Hearing this, Minamoto Habu paused for a moment, then turned around calmly and asked, “Meimei-san, is something the matter?”
Dressed entirely in black with a tall and slender figure, Meimei stood not far away, looking at Minamoto Habu with suspicion. “Teacher, why are you in a place like this?”
“I am a bit unfamiliar with the layout of the school.” Minamoto Habu lowered his head, smiling with a somewhat embarrassed look. Then, raising his head, he asked open-mindedly, “Could I trouble Meimei-san to guide me back?”
Seeing his natural attitude, Meimei temporarily set aside her doubts and nodded. “Of course, no problem. If the teacher is unfamiliar with the school environment, it is better not to wander around alone.”
Minamoto Habu accepted the suggestion with an open mind. “Next time, I should just wait for Teacher Yaga to have free time to show me around the campus instead.”
Upon returning to his dormitory, Minamoto Habu directly logged into the dark web and entered “Tengen,” quickly retrieving relevant information.
The so-called dark web was essentially an information network woven together by various factions. Those with low clearance could only find ordinary information, whereas those with high clearance could access much more concealed secrets.
Generally speaking, only upper-echelon figures within various factions or powerful individuals could command high clearance.
Minamoto Habu happened to possess both.
Although he had not joined any organization, he maintained connections across many of them. As for his strength… no one would underestimate a mysterious esper who moved fluidly among various factions.
Because of his high clearance, Minamoto Habu quickly located information regarding “Tengen.”
According to the data provided on the dark web, the so-called “Master Tengen” was the key to reinforcing the high school’s barriers—an essential figure whose exact whereabouts were unknown.
Minamoto Habu also noted another piece of information: Master Tengen required a Star Plasma Vessel for assimilation at regular intervals to maintain stability.
Because many curse users in the jujutsu world coveted the high school, numerous organizations that could not locate Master Tengen sought instead to harm the Star Plasma Vessel as a means of influencing Master Tengen.
However, one organization stood out for its peculiar nature, named the “Star Religious Group.” The reason they wanted to harm the Star Plasma Vessel was because they worshipped Tengen too intensely, believing that assimilation with a Star Plasma Vessel would pollute Master Tengen.
Minamoto Habu: “……”
His expression remained blank, though a flash of irony crossed his eyes. In this world, there were always people who were self-righteous, foolish, and vicious.
Since Tengen, residing beneath the high school, did not interfere with his life, Minamoto Habu naturally had no intention of getting involved. Nevertheless, he committed these details to memory.
It was not out of a desire to rid society of evils, but rather because such information constituted valuable assets for him. In the future, he could use the location of Tengen as leverage for mutually beneficial exchanges with the Special Divination Division, the Port Mafia, and others.
For the two classes taught to the second-year students the next day, Minamoto Habu prepared an economics lesson and a music lesson.
“If you want to make money quickly and in large amounts, aside from the methods written in the criminal code, there are two other ways.” Minamoto Habu held up two fingers: “Buying lottery tickets and playing the stock market.”
“Both rely on luck, but the second one clearly holds the possibility of artificial control.” He lowered his hand and introduced the theme of the economics lesson: “In this class, we will briefly explain what stocks are.”
From the moment Minamoto Habu began his lecture, Meimei, who had initially been somewhat dismissive, immediately focused her attention, her gaze growing bright as she looked at him.
She had not expected that when she mentioned wanting to learn how to make money the other day, Minamoto Habu would actually teach this very subject. She had never touched stocks, not because she lacked interest, but primarily because compared to other pursuits, the stock market was a game meant for clever minds. She would not risk her money on sheer luck.
However, if someone was willing to teach, the situation changed entirely.
Minamoto Habu clearly possessed a solid understanding of stocks; teaching them was more than enough for him. Yet, rather than focusing purely on technical skills, he emphasized the psychological preparation required for stock trading.
After all, that was his true domain, whereas his technical stock trading skills could only be described as average.
By the end of the lesson, Meimei felt she had learned a great deal. Toward anyone capable of helping her make money, Meimei always held deep respect.
After class ended, far from her previous cold demeanor, she approached him with a touch of eagerness. “Teacher, since you understand the stock market so well, how much money have you made from it?”
Minamoto Habu shook his head. “Not much. I don’t rely on the stock market to make a living. The reason I was able to teach you today is simply because I studied it when working on a psychology project related to trading.”
Hearing this, both Meimei and Iori Utahime wore looks of astonishment. From their perspective, Minamoto Habu’s lecture had been remarkably professional not empty rhetoric, but grounded in substantial and practical knowledge.
They had not expected that he had never actually traded stocks in reality, and had simply learned so much merely for the sake of an academic project.
Fearing they might misunderstand, Minamoto Habu offered a clarification. “Although I haven’t traded stocks much, back then, to test what I had learned, I did make a single trade and earned two million.” So you don’t need to worry; the substance of what I taught is generally sound.
“Yen?” Meimei asked curiously. Earning two million yen from a single trade was already quite impressive.
“USD.”
Meimei: “……”
Utahime: “……”
To make two million US dollars from a casual trade meant his level of proficiency was more than enough to teach them.
Meimei’s eyes shone brightly as she looked at Minamoto Habu, as if gazing upon a walking gold mine. She devoutly pulled out her phone. “Teacher Hanyu, let’s exchange contact information. If I run into any questions I don’t understand, I can come to you for guidance promptly.”
