Chapter 158: Fireproof, Theft-proof, and Best Friend-proof
After exiting the arena, I discovered that the atmosphere outside was even more vibrant than inside. The crowded streets were bustling with pedestrians, creating a lively scene.
Additionally, there were various market areas planned by the academy, where I could see many seniors casually setting up stalls or selling homemade snacks.
As I walked along, I managed to collect quite a few tasty treats and was even recognized by several people who asked to take pictures with me.
After all, such explosive events had just occurred in the morning, so naturally, it became common knowledge quickly.
However, it seemed that my appearance wasn’t universally recognized; people were only slightly familiar with me, which allowed me to roam freely here.
Sometimes I would be recognized, and at that moment, I realized that the so-called free reimbursement quota given to contestants by the academy was already somewhat unnecessary.
Seniors who recognized me wouldn’t even take my money; instead, they were more eager to take pictures with me.
Some even wanted to shake hands, making me feel like some rare and auspicious mascot.
There were quite a few seniors who directly wanted my contact information, but Sister Bai was even more proactive in shielding me from that.
After all, if I had too many friends stored on my phone, I’d have trouble managing them.
With Sister Bai accompanying me, I also encountered many interesting things and learned that besides studying magical knowledge and obtaining spellbooks, there are many other disciplines in Witch Academy.
These include alchemists who craft various alchemical items, enchanters and blacksmiths who inscribe runes on weapons, and potion alchemists who study potions, among others.
Seeing this, I was finally able to vaguely feel the sense of wonder of the extraordinary world that novel enthusiasts often describe.
Previously, I had been so engrossed in studying spellbooks that I almost believed they contained all of the extraordinary powers.
After all, the classification of spellbooks is vast, covering nearly all of my understanding of extraordinary powers since magic truly is something you can only imagine; theoretically, there’s nothing that can’t be done.
At a roadside stall, I even saw some seniors selling spellbooks, but upon entering, I realized that they were selling small spells that didn’t require rituals, mostly force spells. If it were something like silence spells or some control spells, I might have wanted them, but I lacked interest in force spells.
Teacher Lina had already given me numerous spellbooks, including various common elemental spells.
However, this made me realize that such small spellbooks seem to be in abundance in the academy; in fact, they might even be overflowing. If it’s not a spellbook with special effects, I don’t even feel like looking at them anymore.
These spellbooks are even less interesting than some alchemical items with fixed spells. Eventually, Sister Bai accompanied me to a shop that sold various bizarre alchemical items.
“Sister Bai, can these alchemical items be displayed so openly?”
I picked up a slender, smooth short stick in this store, which had an integrated design, completely sealed on the outside, and was highly waterproof.
Inside, there was an energy-storing crystal with an exceptionally long standby time, and once activated, it resonated as a whole, providing a sensation beyond what vibration could satisfy…
At least, that’s what the instructions said.
“Ahem… this store is somewhat irregular; let’s go to another one,” Sister Bai quietly took the object from my hand and placed it down, then pulled my hand to leave.
“Really? Sister Bai, is Witch Academy this open-minded?” Even so, I was still very curious. After all, such matters would definitely make anyone blush, right? That conflicted desire to try but being too afraid made my heart itch.
“Well… kind of, Xiao Han, you’re not a child anymore; you should know about these things, right? Witch Academy is composed entirely of girls, so naturally, one must fend for oneself.”
Sister Bai was also quite embarrassed at this moment; she wanted to explain but couldn’t find the right words.
“Oh~ then what about you, Sister Bai?”
“What about me? Are you teasing me, Xiao Han?” When suddenly asked this question, Bai Yu’s face flushed instinctively, and without thinking, she ended the topic.
“Wrong~ Wrong~ Hehe~”
I dodged a few of Sister Bai’s attempts to swat me and then began to chuckle foolishly. So, Sister Bai has experienced this too?
Ah, it seems I’ve stumbled upon something significant.
Unlike me, I still haven’t had any s*xual experiences; abstinence is the norm for me~ Mostly, it’s just that I find it hard to make that leap, at most during baths… ahem…
However, speaking of it, now I can be considered a preparatory witch. Strictly speaking, I am neither truly human nor an extraordinary witch; during this period, I even lack the capability to reproduce, so where do these s*xual desires come from?
