After taking off the dress and the princess shoes, Sato quickly removed the loli makeup from his face.
He changed back into his regular clothes at record speed! Then dashed out of the room in a bit of a fluster, all under Teacher Ōshima's "reluctant" gaze.
Crossing the hallway and arriving at an empty stairwell, he quietly raised his right hand and looked at the photo hidden in his palm…
It was a candid shot taken by Juno Ōshima while Sato wasn't paying attention; capturing the exact moment when he opened his eyes after the makeup was done, looking slightly dazed~
Luckily, Sato caught him in the act just in time and forcibly demanded the photo back. Otherwise… the consequences would've been unthinkable!
Sato instinctively wanted to clench his fist and destroy the photo!
But for some reason, he suddenly hesitated.
Three seconds later, Sato tucked the photo deep into the hidden inner pocket of his wallet for safekeeping…
"The Disguise course isn't over yet… I can use it as a reference. Yes, just for study purposes!"
He muttered to himself, then hurried downstairs without looking back, quickening his pace.
If not for the sake of passing the exam, what kind of proud, manly man would let himself be bossed around like that!?
"RIGHT! It was all forced!"
Thinking that way, Sato finally arrived just in time for his third class.
What met his eyes was a simple, small lecture hall. Over a dozen students were already seated inside.
When the others saw Sato at the door, three of them became visibly excited.
"LEADER!" x3
Sato blinked and immediately turned toward the sound.
There sat Sina, Akira, and Sosuke in a not-so-prominent row near the center of the room, all waving their hands at him like mad.
Naturally, the other students were drawn to the four of them as well, but since they weren't familiar, they simply observed quietly.
At that moment, the teacher already standing at the podium clapped and said, "As you can all see, we have a new student joining the class today.
Sato, I'm Aono, the instructor for the Pokémon League Investigator course. Please go ahead and introduce yourself to everyone."
Sato looked toward Aono. Dressed in a suit with a warm smile, he was the very picture of a normal classroom teacher.
Sato let out a sigh of relief. 'Finally… a normal instructor.'
Seeing that Sato looked at him first, Aono nodded with a smile, then gestured for him to begin his introduction.
Sato nodded back, then turned to face the dozen or so students below.
"My name is Yuga Sato, from Shadownight Town."
Direct and concise. Not a single unnecessary word!
But as the young, widely famous Leader of Shadownight Gym and Champion of the Ace Tournament, just the name "Sato" was more than enough to cause a stir.
In fact, even before Sato opened his mouth, quiet discussions had already begun among the students below. And the moment they heard the real Sato speak, the room burst into excited applause!
"OH MY GOD! I'm actually in the same class as that freak Sato! I'll be bragging about this for life!"
"Yeah! It feels like I've peaked in life. There's nothing left to strive for…"
"SATO'S SO COOL! SATO'S SO COOL! SATO'S SO COOL!"
"…"
Seeing the crowd so fired up, then glancing at the approaching Leader, Sina and the other two instinctively straightened their backs.
They were all handpicked by Sato back then to become trainees, who later became Gym Trainers, and now were trainee Investigators!
"Ahem, ahem. I know everyone is excited about Sato joining the class, but let's save the chatter for after. Let's officially begin the lesson!"
Aono brought the classroom back to order, and once everyone managed to hold their tongues, he picked up his book and began teaching.
Sato took a seat next to Akira, merely nodded to the three of them, then pulled out the brand-new textbook and followed Aono's rhythm, focusing on the lesson.
Seeing that, the three immediately returned to study mode as well. If even their boss was this serious about learning, what excuse did they have to slack off?
While lecturing, Aono also kept an eye on Sato's behavior, and couldn't help but nod quietly to himself.
'Truly excellent people aren't born that way. At the very least, they all deeply love learning.
Just like Sato (^﹏^)'
"Yesterday we covered the kinds of support the League stations in each city. Today, we'll talk about how League Investigators should leverage different local forces based on the type of mission.
Officer Jenny's resources are obviously the ones we rely on the most. But depending on the situation, organizations like Pokémon Breeding Centers, the Ranger Union, and the Pokémon Fan Club can also assist us very effectively…"
Aono began explaining everything thoroughly. His tone was lively and well-paced, and his lecture was peppered with classic examples and jokes, which quickly brought the whole class to life!
After the strange and misleading first two courses, Sato finally felt like he was receiving actual pre-employment training…
And the Pokémon League Investigator course content was incredibly dense!
From the definition and duties of a League Investigator, to how to get started and how to carry out missions, to the full work process; everything was explained.
Sato skimmed through the later chapters. It even had a basic overview of current underground forces, including their power distribution and behavioral patterns. In short, it was highly comprehensive.
Recalling the overall curriculum again, Sato guessed that this class likely covered all the information-based knowledge an ordinary League Investigator should know.
Whereas the first two classes were special skills required only for Independent Investigators.
The upcoming classes -like [Multi-Pokémon Command], [Emotion Control], and [Reconnaissance and Counter-Surveillance]- were also exclusive to Independent Investigators.
Thinking this way, Sato realized his month was going to be… very, very full.
Two hours later, Aono's lecture ended, and it was time for lunch.
Naturally, Sato went to the cafeteria with Akira and the others, and as expected, they were followed by a whole group of excited classmates.
After picking their meals and sitting down, they noticed that the students around them hadn't dispersed. In fact, they hadn't even gone to get food…
They were just watching Sato with starry-eyed excitement! 'Sato-oppa came to eat lunch too!'
"…Are your courses that relaxed? Or do you just get a really long lunch break?" Sato couldn't help but ask the others at his table.
The three looked at each other, then all shook their heads.
"Our schedule's tight. There's only one hour for lunch and rest, and the afternoon is mostly outdoor classes like battles and team coordination. Not relaxing at all," Akira answered calmly and clearly.
"Then… they're not eating?" Sato glanced over at the group of students, immediately causing a stir among them.
"KYAAAAA~!"
"I heard from Ponyo that idol-chasing can unleash a kind of power never before seen in an ordinary person.
So skipping one lunch probably… isn't that big a deal… right?"