The next day, Minamoto Habu finally began fulfilling his duty as a teacher, which was to deliver lectures.
He had two classes today, both for the second-year students. The agreed-upon arrangement with the higher-ups was that he would teach the first-years on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, the second-years on Thursdays, and schedule the third-year classes freely on Fridays. He could have up to two classes a day, but whenever a mission arose, classes had to be paused to prioritize the mission.
The first class Minamoto Habu prepared was a chemistry class. He did not intend to force them to memorize textbook theory, believing that chemical experiments were inherently more interesting than other subjects.
Thanks to the Jujutsu world’s abundant resources, the instruments, props, and materials required for the experiment had all been prepared for him well in advance.
Thus, he planned to conduct experiments in this first lesson, letting the students experience the wonder of chemistry firsthand. Only by sparking their interest could they be encouraged to learn seriously.
The first to arrive in the classroom was Geto Suguru. He greeted Minamoto Habu, then looked curiously at the various bottles and jars on the podium, “Teacher, what are all these?”
“These are instruments and materials for the experiment,” Minamoto Habu explained, “We are having a chemistry experiment class today. Your hands-on skills should be fine, right?”
Geto Suguru flashed a confident smile, “At least I should be fine, and Shoko definitely won’t have a problem either. But as for Satoru…”
He pondered for a moment before offering a candid evaluation, “Perhaps you should keep him far away from the podium, Teacher?”
Minamoto Habu, “…”
Perhaps he should apply to the higher-ups for a few extra sets of teaching equipment.
Just then, Ieiri Shoko walked into the classroom. As a physician, she had some understanding of the chemical supplies on the podium, asking with clear realization, “Is this class chemistry?”
Minamoto Habu nodded, “Since there was no time to gauge your current level of knowledge, I decided to start with an experimental class so you can ease into it.”
“I have never done a chemistry experiment before.” Shoko’s eyes sparkled slightly, showing a bit more of the lively demeanor appropriate for a fifteen-year-old compared to her usual mature self.
“Neither have I.” Curiosity glinted in Geto Suguru’s eyes as well. Although he had learned chemistry in middle school, the teacher back then had only performed simple demonstrations on stage at most. For safety reasons, students were never allowed to handle anything themselves.
“What has never been done?” Gojo Satoru’s voice suddenly rang out, and as he stepped into the classroom, the class bell rang right on cue.
Minamoto Habu raised an eyebrow, “Congratulations, Student Gojo, for not being late to your very first class.”
Gojo Satoru clearly felt no shame whatsoever, even showing a smug smile, “Of course, my timing is impeccable!”
He walked over to the teacher’s desk, touching and poking at the collection of apparatuses on the table, looking just like an inquisitive white cat.
Ignoring his antics, Minamoto Habu tapped the table twice to signal the official start of the lesson.
He skillfully used test tubes to hold the materials, lit the alcohol lamp to heat the beaker, and used filter paper to filter out residues, moving with an unhurried, composed grace.
In a clean, cool voice, he methodically explained the experimental principles, using the simplest and most accessible language so the three students could easily understand. Listening to him was a genuine pleasure. He answered all kinds of tricky questions with practiced ease, his composure remaining calm and relaxed throughout.
It was said that people were at their most attractive when focused. When Minamoto Habu was earnestly teaching, whether it was his lean forearms revealed by his rolled-up sleeves or the earnest look in his golden eyes when he looked down, he perfectly showcased the charm of a mature man.
By the end of the class, all three of them clearly realized one thing: regardless of whether Minamoto Habu was sent by the higher-ups or not, he was indisputably qualified as a teacher.
Although it was merely a single experiment class, all three had learned some principles of chemical experiments to varying degrees and had become much more interested in chemistry.
Even Gojo Satoru had to admit that he was looking forward to the next chemistry class.
Because Minamoto Habu had promised that in the next chemistry class, he would let them perform the experiments hands-on.
“The next class will be history.” During the brief break, Minamoto Habu announced the schedule for the next period in advance.
The reason he chose history was that combining science and humanities worked better. Furthermore, among the science subjects, none could be picked up quickly, leaving him no choice but to select from the humanities.
Among the humanities subjects, history was relatively simpler. After all, it dealt with concrete, real historical events that did not require field trips to understand.
Hearing this news, Gojo Satoru instantly wailed, “No way? What is there to teach about history?”
His attitude was considerably better than when class first started, likely because he realized Minamoto Habu possessed genuine knowledge and capability.
“History is very interesting,” Minamoto Habu replied while neatly organizing the instruments on the desk according to standard procedure, “It is one of my favorite subjects.”
However, the three teenagers clearly did not like such pure humanities subjects. Even though two of them had never taken a proper history class, they harbored the stereotype that history classes were bound to be dry and boring.
Geto Suguru gave Minamoto Habu a heads-up, “Teacher Habu, Satoru dragged me into playing games yesterday, so I might be a bit low on energy.”
