A Brief Look into Ancient World History

Mostly due to the rough attitude she had and the 'don't approach me' feeling she gave off, no one was expecting Huang Luan to return to the classroom anytime soon. As such, it was a bit of a surprise for some, when she returned right before the start of the 3rd period.

Today the 3rd period class is world history and the current subject matter is about a topic of wide debate and speculation, the mythical Black Emperor who was said to have ruled over the primitive world of humanity.

"I know it's a bit of a departure compared to our last class, but the Principal wants us to spend a class or two going over the Black Emperor. Let's start with what you all know about the Black Emperor. The topic isn't discussed much in the usual high school curriculum," Kiryuu Yuuzuki says, a relatively new teacher at Kawakami Academy who started at the beginning of the school year.

Raising his hand, Kazama says, "I know the Black Emperor is the person who built the city ruins I went to last week! That's what the old guy there told me."

"That wasn't exactly what I was looking for… but good on you for seeking out such historic places in your free time," Yuuzuki says before looking around the rest of the class, "Then… Naoe-kun, do you know anything about the Black Emperor?"

Standing up from his seat, Yamato says, "The Black Emperor is a figure who appears in legends from across the world. Many of these often tell how they ruled the entire planet. But this claim is the subject of much debate amongst historians. While most people don't doubt that a figure similar to this existed during this time period, many don't believe the authenticity of the claim that the Black Emperor ruled the planet and instead believe that the Black Emperor is a variety of coincidental rulers appearing around the world at the same time 100,000 years ago while also coincidentally having similar architectural styles. Regardless of the authenticity, there are many ideas and laws today that are said to have originally been created by the Black Emperor, even games such as Chess is said to have been derived from him or them. Currently, much of East Asia, including Japan, claim to be successors to the Black Emperor, although no one is sure of where the claim originally comes from, it has been suggested that it's because the architecture of the Black Emperor is similar to that of ancient china and subsequently the rest of the Sinosphere."

Satisfied with his response, Yuuzuki nods, "Very good, Naoe-kun. You may take a seat. What Naoe-kun explained covers most of the basics regarding this mythical figure or figures." However inwardly, this teacher is thinking something different, 'I'm a failure of a teacher, I can't believe my student knows more about this than I do. If I didn't have the reference book I'd be completely lost. I need to study this more in case the students have any questions later.'

Turning a page in the reference book she received prior to class, Yuuzuki continues the lecture, "I'm sure one of the things that comes to mind when someone mentioned the Black Emperor is the Cult of the Black Emperor, or as they call themselves, the Church of the Black Emperor. This troublesome group often appears in the news and international headlines with strange publicity stunts. Unlike the majority of people who look at the Black Emperor as either a historical figure or various figures, these people see the Black Emperor as a singular person and worship them as a God. It's common knowledge for people who study this topic that they need to be wary of this group as… they're strange, to say the least. Most people wouldn't call them dangerous, but they're definitely strange. Much of what we know today about the Black Emperor comes from this cult, although their descriptions have to be taken with a grain of salt."

As the lecture continued with a few questions here and there, the majority of 2-F was uninterested in the topic. Though Kazama seemed plenty interested, plotting out his next adventure. Earlier, when Yamato sat down after his explanation, he had noticed that Huang Luan was more attentive to the class than he originally thought she would be. But once the topic of the Cult of the Black Emperor came up, her facial expression was a little off, and although no one heard it, she whispered, "Those idiots…"

But as the class ended and 4th period mathematics began, Yamato noticed that not even five minutes into the lesson, Huang Luan was sleeping. 'Does she like history? Maybe I can use this as a way to get to know her,' Yamato thought as he kicked Kazuko's chair, waking her up.

At the beginning of lunch break, Momoyo runs into 2-F, "I heard that the new student was a cute little girl so I came! … But I don't see anyone new. Yamato! Where did you hide the cute little girl!"

"Nee-san, why is your first assumption that I hid her? But she was sleeping at her desk a second ago, but I guess she disappeared again. The Principal mentioned that she was someone on your level, Nee-san. She seems to dislike troublesome things, so I supposed it's within expectations to run if she sensed you coming. Can't you usually track people by their qi?" Yamato says.

