Tonight, she once again dined alone in the restaurant. The table was set with an array of exquisite dishes and desserts.

She paid little attention to the food. In her view, it didn't matter what the dish was. Anything that made it to the Phoenix Academy household's table wouldn't be bad.

Miwa Kazuki stood diligently by her side, reporting on recent events: news from the business world, political updates, and some developments regarding international situations.

The young lady was not yet equipped to handle the affairs of the Phoenix Academy household but needed to be kept informed. Keeping abreast of domestic and international news was part of the young lady's daily curriculum.

Phoenix Academy Maggie listened, slowly enjoying her dinner with very elegant manners.

When Miwa Kazuki finished speaking, Phoenix Academy Maggie said indifferently, "Miwa, I'd like to dine alone in silence for a while. Please leave."

"Certainly, Young Lady."

Miwa Kazuki bowed and exited the dining room.

No one else was around.

The composed look on Phoenix Academy Maggie's face quickly vanished. She glanced down, continued to eat, and sneakily took out her phone under the table to check messages.

The manga club had created a chat room on Line. It consisted of only three members: her, Nomura Makoto, and Yoshikawa Sayuri.

She opened the chat room.

Phoenix Academy Maggie looked over past messages. Nomura Makoto and Yoshikawa Sayuri had left messages one after another, asking how her date with Aozawa had gone.

A small smile touched Phoenix Academy Maggie's lips. Amidst her shyness, she felt the urge to share her current emotions with her friends. Her thumbs flew as she rapidly typed.

"Nothing much. We just walked around the 100-Yen store together, bought two Goldfish Wallets, two erasers, and a couple of new pencils."

Phoenix Academy Maggie uploaded a picture she had taken earlier to the chat room. "It looks like this."

Yoshikawa Sayuri quickly replied, "Wow, so pretty! Was it at the Silver Department Store's 100-Yen store? Let's go shopping together next time."

Nomura Makoto also commented, "Sayuri, you're still naïve. The key is in the eraser and pencil designs; they're totally couple's items. Maggie, pretty slick."

A hint of pride swelled in Phoenix Academy Maggie's heart, making even the French snails on her plate seem extraordinarily delicious.

"Makoto, speaking of which, I have you to thank for this opportunity," she replied.

"Now you appreciate me, huh? You nearly strangled me before, but I forgive you. Tomorrow, you'll experience pain ten times worse than mine," Makoto replied.

"What are you talking about?"

Phoenix Academy Maggie's curiosity was piqued.

"Maggie," Yoshikawa Sayuri explained, "usually, when you eat something too spicy, it's very painful when you go to the bathroom the next morning."

"Like fire," Nomura Makoto added, clearly reveling in her friend's misfortune, and sent an emoji of a butt on fire.

A disdainful smile touched Phoenix Academy Maggie's lips as she texted back, "You all underestimate my constitution. A little spiciness is nothing; I'm already fine."

"You'd better rinse with water tomorrow and then apply some ointment to ease the pain," Yoshikawa Sayuri advised kindly, speaking from experience.

"You're all overreacting. If you find it painful, it just means your willpower isn't strong enough."

Phoenix Academy Maggie didn't take their words seriously. As a young lady of her standing, her willpower was formidable. A bit of pain was nothing to her, let alone the need for something as exaggerated as ointment.

「The next day, in classroom 2-C.」

The first class of the morning hadn't started yet. The classroom was filled with students, most of whom weren't in sports clubs. Everyone was chatting with people they knew.

Phoenix Academy Maggie casually appeared at the doorway.

Yoshikawa Sayuri and Nomura Makoto stopped chatting, their gazes simultaneously fixing on Phoenix Academy Maggie at the entrance.

Their probing gazes made Phoenix Academy Maggie press her lips together, straighten her posture, and walk forward with a normal gait.

This morning she had finally understood why Aozawa mentioned "The chrysanthemum is devastated, scattered across the floor."

But she had not followed Yoshikawa Sayuri's advice to apply ointment. If she asked Miwa Kazuki for something like that, she felt her image as a dignified young lady would crumble. Phoenix Academy Maggie would rather grit her teeth and endure than do anything that might ruin her image.

Nomura Makoto propped her cheek on her right hand and said, "So, you've experienced my pain, haven't you?"

"It's a minor issue," Phoenix Academy Maggie replied calmly.

Her nonchalant expression earned a look of admiration from Yoshikawa Sayuri. "Maggie, you're truly amazing."

Anyone who's eaten extremely spicy food knows the feeling; there's no faking it. Yoshikawa Sayuri admired her friend's ability to look so nonplussed even after going through such pain, without showing any sign of lying. Her willpower was indeed strong.

"Heh-heh." With a snicker, Nomura Makoto seized the opportunity when Phoenix Academy Maggie wasn't paying attention and, with her right hand, delivered a light Thousand Years of Death.

GAH! An instant explosion of fiery sensation rallied every muscle in Phoenix Academy Maggie's body. A scream surged from her abdomen to her throat, but she forced it back down. Her teeth clenched with a grinding noise.

