a bright red lipstick mark right in the center—instantly catching her attention.

"A... a lip print? On the envelope? W–Wait, could this be—?!"

After glancing around to make sure no Heroic Spirits were nearby, Hoshino swallowed nervously and carefully tore open the letter.

"From the moment I first saw you, I’ve had such strong feelings for you..."

"S–Seriously? A love letter?! What should I do? This is the first one I’ve ever gotten!"

Her cheeks flushed pink as she shook her head, trying to calm herself.

"C–Calm down, Chiyuki! You’re an adult! You can’t get flustered over something like this! Just... just check who it’s from first."

"—Alexis Rhodes"

Hoshino’s face turned bright red. Of all people, she hadn’t expected the beautiful new student she’d just met yesterday to be this bold.

"C–Could this be... the forbidden teacher–student romance? Alexis, huh..."

Her mind drifted back to yesterday—the tall, striking girl with that lovely face and those long, flawless legs that practically glowed in the sunlight.

"No, no, no! What are you even imagining, Chiyuki?! Teacher–student relationships are not acceptable! You’re the headmistress, for crying out loud! Get a grip!"

Barely resisting the urge to slap herself, Hoshino forced her focus back to the letter.

"Please come to the back of the Obelisk Blue Girls’ Dorm tonight at 10 PM. I’ll be waiting for you."

"Ten o’clock... behind the Blue Girls’ Dorm, huh?"

"—What, you’re actually going?"

"WAAAH! Don’t sneak up on me like that, my other self!" Hoshino yelped, nearly dropping the letter in shock.

Hoshino Alter—her spectral counterpart—hovered nearby, smirking.

"If you don’t go, Alexis might wait all night, you know~? A lovestruck maiden under the moonlight... could you really ignore that, aibo?"

"Of course I’ll go!" Hoshino declared, trying to sound composed. "As the headmistress, it’s my duty to educate my students about proper romantic conduct! Teacher–student love is forbidden!"

Hoshino Alter sighed. "Yeah, sure... says the woman who’s never even been in a relationship herself."

"Shut up!"

9:40 PM — Behind the Obelisk Blue Girls’ Dorm

Dressed head-to-toe in a black stealth suit, Crowler crouched low in the grass, a wild grin spreading across his face.

"Fufufufu... everything’s ready. Now I just have to wait for that failure. Once I photograph him sneaking around the girls’ dorm, the scandal will spread like wildfire! No one will care who took the photo—they’ll only see a pervert peeking at the girls’ baths!"

Then he paused. "Wait... if I get caught like this, it’ll look even worse!"

He wriggled deeper into the grass, assuming the perfect pose of a professional stalk—er, "field operative."

"Mm? Movement! He’s here!"

A slim figure stepped into the moonlight, holding the letter. Her long white hair shimmered faintly beneath the pale glow.

"Mamma mia! H–Headmistress Hoshino?! Why... why is she holding the fake love letter!?"

Crowler’s perfect plan unraveled in an instant—the script, the setup, everything—ruined by the wrong actor showing up. And worse, it was his boss.

"No, no, no! I’ve got to get out of here! If the Headmistress sees me like this, I’m finished!"

Hoshino, having noticed movement in the grass, glanced in his direction.

"Hmm? Is that you, Alexis?"

Crowler froze on the spot. "(ΩДΩ) I–I’m doomed! There’s no escape!"

When the rustling stopped, Hoshino relaxed slightly. "Guess it was just my imagination... Maybe I’m just nervous. I did come twenty minutes early, after all. Looks like Alexis isn’t here yet."

She pulled out her phone and used the screen as a mirror, adjusting her bangs.

"Mm... not bad, still cute enough—"

"Wait, no! I’m here to reject her confession! Why am I worrying about how I look?!"

Pacing in circles, she tried to calm herself.

"What if Alexis takes it badly when I turn her down? What if she’s the yandere type and decides we should die together? She’s such a cute girl... I’ll have to handle this carefully."

Hoshino Alter sighed. "=_= You’re overthinking it again, aibo. Just see how she reacts first."

Inside the Obelisk Blue Girls’ Bathhouse

"Alexis, your body’s amazing~"

"Totally! Especially those—so jealous! Come on, let me touch them a little~"

"Hey, stop it, Mindy, Jasmine—it tickles!"

The three beautiful girls giggled and splashed playfully in the luxurious European-style bath exclusive to the Obelisk Blue girls.

Jasmine sighed. "You know, the new batch of male students this year isn’t that great."

Mindy nodded. "Right? Especially that Minazuki guy. Always saying weird stuff like ’That’s no big deal!’—what kind of accent is that?"

Jasmine grinned. "What about Jaden Yuki? He did beat Professor Crowler, didn’t he? Must be kind of impressive."

Mindy waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, that was just luck. If he were really that good, he wouldn’t be stuck in Red Dorm! Anyway, Alexis, is there anyone you’re interested in?"

Alexis patted her cheeks dry with a towel, glancing out the window thoughtfully.

"Someone I’m interested in? Well... there is this one upperclass—wait, huh?"

Through the window, she spotted a suspicious figure lurking in the shadows behind the dorm. Her expression hardened instantly.

"Mindy, Jasmine—get down and stay in the water! Someone’s peeping!"

Wrapping a towel around her slender, pale body, Alexis stormed toward the changing room.

"How dare you spy on the Blue Girls’ bathhouse! You’ve got guts—but you’re not getting away!"