The S-Class Mage is a Gyaru!?-Chapter 25: Arcane Symposium, Part Five

Chapter 25: Arcane Symposium, Part Five
Professor Zhang’s dragon tattoos twist and coil around her arms like they’re restless. Like they know some shit’s about to go down.
"The thing about those stuffy judges," she says, perching on her desk, "is that they think power has to look a certain way. Clean. Controlled. But here’s the secret." She leans forward. "Power is power. Doesn’t matter if it comes wrapped in designer robes or dripping in, uh... gyaru glam."
I raise an eyebrow, my platform heels clicking against the floor as I shift my weight.
"So what’s the move then? Just tone myself down until I get to the combat part or...?"
Zhang actually snorts.
"Fuck no. We’re gonna make your style work for you." She stands up, rolling her shoulders. "Hit me with your strongest attack spell."
"Uh, what?"
"I want to show you something."
"You sure about that?" I ask, but I’m so hyped already gathering my power. It rises up inside me, hot pink and ready to throw down.
"Don’t hold back."
[Your funeral, Prof.]
So... I let loose with everything I’ve got. The magic rips through the air like a tsunami of cherry blossoms and pure fuck-you energy.
Professor Zhang doesn’t even flinch.
Instead, she does... something.
Honestly? I’m not sure what happens. Her hands move in this weird pattern, and suddenly my attack splits apart, the pieces of mana falling around Zhang harmlessly.
"Holy shit," I breathe.
"This is what they want to see," Zhang says, gesturing at the mana staining the ground, blue mist rising around her. "Structure. Form. Technical precision."
"H-How did you...?"
She grins at me.
"I’ll show you. That structure, that form, that precision. We’re gonna give it to them. But I wanna help you do it your way." She puts her palm in front of her, and mana gathers atop her hand. The mana looks like mine. Pink, like little cherry blossoms atop her palm. "Your power naturally takes this form, right? All flash and attitude?"
I nod.
"That’s because your mana is *yours*. It responds to who you are. Your personality. Your essence." One of her dragons slithers down her arm as she talks. "Even if I try to keep my mana like this, it’ll eventually turn back blue," she says, showing it happening in real-time. "The way you’ll win isn’t by trying to be like me. It’s about showing them you can control your mana, as unique as it is, in the same way I can. Because you don’t need to sacrifice your style to show you can control yourself. Understand?"
"..." I pause. "Not really, but that sounded cool."
She sighs.
"... Let’s just get to the lesson."
For the next twenty minutes, she walks me through it. How to take my natural magic and give it just enough structure to shut up the critics, without losing what makes it mine, and how to take the magic people will dish out to me and adapt to it.
"Think of it like your makeup," she says at one point. "You don’t just slap it on, right? There’s technique there. Precision. Mana’s the same way. The real secret to winning the judges over is showing that you understand that, even as you show how naturally gifted you are. Get it?"
"Not really."
Anyway, in under an hour, she quickly became my favorite professor.
"Why are you helping me?" I finally ask, after I’ve managed to disperse one of her more "high-effort" attacks. "Not that I don’t appreciate it, just asking."
Zhang’s quiet for a minute, absently stroking one of her tattoos.
"You see these?" She rolls up her sleeve further, showing more of her magical ink. "When I first started teaching here, they tried to make me cover them up. Said they weren’t ’professional.’ That they didn’t fit the image of what a Crescent Moon professor should look like."
[Ah. There it is.]
"What’d you do?"
"Told them they could either deal with my tattoos or deal with finding someone else who could teach Combat Magic half as well as I do." She shrugs. "They shut up pretty quick after that."
I can’t help but grin.
"But that’s the thing," she continues. "They never got over that. This place... it’s all about tradition. About doing things the way they’ve always been done. And yeah, some traditions are worth keeping. But others?"
"Need to GET FUCKED!" I finish for her.
"Uh... Exactly." She replies, smiling wryly. "So when I see a student like you? Someone who’s got more raw talent than half the faculty combined, but they’re trying to push you down because you don’t fit their precious mold?"
Her dragons seem to glow slightly as she speaks.
"Well, let’s just say I’m real interested in seeing you prove them wrong."
[Fuck yeah.]
"Now," she says, cracking her knuckles. "Let’s see that attack of yours again."
I laugh, but I’m already gathering my power.
"Aight, prof. Here goes nothing!"
