The Strongest Homeroom Teacher
A short while later, after the dean’s lengthy speech finally concluded, the instructors responsible for each class began to appear.
“Nice to meet you. I am Dragonot, instructor in charge of Class 1.” One dragonkin shot a quick glance toward Corvalt, the blue dragon of Class 13, before leading the Class 1 students away.
“Class 11 students! N-nice to meet you all! Ehehe…” There was also a timid-looking guinea pig beastman wearing glasses.
It was obvious that the strongest beastman instructors in the academy had been deliberately assigned to the higher classes.
……
Even as the other classes’ students left the area, Class 13 remained deathly silent. Even the small rodent beastman who had been the loudest mood-maker earlier had clamped his mouth shut and started reading the room.
Whoosh.
After every other student had departed, only Class 13 remained.
“Um…”
Maybe conversation was better than this suffocating silence. The jellyfish girl quietly raised her hand.
“W-what happened to our instructor?”
“Who knows? Maybe Class 13 wasn’t even supposed to have one in the first place,” the killer whale girl replied sarcastically.
We had learned their names from the earlier roll call, but until they introduced themselves properly, referring to them by their species was the only option. It was more convenient for me that way, anyway.
“Hey, orca girl.”
“What?”
“Foolish. Did leaving the sea rot your brain?”
“…What the hell did you just say?”
At my words, Orca yanked her hands from her hoodie pockets and shot to her feet, stalking toward me.
“You done running your mouth? Huh?”
“No.”
“What?”
“If there was a real problem with Class 13, the instructors would’ve done something the moment I got assigned here.”
Orca had been about to snap at me but froze mid-motion, still bent forward with that irritated expression plastered on her face.
It was a classic beastman trait. They hated losing an argument on logic alone; it wounded their pride. But they also refused to resort to violence in those situations. Using brute force just because you were too stupid to win with words? That was beast behavior, not something an intelligent being would do.
“Then do you know why the instructor isn’t showing up?”
“Nope.”
“What? You’re talking big when you don’t even know anything? Huh?”
“U-um… Can we please not fight…”
“Stay out of this!!”
“Eek!”
The timid jellyfish girl shrieked. She already looked delicate with her white hair and pale skin, but Orca’s roar made her terror completely obvious.
“Hehehe, how entertaining.”
“And what’s your problem?”
The spider beastman crossed her legs and laughed at the two marine girls’ quarrel, while Orca instantly bared her sharp teeth at her. It was a total mess. If I left them alone, a real hierarchy fight would probably break out.
“Enough.”
The one who instantly quelled the chaos was none other than Corvalt.
“Whether we like it or not, we have been assigned to the same class. Barring any changes in personnel, we are comrades who will learn together.”
There was a subtle edge to his words. He clearly disliked the situation and would probably flee if the roster changed, but the implication that he would lead the class since we were stuck together was obvious.
“This one is Corvalt, blue-blooded dragonkin and successor to the Blue Dragon.” He stood as he introduced himself. It was the natural movement of a leader claiming authority over Class 13.
That made sense. He was probably the most famous among us. As Princess Bleber had mentioned, he was the next Dragon King, destined to receive the King’s Symbol among the four superior races.
“This one cannot fathom why I was placed in Class 13, nor why all of you were assigned here alongside me. Therefore, shall we calmly await the instructor’s arrival and inquire about the reason?”
Silence fell. But Orca and the others quietly sat back down or adjusted their postures, signaling their agreement.
“Princess Bleber. What is your opinion?”
“…Well. Looking at you and me, I was thinking this might be a special class that gathered the most outstanding successors out of the three hundred.” Bleber closed one eye and subtly gestured toward the others with her gaze.
“Looking at the members… I see someone who probably belongs in Class 12, and others whose admission itself makes me curious.”
“What?”
“Oh my, did that strike a nerve, Miss Orca?”
“You…!”
“Now, now!!” The cow beastman, Sebius, clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention.
“No matter how we ended up together, we’re Class 13 now, so let’s all get along! There’s even a saying for it! Our appearances may differ, but we are all friends!”
……
I almost shouted “That’s right” on reflex. That wasn’t proof of another modern person, though. The rhythm was completely off, and the original saying would have been “We are all the same beastmen.” Discrimination between species ran rampant, but we would not discriminate.
“Alright. Then, Mr. Three-Tailed Fox’s boyfriend over there? Can I ask you something?”
“W-who are you calling his girlfriend!”
Lily the three-tailed fox immediately shrieked at Zepi the spider girl’s sly question. The jellyfish and butterfly girls’ eyes widened with sparkling interest at the exchange.
“That’s…”
“Seems like you’re the only one who doesn’t know.”
“…Hah. You really have a knack for bringing up things like this,” Bleber said, staring at me with an incredulous laugh.