In truth, I hadn’t dismissed these thoughts; I just hadn’t acted on them.
Yet even when Sister Bai was pulling me away, my gaze lingered reluctantly on that store; these alchemical items were just too bizarre, and I wanted to take one last look because they were really enlightening.
But it was clear that Sister Bai didn’t think this way; she still regarded me as a child, even though I was already an adult.
Adults should study proper s*x education and appropriate postures openly! Hiding only encourages greater curiosity, leading down a path of no return.
“Huh? Wait a minute, that person looks familiar…”
“What? Did you see someone you know?”
“Uh… no, I must have seen wrong…”
“Let’s hope not. If we see someone familiar here, it’s best to keep your distance,” Sister Bai immediately advised me.
“Okay… okay…” I nodded somewhat guiltily because the figure I saw looked a bit like Dongli Yiren.
On the way, I opened my phone and quickly messaged Dongli Yiren to ask what she was doing.
Before long, I learned that she wasn’t near the arena. Well, it seemed my vision was just poor; after all, the Witch Academy is full of beautiful newcomers and seniors, making it easy to become dazzled.
Also, I remembered she wasn’t short on money, right?
She shouldn’t dare to come here to spend, and besides, it was possible I was imagining her daily life with bad intentions, leading me to have strange fantasies about them?
“Excuse me, are you the Explosive Witch Yang Yuelan?”
“Huh?”
On the way, a senior suddenly grabbed my clothing and excitedly asked me.
“Explosive Witch?”
I looked at her in confusion; yes, I was indeed called Yang Yuelan, but I thought they had referred to me as “the Godly Hand” previously?
“Seriously! How come you didn’t bring your name tag? I didn’t recognize you! Have you recovered so quickly?”
“Um…” I noticed the seniors nearby were looking over at us, realizing that something was off.
“Let’s go,” Bai Yu quickly grabbed my wrist and pulled me away, as the next moment, the crowd eager to gawk surged forward.
The reason I had taken off my name tag was precisely to avoid such situations; I didn’t like being surrounded wherever I went.
“Where? Where? Isn’t the Explosive Witch in the medical room resting?”
“She must have snuck out for a stroll.”
“Let me see—I’ve never seen her up close before!”
“Who is that guy? How dare he pull my Yang Yuelan like that!”
“Call her Xiao Han, you fake fan! She’s mine!”
“Dammit! I’ve never even held Xiao Han’s hand!”
However, as I quickly fled, the noisy crowd gradually dispersed since not everyone had that frenzied enthusiasm similar to pursuing a star.
“Whoa— that was a bit terrifying; I dropped my snacks.”
After stopping, I looked at the bamboo stick in my hand, feeling a bit regretful, but since these were free, I didn’t feel too heartbroken. I tossed it quickly into the trash can and then looked towards Sister Bai.
“Sister Bai, I heard someone say they were running away with me just now! How does it feel?”
“Hehe, it feels great! Those guys still want you! Xiao Han, you’re mine,” Bai Yu said, her face filled with pride as she glanced at the now calm crowd behind us, even stroking the back of my hand mischievously.
“Sister Bai, how come I don’t know that I’m yours?”
“Uh… I said the wrong thing.”
“Haha, Sister Bai, are you taking this opportunity to speak your true feelings?”
I teased while laughing, but upon seeing Sister Bai’s expression, I gradually stopped.
“Not… not really, Sister Bai, are you serious?”
“Of course not! We’re good friends, right? Didn’t we say that before?” Bai Yu leaned closer to me and patted my shoulder with a smile.
“Right! I mean, when I was still a boy, nothing ever happened. Now that I’m a girl, it’s even less likely,” I whispered in a voice only Sister Bai could hear.
“Haha, close enough…” Sister Bai laughed in response, “Well, let’s not chat about this topic anymore. We’ve been strolling for so long; let’s go have something nice for lunch. We can check the arena again this afternoon and wait for the resurrection match’s contestant list.”
“Sure, I didn’t realize we had been out for so long.” I glanced at the time on my phone and nodded.
