THE WAY SHE 🎀 BLUSHING ✨️

The heavy tension between the group shattered the moment Mei spoke up. "Look, Mei says our names are on the list, so the least you could do is actually learn them," she muttered, crossing her arms.

Satoshi didn't even look back. He just waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Honestly? Can’t be bothered," he shrugged, his voice dripping with pure indifference.

REI rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful. "Ugh, seriously? Big deal if he’s handsome. The guy has the personality of a trash-tier crow. Absolute garbage attitude. Huh." She then nudged Rei with her elbow, a mischievous smirk spreading across her face. "Hey, Rei... are you just lowkey jealous because Satoshi is actually a looker?"

Rei froze, his face instantly flushing with pure rage. "Akane! Shut your absolute trash-mouth right now!" he snapped, his oice hitting a whole new octave.

Seeing Rei completely lose his  cool only made Akane wheeze with laughter. Watching the chaos unfold, Shinto just groaned, muttering under his breath, "Of course you guys would obsess over this. Classic cringe-tier drama."

Before a full-blown war could break out, Mei stepped right between them, throwing her hands up. "Hold on, time out for one minute!" she yelled, cutting through the noise. "We literally came here to learn something new, and you guys are already obsessing over Satoshi? Can we focus, please?"

Meanwhile, Satoshi had pulled way ahead. He stopped, glanced back at the absolute circus happening behind him, and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Hey! Are you guys planning to join us today or what, you absolute sloths?!" Satoshi bellowed across the path.

Shinto’s eye twitched in pure annoyance. "Yeah, yeah, we’re coming, you track star!" he shouted back, dragging his feet as the chaotic group finally started moving 

Satoshi gestured toward the seating area, and as Shin and the others took their places, their eyes began to wander around the room, taking in every detail of the strange space. Satoshi cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Alright, listen up," he said. "Today, I’m going to show you the pathways of internal power."

The group leaned forward, a wave of excitement rushing through them. "What exactly do you mean by that?" someone asked, their voice buzzing with curiosity.

"I'm talking about the energy sealed within your names," Satoshi explained. "I’m going to hand you some specific chemicals. Your task will be to channel your own energy into them to alter their properties. But here's the catch—the modified chemical needs to spark an entirely new form of power."

Shinto looked up, blinking in surprise. "Wait, Sensei... does that mean we’re actually creating a brand-new power from scratch?"

Satoshi smiled faintly and shook his head. "Well, not exactly. Look, energy can never truly be destroyed. It simply transitions from one state into another. That is exactly what we are going to do here. So pay close attention—I am only going to demonstrate this once. Got it?"

The classroom was buzzing with excitement, but the real magic began when Satoshi picked up a small glass tube. Infusing his internal power into it, the clear liquid inside suddenly shifted color, morphing into a completely different chemical compound right before their eyes. Everyone gasped, staring at the tube in absolute shock.

Satoshi looked back at them, a confident smirk playing on his lips. "See that? Easy, right?"

Then, his expression grew serious, his voice dropping into a tone of caution. "But fair warning—if you try this and the chemical doesn't change, it means your power is clouded by too much negativity. Keep your minds clear."

Clapping his hands to break the tension, he urged them on. "Alright, your turn! Give it a shot."

Satoshi went around the room, handing a small tube to each of them. As he glanced across the room, he noticed Sora just standing there, holding the tube blankly.

Walking over, Satoshi asked, "Why are you just standing there? Aren't you going to try?"

Being called out up close by Satoshi made Sora's face instantly flush a bright, burning red.

Satoshi blinked in surprise, leaning in slightly. "Whoa, your face is completely red! Are you coming down with a fever or something?"

Sora vigorously shook her head, desperately trying to signal that she wasn’t sick at all.

"If you say so," Satoshi said, though he still looked a bit worried. Before he could question her further, a loud commotion broke out on the other side of the room. Rei and Shinto were already at each other's throats, starting a chaotic scuffle. Satoshi sighed and rushed over to break them up, restoring order to the classroom.

Eventually, the session ended. As everyone began packing up and heading out, Satoshi caught Sora's eye and subtly gestured for her to stay behind for a moment.

Outside the door, Akane grew incredibly curious. "Wait... why did Satoshi ask Sora to stay back?"

Rei snickered, nudging her. "Why? Jealous because he didn't call you? Haha!"

Annoyed, Akane elbowed Rei right in the stomach. "Shut up!" she snapped, while she, Rei, and three others peeked back inside, their heads stacked up against the half-open door to spy on them.

Inside the quiet room, Satoshi soaked a clean handkerchief in water, leaving it pleasantly damp. He walked over to Sora and held it out to her. "Here, take this. I still think you might have a fever; your skin is so flushed. Wipe your face with this, it'll help you cool down."

Sora hesitated for a second, her heart doing flips, before gently taking the damp cloth from his hand. "Thank you..."

Just then, the loud, gossipy whispers of Rei and Akane from the doorway echoed right into the room.

Satoshi snapped his head toward the door, catching them red-handed. "Hey! Why are you guys shouting out there?!" he yelled, making the spies jump in panic.

I