Two full days had passed since the end of the School Festival, and while the aftermath had been largely managed, the truly intractable issues were set aside for a later date. The various campuses of Mahora Academy had resumed classes. Even though the festival was over, the majority of the students remained caught in an overwhelming wave of excitement, all because of magic.

In Mahora now—be it the university, elementary, middle, or high school divisions—regardless of whether the students were male or female, teacher or pupil, there was only one topic of discussion… magic!

Previously, very few people believed in the existence of magic, but thanks to Chō Suzu-ne’s compulsory perception magic, people across the globe no longer dismissed it as mere fantasy. Even if they didn't fully believe in its existence, they would no longer assert its impossibility.

Although many at Mahora remained skeptical, a significant portion had become convinced of magic’s reality. Some of those were people who had witnessed the Martial Arts Tournament, while others were fortunate enough to have seen the battle between Chō Suzu-ne and the Mahora mages on the third day of the festival.

Overall, about thirty percent were firmly certain of magic’s existence, forty percent believed it was possible, and the remaining thirty percent were sitting on the fence. Regardless, one thing was undeniable: in just a few short days, the terms 'magic' and 'mage' had become the hottest topic in Mahora and the most trending keywords across the internet.

Of course, where there was joy, there was also sorrow. The exposure of magic was good news for those who loved fantasy and often daydreamed; they were thrilled. But for those who preferred the solid weight of reality, it was a misfortune, as their formerly ordinary daily lives were never going to return.

“Burn! Oh, flames!”

“Roar! Oh, surging earth!”

“Go forth, my summoned beast! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!”

“Darker than the abyss, power from the netherworld… Sigh of the Demon King!”

Walking down the hallway toward the third-year classrooms, Lin Luo could hear all sorts of strange incantations emanating from Class Three long before he arrived. While the noise level was as raucous as ever, the topic of conversation had shifted from the usual daily chatter—who’s bust got bigger, who has a better figure—to who’s magic was stronger and whose summoned creature was more formidable.

“No way?” Lin Luo couldn't help but feel deeply suspicious. Though Class Three had few 'normal' people, each possessing limitless potential, it seemed impossible that every single one had turned into a mage in just two days. If that were the case, how were others supposed to compete?

Moreover, things like "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" and "Sigh of the Demon King" were being mentioned, yet he detected no fluctuations of power whatsoever.

It wasn't until he pushed the door open and stepped inside that Lin Luo realized what was actually happening. There were no real mages at all. While the girls were shouting with great passion, they were merely students, lacking any real knowledge, pretending to be mages. That supposed "Blue-Eyes White Dragon" was just a figurine, and the "Sigh of the Demon King" was nothing more than a demon mask. Only the fire, however, was genuine.

The flames issuing from the miniature wands belonged to Konoka and Yuuko. Konoka inherently possessed vast magical power, and once she knew the proper usage, learning some minor spells was quite simple. As for Yuuko, although she had lived a normal life until now, she possessed tremendous magical potential, and considering the experiences of the past few days, she could barely be considered a novice mage.

“Wow! Konoka, Yuuko-san, you guys are amazing! You’re real mages!” Seeing the faintly burning flames, many girls rushed forward, surrounding the two, their eyes brimming with envy.

“That’s so cool, I want to learn magic too.”

“Yeah, yeah, where did you two learn magic?”

“This is incredible.”

“Hehe, well…” The two girls smiled awkwardly, unsure how to answer for the moment.

“You all have too much free time. It’s class time; hurry up and get back to your seats.” Because most students were focused on the magic craze, they hadn't noticed Lin Luo. It wasn't until he spoke that the girls suddenly snapped back to reality.

“Whoa! Mahora’s Strongest Mage!”

Someone shouted this out. Everyone—except for those already in the know from the underground world, like Setsuna, and a tiny minority devoted to mundane reality—swarmed Lin Luo in a single tidal wave.

“Teacher, give us a magic demonstration!”

“Please take me as your apprentice and teach me magic!”

“Teacher, do you need a partner? How about me?”

“Teacher, you haven’t shown up for two days, were you off saving the world?”

“No, she must have gone off with Martians!”

Lin Luo was utterly speechless. These kids really dared to say anything. While he hadn't saved the world, it was true that his recent activities had been somewhat related to Martians. He deliberately put on a stern face and barked, “It’s class time! Everyone get to your seats! Today’s social studies lecture is about maintaining the correct distance when interacting with anomalies.”

“Ugh, that stuff is so boring. Anyway, your social studies class isn't useful, Teacher. Why don’t you teach us magic instead? Oh, you should just change your subject to magic from now on!” This suggestion met with unanimous approval from the majority, and they started clamoring. Even though this person was the strongest in Mahora, they felt zero pressure!

