I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

On the playground of Zongwu High School, thousands of teachers and students gathered into a sea of ​​joy, and the clamor of voices almost lifted the night sky.

The stage lights were dazzling, the stall lights were flashing, and the aroma of food, mixed with the unique restlessness of youth, filled the air.

In the middle of the ocean, the huge bonfire stands like a silent spire, awaiting the baptism of flames.

Good evening, teachers and students.

A clear, melodious voice instantly pierced through all the noise through the speakers.

The entire playground fell silent.

Countless eyes turned to the center of the stage.

Yukino Yukinoshita stood there quietly, holding a microphone.

She changed out of her school uniform and into a perfectly tailored dark blue evening gown that accentuated her slender yet graceful figure.

Under the lights, her skin was as white as snow, and her features were as exquisite as a work of art sculpted from ice and snow. Just by standing there, she became the focus of attention.

"As the executive chairman of this five-school joint festival, I hereby announce—"

"The bonfire party for the eve of the festival officially begins!"

There were no unnecessary words; the speech was as concise and efficient as ever.

The moment the words were spoken, a thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the audience.

The old principal walked onto the stage with a ruddy complexion. He did not immediately begin a long speech, but first looked around the audience in a proud tone.

"Students and teachers, look around us! Look at these lights! Look at this laughter!"

He opened his arms wide, his voice loud and infectious.

"The scale of this school festival has exceeded all of our expectations! But!"

His tone suddenly changed, and his voice became somber.

"I want to tell everyone that not long ago, we faced a huge crisis where our funding dried up and our activities were almost canceled!"

Instead of an uproar, a more intense, suppressed buzz of discussion erupted from the audience!

Countless students began whispering among themselves, their faces beaming with excitement, as if to say, "It's here! It's the rumor we've been waiting for!"

They had all heard, more or less, the legend of the Service Department turning the tide, but the details were vague.

Now, the principal is going to reveal the answer to this mystery himself!

The principal looked with satisfaction at the faces below the stage, their curiosity completely ignited; this was exactly the effect he wanted.

He slowly raised a finger, his voice becoming high-pitched and mysterious once again.

"And in that desperate situation, one person, along with his gang, stood up!"

"It was he who solved all the problems in a way that none of us could understand, turning the tide and making our celebration tonight possible!"

Everyone's curiosity was completely ignited!

"so!"

The principal cleared his throat, his face showing an barely suppressed, mysterious excitement. He paused deliberately, whetting everyone's appetite.

"By unanimous decision of the school council, in recognition of this hero and to symbolize our school's highest encouragement of extraordinary courage—"

"Tonight, we will break with tradition!"

"Only one person will take on this sacred duty of igniting the flame!"

"He is—Teacher Lynn!"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell into a deathly silence.

After a brief moment of shock, a sound wave ten times more intense than before erupted from the crowd!

"I knew it! Who else could it be but Teacher Lynn?!"

"My God! One person lighting a bonfire... This is the first time this has ever happened since the founding of Zongwu High School, right? This is something that will go down in history!"

"Look at Lynn's expression! So many people are looking at him, but he's not nervous at all! He's so handsome it's unfair!"

Before the words were even finished, the spotlights on the stage seemed to have a mind of their own.

They abandoned the entire noisy playground and gathered together, spreading a path of light in front of him.

In that sea of ​​fervor, all eyes and light finally found a single focal point—

That man seemed rather bored.

That deserted island, as calm as the eye of a storm.

At this moment, Lynn's legendary status reached its undisputed peak throughout the entire school.

With one hand in his pocket, he stepped onto the path of light and headed towards the ignition platform.

The crowd, like a tide pushed aside by an invisible force, silently receded to both sides.

The girls who were screaming just moments ago now instinctively held their breath, feeling as if their hearts were being squeezed by an invisible hand, causing them to skip a beat.

They dared not look directly at the figure in the light.

They only dared to glance quickly out of the corner of their eyes at his sharply defined profile under the light, and at his calm, deep eyes that seemed indifferent to everything around him.

He stepped onto the ignition platform.

A student council representative, with a face full of reverence, solemnly handed him the burning torch.

The firelight illuminated his face.

The cold beam of the spotlight and the warm glow of the torch clashed on his face, making his handsome features appear almost inhuman.

A deathly silence fell over the audience.

Everyone held their breath, hoping that the teacher who had created a miracle would say some inspiring words.

Lynn took the torch, but did not immediately walk towards the woodpile.

He took his other hand out of his pocket and slowly accepted the microphone handed to him by a staff member next to him.

He glanced at the audience, at the faces brimming with youth and anticipation, but his own expression remained listless.

