"It's about time, isn't it? Why hasn't Alexis come out yet?"
That was probably the tenth time Hoshino checked her phone. Only two minutes remained before their 10 o'clock meeting.
At the same time, Alexis—now back in her uniform after leaving the bath—quietly circled around to the back of the girls' dorm. From a hidden corner, she peeked her head out.
"I'll see for myself who's got the guts to peep at the girls' bath."
But the figure that appeared under the moonlight made Alexis's eyes widen.
"S–Senpai?! Why are you here?"
She had expected a pervert lurking around the bathhouse, but when she saw Hoshino, the tension in her shoulders instantly melted—replaced by relief and mild surprise.
After all, they were both girls. Her senpai had no reason to sneak around outside the bathhouse. In fact, Alexis felt a little happy to see her—it must've been because they hadn't talked since the welcome ceremony.
"Ah! You're finally here!"
Noticing Alexis's arrival, Hoshino's heart—which had just started to calm down—immediately began to race again.
The time on her phone flicked exactly to 10:00.
"So... you did write that letter, huh? Ugh, this is going to be awkward."
Fresh out of the bath, Alexis carried a faint, clean fragrance—like a lotus blooming after the rain. The soft scent alone was enough to make Hoshino, who'd come here prepared to "duel" her sense of duty, lose her focus.
Seeing Hoshino's troubled expression, Alexis tilted her head slightly.
"What's wrong, Senpai? Did something happen? If there's something on your mind, you can tell me."
Despite being the younger one, Alexis's taller figure—and the obvious sight of Hoshino's slightly too-thick shoe soles—gave her an odd sense of wanting to protect her adorable senior.
"You're asking what's on my mind..."
What's on my mind is how to turn you down without making things weird!
Of course, Hoshino couldn't say that directly. Especially not while staring into those pure, sincere eyes. She decided to be gentle about it.
"It's just that... there's something I want to talk to you about."
"Talk to me?" Alexis's eyes lit up. "Of course! You can tell me anything, Senpai."
"I want to talk about... uh... your views on love."
Hoshino could think faster than light during a duel—but when it came to gently rejecting a student's confession, her brain froze. After several long seconds, that single awkward sentence was all she could manage.
"Y–Your views on... love?"
The sudden, girlish topic caught Alexis completely off guard. Her cheeks tinted pink beneath the moonlight.
"Senpai... could it be that you like someone?"
"Someone I like? N–No, I—" Hoshino waved her hand instinctively, then paused.
Wait. If she needed an excuse to reject Alexis, that would actually work perfectly.
"Well... actually, maybe there is someone. A junior of mine—Mash. I'm quite fond of her."
"A junior you like?!"
Her senpai had come all this way to talk about love... and had a younger crush?
Could it be someone she knew?
Alexis's heartbeat picked up. Her mind started running wild.
Jaden? Akasha? …No way. Wait—junior? Could it be... me?!
So that's why she came here—was this a confession?!
If it is a confession, what do I do? Is it okay... for girls to like each other? But Senpai's so cute, I kind of just want to hold her...
"Senpai, the junior you like—"
"So Alexis... I can't return your feelings. The truth is, we don't know each other that well yet, and... our positions make it inappropriate. I'm sorry."
Hoshino bowed slightly and held out the letter, returning it to Alexis. Using the "I already like someone else" excuse was probably the softest rejection she could think of.
Hoshino Alter sighed in her mind.
"Aibo, weren't you going to 'teach proper romantic values'? Looks more like you just ran away."
"Shut up! These delicate maiden feelings are hard to handle, okay?!"
"Eh? Senpai, what did you just say... you can't return my feelings?"
"Your love letter, of course! You're really cute, Alexis, but doing something like this just isn't right."
"L–Love letter?"
Utterly confused, Alexis blinked and glanced at the envelope in Hoshino's hands. She took it, tore it open, and read it carefully.
"This isn't even my handwriting! I'd never write something like this!"
Finally understanding the misunderstanding, Alexis exhaled and nodded, realization dawning on her face.
"So you came all the way here because of a fake love letter, Senpai?"
"Fake? You mean... this wasn't from you?" Hoshino asked, wide-eyed.
"Of course not! It's obviously a prank by some bored idiot."
Scowling, Alexis tore the forged letter to shreds.
Hoshino let out a deep breath, patting her chest in relief.
"Oh, thank goodness... I was so scared! I knew a cute girl like you wouldn't fall for someone like me."
Thinking back on her earlier fantasies, Alexis's cheeks warmed again. She didn't quite understand the odd flutter in her chest—or how to put it into words.
"Well, students should focus on their studies anyway," Hoshino continued, oblivious. "A diligent girl like you surely wouldn't waste time on romance."
"Focus on studies, huh..." Alexis looked down at her petite, flustered senpai and asked, "Senpai, you're supposed to be really strong, right?"
"Me? Yeah, I guess you could say that."
I'm the Duel King, after all, she thought. What kind of question is that?
"In that case, can I ask you for a favor?"
"A favor? What is it?"
"Please duel me, Senpai! I want to know the difference between myself and the female duelist in the academy!"
Hoshino froze. It had been so long, she'd almost forgotten—this world had rules.
She'd already experienced it twice before. Yet in her recent, peaceful days, she'd let her guard down and forgotten one simple truth—
—Anything involving a confession always ends in a duel!
"Duel, huh? I don't mind—but do you want me to go easy on you?"
Since her student had personally requested a duel to test her skills, as the Academy's headmistress, Hoshino naturally couldn't refuse.
Alexis's eyes sparkled with excitement. "There's no need for you to hold back, Senpai! And that's not arrogance—I'm serious! When I go all out, even my brother struggles to beat me!"