It can’t be helped. He looked like he was trying to act all serious and dignified, but the moment romance entered the picture he jumped in like a nosy old man. What could I do? I was originally an old man. As a human, I couldn’t stand watching the fresh puppy-love of college freshmen. As a former veterinarian and resident of this world, seeing relationships form between different species of beastmen was endlessly fascinating. You could gather plenty of information just from the fact that no one was sending the usual “What? An interspecies romance?” stare.
Hey, you know this one? It’s that story about the monkey old man and the cat princess… If that guy had been the one dropped here instead of me, I wonder what would’ve happened. He probably would’ve stepped forward immediately, drooling while trying to play matchmaker with an “Hehehe, these kids~”
Anyway—
“They’re certainly taking their time.” The instructor was definitely late. It wasn’t as if Class 13 would be taking all their lessons in this banquet hall.
“Hmm…”
“Do you have some sort of deduction?”
“Hey, rabbit princess?” Bleber had asked me, but Zepi cut in with a sly voice.
“Unless you switched seats, you seem to be sitting right next to that blonde sheep. May I ask what your relationship is?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m just curious. For the rabbit tribe’s princess to be questioning someone like she’s demanding the correct answer from a sheep. Aren’t the rest of us curious too?” Zepi gestured toward the others. A few beastmen cleared their throats and looked away, but their blatant curiosity was obvious.
“Everyone here is at least somewhat famous. Even that jellyfish lady over there. Oh, maybe the orca lady doesn’t know since she came from the deep sea?”
“What? You little…!”
“Of course, even Miss Orca will soon be known as the master of the ocean’s greatest bare-knuckle boxing style. Oh, I guess everyone knows now.”
“W-well, ahem, you’re well-informed!”
One thing was certain. Regardless of species intelligence or natural intellect, when it came to being the most single-celled organism in the room, Orca took the crown.
“But I’ve never heard of a man like you among the sheep tribe. Who exactly are you?”
“Sapiens Goat.”
“……”
“It’s my name. Just call me Sapien.” Goat was too on-the-nose, and besides, that was for actual goats.
“Alright. Then, Mr. Sapien, whom the rabbit princess seeks wisdom from? You look like you know the answer. Care to enlighten us about why the instructor still hasn’t shown up?”
“Why do you think I’d know the answer?”
“Because you’re probably the person who ignored the ‘wait’ instruction and came here first.”
“……”
“I received my class assignment late, but I arrived early. I was watching from outside to see who entered first… Since all of you already had your assignments, perhaps…”
“The assignments might have been completed even before the announcement telling us to come to the banquet hall,” the quiet butterfly girl spoke up.
“…Hey, butterfly lady. Mind not stealing the prepared meal before it’s served?”
“Oh my? How rude. It took ages to set the table, so I simply couldn’t bear waiting in silence.”
“Ho.” A butterfly picking a fight with a spider. This won’t be boring at all. Every single member here was interesting. They would all become competitors eventually, but the process of enjoying that competition itself didn’t seem bad.
Well then. Time to stir things up a little.
“If Miss Butterfly values the answer more than the process, I’ll give it to you.” I crossed my legs and settled into a relaxed posture, interlaced hands resting on my knee, gaze turned toward the ceiling, every muscle loose.
“The instructor was here from the very beginning.”
“!!”
“They were probably watching until the students assigned to Class 13 noticed their identity.”
“T-the instructor’s identity…?” Bleber shot up from her seat.
“D-don’t tell me you’re…!”
“……”
“Are you saying you’re our Class 13 instructor?!”
“……That.” What was I supposed to say?
“Princess Bleber, you have quite the vivid imagination.”
“……!”
“Unfortunately, I am the same as you—a student. One who has undergone the Obelisk’s trial.”
“That could just be a lie to trick us…!”
“Soooorrrry!!”
A roar loud enough to shake the entire hall erupted from the banquet hall entrance.
“Sorry I’m late!! I got lost!!”
A blonde woman with glasses wearing the instructor’s uniform. She gave off a warm, almost chick-like softness, yet the pupils behind her glasses were vertically slit.
“You are…?!”
At her appearance, Corvalt the blue dragon sprang to his feet, and the other beastmen’s eyes began to tremble violently.
“The magic train was delayed, so I had no choice but to run all the way here!” Running because the train was late. Her excuse for tardiness was extraordinary from the very first sentence.
“U-um…”
“W-who are you?” Orca asked in a strained voice.
“Um… who… are you, ma’am?” She must have instinctively sensed the other party’s strength. Instead of her usual rough tone, she was using polite speech and treading carefully.
“Me? Ah, no need to be nervous. I’m simply your instructor. The homeroom teacher assigned to Class 13!”
The being who introduced herself as Class 13’s homeroom teacher.
“I’m Anju! Please take good care of me!!”
Even without a King’s Symbol, she was a supreme expert who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Twelve Kings. One of the strongest beastmen whose name had been passed down even to me on my remote island.
…The very existence who, when I was five years old, made me realize the position of humans in this world.
“Then, shall we start with a test first?”
“A test?”
“That’s right. A cooperation test!” Anju pointed at the Obelisk with a bright, cheerful smile.
“A dungeon raid created with illusions!”