My daily life in various anime crossovers can't possibly be this sci-fi.

Jiang Jinghua answered the video call request sent to his phone with a blank expression.

“Mr. Aki Tomoya,” Jiang Jinghua said expressionlessly, “your sudden call request just now completely ruined almost an hour of my summoning-related work…so you’d better tell me something meaningful!”

"Ahaha, I'm really sorry!" The bespectacled man on the screen revealed his signature squinting, toothy smile, which he always showed when apologizing. "Well, Jinghua-jun, I have something I'd like to ask you for help with."

"Since I'm feeling rather down right now, could you please get straight to the point?"

"Ah, well, it's not a big deal..."

"Then I won't keep you company."

"No, no, no! It's a very big deal! It's very important!"

It took a lot of persuasion from Aki Tomoya to convince Jiang Jinghua not to put down his phone and to turn it off.

"Well, it's a long story..."

"Please keep it brief."

Although Jiang Jinghua considered their relationship to be quite good, he didn't know why, whenever An Yilun asked him for a favor, he would act coy and dawdle, as if he were talking to a girl.

"Are you familiar with the '2018 Fall Meme Contest' that the foundation recently hosted?"

“Oh, I know that. It’s that competition about creating ‘meme-like works that can move people’s hearts’? What, you’ve suddenly become interested in that kind of thing?” Jiang Jinghua asked.

"Yes, yes. But that's only a secondary reason. As for the main reason, I'll explain it clearly at the meeting tomorrow. Didn't you just ask me to keep it short? Well then, I'll keep it short: Please help me create a captivating meme-based romance game that can win the grand prize!"

ha?

Judging from Aki Tomoya's sincere expression, he didn't seem to be joking.

"Are you... sure?" Jiang Jinghua asked, somewhat incredulous. "Wouldn't adding illusion elements to a dating sim be considered an insult to anime characters? Generally speaking, otaku mages have this kind of view, right?"

"That's the idea of ​​a fundamentalist otaku! I'm a true reformer! Anyway, don't ask why yet, are you willing or not?" Aki Tomoya inadvertently became aggressive.

Jiang Jinghua shook his head helplessly: "Anyway, I'll consider it, provided you explain the details clearly to me at tomorrow's meeting. If there's nothing else, I'll log off now; I still have several summoning scrolls to finish..."

"Oh, summoning-related homework... wait a minute, there's homework for summoning-related subjects this week?" Aki Tomoya groaned.

"...Please accept my condolences."

Jiang Jinghua hung up the video call and turned off his phone.

Damn it, it's almost eight o'clock... I need to speed things up...

The next day, morning.

Tokyo is peaceful as always today.

Jiang Jinghua rode his bicycle toward the school.

A dozen minutes later, Jiang Jinghua arrived at the college's elegant European-style marble archway. He dismounted from his secondhand bicycle, which cost 316 yuan, and, ignoring the stares of the non-undergraduate students driving Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Rolls-Royce, and Maserati, walked into the school gate with his head held high, heading towards the undergraduate teaching area in the center of the campus, which was decorated like a military base.

Students outside the undergraduate program may appear glamorous, but they are essentially outsiders who know nothing about the power dynamics, while undergraduate students are the true insiders. The difference between the two is like the difference between an ordinary rich kid and a certain high school student surnamed Chen.

what

Section 4, Chapter 4: Daily School Life of Undergraduate Students

The layout of the undergraduate teaching building is different from other buildings. From the outside, it is a huge, iron-gray, hexagonal, fortress-like building with no windows visible, only scattered ventilation openings on the outer shell.

Jiang Jinghua parked his car nearby and walked through a large door in the iron-gray building. Although there were no windows, the good ventilation made it quite comfortable inside. The interior decoration of the teaching building was no different from that of a typical high school, completely different from the luxurious style of the non-undergraduate classes, which even a blind person could see.

In the corridor, boys and girls in school uniforms strolled by in small groups, chatting and laughing. The school uniform design was quite outstanding: although the style was simple and unadorned, it carried a refreshing youthful vibe that made people think, "This is how school uniforms should be." It was said to have been designed by Dr. Oleto Klev, the head of the first-year high school grade.

Jiang Jinghua found her classroom and went inside.

Although there aren't many students in the classroom right now, the atmosphere is already quite lively. The seven or eight students inside are divided into two groups, discussing topics that interest them.

"Hey, did you guys hear? It looks like a dragon appeared at the Three Gorges Dam yesterday!" a girl exclaimed excitedly from the group on the left.

