Chapter 28: He really has a notebook

Translated by: Reiji

Early Morning. Ayrin, looking like he still wasn't fully awake yet, and Belo, looking abnormally awake, walked on the road leading to the Thinker's Stone Forest.

Huston had arranged for a test today.

“Where the hell did you go last night after we went into the infirmary?”

“Nowhere, I just strolled around a bit.”

“You're really not the one who took away those people from team Southern Monsoon? The teachers who caught me said that someone took advantage of them being led my way to take the Southern Monsoon members away. I think you took me on purpose to Chris' place, and then used me as bait for those teachers so you can do your thing.”

“Of course it wasn't me, do I look like someone who'd make use of a friend like this?”

“You look very much like that!”

“...If it were me, would I still be standing here and talk to you safe and sound like nothing happened?”

“There could be some reason, anyway your behavior is too suspicious.”

They talked and walked, when Ayrin suddenly saw a touch of red at a fork in the road in front of them. It was Moss. Ayrin happily greeted him. “Moss!”

Moss's head hung down, thinking whether he was going to meet with yet another miserable disaster in the Notebook Teacher's class today. He turned his head around when he heard Ayrin's sudden voice. He saw Ayrin coming excitedly his way; he immediately felt the urge to die. “Little shorty, stay far away from me! Could it be you think you haven't harmed me enough yet, you still want teacher Huston to think we're a band?”

“Eh?”

Ayrin wasn't too far behind Moss now. He said to Moss, astonished, “How come you seem even shorter than me?”

“What!”

Moss' eyeballs almost fell to the ground as soon as he had a look at Ayrin. He was astounded to find Ayrin truly a little taller than even himself, all of a sudden.

How did the little shorty become even taller than himself!

“Impossible! You must be wearing something! Are you using fake feet!”

Under the shock of this severe psychological blow, Moss immediately pounced on Ayrin's feet. He squeezed Ayrin's feet, incredulous, even took off Ayrin's shoes to see if there was something inside that'd make Ayrin become taller.

What made him crazy was, everything was normal on Ayrin's feet, there wasn't anything there.

“Not bad not bad.”

Just at that moment, a sinister voice floated in from not too distant a place.

“Teacher Huston?”

Moss froze, still kneeling in front of Ayrin.

That man standing under the shade of a tree not far away, watching them with an insincere smile, his greasy hair shining, who else could it be if not Notebook Teacher Huston.

“That's very good, you've reached such a level of intimacy already, your feelings are pretty good, even to the point you'll help each other check the shoes and wear the shoes. I very much admire students with such mutual friendly love, who help and assist each other.”

Huston wiped his greasy hair shining under the daylight and laughed maliciously, saying this sentence with a deeply meaningful tone. Then he leisurely turned around and walked inside the Thinker's Stone Forest.

“Ah!”

After staring blankly for a moment, Moss shouted, “Teacher Huston! Teacher Huston, it's not what you think!”

“I really have nothing to do with these two guys, we're really not a clique!”

“I was only checking his feet! We're truly not good friends.”

“You think I'm a moron?” A soft cold sneer drifted out from the Thinker's Stone Forest. “Even feet lovers don't have the hobby of checking a male's feet.”

“...” Moss really wanted to die.

...

The vast majority of freshmen arrived before Ayrin and the others, all of them very apprehensive.

Countless legends certified that Teacher Notebook's tests were as frightening as the monsters inside the Giant Beasts Enclosure. On top of that, no one in previous classes had the guts to offend teacher Huston, but there was an existence like Ayrin in their class who made Huston hysterical. Hence, when Huston's tall and slender figure emerged among the huge white stones, many freshmen felt their legs shake uncontrollably.

Moss, with a face ashen like death, Ayrin, with a face full of excitement, and Belo, without any expression whatsoever on his face, appeared one after another.

“These three guys are up to no good again.”

“You just have to look at their expressions to know nothing good's gonna happen.”

“Who knows what method teacher Huston's going to use this time to sort them out.”

“The Notebook Teacher Huston is the teacher who cares the most about face, in the entire academy. Last time they caused him to lose control of his emotions, and he ended up with no face at all, plus the whole academy's talking about his matter. There's no way he'll let go of it.”

“...”

Imperceptibly, the great majority of students grouped Ayrin, Belo, and Moss together into the same band.

“Alright, here's to the start of another delightful day.”

Huston cleared his throat after seeing every student in attendance, and showed off a posture that he himself believed to be grim yet stylish. He said, “I said it repeatedly in the past couple days, today's the day we test the result of your training. Everyone must surely be extremely excited about it.”

“Excited... More like feels like crying.” This was what many freshmen were silently thinking, their heads lowered.

