The heavy atmosphere soon fell on the room as soon as all teachers were present. Compared to a heavy atmosphere that is filled with grief and sadness, this type of atmosphere that befell the room was more on the terror side. As soon as they got in the room, they knew that they'll soon be chewed up by the principal. They all held their breaths, fully aware that the principal is not to be messed with. They knew that the principal could very well be one of the most powerful superheroes in Japan but since he's not affiliated with the SAO (due to him being a foreigner), he isn't publicly known to be strong.
Sai Tama cleared his throat before he walked up to the teachers, standing on one side of the room. He still wore the suit he was supposed to wear for the orientation day and the teachers quickly realized what he meant by it. No one showed up during the orientation day after all.
"You do know why I've summoned all of you here, correct?" He asked, turning around. With one step, he disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the room where his desk was. Before he sat down, he cleared his throat once again and adjusted the suit he was wearing.
In response, the teachers all nodded in unison, too nervous to even move from their spot. Their eyes were solely fixated on their feet, not daring to look the principal in the eye.
"Why aren't you taking your seats?"
After nodding their heads the second time, all the teachers hastily sat down so the meeting could commence. They already knew what the principal would say but no one dared bring it up. If it had only been one class who did it, they wouldn't have been in trouble. But this year, everyone thought of the same thing and so no one attended the all-important school orientation. The moment they all met at the track field made them all think of the same thing. And now that thought is going to materialize since the principal had called for all of them as soon as classes were over.
"Today, we're going to go over— "
"We sincerely apologize for our rudeness, principal. We didn't mean for it to happen." Mustering all his courage, Knighthawk was the first one to speak up about the matter. "I was certain that I'd be the only class who will do the fitness test on the first day of school, and so I went through it even though it's time for the school orientation. Please forgive us."
The teachers all suck their guts in as they prepared for the principal to go berserk and attack all of them. The heavy atmosphere got a tad bit denser, almost choking the air out of them. Meanwhile, Sai Tama silently sat there without uttering a single word. The pause made everyone assumed for the worse, making them shrink in their seats.
"Well, I called you here because we're going to go over the results of the fitness test you've supervised." Sai Tama said with a casual tone, totally teasing everyone into thinking that he was infuriated. "Regarding the orientation, I'm not in the least bit mad. This is the first time it happened in the USA. Next time, talk to your fellow teachers before deciding to be absent on such an occasion, that way there would be at least one class who will attend the orientation."
"And now that that's out of the way, we can finally talk about the results of the fitness test. Were there any students who caught your attention? Not necessarily the one who got the most points, but the one who's worthy of being mentioned in this meeting."
"Then, I'll be going first. Two of my students both got excellent scores on my fitness test. Aside from that, their superpowers are at least B-rank." Silencer was the first one to speak. He badly wanted to get his mind off of the intense pressure that the principal was releasing.
"A-as for me, one of my students got perfect scores on all of my fitness tests. And by perfect scores, I mean, she got average in scores. Just like Silencer's students, her superpower is at least B-rank as well." Red Velvet was the second to relay her thoughts. This time, she purposefully tried to keep the ball rolling just so there won't be any awkward silence.
"Out of all your students, there are only at least one or two. Well, that's to be expected, not everyone would excel in on-the-spot testing like that. Those handpicked students you have do have the potential so let's see how they'll grow." Sai Tama said after hearing from the two. "How about you, Knighthawk? I'm well aware that this is the first time you're overlooking a class as a homeroom teacher. Is it a bit hard for you?"
"No, sir." Knighthawk promptly responded before the principal got too suspicious of him. He lost a bet against a certain student after all.
"I also came to know that you're fitness test is a bit different compared to all the teachers here. It was a surprise when I first heard of such a thing but your approach is very useful. You tested everyone's physical strengths instead of their superpower, right?" There was a hint of pride in the principal's face when he spoke.
"That's right, sir. While it is not for me to say this, I do believe that a superhero is only as strong as his physical strength. The superpower he has is just there to give him more options and resilience."
"No no, that saying is not imprudent at all. For someone who rose through the ranks without having a superpower, you totally have the right to say that." After saying that, Sai Tama relaxed on his chair and heaved a sigh in a relaxed manner. "So, tell me, Knighthawk, is there anyone that caught your attention during the Fitness Test?"
"Yes, sir. He's an arrogant kid but his talent and physical strength are all top-notch. As much as I hate to admit it, the kid's got an S-Rank for his physical strength... but the most surprising part is that his superpower is S-Rank as well. I'm guessing he's a very good candidate for this year's top of the class."
"What did you say?!"
"Impossible!"
"Are you sure you're not just playing favorites, Knighthawk?"
"Watch your words, Class 3-1 has a long history of not getting picked, you know."
A commotion erupted in the meeting room as soon as Knighthawk said something about Satoshi. He didn't mean to brag about the kid, but he could tell that his talents were the real deal.
"Enough," The Principal softly said before turning to Knighthawk once again. "I hope you watch over him. I was watching your fitness test a while ago and I'd say I'm impressed. There are two other promising young lads in your group, right? Look after them as well."
"With that said, you might be wondering why I'm asking you all these. And no, it's not because I felt bad that no one attended the school orientation. I'm telling you this because the inter-high tournament is coming up in a month's time. I'd like to pick a few candidates as early as possible."
"The inter-high tournament? This early? And why are we picking amongst the first-years? Isn't that a little too much, principal?" Thunderguard asked, fully knowing that everyone had the same question in mind.