Xingyu unbuttoned her uniform slowly and deliberately right before Tiyi’s eyes, ignoring her discomfort. She pulled aside the left flap of her jacket, revealing the snow-white skin of her slender shoulder inch by inch.
Upon that porcelain expanse, a rose-red mark gradually emerged—a scarred star wrapped in delicate, curling patterns. Yet when viewed with the surrounding designs, the center resembled a heart…
This was Xingyu’s Witch Mark.
"Miss Xingyu…" Revealing a Witch Mark on campus was far too dangerous. What if some holy power happened to be monitoring nearby? It wasn’t necessary—Tiyi already believed her identity.
Yet this act made Tiyi realize that despite Xingyu’s teasing demeanor, she trusted her completely, without reservation.
Beneath that enigmatic, unfathomable beauty, Tiyi glimpsed a hidden sincerity. A wave of emotion surged within her.
*Even the gods had abandoned me… Yet Miss Xingyu, after knowing me for only a day, bares her secret to me? Is this the unfathomable nature of a Witch?*
"Then… show me your secret too?"
"Huh!?"
Still reeling internally, Tiyi barely had time to react before Xingyu stepped forward lightly and bent down.
"Your Witch Mark, Miss Tiyi—isn’t it right here? Let me witness it." She grabbed Tiyi’s long skirt and lifted it abruptly.
"Hey! Stop—stop that! Don’t!" Tiyi forgot to protest like a proper lady. The spring breeze had already left her slightly flushed, allowing Xingyu to catch her off guard.
Tiyi frantically pressed down her skirt, but Xingyu had already raised it high enough to reveal a startling flash of black lace in the spring light.
Tiyi’s cheeks burned crimson.
"N-no! Don’t look! Let go… This is dangerous—and indecent… Release me now!" Tiyi babbled incoherently, resisting with all her might.
"Hmm~ Miss Tiyi keeps her composure even when flustered. Teacher Xialda told me where your secret lies… but all I see is a smooth, fragrant expanse of white. Nothing appears…"
"Don’t describe it so specifically…" Tiyi’s hair was tousled from the struggle. She finally pushed Xingyu away and smoothed her skirt down. She couldn’t use martial skills against such a delicate woman—unlike the formidable Senior Qingruo, she feared hurting Xingyu. Refusing her was always complicated.
At least, facing Xingyu’s antics didn’t leave her physically weak or defenseless… unlike with Senior Qingruo.
The pure image she’d just formed of Xingyu was now thoroughly tarnished. Tiyi panted, utterly speechless.
"It’s late. I must return to class to avoid suspicion. Don’t seek me out. When I wish to meet, I’ll place a blue rose on the third west-facing window of your apartment’s ground floor," Xingyu said. "That room is empty. See the signal, and come to this grove."
"A blue rose…" Tiyi nodded slowly, still catching her breath.
"Then… farewell." Xingyu turned away as quietly as a breeze, vanishing after just a few steps.
"Farewell," Tiyi replied, her heart tangled with complex emotions.
"Oh—by the way." Xingyu paused, glancing back. "Miss Tiyi… isn’t your choice of underwear rather daring? Not quite what a typical academy girl should wear."
"Huh!?! I’ll handle that myself!" Tiyi’s face flamed. Any lingering reluctance vanished; she wished Xingyu would disappear immediately.
…
Back in her apartment, Tiyi collapsed onto her bed. Today’s trials, compounded by the intoxicating spring breeze, left her drowsy and disoriented.
Strands of her finely braided hair brushed her face, tangling with the sheets’ faint creases.
*What have I become today?* Tiyi bit the wrinkled sheets, her gaze hazy, still seeing drifting petals in her mind’s eye.
And her…
Though Miss Xingyu’s sudden appearance overwhelmed her, it was Qingruo who had bound her to the pillar with holy magic, who had held her close to shield her from pollen… For some reason, Tiyi began to feel a sensation she’d never known before meeting her—*being treated like a girl*.
The spring heat still warmed her cheeks as she replayed her words, her demeanor, her attitude before Qingruo today…
Tiyi truly didn’t understand why she’d acted that way.
Perhaps… she simply didn’t know how to be herself around her.
Yet upon reflection, she hadn’t compromised her core principles or secret plans.
Then what exactly had she lost when facing Qingruo?
Tiyi sensed the answer but refused to voice it in her heart.
*Wait… Before leaving today, didn’t Senior Qingruo tell me something…?* Tiyi rested her chin on the sheets, her thoughts drifting. *Hmph. Who’d actually kneel by their bed to reflect when she isn’t watching?*
*Besides, she’ll likely forget such a trivial thing. If she ever asks… I’ll just… explain it away somehow.* Her gaze grew distant.
Tiyi slowly pushed herself up. After bathing—with tenfold caution this time—she changed into another black lace nightgown, locked her door, and drew the curtains tight.
……
For the next few days, Teacher Yedi remained absent under the pretext of "training outside." Even for the reclusive Yedi of old, this wasn’t unusual. A powerhouse like him wasn’t bound by teaching schedules; he often retreated to the surrounding mountains during his tenure.
Days later, Tiyi spotted the promised blue rose on the west corner window of the ground-floor apartment.
…
"Miss Gallilu, is the Headmistress available?" That afternoon, Tiyi—disguised as Yedi—arrived at the main castle’s upper floors, carrying forged enrollment documents from "Nolan Academy of the Western Sighing Mountains" and a recommendation letter "personally" signed by its nonexistent headmaster.
"She’s inside. Please proceed. The Headmistress has been asking about you recently," Gallilu replied calmly, her demeanor the epitome of a perfect maid.
"Understood." Standing before the tall, dark-brown door of the Headmistress’s office, Yedi silently admired Xingyu’s resourcefulness. In mere days, she’d procured flawless forgeries.
Without such skills, how could the Underground Witch Church entrust her with critical missions?
Guided by Gallilu, Yedi entered and presented the scroll—her enrollment proof—and the recommendation letter to the Headmistress.
"Hmm…" Guangshou barely glanced at them before tucking the documents into a drawer. Yedi knew her sharp eyes missed nothing. Her easy acceptance proved the forgeries’ exceptional quality.
"Yedi, there’s a last-minute assessment soon—Lord Ifer’s requirement. If your cousin can make it, have her join. The enrollment papers are settled. Pass the assessment, and we’ll process her transfer." Guangshou rested her chin on interlaced fingers, her mature face thoughtful.
"She should make it," Yedi nodded. "Thank you, Headmistress."
"Heh. I’ll gladly accept that gratitude. After all, having the strongest man in the Empire owe you a favor isn’t easy these days." Guangshou’s smile held deep meaning.
"…" Yedi managed a strained smile. How many tangled emotions lay beneath that quiet laugh? Even a woman like the Headmistress couldn’t fathom them all.
