Chapter 100: I Didn't, I Haven't
After hearing Furina's request, Teacher Wang unconsciously adjusted the position of his collar. It was a habitual gesture he made when faced with matters requiring formal handling. He cleared his throat, put on a professional smile, and did his best to make his tone sound both formal and approachable.
"Very well. According to the regulations governing the Spirit Arena district, entering the premises for sparring matches requires a venue usage fee of ten gold soul coins per person." His gaze swept across the young faces before him as he rapidly calculated in his head. "Considering that your entire class is reserving the venue, the usage time is expected to be lengthy, and the number of people is substantial—on top of having a teacher leading the group... How about this: I'll give you a preferential rate. A single payment of five hundred gold soul coins will suffice."
After finishing this speech, Teacher Wang felt quite pleased with himself. Ten gold coins per person—thirty-some people came to over three hundred. Add in the extended usage time, and five hundred gold soul coins was already a very generous discount. He felt he had shown more than enough sincerity.
Yet Furina's reaction completely defied all his expectations.
"Come on—" She drew out the syllables, a sly, cunning glint flickering through her heterochromatic eyes, only to be swiftly replaced by an expression of righteous conviction. "I am a teacher. Right now, I'm leading my students to borrow the academy's public Spirit Arena to train their practical combat abilities—and you're actually trying to charge us money?"
Her voice wasn't loud, yet it rang clearly in every ear. The utterly matter-of-fact, questioning tone made the very air around them fall several degrees quieter.
Teacher Wang was stunned. He blinked, the smile frozen on his face, as if trying to confirm whether he'd misheard something. He had served as the Spirit Arena district's administrator for five years, handling countless venue rental matters. Never once had he encountered a situation like this.
"Er, well... I-I'm simply following the rules..." He defended himself instinctively, his voice tinged with a note of wrong and bewilderment. He'd clearly already given them a discount—how did that somehow make him the one in the wrong? Besides, the academy's regulations were written in black and white. He was merely carrying them out by the book.
What did being a teacher have to do with anything? Though he couldn't recall any precedent of a teacher bringing an entire class to reserve the Spirit Arena district, the rules certainly didn't state anywhere that "faculty-led groups are exempt from fees"!
Furina took half a step forward, her slender finger nearly pointing at Teacher Wang's nose. This gesture made everyone present hold their breath.
"First, let me ask you this," her voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable, crushing pressure. "Is Shrek Academy short on money?"
The question came so suddenly and so directly. Teacher Wang almost reflexively blurted out, "Shrek is certainly not short on money! As the foremost academy on the entire continent, how could we possibly be short on funds?!"
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized he seemed to have fallen into some kind of logical trap. But it was too late—the words were already out.
"Well, there you have it, then." The corner of Furina's lip curved upward, revealing a "see what I mean?" expression. Her heterochromatic eyes shimmered with keen intelligence beneath the light. "Shrek isn't short on money. Wasn't the original purpose of building the Spirit Arena district precisely to provide students with a place to spar and train, to increase their practical combat experience? If it were a for-profit competition, charging fees would be understandable..."
She deliberately paused, letting her words hang in the air for a moment. Every student's gaze was fixed on her, waiting for what would come next.
"But I am here for the purpose of teaching," her voice rose sharply. "To give my students the training they deserve! And I made this request in my capacity as a teacher. Under these circumstances, you're still insisting on charging?"
Her gaze was razor-sharp, as if it could pierce straight through a person's heart. "Let me ask you another question—does the rulebook explicitly state that 'teachers reserving the Spirit Arena district must pay a fee'?"
Fine beads of sweat began to seep from Teacher Wang's forehead. He opened his mouth, then closed it, several times wanting to speak but swallowing the words back. In the end, he could only answer truthfully. "...There is no explicit provision stating such."
"There we are, then!" Furina withdrew her finger, folded her arms across her chest, and looked at him with the unhurried ease of a teacher instructing an errant student. "Since no such rule exists, yet you insist on charging—So I'm supposed to understand that this money is either Shrek trying to squeeze oil out of its own students? Or..."
