After two in the afternoon, classes at Midtown High School resumed. The hallways became lively again as students returned from their break for the afternoon period.
Arthur was walking calmly down the corridor when he noticed a clearly Japanese girl standing near the main entrance. She greeted everyone who passed with a polite smile.
"Hello! I'm new here! Could someone help me?"
Most people simply nodded in response or kept walking, either too busy to stop or simply not interested in the girl.
Arthur smiled faintly before approaching her.
"You must be the transfer student, right?" he asked.
The girl immediately turned toward him.
"Oh! You know who I am?"
"I received a notice from the administration this morning. You're Hisako Ichiki, correct?"
"Yes!" she nodded enthusiastically.
Arthur took the schedule she was holding.
"Let's see... your next class is History II."
"That's right," she replied with a smile.
"Then come with me. After all, I'm the teacher for that class."
The girl's eyes lit up.
"Professor Arthur?"
"In person."
"What a coincidence!"
As they walked through the hallways, Hisako could barely contain her excitement.
"Actually... I chose this class specifically because I'd heard so many great things about your lectures."
"I hope I can live up to your expectations," Arthur laughed.
"I've read some of the historical articles you've published. I found the way you relate ancient events to the modern world fascinating."
"I'm glad to hear that."
As they talked, a familiar voice called out to Arthur.
"Good afternoon, Professor."
Cindy Moon approached with a camera hanging around her neck.
"Good afternoon, Cindy," Arthur greeted her.
Cindy nodded before curiously looking at Hisako.
"New student?"
"Yes," Arthur replied. "This is Hisako Ichiki."
The two exchanged greetings.
"Nice to meet you. You can call me Cindy."
"Nice to meet you! You can call me Hisako."
Hisako's eyes were soon drawn to the camera.
"Do you work as a photographer?"
"I'm just getting started," Cindy smiled. "I managed to get a contract to provide photos for the Daily Bugle."
"Really?"
"My goal is to photograph heroes. I want to show people who they really are."
"You're going to work for Jameson?" Arthur asked as they continued walking.
"Yes..." Cindy smiled a little shyly. "I want to prove that Silk and Spider-Woman aren't what he tries to make them out to be."
"Good luck," Arthur laughed.
Before the conversation could continue, the bell announcing the start of class echoed throughout the school.
"That was loud..." Hisako jumped slightly.
Arthur chuckled.
"You'll get used to it."
A few minutes later, Arthur and Cindy entered the History II classroom, while Hisako remained outside.
Arthur placed a few books on the desk and watched as the students took their seats.
"Good afternoon, everyone."
"Good afternoon, Professor!" most of the class replied.
He then gestured for Hisako to enter the room.
"Before we begin, I'd like to introduce our new classmate."
Hisako took a deep breath, entered the classroom, and gave a small bow.
"My name is Hisako Ichiki. I came from Japan, and I hope to get along well with everyone."
Some students responded with smiles and waves.
"You can sit next to Ms. Moon," Arthur told her.
Hisako nodded, sat beside Cindy, and introduced herself to the students around her.
Arthur waited for the room to quiet down before continuing.
"Coincidentally, our new student comes from the very country that will be today's topic."
He wrote on the board:
History of Japan — From the Formation of the Japanese State to the Sengoku Period
Several students immediately looked interested.
Arthur leaned lightly against the desk.
"Normally, we begin this stage of the course by studying Medieval Europe, but I believe having someone who grew up surrounded by this culture will make today's lesson much more interesting."
"Me?" Hisako's eyes widened.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to turn you into the teacher," Arthur remarked.
A few laughs spread through the classroom.
"But if at any point you'd like to share a cultural curiosity or correct a common stereotype, feel free to do so."
She smiled in relief.
"I'll do my best."
Arthur turned to the class.
"When you hear the word 'samurai,' what's the first thing that comes to mind?"
Several hands immediately shot up.
One student answered, "They were warriors who always fought using those Japanese swords."
Arthur smiled.
"That's a very popular image... but an incomplete one."
Meanwhile, a student in the back of the room laughed and said loudly,
"Then let's just ask the Japanese girl everything."
Several classmates laughed along.