Hoshino's internal monologue: No, what I meant was—if I don't hold back, you might lose so badly you'll need therapy afterward. You won't even get to 'test your skills.'
Still, she knew how to handle these situations. After all, she'd been headmistress for years, and sparring with students (while reminding them who was boss) had long since become second nature.
"Anyway, dueling behind the girls' dorm doesn't sound like a good idea," Hoshino said thoughtfully. "How about we move somewhere else? I didn't even bring my Duel Disk."
To be fair, bringing a Duel Disk to what she thought was a confession wasn't exactly standard practice. Still, she did have her deck strapped to her thigh, as usual.
"Also, if I'm not mistaken," she added, "the area behind the Obelisk Blue girls' dorm is right next to the large bathhouse. If we start dueling here, we'll scare the poor girls who are still bathing."
"Ah!" Alexis gasped, suddenly realizing something. "Jasmine and Mindy are still in the bath!"
"Wait here, Senpai—I know a good spot for our duel! I'll grab a Duel Disk too!"
Waving as she ran, Alexis dashed back toward the dorms, leaving Hoshino waiting.
Meanwhile, hidden in a nearby bush, Crowler sighed in relief the moment Alexis left.
"Finally gone… thank the heavens, mamma mia…!"
"Come out. I know you're there—the one hiding in the bushes."
Hoshino's cold tone cut through the night air. After confirming Alexis had left, she called out toward Crowler's hiding place.
"Mamma mia! I've been found out?!" Crowler trembled, his half-relieved heart leaping straight into his throat.
"I've been suspicious since earlier," Hoshino said. "And after connecting it with that fake love letter, it wasn't hard to figure it out. The culprit had to be lurking nearby, plotting something shady. Hah!"
With a swift kick, she sent a small rock flying straight into the bush—it struck Crowler squarely on the head.
"Ow ow ow! A-Academy Headmistress! Please, let me explain!"
"Professor Crowler?"
Hoshino blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected him to be the culprit. "And what's with that outfit?"
Rubbing his hands together nervously, Crowler emerged from the bush, dressed in a tight black bodysuit and wearing his trademark obsequious grin.
"Hehehe… just taking a stroll, mamma mia! Such a lovely moonlit night—perfect for a walk, no?"
"A stroll?"
Hoshino's skeptical gaze swept over him. Her eyes narrowed—and in a flash, she snatched the camera hanging from his belt.
"Hiding behind the girls' bathhouse with a camera in hand—do you realize what this looks like, Professor Crowler?"
"W-what… what do you mean, Headmistress?" Crowler stammered, his wrinkled face dripping with cold sweat.
"It means," Hoshino said coolly, "that if I report this, you'll suffer social death, Professor."
"Please don't, Headmistress Hoshino!" Crowler dropped to his knees in a perfect dogeza pose, bowing so fast his forehead nearly hit the ground. "I was only… momentarily overcome by temptation! I swear, I wasn't trying to take photos of the girls bathing! Give me a chance to redeem myself, mamma mia!"
"I know you weren't trying to photograph the girls," Hoshino said. After three years of working with him, she understood the man well enough. Sure, Crowler was full of bad ideas and often looked down on underachievers—but he wasn't the kind of pervert who'd stoop that low.
"In fact, that fake love letter wasn't even meant for me, was it? It was meant for Jaden. You were planning to catch him outside the girls' bath and use the photos to get him expelled, right?"
It wasn't hard to connect the dots. The clues lined up neatly. But when Hoshino remembered the lipstick mark on the envelope—Crowler's lipstick—she couldn't help but feel a wave of nausea.
Still, she knew better than to expose him. The Academy was still growing; a scandal like "Professor caught spying near the girls' bathhouse" would destroy its reputation. She had no intention of letting that happen.
"Please, Headmistress Hoshino!" Crowler begged. "If you keep this a secret, I'll do anything—anything!"
"Then promise me you'll never try to frame a student again," Hoshino said sternly. "Especially Jaden. I won't let you get him expelled."
"I swear, mamma mia! I'll never do anything like that again!" Crowler nodded furiously, eyes shining with questionable sincerity.
"Good. Then write me a 100,000-word reflection report."
With that as evidence, even if time passed and things cooled down, there'd be no escaping accountability.
"100,000 words?! That's impossible! I'll never finish it, mamma mia!"
Hoshino's lips curved into a sly grin. "What's so hard about that? Take a page from Aoi—she writes ten thousand words a day. You'll be done in ten days~"
"O-okay, I'll do it…" Crowler muttered. Compared to social death, 100,000 words seemed merciful. He was just grateful to be alive.
"Alright then, get out of here. If Alexis sees you now, I'll have a real mess to clean up."
"Understood! I'll be going, Headmistress Hoshino!"
Relieved, Crowler scrambled to his feet and scurried away into the night, hips wiggling comically as he vanished.
"Senpai, who were you talking to just now?"
As soon as he was gone, Alexis came jogging back, holding two Duel Disks. Her cheeks were flushed from the run, and her breathing slightly uneven.
"Oh, just talking to a friend on the phone," Hoshino said smoothly, taking one of the Duel Disks from her.
"So—you said you knew a good place for us to duel. Where is it?"
Catching her breath, Alexis gave a mysterious smile. "Just follow me, Senpai~"
—Duel Academy, Artificial Lake—
Standing on separate small wooden boats, Hoshino and Alexis faced each other across the calm, moonlit water.
"This is my first time dueling on water," Hoshino admitted, slightly impressed. "Pretty unique."
Moonlight shimmered across the lake as Alexis smiled softly, her expression serene and bright.
"At night, standing over the lake's reflection of the moon… isn't it romantic, Senpai~?"