"Ah, it's snowing."

Unsure how long he had been tormented in the Sea of Flowers, when Moen stepped out of the bell tower, he happened to see the first snowflake fluttering down from the vast white sky.

Winter had arrived.

Moen suddenly felt a twinge of sentimentality.

Unconsciously, he had experienced three seasons here. Though it didn’t sound like a particularly long time, Moen couldn’t help but feel as if a lifetime had passed.

"Come to think of it, it seems I haven’t been attending classes regularly for quite a while."

In front of the bell tower, students radiating youthful energy walked past. When they saw Moen standing nearby, they cast surprised glances at him.

However, the fear and disgust that used to linger in their eyes when they looked at him were now mostly gone. What remained was simple surprise and curiosity at seeing someone who had vanished for so long suddenly reappear.

Some daring first-year girl even giggled and approached him to start a conversation, "Senior Moen, you’ve been gone so long—did you go off chasing after some other girls again?"

"What do you think?" Moen blinked and teased in return.

"I heard your engagement ceremony with the student council president has already been scheduled. Aren’t you worried about her wrath, being flirtatious like this?"

"Her? Dare she?"

Moen straightened his face. "Do you even know who make the call in the Campbell family?"

"Hehe, I recorded that! I'm totally going to tell the president."

"Don’t, don’t, don’t…"

"......"

After some playful banter, Moen abandoned the thought of going to class then and there.

He had already skipped so many classes—one more day wouldn’t make a difference.

Besides, ever since he became Teacher Mela’s disciple, most professors at the academy seemed to have tacitly accepted his long-term absences from class.

Having connections was truly great—unlike before, when he had to negotiate endlessly with Professor Kaid just to take a one-month leave.

"Well then, I’ll relax a bit first."

Having endured Teacher Mela’s torment in the Sea of Flowers via the Mercury Well for so long, Moen’s physical injuries and exhaustion had been fully healed, but his spirit still needed an appropriate break.

Only by balancing work and rest could efficiency be maximized.

As for how to unwind…

Moen's gaze shifted, landing on the junior girl next to him.

"Miss," he said, "do you know anyone skilled in plant-based magic?"

...

...

The Ancient Potions Classroom.

In the quiet room, a rhythmic knock suddenly broke the silence:

"Little bunny, little bunny, open the door—the big bad wolf is here."

"......"

"Huh? Little bunny, are you not home?"

The door creaked open, and a golden head peeked inside.

Moen’s gaze swept the room and fell on Anna, who was seated quietly by the window.

She was still occupying the desk she often used, sitting sideways and resting her cheek against her hand as she silently watched the falling snow outside.

Her silver uniform traced out an impossibly seductive figure. Beneath her pale red pleated skirt were two slender legs wrapped in black stockings, crossed and draping naturally from the desk. Her shiny leather shoes tapped lightly against the floor.

She seemed to be humming some song, tapping out the rhythm with her feet.

"Huh? Didn’t you hear me?" Moen blinked and raised his voice to call out, "Little bunny? Senior?"

Anna still didn’t turn her head, as if she hadn’t noticed someone else had entered the classroom.

"This isn’t right..."

Moen sensed that something was off, and his expression turned serious.

He tiptoed into the classroom, subtly extending a leg to nudge the door shut, then locking it behind him.

With small, purposeful steps, he moved toward Anna.

"Senior?"

"......"

"My dear senior?"

"......"

"My most beloved senior, Anna?"

"......"

"Ah, could it be that you’re mad at me?"

Moen bent down, trying to meet Anna’s gaze.

But she kept staring out of the window, refusing to look at him, no matter how he tried.

All he could see was her profile.

The beauty mark at the corner of her eye still exuded a faint charm. Her exquisite face was serene, devoid of any discernible emotion.

But she was absolutely mad.

"That’s odd. I don’t think I’ve done anything lately that might upset Senior," Moen thought, scratching his head in confusion.

During this period, he had been suffering nonstop in the Sea of Flowers—there was no way he could’ve done anything to provoke her. Could it be that she was simply mad because he hadn’t visited her in a few days?

Since when had she become so clingy?

"Senior, are you really going to ignore me?"

"......" Still no response.

"If you’re going to ignore me, that’s fine…"

Moen leaned in even closer, his tone softening.

"But you can’t possibly ignore this beautiful bouquet I went through so much effort to find for you in the desolation of this winter, can you?"

With that, Moen suddenly produced a bouquet of fresh flowers from behind his back.

The scarlet petals glistened vividly against the white snow outside the window. Their faint fragrance mingled with Anna’s delicate scent, creating an intoxicating allure.

Seemingly drawn in by the flowers, Anna finally turned her head.

"The most beautiful flowers in the academy?"

Lowering her gaze, a subtle smile graced her stunning features.

"Yes, yes, the most beautiful flowers!" Moen’s delight was evident when he saw her icy demeanor thaw. "Senior, look at the snowy landscape outside—where could I possibly find such exquisite flowers? This took me a lot of effort to..."

"But if they’re the most beautiful flowers," Anna interrupted, her smiling face unchanging, "why don’t you give them to your fiancée instead of bringing them to me?"

Moen froze instantly.

"S-Senior?"

He stared blankly at the girl before him, who hadn’t released the faintest hint of animosity, yet he couldn’t stop his teeth from chattering.

"Could it be... you’re still angry about that day?"

"That day? Moen, I have no idea what you’re talking about," Anna replied, brushing her hair behind her ear with a small laugh. "Are you referring to the day when Princess Celicia whisked you away? How could I possibly be upset over something so trivial?"

No way.

She was absolutely still mad!

Moen shivered and hurried to explain, "Senior, please listen! There was nothing I could do in that situation. You know how forceful Celicia is! I couldn’t possibly stand up to her—it wasn’t like I had a choice!"

"Is that so? Well, that makes sense. Given how weak my junior is, getting forcibly taken away isn’t surprising."

Anna’s tone suddenly shifted as she added, "But let’s take strength out of the equation. If you had the choice, junior...what would you do?"

The gentle words filled Moen’s ears as he saw her crimson lips part and close. His eyes widened in alarm.

A dreadful sense of foreboding thundered in his mind.

No.

This won’t do.

If she continued, he’d undoubtedly fall into another one of those terrifying “death quizzes”!

"If you had the choice, junior, what would...mmph!"

Anna’s question came to an abrupt halt.

Because Moen suddenly leaned forward, choosing to silence his senior by pressing a firm kiss onto her lips—softer and more delicate than any flower.