“The motivation and impetus for training come from seeing your own progress. I, Huston, am the teacher who's the most expert in the entire academy at teaching students. With my wise and efficient guidance, as long as you don't slack off, you'll definitely become a great deal stronger than students from other classes. But the key is you can't slack off, if you dare not to complete the exercises I talked to you about, humph humph, you already know what's the outcome.” Huston blew his own trumpet for a few sentences, overflowing with spirit, as if he'd entirely shed off last time's shadows, when Ayrin made him lose his cool.

“Of course I'm also very excited when I think I'm about to check on the results of your training, but there's a guy among you who's a bit special, who gets hungry too easily, so I have to take care of him a little bit before we start the test...”

Almost every freshman's heart thumped as soon as they heard those words, all thinking, chilled to their core, “Here it comes again, it's finally starting.”

“This a specialty from the northern territories I saved for many years, the army jerky. It's made from the plumpest meat of the snow bears in the snow plains of the north, it's a good thing that can only be obtained by powerful battlemasters guarding the north or those who go on a mission there. Not only is it extremely rich in nutrition, what's most important is, it's also extremely filling. Usually, battlemasters can go several days without going hungry when they eat a piece of it.”

Huston smiled lightly, his gaze falling wholly on Ayrin. “Ayrin, don't you get easily hungry, we'll wait for you to eat this before we start the test.”

“Army jerky, he's got so many tricks...” The gentler Huston's voice and smile, the more scared many freshmen became inside.

Huston fished out something out from his chest while he spoke.

“This?” All the freshmen felt a little dazed.

Because what Huston had taken out wasn't an army jerky at all, but a small notebook with a black leather cover that looked like it'd gone through many uses, many places worn very smooth on it.

Huston lowered his head when he felt something a little wrong in the students' gazes, and immediately said, as if nothing had happened, “Oh, I got the wrong thing.” Then he stuffed the little notebook back inside his clothes at lightning speed, pulling out a great piece of jerky instead.

The students stayed blank for a second all at the same time, then they went crazy.

“Did you see that, he really has a notebook!”

“The Notebook Teacher indeed has a little notebook...Ah!”

Huston acted calm and nonchalant. He handed over the great piece of red-brown northern army jerky to Ayrin.

“Do I really have to eat it?” Ayrin looked at the jerky. It seemed very taste, very appetizing, but he was a little hesitant looking at Huston's honest and upright appearance.

“Of course, it's my kindly regard.” Huston said, exceptionally amiable, “Don't worry and just eat it, I guarantee on my dignity that it tastes pretty good, there's absolutely no laxative or poison or anything in it. Otherwise I'd have to take full responsibility if something were to happen to you.”

Ayrin looked impatiently at him and said, “Teacher, how about you eat a bit too?”

“You're too careful. I appreciate a little cautiousness and vigilance however, especially when arcane masters are out on a mission. The more cautious they are the less likely they are to be killed by the enemy,” Huston said. He tore a strip from the jerky and ate it, saying while eating, “Everyone should take example on Ayrin's careful and vigilant attitude.”

“Such a hypocrite, he probably means the opposite of every word he says...” A great many freshmen felt a chill run through them.

“It doesn't taste bad.” Ayrin chewed on the jerky and discovered it tasted very good, and it wasn't as hard as he'd imagined. It had a thick greasy taste, but not the kind so greasy it made you want to retch either.

“I'm so full!” After eating the entire piece of jerky, Ayrin suddenly felt something a little out of place. The jerky seemed to be swelling inside his belly, then he really saw his belly slowly bulge to an alarming size. It looked even more exaggerated than last time when he ate several hundred chicken legs. His stomach also became heavy.

“Alright, now let's begin the test. Ayrin, you're first,” Huston said as if there was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Hiss...” A collective gasp.

Every freshman immediately saw through Huston's plot.

After eating so full and looking like his body was one time heavier than usual, he'd certainly be greatly impeded when taking his test!

This was definitely no ordinary army jerky.

What was that thing. Such a tiny piece actually made a great stomach king like Ayrin bulge into such a state.

“This is simply no army jerky at all. Only the legendary “Giants' Snack” can produce such an effect. Teacher Huston, you really went overboard.” An angry voice rose, a voice many people could recognize without turning their heads as belonging to Rinloran, the one who had the guts to challenge Huston last time.

“Oh? Is that so?”

Huston looked at Rinloran, looking fully apologetic. “It looks like I accidentally took the wrong thing. No matter though, since you know about the “Giant's Snack,” you should know this legendary food from the Giants' Kingdom back then is extremely nutritious. Eating it is very beneficial.”

“Can he still take the test in this state?” Rinloran looked at Huston, his pretty silver hair floating up.

Cold light flashed in Huston's eyes.

“No matter, I'm alright.” Ayrin patted his belly with indifference at this time, looking both a little satisfied and a little worried. “I won't transform into a giant after eating this giants' snack right?”

“Of course you won't, it'll only make you more muscular, your food taste better. That's something I saved up for many years, I couldn't even bear to eat it myself.” Huston once again said in a tone that sent an evil chill running through most freshmen, “Now let's immediately start the test.”