"Mmm… that's the problem. I could feel her qi when she fought with Wanko during homeroom, but I wasn't able to feel anything afterwards. This girl is definitely an expert if she can control her qi to such an extent. I really want to fight her myself… but more than that I want to pick her up in my arms and hug her! All cute girls in this world are mine," Momoyo says.

"Nee-san…"

Meanwhile in the garden behind the school., Tesshin is tending to the flowers while chatting with Huang Luan.

"Why not speak with the other students?" Tesshin asks.

"I feel like it will lead to something troublesome, so I'll pass. But I do have to hand it to Moyomoyo, if she got too close she would have found me. You did a good job with her, but it doesn't seem like she remembers me, well, not like it's a big deal," Huang Luan says as she kneels and picks up a lily.

"It's no surprise, she was still just a newborn when she first saw you. I am more worried about Kazuko who saw you recently and still had trouble remembering you. Oh, before I forget, that organisation of yours contacted me, or rather, the school."

A wry smile makes its way onto Huang Luan's face, "Which one?"

"Don't worry, it wasn't those fanatics of yours. It was the mercenaries, Liangshan Yi. They caught wind of your previous expulsion and how you've entered Kawakami. A cool beauty with red hair showed up in my office wanting to know if I tricked their elder into coming to my school. After clearing up the issue, she said she would transfer into 2-F to watch over you."

After hearing the description of who showed up, Huang Luan's smiled shifted to a much more gentle one. A look far more befitting her child-like appearance. "When is she coming?"

"I've arranged for her to stay with you in the guest room. She should be arriving later tonight and will transfer in tomorrow," Tesshin says.

"I'm looking forward to seeing her again. Hmm… time for me to go," Huang Luan says, turning her back to Tesshin.

"Leaving so soon? Why not keep this old man company?"

"If you're old, then I'm ancient… wait, I am. Anyway, Moyomoyo has started picking up the traces I left behind. If she can manage to find me before lunch break is over then I might humour her," Huang Luan says before walking away.

Not even a minute after Huang Luan left the garden, Momoyo shows up, "Hey Gramps, did you see the little girl transfer student around?"

"And why are you looking for her?" Tesshin asks.

"She's strong. I could feel it when she fought during homeroom. I want to try fighting her."

"Is that all?" Tesshin asks.

"And because she's cute and looks huggable. If you didn't stop me this morning I could have already hugged her!"

Nodding his head in agreement, Tesshin says, "Luan does indeed have a cute outer appearance. It's a shame that image gets ruined once she opens her mouth. Regardless, she's testing you. You couldn't sense Hume's strength before nor can you sense the presence of Luan."

"No, I can still feel traces of her qi. She's certainly good at hiding herself but compared to Hume-san, her concealment doesn't match up," Momoyo says, confident she can find Huang Luan.

Shaking his head, Tesshin says, "If she truly didn't want to be found, then there isn't anyone who could find her, I can assure you that much. Luan is deliberately leaving a track for you to trace. If you manage to find her before the end of lunch break, she might agree to spar with you."

"Really! Then I'll see you later Gramps!" Momoyo yells as she runs off.

Tesshin sighs as he returns to tending the flowers, "Maybe I really should drag her to the mountain over the summer to temper her mind. She left before I even finished explaining…"

While Momoyo has no problems picking up the tracks of Huang Luan, they are in the end nothing more than tracks, leading to nothing more than more tracks. In the end, Momoyo never finished her wild goose chase before the end of lunch. Back in the classroom, right before the start of 5th period, Huang Luan made sure that her presence was known to intentionally provoke Momoyo and let her know she lost.

As classes end for the day, Huang Luan feels a vibration from her phone, 'I thought I set my phone to silent?' she thinks, digging up her phone from the many things in her pockets.

In addition to the many missed calls and messages from several members of Liangshan Yi, she finds that the newest and reason behind the vibration is a notification from the Group Chat.