Chapter 10: Admin Privileges and Other Bad Ideas

The infirmary's sterile scent of antiseptic and dried herbs clung to the air like an overbearing chaperone. Aizen lay sprawled on a cot, his head throbbing in time with the faint ticking of the wall clock. His nose had finally stopped bleeding, but the taste of iron lingered, a metallic reminder of the [Chronomancer's Gambit]'s cost.

"You look like a corpse," Rikka said cheerfully, perched on the windowsill with an apple in hand. She tossed it at his face.

Aizen caught it mid-air, wincing at the effort. "Thanks. You've got a real talent for bedside manners."

Seraphina hovered nearby, her fan flicking irritably. "If you're quite done martyring yourself, we have a problem. The Academy's mana levels are stable, but the faculty is… curious about the recent… incidents."

"Incidents?" Aizen raised an eyebrow. "You mean the time I rewrote reality? Or when Elara tried to delete the universe?"

"All of it," Seraphina hissed. "The Headmaster has called an emergency assembly. You're expected to attend."

"Can't. Dying." Aizen flopped back onto the pillow.

Rikka snorted. "You'll live. Besides, the whole school's buzzing about the 'mysterious hero' who saved the Academy. Celestia's practically writing ballads about you."

Aizen groaned. "I'd rather fight another aberration."

[New Quest: "Attend the Academy Assembly"]

[Objective: Survive public scrutiny without revealing System secrets]

[Reward: +50 Affection Points (distributed randomly), "Stealthy Mob" Title Upgrade]

[Failure: Expulsion (and possible execution for 'treasonous anomalies')]

Fantastic. Democracy meets dystopia.

The assembly hall was a sea of whispering students and side-eyed professors. Aizen slouched in the back row, his [Mob Camouflage] dialed to maximum, but Seraphina's glare from the front row kept him from bolting. The Headmaster—an ancient wizard with a beard that defied gravity—took the stage, his staff thumping ominously.

"Students," he intoned, "recent events have tested our resolve. Unexplained mana surges. Structural instabilities. Exploding doors." His gaze swept the room, lingering on Aizen. "But let it be known—the Arcane Academy endures!"

The crowd erupted in half-hearted applause. Aizen's System pinged:

[Notice: Administrator Override Detected]

[User Aizen Sōsuke – Adjust Assembly Outcome? Y/N]

Wait, I can mess with this?

He smirked. Y.

The Headmaster's next words came out as a startled quack. The crowd froze. Aizen's [Chronomancer's Gambit] hummed, his admin access rewriting the speech in real-time:

"Students! To celebrate our survival… let's hold a festival! With games! And pie!"

The hall exploded into cheers. Professors gaped. Seraphina's fan snapped in half.

[Affection Points with Rikka: +30 (She finds chaos hilarious)]

[Affection Points with Seraphina: -10 (You've murdered her patience)]

Worth it.

The "Survival Festival" became the Academy's first sanctioned chaos event. Stalls lined the courtyards, selling cursed candies and enchanted trinkets. Students competed in mock duels, and even the librarians emerged to hawk grimoires as "moody décor."

Aizen wandered the grounds, his admin interface open.

[Admin Command: "Scan for Hostiles"]

[Result: 1 anomaly detected – West Courtyard]

He followed the ping, finding Clara trapped in a crowd of haggling merchants. Her clipboard trembled as a burly man loomed over her. "Y-you said these were love potions, not explosives!"

"Temporary combustion! Very romantic!" the merchant cackled.

Aizen shouldered forward. "Hey. She said no."

The merchant turned, cracking his knuckles. "Problem, twig?"

[Admin Command: "Adjust Gravity (Localized)"]

The man's knees buckled, his face planting into the dirt. Clara stared, wide-eyed. "M-Mr. Aizen! How did you—?"

"Leverage. And physics." He tossed her a vial labeled Liquid Courage. "Next time, aim for the knees."

[Affection Points with Clara: +20 (Current: 40/500)]

As Clara stammered thanks, a voice cut through the crowd: "There you are."

Rikka leaned against a stall, her sword replaced by a skewer of candied dragon meat. "Seraphina's on the warpath. She thinks you rigged the festival to annoy her."

"I plead the fifth."

"You should plead for mercy. Also—" She nodded past him. "Incoming trouble."

A girl approached, her uniform pristine, her smile sharp enough to slice mana. Silver hair. Golden eyes. Not Elara.

"Aizen Sōsuke," she said, extending a gloved hand. "I'm Lyra, transfer student. Heard you're the reason we're all eating confetti cake instead of evacuating. Fascinating."

[Alert: Anomaly Detected]

[Identity: ??? – Affiliation: Suspicious]

"Let me guess," Aizen said. "You're here to recruit me, kill me, or bore me with a monologue?"

Lyra's grin widened. "All three, eventually. But first—how'd you like to join the Student Council?"

Seraphina materialized like a vengeful ghost. "Over my desecrated corpse."

Lyra laughed. "Oh, this'll be fun."

[New Quest: "Survive the Council's Games" – Locked Until Chapter 11]