Arthur's smile disappeared instantly.
He calmly looked at the student responsible.
"Mr. Edgar."
The student immediately stopped laughing.
"Stand up," Arthur said expressionlessly.
He obeyed.
"I made this clear from the very beginning of the semester. In my classroom, no one will be treated like an attraction because of their nationality."
Silence filled the room.
"If you intend to participate in class, ask questions to learn."
Arthur paused briefly.
"If your intention is simply to mock a classmate who just arrived, the door is right over there."
The boy lowered his head.
"...I'm sorry."
"Good. Now, everyone who laughed, leave the classroom," Arthur said, pointing toward the door once more.
Arthur's firm attitude plunged the room into complete silence.
No one had expected a teacher who was usually so calm to completely change his expression upon seeing a newly arrived student being mocked.
The students who had joined in exchanged uncomfortable glances. After a few seconds, they gathered their belongings and quietly left the room without daring to argue.
Arthur simply watched the door close before turning his attention back to the rest of the class.
"Now we can continue."
He rested one hand on the desk.
"Respect is one of the first things history teaches us. Every civilization that left behind a lasting legacy eventually learned that understanding different cultures is far more valuable than ridiculing them."
His gaze swept across the classroom.
"If your goal is to study history just to memorize dates, you've chosen the wrong subject."
Several students nodded quietly.
Hisako, who had remained somewhat tense until then, finally relaxed her shoulders.
Arthur smiled at her before continuing the lesson.
"As I was saying, Japan did not begin as a military power ruled by samurai. That image belongs to a very specific period in its history."
As he spoke, he quickly drew a timeline on the board.
"First, we'll study the formation of the Japanese state. Then we'll look at the strengthening of the imperial court, the rise of the shogunate, and finally the Sengoku Period, an era marked by constant wars among various feudal lords."
He paused briefly.
"And it is precisely during this period that many of the historical figures who inspired much of modern popular culture emerge."
Several students immediately began taking careful notes.
Even those who usually showed little interest in the subject were following the explanation closely.
When the bell announcing the end of class finally rang, Arthur closed the book he had been using as a reference.
"That's all for today."
The students began putting away their materials while chatting among themselves about the lesson.
Hisako approached the teacher's desk as soon as most of the class had left.
"Professor Arthur..." She gave a small bow. "Thank you very much."
"What are you thanking me for?" Arthur asked with a smile.
"For standing up for me."
He shook his head.
"It wasn't a favor." As he put his books into his briefcase, he answered calmly, "It's simply a teacher's duty. School is a place to learn, and no one can truly learn in an environment where they aren't respected."
Hisako remained silent for a few moments before smiling.
"Even so... thank you."
Arthur returned the smile as he casually tossed his briefcase into the Gate of Babylon, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
His actions caught the girl completely off guard.
"Professor... You...?" she was about to ask when Arthur smiled and lightly patted her shoulder.
"That's enough talking for now. Go explore the rest of the school. I'm sure you'll make plenty of friends here."
With that, he left the classroom and walked down the hallway toward the teachers' lounge, while the students continued talking about the history class that, for many of them, had been far more interesting than they had expected.
---
When Arthur returned home, he went straight to his computer.
He powered on the terminal connected to Xavier School's database and began searching for the new student's name.
As he had suspected, it didn't take long to find the records for the girl named Hisako Ichiki.
She really was a mutant.
Her parents had recently moved to the United States and had decided to enroll her at Midtown High School because it had an unusually large number of mutant students and maintained a good relationship with the Xavier Institute.
Arthur crossed his arms.
"So that's it..."
He closed the file just before hearing a gentle knock at the door.
"Dear, dinner's ready."
Gwen poked only her head into the office and smiled warmly.
"I'll be right down," Arthur returned the smile.
Ever since Chaldea had greatly increased its number of Servants, it had become impossible to accommodate everyone in his residence.
Most remained at Chaldea itself, while another group—mainly the women closest to Arthur—stayed at the temporary base set up in his home.
It was simply much more practical that way.
As for Hisako Ichiki's true identity, Arthur decided to leave that investigation for another time.
After dinner, he finally decided to get some proper rest.
