Prompted by Rias's reminder, Issei slowly began to recall—
Back when his consciousness had been fading last night, there had been someone else there.
And that figure, as his memory sharpened, gradually took on a familiar form—
A certain annoyingly handsome teacher he knew all too well.
—
"Hey, you in the back—pick it up! And you call yourself a guy? This is a hundred-meter sprint! Where's your sprint?! All I see is a snail out for a jog!"
On Kuoh Academy's athletic field, Ren Kuroda stood in a black tracksuit, whistle in his mouth, barking orders as he urged the boys to run faster.
Not far away, on a separate field divided by a wire fence, Rias watched from a distance.
Even across that gap, she could clearly see his face—
There was no doubt about it.
He was the same man they had encountered last night.
When Issei had claimed that Ren was a newly hired P.E. teacher, Rias hadn't quite believed him.
But now—
She had no choice but to accept it.
That man… really was a teacher at Kuoh Academy.
When Ren had first reported for duty the day before, he had actually gone to Rias's class as well.
But she had skipped class at the time, so they had missed each other.
Then again—
Even if she had been there, she likely would have dismissed him as just another ordinary human.
Just like how he looked now, casually instructing students on the field.
Which only made things more suspicious.
Why would someone that powerful deliberately conceal themselves and infiltrate Kuoh Academy?
Was it really for something as mundane as making a living?
Rias didn't believe that for a second.
Which meant—
She needed to approach him.
She needed to understand his true intentions.
At the very least, judging from last night, while he was overwhelmingly strong, he didn't seem inclined toward hostility.
—
As a private academy backed by devil families, Kuoh Academy was anything but short on funding.
And since most high school girls had already matured physically, having a male P.E. teacher instruct a group of energetic teenage girls could easily become… inappropriate.
So in the high school division, P.E. classes were usually taught by both a male and a female instructor, with boys and girls separated.
Unfortunately for Ren—
He was currently stuck staring at a group of sweaty, exhausted teenage boys.
His expression was one of pure disappointment.
This was not how he had imagined things.
Where were the lively, energetic girls full of youth?
"Ren-sensei, could you come over here for a moment? I have a favor to ask."
Just as Ren was blowing his whistle and pushing the boys through what could only be described as a devilish training regimen, a female voice suddenly called out from behind him—
A voice that absolutely did not belong on this side of the field.
Turning around, Ren saw a young female teacher with a black ponytail, dressed in a pink tracksuit. She clasped her hands together, looking at him with a pleading expression.
"Reiko-sensei? Aren't you supposed to be teaching the girls' class over there? Did something happen?"
"Um… Ren-sensei," she said awkwardly, shifting her weight, her legs pressed together as if uncomfortable, "I'm suddenly not feeling very well… Could I trouble you to cover my class?"
She didn't elaborate further.
But from her subtle body language, Ren quickly understood.
Ah.
One of those days.
"…I see."
Still, he hesitated.
"But I've got students here too. And I just started working here—wouldn't skipping out like this be a bit…"
"It's fine!" she cut in quickly. "Just have the boys keep running, or let them play basketball or something."
She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice.
"The girls' class is more important. Especially since it's Rias-san's class—you've heard the rumors, right?"
Her expression turned serious.
"If you offend certain students… you might not have a job the next day."
As a private academy, Kuoh's salaries were extremely generous.
The young teacher clearly had no intention of losing such a position over something like this.
Skipping a boys' class might earn her a warning.
But offending Rias?
That could get her fired on the spot.
Besides… compared to the large number of girls in the school, Ren only had a dozen or so boys here anyway.
"…Fine."
Ren let out a sigh and turned back to his students.
"You lot—ten more laps around the field. After that, you're free to do whatever you want."
He paused, his gaze sharpening.
"And if I find out anyone slacked off, I'll double your workload next class."
The boys collectively looked like their souls had just left their bodies.
But Ren had already made his decision.
—
When he arrived at the girls' field, his appearance immediately caused a stir.
The high school girls present reacted with a mix of excitement, embarrassment, and barely contained curiosity.
After all—
Whether something was considered "creepy" or not often depended entirely on who was doing it.
If someone like Issei had walked onto the field, the girls would probably have screamed and run away.
But Ren?
The handsome new teacher who had been the talk of the school lately?
The reaction was completely different.
Before leaving, Reiko-sensei had handed him the lesson plan, so Ren didn't need to improvise.
"All right, everyone," Ren said, stepping forward calmly. "Your usual instructor isn't feeling well, so I'll be taking over for this class."
"My name is Ren Kuroda. Nice to meet you all."
He glanced at the schedule.
"For today… we'll start with flexibility training."
Flexibility training—basically the standard warm-up exercises.
Students paired up. One would sit and stretch forward while the other stood behind, pressing down gently to help deepen the stretch.
At Ren's instruction, the girls quickly paired off.
Until—
One person was left standing alone.
A red-haired girl.
"Rias-san," Ren called out, glancing at her, "I may not be your usual P.E. teacher, but I'm still your instructor for this class. Please follow the lesson plan and don't make things difficult."
All around them, the other students had already begun stretching.
But Rias remained where she stood, arms crossed, her crimson eyes fixed directly on Ren.
"Ren-sensei," she said calmly, "did you notice? There's an odd number of students in our class."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Normally, Reiko-sensei would pair up with me."
Then, without the slightest hint of hesitation, she bent forward, her long crimson hair cascading down her back as she assumed the stretching position.
"So… could you lend me a hand?"
Ren hesitated.
"…That might not be appropriate. You are a female student, after all."
Rias smiled faintly, her tone steady.
"But right now, aren't you my teacher?"
"If we don't warm up properly before exercise, injuries are more likely, correct?"
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
"Or is it that… Ren-sensei's true identity isn't just that of a teacher?"
..
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