"..."

The moment I finished speaking, the room fell still, so quiet I could hear breaths ripple like wind over a pond.

"Uh… what’s wrong?"

Mind fogged like dawn mist, I hugged Hill and slid back into my seat.

A minute passed.

"Wow! Why are you leaving the Central Continent?!"

"Yeah, from your chat it sounded like you came to experience academy life?!"

"Then why choose Egisia Academy?!"

"And how did you meet President Eastern Moon Aixue and her group?!"

Chairs scraped like startled sparrows; almost every student jumped up, faces bright and blazing, questions firing like summer cicadas.

"Everyone! Quiet, please. It’s class time. Ask after the bell."

Stellar Rosa smacked the lectern; the sharp crack snapped through the air like a dry twig.

"Ah, sorry, we got carried away."

"Sorry, we’ll watch it next time."

"My bad, I got too excited."

Her words cooled them like rain on hot tiles; cheeks flushed rose-red, they sat down, embarrassed by the flare-up.

"Servant, looks like you’re in for trouble after class."

Xinuo set her artbook aside and turned with a sunset smile.

"Same here, boss. Moment of silence!"

Hill, perched on my lap, nodded solemnly like a little owl.

"Sigh. Don’t even start."

I let out a breath like a long tide; being popular isn’t all fireworks.

"Amemiya, it’s fine. We’ll help you later."

"Mm-hmm!"

Eastern Moon Aixue and Faya glanced back, voices soft as warm tea, a steadying touch.

"Uu… okay, I’ll trouble you then."

Good souls shine like lanterns; I thanked Aixue and Faya in my heart.

"Alright, let’s begin."

When the room settled like sand after a wave, Stellar Rosa lifted a book. "Everyone, take out Magical Mixed Use. Today I’ll teach you how to blend two spells…"

"Reporting, I’m late!"

The door slid open; a clear loli voice rang in like a silver bell.

"Huh? Someone late?"

Curiosity pricked like a cat’s whiskers; I looked toward the door.

"…"

I went speechless. A tiny girl stood there in a red kimono—chestnut-short hair combed neat as lacquer, amber eyes bright like polished stone, a sweet face cute as a plum blossom. She was maybe one forty-five in height, a shade taller than Hill.

Sakura swam across her crimson kimono; white socks peeked over wooden clogs that clicked like rain on wood—geta.

But that wasn’t what stole my words. Her pale little hands held a tachi, the sheath swallowing the blade, length around a meter, and she spoke with that old-school humility—this humble one.

"Yuyi, why are you late every first day? And you never wear the school uniform!"

Stellar Rosa frowned, voice like a stern bell.

"Because this humble one overslept. I am deeply sorry."

She bowed, small and earnest, like bamboo bending under snow.

"Fine. Get inside."

Stellar Rosa waved, resigned like a teacher in early spring.

"Much obliged."

She nodded and stepped in, geta tapping, then slid into her seat.

"Hey, Aixue."

I tapped Eastern Moon Aixue’s shoulder, a gentle knock like rain on leaves.

"Amemiya, what is it?"

She turned, eyes curious, head tilted like a sparrow.

"Mm." I pointed at the kimono girl behind us. "What’s her deal? No uniform, carrying a tachi."

"Oh."

Aixue followed my gesture; laughter bloomed like morning light. "Her name’s Yuyi Mengliu. Her class is Magic Sword Wielder, so she carries a tachi. The kimono’s about her family."

"Family?"

"Right. Yuyi’s family is a kendo lineage. They treat kimono as formal wear, so she barely wears anything else. Only switches to sleepwear at night."

"I see."

Her words clicked into place like stones in a river; understanding flowed warm.

"Class is starting. Talk after the bell."

"Mm, okay."

…

In class.

"The principle of blended magic is to refine the energy of two spells, then fuse them…"

The more Stellar Rosa explained, the heavier my eyelids fell, like clouds thickening before rain. Maybe because I didn’t understand a word.

"Mmm… tasty."

Hill had already dozed in my arms, little mouth drifting with dream-murmurs sweet as candy steam.

"Xiao Nuo, I’m bored. What’re you reading?"

Xinuo lounged over an artbook, eyes bright like a cat at fish; curiosity tugged at me.

"Nothing much, just an art collection titled The Dissection of a Corpse. Servant, want to see?"

She offered it with a smile thin as a blade.

"I’ll take a look."

I opened the first page… and—!

I’ll admit it scared me; my fingers almost flung it like a hot coal.

A human corpse sprawled across that page, completely dismantled—entrails strewn like spilled ropes, brain pulp and blood pooled like dark rain.

In short, a heavy-flavor artbook, dense as iron.

"Xiao Nuo, I’m out."

I shut it in under three seconds and handed it back, heart thudding like a drum.

"Alright then, Servant, read a novel."

She flipped back to her page and slid me a book.

"Uh… what’s this?"

The cover almost spooked me again—one blood-soaked human, limbs hacked short like stumps, and above it, a jagged title that crawled like thorns: A Corpse Dyed Red with Blood.

Why was everything Xinuo picked today so heavy? I couldn’t fathom, like trying to read smoke.

Still, words are softer than pictures; text cuts slower. This one was thin, maybe thirty pages, a short piece.

If I finish, the bell will probably ring.

Thinking that, I opened the first page.

"…"

"…"

The more I read, the more speechless I got. It was basically a diary—a psycho killer’s record. Every chapter logged how the protagonist killed and how he carved the body, like recipes written in ice.

In terms of heavy flavor, it matched that artbook toe to toe.

Half an hour later, the bell rang, crisp as glass.

"That’s it for today. Take a good break."

Stellar Rosa stacked her materials, voice smoothing like silk.

"Rise!"

Eastern Moon Aixue stood; chairs rustled up like grass in wind. The whole class rose—except me, Xinuo, and Hill.

"Salute!"

Everyone saluted Stellar Rosa, movements neat as a sword line.

"Mm. See you next period."

She nodded and left the room, footsteps fading like a receding tide.

…