The Experienced One

Kyoko jumped from one 8-foot-tall wooden pillar to another.

"She's so agile and has great balance," Sienna commented as the kunoichi tiptoed a foot over one of the 7-inch-diameter objects.

Meanwhile, Eiji sighed as he opened his tablet. He didn't expect the dozens of pillars to be quite costly.

His gaze shifted to the workers building another training course not far away. If every teacher requests things like this, the school budget will be cut significantly.

Multiple Kyokos moved swiftly between the pillars that were so close to each other that an adult human could barely pass them.

"You guys can give it a try." The Kyoko in a dark purple dress approached those two. "It's not that difficult if you get used to it."

Sienna let out an awkward laugh. "Thank you, but I can't possibly do it in these clothes and shoes."

"Fair enough."

"I have to summon another teacher." Eiji started to walk away from that place. "You want to join us, Kyoko?"

"Sure."

They returned to the principal's office, and Eiji sat in his chair while Kyoko and Sienna stood beside him.

"So, this time is literally a teacher, huh?" Kyoko glanced at the profile photo on Eiji's tablet.

"Yeah. We need someone with experience to give us advice." The principal pressed the summon button, and as usual, a ball of light appeared in the middle of the room.

However, this time the portal formed was twice as large as before.

"What is that?" Kyoko was already holding the hilt of her katana. "Why is this different from the one on your device, sir?"

"It's okay, Kyoko." Eiji prevented the kunoichi from going further.

Emerging from the portal was a greenish-colored creature with four horns, bulging eyes that were completely black, long arms that hung downwards, and huge teeth. That 8-feet creature resembles a green frog but with a disproportionately humanoid body.

"Welcome to our school." Sienna flashed a smile at that creature. She didn't seem affected by that monster's appearance. "Nice to meet you."

"School?" The creature asked in a deep and hoarse tone. "Was it all of you who summoned me?"

"Yeah…. I'm not sure you can drink tea." Eiji was also not affected by that figure. He has confirmed the monster alignment in the profile section. "Please be seated. I will explain everything."

Kyoko shuddered a bit when that creature sat on the chair in front of Eiji's desk.

Eiji cleared his throat. "Okay, M..."

"Just call my name: Anneth." The monster interrupted the principal. "I'm more comfortable being called by that."

"Sure enough."

***

Those four people walked beside the completed practice course after touring the school.

"Excuse me, Anneth." Kyoko still felt awkward talking to that creature. "Besides being a teacher, I'm also a cook in this place, so I have to know what kind of food you usually eat."

"I haven't decided whether to join or not." The creature glanced at the kunoichi. "But if you really want to know, I am used to human food. It's just that the portion I need is much larger. Maybe three times as much."

Kyoko forced a smile on her face. "Okay, noted."

One of Eiji's worries is gone. Prior to this, he had thought that maybe Anneth needed pricey exotic food.

"May I comment on this place, sir?" Anneth turned to the principal.

"Of course," Eiji replied. "All feedback will be appreciated."

"Your library is too small." That creature complained. "It would be great if it was double in size and filled with many books. Books are an important means of learning, you know?"

"I will also ask for your assistance in selecting suitable books from the catalog." Eiji stopped and turned around to face that creature.

"Ah, I also need some ninjutsu scrolls for study materials." Kyoko chimed in.

It seems that the estimation of the budget that Eiji can save will continue to miss.

"So, are you willing to teach in this place?" Eiji asked.

The principal had not had time to reach out his hand when the monster spoke again. "Before that, I have a question. I feel like you wanted to save this school budget as much as possible. All the essential things are here, but if the gods asked you to take care of this place, they should provide great resources. Yes, maybe they have limits, but they want to form capable heroes, right?"

Eiji already suspected that it would be challenging to recruit Anneth. That creature is a teacher who is considered the best in its world.

"Follow me." Eiji then walked to the other side of the building and pointed at a large expanse of empty land. "There will be a forest, a river, and a mountain in this place."

Anneth, Kyoko, and Sienna fell silent upon hearing that. They couldn't process Eiji's words yet.

"Isn't that a natural thing?" The principal took a few steps forward with his hands in his pockets. "We don't know what kind of world they will be sent to. So, we must prepare them as well as possible. One of them is to provide good survival skills. Aren't forests and mountains the best places to practice such things?"

"B-but something like that wasn't in the catalog." Sienna was still in shock at the outrageous idea.

"That's why I request those things through the angels." Eiji continued. "I hope the gods will grant my request and provide an affordable price. I've given them solid reasons."

Anneth laughed, and that made Kyoko flinch. It sounded more like a dreadful roar than usual laughter.

"You are crazy!" Anneth clapped its hands. "I have to admit, you amuse me."

"You have three days to decide." Eiji handed a piece of paper and a pen to that monster. "I want you to write down all your abilities and create a curriculum for what you will teach."

"So, besides me thinking about whether to accept your offer, you are also thinking about whether you should accept me or not?" That monster received those things from the principal. "That's fair, I guess."

"But I wish we could work together, Anneth." Eiji ended the discussion. "You are the best I can think of in this field."