"Good morning. I'm Mike Johnson. From today on, I'll be your English teacher. Much appreciated."

Mike had spent all night finally managing to learn his self-introduction. He'd heard that Japan was a country that valued etiquette deeply, so after finishing, he chose to bow deeply to show his respect.

As the king of underground fighting, he should have been defiant. However, the Phoenix Academy had offered him so much that he decided to commit to this job fully. After all, fighting was just for the money. Who would willingly exhaust their lifespan fighting when they could earn money more comfortably to provide for their family? At least, Mike never fought for the enjoyment of it, but purely to make a living. He couldn't afford to lose, because losing meant earning no money.

Mike straightened his back. The suit still felt a bit uncomfortable, as if it was restraining his movements.

The students, looking at Mike's physique which seemed ready to burst out of his suit, seriously wondered if the PE teacher was pulling a prank on them.

Mike noticed the surprised expressions on the students' faces and could somewhat understand. His appearance indeed wasn't that of a typical academic teacher. But he was still confident in teaching them English well. As an American, his English was naturally excellent, more than sufficient to teach the students how to communicate with foreigners.

"Please open your textbooks."

Mike, speaking in not-so-fluent Japanese, also opened the English textbook. Just as he was about to start the class, he noticed a student at the back of the class sleeping on their desk.

This left him briefly conflicted.

If he were to act according to his old underground fighting persona, he certainly wouldn't bother with such a thing. Whether the brats learned or not was their own problem. If they wanted to sleep, let them sleep.

But on second thought, he was no longer the king of underground fighting, but an English teacher. As a teacher, could he simply watch a student sleep on their desk and do nothing about it?

As this thought crossed his mind, distant memories suddenly flooded back to him. Back in the day, he was also a bad kid who hated studying, thinking school was useless. He often slept in class, fought, and secretly indulged in some substances with classmates. This eventually drove his conservative father to the hospital. With the sudden loss of the family's breadwinner, he embarked on an underground fighting career. If, at that time, a teacher had stepped in to stop him and taught him the ways of life rather than neglecting him, perhaps his life would have taken a different path.

At this thought, a sense of responsibility suddenly welled up inside Mike. Even though the Phoenix Academy's arrangement is for me to protect the Young Miss, I also have to do my job as a teacher properly.

Mike walked towards the sleeping student.

His action caused a stir among the students.

"Hey, what's he up to?"

"Looks like he's heading towards Hojo."

"No way, is he really going to deal with Hojo?!"

Whispers spread among some students.

"GULP." Ayatsuki Ayaka swallowed nervously, her expression filled with tension.

On one side was the English teacher, who looked like he had explosive strength, and on the other was the class's renowned violent delinquent. If they get into a conflict and start fighting in the classroom, what are we going to do?

Ayatsuki Ayaka was a bit nervous; she knew the relationship between Aozawa and Hojo Tetsuji. If Hojo gets into a tough spot, will Aozawa step in to help? Damn it! If it turns into a two-against-one, they could both get expelled!

The thought of that future made Ayatsuki Ayaka even more anxious; she even felt the urge to go to the restroom.

"It would be interesting if they started fighting," Tama Chan muttered in a low voice, clearly excited by the prospect of trouble.

Phoenix Academy Maggie, sensing something was amiss, quickly reached out and tapped Hojo Tetsuji, signaling for him to wake up.

Startled awake, Hojo Tetsuji looked up, completely bewildered. It felt as though the lesson had been unusually short. It seemed like he had just laid his head down, and it was already over.

He looked at the foreigner approaching him and scratched his head. "Who is this guy?"

"Our new English teacher, Mike Johnson," Aozawa replied from the side.

Mike stopped and said gently, "Young man, during class, it's best not to sleep. Please pay attention to the lecture."

He spoke in English.

Hojo Tetsuji listened, looking completely bewildered.

Phoenix Academy Maggie had no choice but to translate for him.

"Oh, all right."

Hojo Tetsuji yawned and agreed.

This response surprised many students.

Aozawa, however, was not surprised. Hojo Tetsuji just had that sort of personality. He was generally very tolerant of reasonable requests. For example, a teacher asking students not to sleep during class. That was normal behavior. If the teacher didn't say anything, Hojo Tetsuji would sleep. But if told not to, he wouldn't.

"What? That's so lame," Tama Chan grumbled, having thought she was in for some excitement.

Ayatsuki Ayaka patted her chest in relief, glad that a fight hadn't erupted, and Aozawa wouldn't turn into a delinquent hooked on Pachinko.

"It's great that you understand."

A smile appeared on Mike's face. He suddenly realized how meaningful his job as a teacher was; he could rescue misguided students and change their bleak futures.

He turned and walked back to the podium to begin his lesson.

The four morning classes passed.

「Noon.」

Inside the cafeteria on the ground floor of the teaching building, it was steaming hot.

Ayatsuki Ayaka hadn't even started eating, but her forehead was already beaded with sweat. She sat at an empty seat, holding a large bowl of pork cutlet over rice. In the bowl, a pork cutlet lay on a bed of rice, with two pieces of green vegetables on the side. The glistening oil from the pork cutlet had stained some of the rice beneath it a light yellow.