"Ah, I heard. My brother was one of the cleanup crew members," the man replied. "Those guys at Kassel College, I don't know what they were up to, actually used their Word of Power to forcibly close the Three Gorges Dam's gates, which caused mechanical failures and power outages in more than a dozen cities. In the end, the Foundation had to clean up their mess. It's unbearable."

"Exactly! My younger sister from my hometown called me for over ten minutes yesterday just to complain about how this prevented her from finishing her workout..."

As for the group on the right...

"Personally, I think that using the Malashenko-style design in assault rifle-type magical artifacts would be more effective. Look, this is the design I made last night. According to theoretical calculations, this design can increase the rate of fire by 16% without causing the weapon to overheat."

"However, there is a problem with your design: the time allotted for introducing magic is too short. It is difficult for ordinary spellcasters to achieve perfect control, which increases the risk of barrel explosion and also affects performance."

"...Yes, that's true."

"I believe that adding a buffer made of second-generation Fleming alloy and 600-year-old ice marrow near the barrel could prevent this situation from worsening, but cost control becomes another problem..."

Therefore, if you're hoping to hear any casual conversation about normal high school life in this school, you're probably in for a tough time.

Jiang Jinghua found his seat: the second to last row, but there was still a row of tables between him and the window.

Since the morning is so precious and I can't find anyone to chat with, I might as well preview today's lessons first.

"Hey, Lord Jinghua."

Although this is a magic school in a certain sense, there are also many other, very important subjects besides magic. These include the myths, legends, and languages ​​of major alternate dimensions, as well as the math, physics, and chemistry that students in regular schools must master. Of course, as a high school student, Jiang Jinghua doesn't need to master these in great depth, but a basic understanding is still necessary.

"Hello, Lord Jinghua?"

Okay, let's first preview today's lesson, "The History of the Holy Grail War"...

"Hmm, they didn't notice me after all."

Was someone calling me just now?

Based on past experience, Jiang Jinghua turned his head and looked at the second-to-last row by the window.

The person sitting there with her head slightly bowed was none other than Kato Megumi.

"Good morning, Kato-kun. Sorry I didn't notice you again," Jiang Jinghua said apologetically.

"It's okay. You noticed me after I only called you three times, which is almost 50 percent better than average, you know?" Kato Megumi smiled helplessly.

Kato Megumi was the only student in the classroom, besides Jiang Jinghua, who didn't join the group discussions. It wasn't because she was unpopular or withdrawn; it was simply because others generally didn't notice her. Even if she managed to start a conversation, any small incident nearby would cause the person she was talking to to forget her existence and go about their own business. If it was a group conversation, it was even worse; generally, her remarks would go unnoticed. According to their homeroom teacher, Dr. Oleto Klev, "This could already be considered abnormal."

However, even a minor character like her has her merits compared to herself. Although she seems unremarkable, she is quite talented in magic, especially in precognition and illusion (such as concealing presence and erasing information), making her a strong stealth user.

"Are you previewing the history lesson? Jinghua-kun is such a good student." Kato Megumi moved closer to Jiang Jinghua's desk. "Someone like me just can't muster the energy to preview."

“You can learn very well without previewing, but no matter how much I preview, I’m still stuck in this mediocre state.” Jiang Jinghua shook his head with a wry smile. “I know the four ways to write the character ‘回’, but I can’t even get half a degree in the imperial examinations. That’s me.”

"...Sorry, I didn't understand." Kato Megumi tilted her head. "What does that sentence mean?"

"It's Kong Yiji, Kong Yiji. He's a character created by a modern Chinese writer," Jiang Jinghua said. "Kong Yiji was a scholar, so he looked down on those 'lowly' manual laborers and thought he was superior to them; but his little knowledge was useless for passing the imperial examinations or for teaching, and he even found copying books too troublesome. In the end, he was beaten and killed for stealing books from the Ding family."

Kato Megumi nodded and said, "Jinghua-kun feels that although he has more skills than ordinary people, these skills are not very useful, and because of this, he considers himself superior to ordinary people, so he thinks he is very bad, right?"

"That's roughly the idea. Kato-kun is really smart." Jiang Jinghua gave a wry smile and turned his attention back to the content of the Holy Grail War history. As for Kato Megumi, she just stood there quietly watching him prepare for his lesson.

After an unknown amount of time, a march-style school bell suddenly rang in the classroom. Kato Megumi returned to her seat and discovered that the classroom was now full of people.