"Makoto, don't do such childish things. We're not elementary schoolers," Phoenix Academy Maggie said softly, turning gracefully.

Nomura Makoto's smile was wiped away by surprise. Her sudden Thousand Years of Death attack, even though not delivered with much force, should have made Phoenix Academy Maggie howl in her current state. Could it be that not only was Maggie strikingly beautiful, but her tolerance for pain was also far superior to that of ordinary people?

"Maggie, could you possibly have BIGMOM's steel butt?"

"Don't go around giving people nicknames. Honestly. I'm going to my seat to review," Phoenix Academy Maggie said, her right hand gently lifting her golden hair from her temple to quietly wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Damn you, Makoto! Just you wait! She would definitely get her revenge the next chance she got.

Phoenix Academy Maggie roared internally, maintaining an expression that her classmates called elegant as she walked back to her seat.

She took a deep breath, slowly sat down, and clutched the surface of the desk tightly. It took a good while for her to adjust.

Phoenix Academy Maggie gently exhaled, wiped the sweat from her forehead one more time, and vowed never to eat so-called "insanely spicy" food again.

Phoenix Academy Maggie picked up her book and began to review her lessons.

A moment later, she heard an "Ah!" from beside her and glanced over.

"I feel like I'm going to die, Young Lady. Did you... this morning...?" Hojo Tetsuji complained, his face etched with pain as he sprawled across his desk.

"Shut up!"

"I'm talking about you—"

"Shut up!" Phoenix Academy Maggie cut him off again coldly, her eyes like ice. Her gaze was like a sharply honed knife at Hojo Tetsuji's throat, a silent warning that another word would mean his death.

Hojo Tetsuji swallowed the complaints he wanted to make. Having eaten too much spicy food the previous day, the morning had been truly unbearable for him. Even so, in such a state, he still finished the manga draft.

"Young Lady, I included yesterday's events in the manga. Take a look. The editor from Shueisha said we could try for serialization and asked me to draw more for his review."

"Excellent. You've finally taken the first step."

Phoenix Academy Maggie felt a deep sense of satisfaction, like a parent watching their child take their first successful step. She took Hojo Tetsuji's manga manuscript and began to examine it.

「As the time for class neared, Ayatsuki Iroha and Aozawa entered the classroom.」

Ever since she had resolved to declare war on Phoenix Academy Maggie, every morning Ayatsuki Iroha would stealthily observe Phoenix Academy Maggie's expression as she and Aozawa entered the classroom together. Today was no exception.

Ayatsuki Iroha observed Phoenix Academy Maggie. Her golden hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her fair, jade-like profile looked flawless, making the blue sky and white clouds outside the window a mere backdrop.

However, unlike usual, Phoenix Academy Maggie's right hand was leisurely twirling a pencil—a new one, it seemed. A cat-shaped eraser stood on her desk.

Not bad taste, Ayatsuki Iroha mused. She'd thought Phoenix Academy Maggie disliked cute things. Apparently, no girl could resist cute items.

She thought this, but didn't realize the implications of the situation. Phoenix Academy Maggie's uncharacteristic pencil-twirling and the upright eraser—these subtle displays failed to alert Ayatsuki Iroha.

She jauntily returned to her seat.

Phoenix Academy Maggie glanced over. Seeing no trace of suspicion on Ayatsuki Iroha's face, only that Husky-like goofy grin, she felt a pang of frustration but quickly suppressed it, turning her gaze to the approaching Aozawa.

"Maggie, are you alright?" Aozawa asked, his gaze drifting, more precisely, to her skirt.

In that instant, Phoenix Academy Maggie felt a strong surge of embarrassment, as if she'd been seen through, which quickly turned into indignation. Aozawa was definitely asking for trouble!

"I'm fine! Watch where you're looking! This is Tetsuji's manuscript; you look it over!" Phoenix Academy Maggie snapped, slamming the manuscript onto Aozawa's desk.

Hojo Tetsuji, beside them, looked up and muttered softly, "Is she having one of her fits again? She seems really worked up!"

"I can hear you!" Phoenix Academy Maggie retorted, glaring at him. At such close range, even the softest whisper couldn't escape her ears.

The timely school bell saved Hojo Tetsuji. He let out a heavy sigh, relieved to escape the young lady's explosive temper.

Phoenix Academy Maggie glared at both of them and turned away.

Aozawa was somewhat baffled; he hadn't said anything. But he knew well enough that arguing with an angry woman was pointless, so he didn't try to defend himself, simply picking up the manga manuscript.

"Let me know if you have any feedback after reading the manuscript. I'm going to catch some sleep," Hojo Tetsuji said casually, then slumped onto his desk and immediately began to doze off.

Aozawa tucked the manga manuscript into his desk drawer and took an English textbook from his bag.

He'd heard the previous English teacher had transferred. Hopefully, the new one was a recent female college graduate.