"PHEW," Ayatsuki Ayaka fanned herself with her small hand, smiling. "HEH HEH, I can finally eat! After four classes in a row, my stomach is growling."

"Iroha, there's something I don't know if I should tell you?" Takahashi Saeko wore a somewhat complex expression, and her deliberately hesitant look piqued Ayatsuki Ayaka's interest.

"Saeko, just speak your mind."

"Never mind. I'm afraid it'll affect your appetite if I tell you." Takahashi Saeko shook her head, deliberately leaving her hanging, and picked up some ramen from her bowl, blowing on it.

Seeing her say this, Ayatsuki Ayaka thought for a moment, her expression suddenly tensing as she said, "Saeko, you don't have some incurable disease, do you?"

Takahashi Saeko paused, momentarily stunned by her friend's leap in logic, then said, "I'm perfectly healthy."

"Oh, you scared me! I thought for a second you'd been messing around so much you'd caught something incurable." Ayatsuki Ayaka breathed a sigh of relief, then said with genuine concern, "Maru, you should be careful too. It's fine to have fun, but make sure you don't catch anything."

If someone else had said this, Tama Chan would have surely thought that person was picking a fight. But hearing it from Ayatsuki Ayaka, Tama Chan understood that Ayatsuki Ayaka genuinely cared about her health. That sincerity was precisely what made it so frustrating.

"Iroha, don't talk about such things with such a straight face. I do take the necessary precautions." Tama Chan, though she could be wild, was not a woman who neglected her health. Her standards in that regard were professional, virtually preventing any accidents from happening.

"That's good to hear." Ayatsuki Ayaka nodded and then curiously asked, "Saeko, what was it that you wanted to tell me just now?"

Takahashi Saeko slurped a mouthful of ramen and casually said, "I just wanted to tell you that Phoenix Academy Maggie and Aozawa seem to be using couple's erasers. The erasers on their desks had identical patterns, just different colors. Their pencils also had the same chrysanthemum pattern in the middle—clearly a matching set for couples!"

"Are the two of them dating?!" Ayatsuki Ayaka's face showed shock.

Takahashi Saeko shook her head. "I don't think so. It's most likely a small gift from Phoenix Academy Maggie to Aozawa. I just asked Kenji Kojima, and he said that Aozawa had something come up at the last minute yesterday afternoon and didn't make it to the Kendo club, so it's very likely that he was called away by Phoenix Academy Maggie."

"Damn it, how could she interfere with Aozawa's club training? That's too cunning!" Ayatsuki Ayaka retorted angrily. She had always wanted to monopolize Aozawa's after-school time herself but had hesitated to suggest it because of his commitment to kendo practice. She hadn't expected Phoenix Academy Maggie to target this very issue.

"But honestly, I'm surprised. Phoenix Academy Maggie, who always seemed so ladylike and poised, would actually use something from a 100-yen shop. Is her family actually not wealthy?" Tama Chan's expression was puzzled; anyone's first impression of Phoenix Academy Maggie was of someone from a wealthy family. That aura of nobility, so different from ordinary people, was clearly the result of strict upbringing.

"Her family is wealthy," Takahashi Saeko replied with certainty. Previously, she had thought Phoenix Academy Maggie was an unfavored girl from a branch of the Phoenix family. However, the rotation of security guards and Mike's arrival all proved that Phoenix Academy Maggie held a significant position within the Phoenix family—she might even be the heir. But Takahashi Saeko wasn't inclined to pry. Probing into the Phoenix family's succession with her status as a Street Cleaner could possibly attract unnecessary trouble.

"It's unlikely to be a strategy she thought of herself." Upon hearing this, Tama Chan's eyes gleamed with thought as she said, "If that's the case, it's highly likely that Nomura True Wave from the Manga Club is advising her behind the scenes. She's quite popular with both boys and girls and is known as 'The Great Teacher.' The Manga Club is also nicknamed 'The Love Consultation Department.'"

Miyahara Kaoru nodded. "Lately Nomura True Wave, Yoshikawa Sayuri, and Phoenix Academy Maggie have been getting quite close."

"You guys seem to know a lot." It took a moment for Ayatsuki Ayaka's befuddled mind to catch up. Why do they seem even more concerned about Aozawa and Phoenix Academy Maggie's affairs than I am?

Takahashi Saeko rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Iroha, your information is just too outdated. Remember, never underestimate a love rival like Phoenix Academy Maggie. You must pay extra attention to her moves. Only by knowing both the enemy and yourself can you win every battle. Now your opponents are not just Phoenix Academy Maggie alone but three from the Manga Club."

Ayatsuki Ayaka nodded and then lifted her head. "No worries, I still have you, Maru, and Kaoru. We have four people! This time, the advantage is ours!"

Miyahara Kaoru was accustomed to her optimism but still couldn't help but retort, "Iroha, romance isn't a battle where just having more people on your side helps."

Clearly not taking the point, Ayatsuki Ayaka asked eagerly, "So, what do you think I should do to counterattack?"

Takahashi Saeko thought for a moment. Giving a gift at this time would surely be following in Phoenix Academy Maggie's footsteps. It would be better to try increasing physical contact to strengthen their bond.

"I have a good idea."