"to be honest."

He spoke, his lazy, magnetic voice carrying across the playground through the speakers.

"Personally, I prefer to watch quietly from the audience."

A burst of good-natured laughter erupted from the audience.

Lynn said nothing more. He held the torch in his hand up to his eyes, as if studying the mundane, flickering flame.

This quiet gesture brought the noise of the entire venue to a standstill.

A few seconds later, he spoke again, as if commenting on a boring topic.

"The principal said that the torch represents inheritance and the bonfire represents cooperation."

He chuckled softly, his lazy eyes sweeping across the audience, as if he could see through everyone's confusion and anxiety about the future.

"But in my opinion—"

He dragged out the word, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"It's not that complicated."

"The light of the torch is to illuminate the path to the future."

"And the campfire—"

His voice suddenly rose in pitch, carrying a bewitching, magical quality.

"—This moment is meant to ignite your passion!"

"The future is too far away."

"so--"

He paused, as if giving everyone time to gather their emotions, before issuing the final order in an unquestionable tone:

"Put all your energy, all your worries, and... all those endless exam papers on your plate!"

"Give it all to me——"

"Burn—it—to—the—delight—!

The moment he finished speaking, he tossed the microphone to a stunned staff member beside him, turned around, strode forward, and placed the torch—

It rammed deep into the woodpile!

……

boom--!

It was as if a sleeping fire dragon had been awakened in an instant!

The towering flames tore through the night, illuminating the entire playground as bright as day!

The scorching heat wave hit them, eliciting gasps from the students below the stage.

The cheers from the entire stadium reached their peak at that moment.

Lynn's figure, in front of the flickering flames that seemed capable of devouring everything, appeared like a god descended to earth from legend.

On the edge of the crowd, Hachiman Hikigaya crossed his arms, away from the noisy center.

He stared intently at the man, watching him stand nonchalantly in the center of the stage, igniting the entire audience with his purest "self".

At that moment, Hachiman Hikigaya felt that the "real thing" he had been pursuing all along had, for the first time, taken on a clear and concrete outline.

(So... reality... can be this dazzling...?)

Meanwhile, on the other side, surrounded by a group of popular people, Hayato Hayama's perfect smile showed a slight, almost imperceptible stiffness.

He watched as the man could disregard everyone's expectations at will, which was precisely the freedom he longed for but could never attain.

Hayato Hayama let out a soft breath, and for the first time, his eyes, which always held a gentle smile, revealed a heartfelt admiration mixed with a sense of frustration.

"Yes...we live within the rules, and he...is the rule himself."

At this moment, the two men, standing at opposite ends of the campus, reached the same conclusion.

As they reflected on their feelings, the emotions of the young women, like the bonfire, were also completely ignited.

In the most bustling part of the crowd, Yui Yuigahama was so excited that her face turned red. She clenched her little fists tightly, and her eyes were full of sparkling little stars. Her feelings were the simplest and purest.

"That's amazing! The teacher... he's like the main character in a movie!"

···Requesting flowers··· ···

In another corner not far away, Eriri crossed her arms, snorted disdainfully, and forcibly maintained her arrogant posture.

"Tch... It's just lighting a fire, what's so great about it... He's just... just averagely handsome..."

But her body, trembling slightly with excitement, and her ears, already flushed red, completely betrayed her true feelings.

Meanwhile, on a slightly elevated temporary platform to the side of the stage, Kasumigaoka Utaha leaned gracefully against the railing, leisurely overlooking the grand drama that had been sparked by the "male lead" she had chosen.

In her eyes, this was no longer a simple bonfire party.

"Oh my, what a perfect hero entrance scene."

"So, the next part of the script is about the innocent and energetic country girl A, the two-faced blonde with twin tails B, the always-right ice queen C, and that mysterious, taciturn doll D..."

She paused, a playful, confident smile curving her lips, and gently added the last role.

"...And, in the end, PlayerE, the playwright, will take everything away, and the grand war he wages to win the hero's first dance, right? It's a classic drama full of youthful bittersweetness that I can look forward to."

At the intersection of light and shadow, Yukino Yukinoshita, who is closest to the stage, simply watches the man illuminated by the firelight, listening to the words "Burn it all up" echoing in her ears, her fingertips curling slightly involuntarily.

..... .... ....

She murmured to herself, her voice so soft that only she could hear it, a final conclusion that revealed the essence of things.

"...wherever he is, that is the most dazzling place."

Finally, it seemed as if she were outside of all their worlds, yet also as if she were at the center of that world.

Kasugano Sora stood quietly.

She held a black rabbit doll in her arms, her dark eyes calm and focused, reflecting the man's figure.