With that connection added, Iori Utahime likewise took the opportunity to add his contact details.
Minamoto Habu stood up and adjusted his glasses. “Let’s head to the other classroom. There is a newly purchased piano there. We will go over for the music lesson.”
As mentioned before, if there was one thing the jujutsu world possessed in abundance, it was money.
A piano had been included on the list Minamoto Habu compiled before the semester began, chosen simply because the piano was the only instrument he knew how to play. The high school had purchased a piano worth over twenty thousand without batting an eye.
Though they harbored considerable aversion toward his arrival, they showed no hesitation in spending such sums. While agreement terms played a role, it was clear this amount of money was truly a drop in the bucket for them.
Hearing that the school actually owned a piano, Utahime widened her eyes. “I’ve been here for two years, and I had no idea there was a piano in the high school!”
Meimei, being sharper, guessed the truth. “Was it requested by Teacher Hanyu?”
Minamoto Habu nodded. “Since I had to teach a music lesson, the piano is the only instrument I play.”
“What will the music lesson cover?” Given the previous class, both girls held high expectations for Minamoto Habu’s musical expertise.
Yet on this front, Minamoto Habu truly could not offer much, seeing as he had never actually studied music.
“Perhaps… are you familiar with karaoke?”
Having finished their mission and returned to the high school, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto had just walked a short distance when they heard melodious singing drifting from a nearby classroom.
“What’s going on? Is someone playing music in the classroom?” Satoru Gojo asked with surprise.
Suguru Geto shook his head. “I don’t know, but it sounds like live singing.”
Following the source of the sound, the two walked up to the classroom doorway and saw Utahime singing inside while Minamoto Habu played the piano to accompany her. Meimei sat off to the side, clapping her hands to keep rhythm.
Utahime’s singing voice was exceptionally beautiful, rivaling any professional singer on television. Her voice was clear and pleasing to the ear, as if cleansing the listener’s senses. Paired with her shrine maiden attire, it created a wondrous atmosphere.
The blue-haired man playing the piano beside her wore an dark red knitted cardigan over a white undershirt. His fingers were slender with distinct knuckles. As he played the piano, his entire demeanor was elegant and gentle. Light notes flowed effortlessly from his fingertips like a gentle stream, perfectly complementing the wonderful vocals.
The two of them did not look like a teacher conducting a music lesson, but rather like a choir performing in a cathedral.
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto had originally intended to come over just to join the commotion, but upon hearing the singing, they couldn’t help becoming completely immersed in it. They only snapped back to their senses when the class bell rang and the music stopped.
“Come in.” Minamoto Habu closed the piano lid and called out toward the doorway. He had noticed outsiders approaching earlier, but since he sensed no danger, he had chosen not to point it out.
Hearing this, the two second-year students walked inside. The moment she saw them, Utahime’s expression shifted instantly. “Why are the two of you here?”
Satoru Gojo said with a carefree tone, “I didn’t expect Utahime’s singing to actually be quite good. She’s not as weak in this area as I thought!”
Suguru Geto, being slightly more polite, nodded toward Utahime. “Senior Utahime sang very well. We were just drawn in by the music.”
Having never received compliments from these two before, Utahime froze completely, almost doubting her ears.
With the other party greeting her with a smiling face, she found it impossible to maintain a hostile glare. “Ah, well… Teacher Hanyu’s accompaniment was also very good, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to sing so well.”
Minamoto Habu shook his head. “Even a cappella, your singing is still wonderful.”
With the class concluded, Meimei stood up to take her leave. “Teacher, I’ll head back first to try out the concepts you taught today. I’ll definitely need your further guidance if I run into questions later.”
Flushed slightly from the earlier praise, Utahime also bid farewell to Minamoto Habu. “Thank you for today’s lesson, Teacher. I’ll be leaving now too. I had a wonderful time singing today and I’m very much looking forward to your class next week.”
Minamoto Habu politely bid them farewell one by one. After both girls left, he packed up his things and prepared to leave the classroom.
“Teacher, what did you teach them today?” Satoru Gojo showed great interest in the attitudes Utahime and Meimei held toward Minamoto Habu.
Utahime had a fiery temper (though mostly provoked by him) and wasn’t easy to deal with. Meimei cared only about money and was equally difficult.
How had Minamoto Habu managed to win over these two senior students in the span of just two classes?
“Economics and music.” Minamoto Habu offered no concealment, hoping the two boys might glean some insight from the subjects he taught.
Suguru Geto immediately grasped the underlying meaning, nodding with sudden realization. “Tailoring the teaching to the individual.”
“Yes, exactly.” Capitalizing on his momentary height advantage, Minamoto Habu reached out to ruffle Suguru Geto’s hair. “This is something you two will need to learn as well.”
It remained unclear whether he was referring to the two subjects or the strategy of tailoring one’s approach.
Satoru Gojo leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hands with his elbows propped against the desk, and tilted his head to look at Minamoto Habu. “Teacher, we’re heading to the training grounds for a spar later. Would you like to come watch?”
For some reason, upon hearing those words, Suguru Geto opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately kept silent.
It seemed they were up to something.
Noticing the change in Suguru Geto’s expression, Minamoto Habu curved the corner of his lips. “Alright, I’ll come along.”