She leaned in closer, lowering her voice yet still making sure everyone around could hear clearly.
"...is it perhaps that you, the teacher, are looking to line your own pockets?"
"What the hell!" Teacher Wang swore a vicious oath in his heart, his face instantly draining of color. I didn't! I haven't! Don't go spouting nonsense!
He couldn't for the life of him figure out Furina's playbook. What was the big deal about five hundred gold soul coins? To these students who had managed to enter Shrek Academy, it was practically nothing. To a teacher, it was a mere drop in the bucket. Why go to such lengths over such a trivial sum and slap such a colossal accusation on him? This was going to be the death of him!
In his fluster, Teacher Wang instinctively glanced toward Zhou Yi, hoping this senior teacher present might speak up and alleviate the awkward situation.
Yet Zhou Yi's reaction only made his heart sink further. This teacher, infamous for her harsh severity, not only didn't step forward to help him out—she actually turned her head away, fixing her gaze on the distant wall as if its mottled surface had suddenly become profoundly fascinating.
This subtle gesture set off alarm bells in Teacher Wang's mind. A terrifying thought flashed through his head: could this heterochromatic young woman be connected to some high-ranking figure? To make even someone as fiery-tempered and sand-eyed as Zhou Yi choose silence, even subtly defer to her... could she be the Dean's person? Or a relative of one of the Sea God's Pavilion elders?
Cold sweat slid down his spine. Teacher Wang hastily plastered on a smile so forced, it looked somewhat twisted from sheer nerves.
"I-I didn't mean it that way! Please, you mustn't misunderstand! Just now, it was my poor wording. I was being far too rigid in following the rules... After all, there's never been a precedent of a teacher bringing an entire class to reserve the Spirit Arena district before." He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, his tone growing ever more deferential. "Esteemed Teacher, please forgive my lack of consideration."
Off to the side, though Zhou Yi had turned her head, the corner of her eye had never once left Furina. She wanted to see how this "temporary teacher" would handle the situation next. This girl always managed, in the most unexpected moments, to deliver the most unexpected responses.
Just then, the stern expression on Furina's face melted away like spring snow, replaced by a warm, understanding smile. "Since it was a misunderstanding, then there's no problem at all. Teacher Wang was simply carrying out his duties. I completely understand."
She shifted gears, her tone turning light and breezy. "So we can go in now, yes? If anyone else wants to rent the venue, I'm afraid they'll have to wait. After all, there are so many of us, and..." She paused deliberately, her gaze sweeping over Zhou Yi before continuing. "Teachers get priority."
A few barely stifled laughs escaped from the crowd. Huo Yuhao shook his head, but the corner of his mouth couldn't help curling upward. Wang Dong actually burst out laughing, only reining it in after a gentle nudge from Xiao Xiao's elbow. So this is the benefit of having a 'student-teacher'? Many students exchanged knowing glances, finding similar amusement and a touch of novelty in each other's eyes.
As if that weren't enough, Furina added one more line, her voice carrying a negotiating tone. "Of course, if anyone wants to watch the matches, they can be let in as well. But the spectator seating would require a fee. As for the proceeds... how about we split it fifty-fifty? After all, venue maintenance does incur costs."
Teacher Wang was completely, utterly dumbfounded.
Th-this was blatant, naked double standards! Just moments ago she'd been righteously, indignantly condemning the practice of charging fees—and now, in the blink of an eye, she was going to collect ticket money herself?
But what could he possibly say? The person across from him was also a "teacher." Zhou Yi was clearly on her side. And besides, it really didn't cost him anything. Who knew—it might even attract more students to come watch, boost the Spirit Arena district's popularity, and he could even get a cut of the profits himself...
"...Understood," Teacher Wang finally chose to concede. He had seen enough. This young lady was not to be provoked, nor could her moves be predicted.