A LESSON

"When did I even express opposition?" Stare pondered, wearing a duped expression.

Then, as if recalling something, he thought, "Maybe I did display a few expressions during her speech due to her misinformation, but I can't recall making them appear so obvious."

It meant Ava had been constantly observing him, indicating she possessed top-notch observational skills.

Well, that theory didn't seem too far-fetched, considering that people Stare knew to have high intellect also turned out to be very observant.

The professor's gaze soon landed on Stare, who could swear he saw a spark in his eyes for a moment.

"Is that true? Tell us your opinion then, young man," the professor prompted.

Stare instantly realized he had been set up into a dilemma. He could either pretend not to know anything, thereby appearing as a foolish show-off and giving Ava the satisfaction of discrediting him, or he could provide a reasonable response, potentially further infuriating the Elite and putting himself in even greater jeopardy.

Stare quickly chose the first option, even deciding to play along to make it more convincing.

Rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile, Stare stood up, immediately drawing everyone's attention to him once more.

"I don't exactly have a differing opinion from what she said, and my expressions earlier may have been misunderstood."

The moment those words left Stare's mouth, there seemed to have been a drop in the anticipation building up in the classroom.

It was almost as though everyone was rooting for him to make the wrong move.

'These crazy people' Stare thought in annoyance.

The professor, visibly disappointed with deep frowns etched on his face, slowly averted his gaze from Stare.

"You might as well sit down now," he said, with a couple of other grumblings that were inaudible.

Stare took his seat, maintaining the facade of someone who had made a mistake.

Hopefully, this would temporarily divert the little devil's attention away from him.

Halfway to his seat, Stare could hear Ava mutter the word "idiot" in a mocking manner.

You know, now that he thought about it, maybe teaching the kid a couple of lessons wouldn't be that bad after all, especially since he had already given her the satisfaction of seeing him disgraced.

A mischievous grin flashed across his face as he suddenly stood back on his feet, surprising everyone, including Ava.

"I might not have a differing opinion myself on the topic, but I did read something in a book some time ago," Stare mentioned.

The professor's interest was immediately piqued, and he quickly rushed towards Stare's desk with eagerness.

"Oh, I'm all ears, boy."

"Even before the villain's machine came into play, Earth was already struggling. People were using up nature's resources too fast, cutting down forests, and pumping out gases that trap heat in the atmosphere."

"Nature itself is pretty complicated too. The sun's rays, the oceans, volcanoes, and what's in our air all mix together to make our climate. Sometimes it gets hotter, sometimes colder, all on its own."

"Even without the villain's machine, things would have gotten worse. More people mean more stuff being used, more pollution, and more warming. Sure, the villain's machine made things worse, but the humanity of that era could also be held accountable."

"This likely explains why, in this era, cutting down trees and excessive release of smoke are viewed as high felony offenses. It was probably the earlier government, who were more aware of the events surrounding Earth's previous calamity, implementing measures to prevent such a disaster from recurring."

By the time Stare finished his speech, the intensity of everyone's gaze seemed to increase, especially from Ava and the professor.

Stare couldn't help but notice the expressions, particularly Ava's, which conveyed deep shock. This prompted him to smile even wider in response.

"...But of course all this had been based on the book I had read, so it might be wrong and Miss Ava here would be more likely correct."

He of course had to add this at the end with an oblivious expression so as not to attract too much backfire to himself, but in the end everyone knew with the points he gave they had mostly been misinformed, including the 'Smart' Ava.

The professor remained on one spot as though frozen, his expression undoubtedly one of excitement.

Only a few minutes after Stare concluded his presentation, did he break out of his frozen state, wearing a very wide smile – the first the class had seen in a while.

"What's your name, boy?" the professor asked.

"It's Stare, sir," Stare promptly replied, receiving a few nods from the professor.

"What e-book did you read from, by the way?" the professor inquired again, causing Stare's expression to instantly pale.

Not wanting to reveal his unease, he quickly came up with a response.

"Uh, it was just an old e-book I randomly picked up, so I hadn't given it much thought."

The professor appeared slightly disappointed for a moment but quickly returned to his smiles.

"Well, that's a shame. Nonetheless, you did provide a valid response, kid."

"Who knows, maybe this class won't end up being so boring after all."

After giving a humble nod, Stare returned to his seat, feeling inwardly satisfied.

He could sense Ava's repeated gaze on him, and although it didn't feel hostile, he still wasn't entirely comfortable with it.

At least he had played his game well, so there shouldn't be much of a problem. He had initially accepted knowing nothing to allow Ava her moment of satisfaction, then went on to prove her opinion wrong. However, he refrained from taking credit for it to preserve her ego.

It shouldn't result in anything serious, and he had also succeeded in humbling her ego a bit.

As anticipated, the class proceeded undisturbed from that point onward, only interrupted by the bell signaling the end of the class.

The professor swiftly packed up and exited the classroom, prompting the students to begin filing out for the next class.

Stare also seized this opportunity to meet up with Y-204. However, just as he was about to approach the seat where he had seen him, he was intercepted by both Bobby and Joel, who immediately bombarded him with complaints and scolding about his altercation with Ava.

After finally managing to calm the two down, Stare realized that the white-haired pale kid was no longer in his seat.

It appeared that he might have joined the others for the next class.

Turning around to survey the nearly empty classroom, Stare sighed before turning back to Joel and Bobby.

"What's the next class anyway?" Stare inquired.

"According to the AI, I think it's a fief training course," Bobby promptly replied, sounding somewhat enthusiastic.

"Hmmm," Stare murmured.

This explained why it seemed the students were extra eager to leave for the next class.

After all, they were newly minted Primes who had just been introduced to the concept of possessing extraordinary powers. It was probable that they would be highly interested in learning everything about the powers or fiefs they had awakened.

Well, Stare didn't have any other choice. He would have to meet Y-204 in the next class then.