The bell had just rung when Dr. Oleto Klev, the homeroom teacher, strode in from outside.

He placed a thick stack of lesson plans on the podium, and then spoke in a deep, resonant voice:

"It's morning self-study time now. Please keep quiet and hand in your completed assignments as soon as possible. Also, Jiang Jinghua, please come to my office after the first class this morning. This is very important."

what

Section 5, Chapter 5: Dr. Klev, who bears the title of gentleman

Oh no...oh no...

That terrifying guy actually targeted me...

Jiang Jinghua stared in horror at the teacher standing on the podium.

Dr. Oleto Klev, a senior researcher at the foundation, has been awarded the Blue Star Medal three times by the United Nations External Affairs Committee and has published more than 150 important papers in authoritative journals. He is skilled in playing various musical instruments, especially stringed instruments. He once spent a year as the head chef of a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Italy during his vacation.

This man possessed classically handsome features, a Greek nose, facial contours reminiscent of Roman sculptures, and eyes befitting a French gentleman. He always wore impeccably tailored suits (usually 3D printed), and every movement exuded the air of British aristocracy.

A man like this, who seems to be the protagonist of a spy movie, should be the object of worship for all the girls in the school; however, within St. Christina Academy, the impression of this teacher shows a strong trend of polarization.

The reason is simple: Dr. Oleto Klev is a pervert.

The classroom, which had been quiet, was suddenly filled with a wave of whispers.

"I never expected this... Is that scumbag Mr. Klev no longer satisfied with cute girls and now planning to target naive young men?"

"That poor Jiang will definitely be forced to cross-dress next, and then be forced by that scumbag to do all sorts of unimaginable shameful things..."

"I don't think it'll be that exaggerated. At most, they'll force Jiang to watch some weird videos and then use lemon water, fermented bean paste, and a bath sponge to 'data erase' a little. After all, Dr. Klev himself said that he only likes cross-dressing men with some experience."

"No, we absolutely cannot let that scumbag Klev harm more innocent people! Please let me take the [Viewing restricted to level 4 and above] on behalf of Jiang!"

The comments made by the female classmates around him put a lot of pressure on Jiang Jinghua.

And is there something strange mixed in with it...?

However, Jiang Jinghua knew that most of the previous accusations against Dr. Klev were actually jokes made with Jiang's tacit approval or even encouragement. The real Dr. Klev would never do something like DATA EXPUNGED on his own student.

However, aside from that, Dr. Klev's behavior in daily life certainly deserves the word "abnormal".

For example, he frequently uses alternate accounts to post things like "[Edited]", "[Edited]", or even "[Edited]" on the campus network; he openly expresses his unusual fondness for women who appear to be under sixteen years old; he has published an all-ages novel with extremely "[Edited]" content, but which has never crossed the censorship line (it once topped the bestseller list on the "[DATA EXPUNGED]" online literature platform); and he often boasts to people about the number of girlfriends he had in high school... and so on.

What's even more terrifying is that even while doing these things, Dr. Klev maintained the same elegant demeanor as a member of the British royal family. Therefore, Dr. Klev was a true "pervert in the name of a gentleman," a pervert like Napoleon, Frederick, Bismarck, and Julius Caesar.

What exactly does someone like that want from Jiang Jinghua...?

"Dear students, as I said before, please keep quiet. This is the morning self-study period." Klev cleared his throat twice and spoke in a solemn tone as if the King of England were giving a speech in public. "If you continue to be so noisy, I will stop updating any of my works for the next three months."

As a result, the entire classroom fell completely silent.

What a terrifying man...

By the way, speaking of Dr. Klev's perverse deeds, there's one thing that can't be ignored: the legend that he once imprisoned his illegitimate daughter in the basement of his house, subjecting her to daily "DATA EXPUNGED" and "REDACTED" manipulations, ultimately training her own flesh and blood into a "REDACTED" constitution where she would feel uncomfortable wearing any clothes and couldn't survive without ingesting two milliliters of "DATA EXPUNGED" every day... Of course, this legend is just that—a legend—and it's generally believed within the Academy and the Foundation to be a fabrication.

However, a chilling theory suggests that Dr. Klev himself was the creator of this legend…

Jiang Jinghua, who had been summoned by Dr. Klev, was now preoccupied with all sorts of random thoughts, leaving no room for the history of the Holy Grail War in front of him.

Half an hour later, soothing background music filled the classroom, signaling the end of the morning self-study session.