By the time we finish, I’ve got three new techniques under my belt and a whole new appreciation for Professor Zhang.
Looking at her, with her undercut and her moving tattoos and that absolute "fuck around and find out" energy, I can see why the establishment types might have a problem with her.
[Good thing I’ve never given a fuck about the establishment.]
"Remember," she says as I’m heading out. "They’re expecting you to either fail or conform. So what are you gonna do?"
I strike a pose in the doorway, making sure my modified uniform shows just enough thigh to give some old professor a heart attack.
"Succeed while being the baddest bitch this school’s ever seen."
"Attagirl."
---
The moment third class ends, I’m making my way to Reina’s desk like a heat-seeking missile locked onto its target.
[Time to make my goth queen blush a little~]
It has very quickly become my favorite pastime.
"Hey beautiful," I purr, leaning over her desk just enough to give her a perfect view down my uniform top. "Got plans after this, or can I convince you to-"
"Can’t today." Reina’s already packing up her shit, but I catch the way her eyes linger on my cleavage. Just for a moment, but still. "Family stuff."
[Damn. Her dad, I’m guessing.]
"Rain check then?" I blow her a kiss, and the way her cheeks flush pink is absolutely worth it.
"Pfft. Yeah, right," she mutters, but she’s fighting back a smile as she hurries out.
I barely have time to pout before a familiar pair of massive tits crashes into my back.
"MY LOVE!" Haruka’s arms wrap around me like she hasn’t seen me in years instead of just one class period. "How did I survive sixty whole minutes without your perfect ass in my life?"
"BABY!" I spin around dramatically, clutching my chest. "Each second was like a dagger in my heart!"
"My gorgeous goddess!" Suddenly, she dips me low.
[Oh shit.]
... I’m not gonna lie, I legit blush.
"Let me heal your wounds with my tongue!" Haruka keeps playing around, unaware that she actually caught me off-guard. But, I recover in an instant.
"Yes! Take me!" I throw my head back, one leg lifting like I’m on a romance novel cover. "Right here in this classroom! I don’t care who sees!"
And then, naturally, our tongues clash.
[God, the things I wanna do to her...] I think to myself as she moans into my mouth. [It’s weird. Obviously, I’ve always liked making out with Haru, but I haven’t felt this... Well... Horny about it. I dunno.]
"Hey," I pull back just enough to speak, loving the way she chases my lips. "Wanna see something cool?"
Haruka’s eyes light up.
"Hell yeah!"
I gather my magic the way Zhang showed me, letting it flow through my body before shaping it atop my palm with precise movements. Pink mana dances between my fingers, forming perfect crystal-like structures that shimmer in the air.
"Holy shit!" Haruka claps her hands. "That’s so pretty!"
"Yeah?" I wrap an arm around her waist. "Nowhere near as pretty as you, babe."
"OH!" Haruka falls back, swooning. "So romantic~ I might faint!"
"I’m here to catch you, my love!" I declare, still holding my swooning Haruka. My hand might be a little lower on her ass than strictly necessary, but like, who cares?
Just as I’m leaning in to taste those glossy lips again, my phone starts buzzing.
"Ahwauwahwa!" A choked noise comes out of my throat. "Cock-blocked. Really?"
Haruka just cackles, picking herself up but making no move to escape my wandering hands. Her tits press against mine as she leans in close.
"Babe, just answer it," she says, before switching to that posh voice. "My lips will still be here after~"
I blink.
[FUCK.]
I fish my phone out as quickly as I can... without removing my hand from Haru’s ass. Because priorities.
"Moshi moooosh~"
"Akari." It’s Professor Zhang, and she sounds like she’s one more annoyance away from committing murder.
"Uh, yeah, teach? What up?"
"Well," she practically growls, "you should take a look at the university’s website. The section regarding the Symposium."
"Oh. Uh, okay?"
"Goodbye."
Click.
[That’s not mysterious at all.]
I pull up the site while Haruka hooks her chin over my shoulder, her breath hot against my neck in a way that makes it real hard to focus on reading.
And...
[Oh. OH FUCK.] I scowl. [They moved it up.]
"Akari?" Haruka’s voice has lost that playful edge. "What’s wrong?"
I sigh, letting my head fall back against her shoulder.
"The Symposium," I say, feeling like melting into a puddle of pink goo and platform heels. "It’s gonna be in three days!!!!"