It had been days since he'd had a decent night's sleep.
He entered his room, closed the door, and practically threw himself onto the bed.
Immediately afterward, he used a Command Spell to summon his favorite pillow and pulled it into his arms.
Or rather...
His favorite pillow happened to look like a miniature Nero Claudius.
The young girl with pale hair had ruby-red eyes and small draconic features.
She remained completely still for a few seconds.
Then she slowly opened one eye.
"...Master." Her voice came out cold and authoritative. "Explain why a sovereign such as myself continues to be used as a pillow."
Arthur simply hugged her a little tighter.
"Because you're comfortable," Arthur replied.
Draco's eyebrows twitched.
"Comfortable...?"
She took a deep breath, like someone struggling to resist committing regicide.
"Are you truly incapable of distinguishing me from an ordinary pillow?" she asked, fixing her eyes on Arthur's face.
"I've never had that problem," Arthur answered calmly. "You manage to be both."
"..."
Draco remained silent for several seconds as her expression hardened.
"You are insolent."
"Thank you, Draco," Arthur replied, closing his eyes.
"That was not a compliment."
"I know, but I'll gladly accept it."
She turned her face away with a click of her tongue.
"...Hmph."
Naturally, all it would take was a small movement for her to escape his embrace.
Yet she remained exactly where she was, as always.
"Don't think I tolerate this of my own free will."
"Of course," Arthur smiled without opening his eyes.
"I'm merely fulfilling our contract and absolutely nothing more."
"I never thought otherwise," Arthur replied.
"...Liar."
Despite her cold words, Draco made absolutely no move to pull away.
A few moments later, Arthur was already beginning to drift off to sleep.
It was precisely then that his phone began to ring.
Arthur opened one eye, picked up the phone from the nightstand, and answered.
"Tony."
On the other end of the line, Stark's voice sounded much more serious than usual.
{"Do you have time right now?"}
Arthur immediately noticed the change in tone.
"What happened?"
{"I'd rather explain it in person."}
Several seconds of silence followed.
{"Come to my mansion."}
Arthur simply sighed and agreed.
He then glanced at Draco.
"I'll be back soon, Draco."
"I don't care." She simply closed her eyes again.
Arthur smiled faintly as he gently pinched her cheek.
He knew perfectly well that she would be waiting.
Before she could slap his hand away, Arthur disappeared from the room using spatial manipulation and reappeared a few seconds later in Tony Stark's workshop.
Tony remained seated before an enormous holographic table, surrounded by dozens of screens and projections.
The moment Arthur entered, he could tell something was wrong.
The billionaire's expression was far more serious than usual.
"You look awful, Tony," Arthur laughed. "You're going to end up full of wrinkles."
Tony let out a humorless chuckle.
"Occupational hazards, Arthur. Occupational hazards," he replied, shaking his head.
Arthur sat down across from him.
"So, what happened this time?" he asked.
"Ever since you sent that brat, 9S, and his friends to deal with Hydra, I've been investigating everything they were hiding behind the scenes."
With a few commands, he enlarged a satellite image.
A region of Sokovia appeared before them.
"I discovered that Hydra maintains a massive research facility here."
Another screen appeared beside it.
"They've been conducting biological research for quite some time."
Tony took a deep breath.
"So far, I've only uncovered part of the project, and the results are worse than I imagined." His expression grew even more serious.
Arthur carefully examined the information.
"So?" Arthur asked, puzzled. "Why did you call me?"
Tony crossed his arms.
"We're going to need to gather the Avengers. And I'm going to need you and your cavalry as well."
Arthur remained calm.
"Don't tell me they've managed to create a virus similar to the T-Virus," Arthur said, raising an eyebrow.
Tony shook his head.
"If it were just a biological crisis, I'd still be sleeping peacefully," he said as he enlarged another series of classified documents. "This goes much deeper."
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly.
"They're conducting experiments on mutants," Tony said each word with extreme seriousness.
"Those sons of bitches..." Arthur cursed as he looked at the images Tony had obtained.
Things so horrifying that he would never show them to his beloved children.
(End of Chapter)
Note: Nero Draco can take on both of its forms