Well, in any case, Lin Luo was swayed. Teaching social studies truly was a bit dull compared to the excitement of playing with magic. “Fine, but before that, I need to introduce a new student to everyone. Although you probably all already know her.”

“New student?” Everyone blinked in surprise and looked toward the door. Soon, the classroom door was pushed open, and a young girl stepped inside…

“Chō Suzu-ne! It’s you?!”

“You still dare to show your face!”

“Beating the Mahora Academy Great Mage, Chō, you’re amazing.”

“Yeah, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't even know magic existed in this world.”

The person entering was indeed Chō Suzu-ne. She was still wearing the Mahora school uniform, but beneath it, she wore a combat suit typical of a Future Warrior. Although she had originally planned to return immediately after her plan succeeded, since the time machine couldn't activate, she was stuck here.

Her appearance elicited mixed reactions: some were furious, and some were delighted. The ones angry enough to want to draw blades were naturally Setsuna Sakurazaki and Asuna Kagurazaka. Because of Chō Suzu-ne, they had been forcibly stripped naked two days prior. As for those who were happy, well, that was self-explanatory.

Seeing Setsuna and Asuna seemingly ready to charge her with knives, Chō Suzu-ne showed no fear, merely scratching her head and laughing sheepishly, “Oh dear, I didn't expect such a warm welcome, ha ha ha.”

Despite some people being hot-tempered, the situation didn't escalate into a physical confrontation in the classroom. After class, Lin Luo left Class Three. Although most immediate issues had been resolved, certain matters still required his attention, such as the looming threat from the magical world.

The fact that magic was exposed, while initiated by Chō Suzu-ne’s plan, carried an undeniable responsibility for Mahora Academy. The magical world would not let such an incident pass easily.

On the first day after the Academy Festival concluded, the Headmaster had already gone alone to the magical world to explain everything. Naturally, he went with the mindset of self-censure and atonement. The other magic teachers were waiting for the final verdict; unless something unexpected happened, they were all facing transformation into polecats.

“Say, can you stop following me around?” Lin Luo sighed helplessly halfway down the hall.

A young girl hurried to catch up from behind—it was Chō Suzu-ne. She smiled brightly, “Teacher, I’m waiting for you to send me back to the future.”

“Haven’t I done everything I could in the last two days?” Lin Luo spread his hands. “But as you saw the result, I absolutely don't have the ability to send you back.”

“No, I believe there’s still a way,” Chō Suzu-ne said earnestly.

Chō Suzu-ne knew a little about Sakuya’s ultimate goal and had even worked hard on her behalf, but no matter how she tried, her technology couldn't bring Sakuya back to Gensokyo. Even utilizing all the information she gained from Sakuya, she couldn't grasp the concept of Gensokyo’s existence.

Therefore, when she heard Sakuya claim she had a way to return to Gensokyo, Chō Suzu-ne was genuinely shocked. To her, that seemed an endeavor far more difficult than her own return to the future. At the time, however, she was focused on executing her own plan, and Sakuya seemed unwilling to elaborate, so she didn't pay too much attention.

It wasn't until she heard Sakuya’s words two days ago that Chō Suzu-ne suddenly recalled: if Lin Luo could accomplish something that even she couldn't comprehend—sending Sakuya back to the Gensokyo she couldn't access—then sending her back to the future, where the coordinates were clearly defined, shouldn't be difficult with his capabilities.

Thus, Chō Suzu-ne clung to Lin Luo, begging for his help in returning to the future. Although Lin Luo found the situation incredibly awkward, due to Chō Suzu-ne’s relentless pestering, coupled with Sakuya's wish for him to assist, Lin Luo reluctantly agreed to try.

But after tinkering for two days, there hadn't been any progress. This was, in fact, entirely expected: traveling to Gensokyo and returning to the era Chō Suzu-ne inhabited were two completely different matters. He could take Sakuya back to Gensokyo because of the World Heart, but Chō Suzu-ne didn't possess that—so naturally, he couldn't manage it. Nor was he a supreme being like Gui Qu Lai Xi, capable of casually allowing people to traverse the streams of spacetime.

Even without finding any viable method of return yet, Chō Suzu-ne hadn't given up. She firmly believed Lin Luo had the capacity to send her back to her own time; she didn't want to wait twenty-two years.

“Please, don’t have such immense faith in me. I’ve given it my all these past two days. I even had Evangeline and Al bring in their resources to help you, but as you saw, we were completely powerless. Spacetime travel—that exceeds the scope of what this era is capable of.”

Lin Luo deeply admired Chō Suzu-ne’s persistence, even as it gave him a severe headache.

“Teacher, you underestimate yourself. You managed to do something I couldn't even achieve. I believe you absolutely possess the ability; perhaps you just haven't realized it yet.”

Chō Suzu-ne stated this with absolute certainty, remaining unshakably convinced.