Before Minamoto Habu could speak, Gojo Satoru ruthlessly exposed his best friend, “Hey! You were clearly very excited during the chemistry class just now!”
Ieiri Shoko let out a yawn, “Teacher, I am not very interested in history.”
“Teacher! I am super lacking in energy too. So you would not mind if I sleep during class, right?” Gojo Satoru added with a trace of provocation.
Minamoto Habu did not pay attention to his provocation, instead pushing up his glasses and suddenly asking, “You are willing to call me teacher now?”
Hearing this, Gojo Satoru’s body stiffened slightly. He had not thought twice about it just now, simply following Shoko’s lead.
However, in a sense, this proved that he was gradually coming to accept Minamoto Habu. Otherwise, even without thinking, he would not have called him teacher.
“Even if I called you teacher, it does not mean I fully accept you. In the end, you were still sent by those corrupt higher-ups to monitor us, right?” Gojo Satoru said stubborn words.
Minamoto Habu merely lowered his head with a slight smile, offering no explanation. He took no side, nor did he care to explain his stance to just anyone.
Compared to the chemistry class, the preparation for the history class was noticeably much simpler. Minamoto Habu did not even hand out textbooks to the three students, knowing full well that they would not read them even if they had them.
Who had not been a student before?
Since the Jujutsu High trio had missions afterward, the inter-class break was not very long, and class resumed shortly.
Next, Minamoto Habu successfully demonstrated to everyone that whether a subject was boring or not truly depended on the teacher’s caliber. Clearly, he belonged to the top tier of teachers.
Minamoto Habu did not teach Japanese history; instead, he used a single class period to cover world history in broad strokes.
From the glory of ancient Rome to the prosperity of China, from the rise of Europe and America to the revival of Asia.
Because there was only one class period, many topics could only be outlined broadly. Yet this enticing, partial reveal left the three feeling intrigued, making them look forward to future history classes. They even felt inclined to look up information on their own after class to learn more about what had just piqued their interest.
Minamoto Habu did not teach in a dry manner, but rather connected the history across various key time nodes, emphasizing the cause-and-effect relationships between them rather than merely stating historical facts.
Furthermore, Minamoto Habu’s lecture was remarkably humorous and engaging. History in his words was not entirely stern or rigid, but rather lively and fascinating.
When teaching, Minamoto Habu was slightly more active than usual, or rather, he temporarily adjusted himself for the sake of classroom effectiveness.
Yet it was undeniable that no matter the situation, he always maintained an air of calm mastery. Even teaching was something he could execute flawlessly.
Regarding how well Minamoto Habu taught, Gojo Satoru and Shoko, who had never truly attended regular school, might not have felt it as acutely. But Geto Suguru undoubtedly had the clearest perception.
He had attended regular school and naturally knew what ordinary teachers’ lectures were like. More often than not, their lectures felt like lullabies or obscure jargon, leaving students either drowsy or completely confused.
Of course, most teachers delivered decent quality, but when encountering subjects one disliked, straying off task was inevitable.
However, observing the state of his two peers made it obvious that Minamoto Habu could captivate the students’ attention effortlessly. Even for subjects they lacked interest in, he could make them listen with rapt attention.
It felt as though the teacher’s words hit right on their curiosity points, making them eager to know what came next and preventing their minds from wandering.
Even Geto Suguru himself suddenly realized that he actually liked history. The rise and fall of various nations and even entire continents seemed to follow traceable patterns in Teacher Habu’s explanation. The underlying connections and logic behind them struck him as fascinating.
While lecturing from the podium, Minamoto Habu was also observing the students below.
First, it was reassuring that none of them intentionally crossed him or refused to listen. As long as he aligned the content with their points of interest, all three were willing to pay attention.
Since it was the first class and he was uncertain of their foundational knowledge, he did not intend to deliberately push them to participate, choosing instead to observe them quietly.
Minamoto Habu noticed an interesting phenomenon: Gojo Satoru and Ieiri Shoko were more interested in the previous chemistry class, whereas Geto Suguru was more drawn to the history class.
Those interested in chemistry generally would not do poorly in biology either. Similarly, those interested in history could easily be drawn to politics. Minamoto Habu already had a target direction for his next lecture.
Ring ring ring ring ring!
The end-of-class bell rang, and Minamoto Habu finished his final sentence right on cue, “Studying history is not merely about commemorating the past, but about using history as a mirror to understand the rise and fall of future generations… Alright, that concludes today’s class. Class dismissed.”
He had no habit of dragging out class. The moment the bell rang, the students’ minds were already elsewhere, so what use was there in continuing to speak?
“Teacher!” Gojo Satoru rested his chin on his hands, raising a hand curiously, “What did you study in college?”
Geto Suguru and Shoko were also somewhat curious, “That is right, Teacher, you taught both chemistry and history so well, yet the two have no common ground at all, do they?”
“Thank you for praising my teaching,” Minamoto Habu expressed his thanks first, before giving them a thoroughly unexpected answer
“I studied psychology in college.”
“Eh?!”