I couldn’t keep wasting time like this; even if I worked hard now, it would be too late, but I needed to focus this afternoon. If there were unexpected turns in the resurrection match, maybe I should just find a brick to hide in.
“Today is your match, Xiao Han, so let me treat you.”
“Huh? I have free reimbursement! Is that not good? Let’s go for the most expensive!”
“You’ll quickly run out of your quota if you do that.”
“I have plenty in my quota, don’t worry! Let’s go, let the experienced Sister Bai take me to the best meal nearby!” I said without a care.
After experiencing such a fierce battle that morning, even if the results weren’t great, I still needed to treat myself.
“Okay, okay—let’s go.” Bai Yu said, gently ruffling my hair.
……
After being warmly treated, I returned with my slightly stuffed stomach.
In fact, I had tried to restrain myself since there was a match in the afternoon, but I had still been fed a lot by the vendors. Not wanting to waste anything, I even packed many items in my storage equipment; I had a feeling that even if I returned to the dormitory, I might not finish them all and let my roommates taste what real food is.
Back at the arena, the lunchtime was reserved for the contestants, and that’s when I noticed that the arena was also providing lunch for the competitors.
From the looks of the scene, it appeared that the morning matches weren’t all finished yet; after all, it was one-on-one battles. Even if the entire arena had been divided into many small arenas, there would still be many rounds.
The afternoon was probably going to continue, and the loser bracket’s list was likely to take some time to be released.
The final grand brawl in the afternoon is when things would get heated, yet even so, the audience seats in the arena didn’t have many empty spots. After all, enjoying lunch is nowhere near as entertaining as watching a match.
Even if these were freshmen battling each other, it was still more interesting than usual.
This reminded me that even the worst national football teams still have many viewers in my past life; what’s wrong with novices battling each other?
“Please wait, this area is for contestants only; non-contestants please do not follow.”
As I prepared to enter, Sister Bai was stopped by a senior in a volunteer outfit.
“Uh… um… can we make an exception?” I looked at Sister Bai and then at the other senior and quietly requested.
“Huh? You are Yang Yuelan! Ahem… even if you are Yang Yuelan, that doesn’t work. I have to think about all the contestants, what if she harasses other contestants?” The senior quickly recognized me and, although excited, managed to restrain herself.
“I promise Sister Bai won’t h*rass any other contestants!” I assured, patting my chest; I trusted Sister Bai’s character greatly. There’s no way she would h*rass contestants; she’s not one of those panic-stricken seniors who bother others out of boredom.
“Promises won’t work; rules are rules, and that would make it hard for me.”
“Okay then…”
I looked at Sister Bai, “So, Sister Bai, let’s stop here? How about we keep in touch on the phone?”
“No, it’s fine here; you should adjust and get used to your new spellbook and the alchemical items I gave you,” Sister Bai shook her head, refusing the suggestion.
“By the way, let me help you pick up a set of witch uniforms. Your current outfit is a bit ill-fitting.”
“Alright… see you later!”
“I’ll contact you once I’m over there.”
After bidding farewell to Sister Bai, I sighed, just as I was about to leave, I was called back by that senior.
“Wait a minute, Xiao Han.”
“Senior? Why do you call me Xiao Han too?”
“Um, is that not allowed? That’s how everyone on the internet calls you, especially a newcomer who claims to be in the same class and dorm as you said I could call you Xiao Han.”
“Alright… Hong Chanyi… well, it’s fine to call me Xiao Han; that sounds good. Do you need anything from me?” I asked curiously.
“Uh… just… the senior from earlier, is she your girlfriend?” This senior whispered, sounding cautious.
“Huh? Girlfriend? Why would you think that? Shouldn’t you be seeing her as my close friend? And Sister Bai is like my sister!”
“Oh, she’s your sister, but sisters need to be careful! And friends too! Cautious seniors claiming to be friends! The Witch Academy should be the most cautious about friends! You have no idea how many people fell victim to their friends’ schemes. Be fireproof, theft-proof, and friend-proof! Who knows when someone will pull something on you!” This senior advised me with the voice of experience.
“Huh? Really? But I don’t think Sister Bai would do that; still, thanks for the reminder.”
“No, no problem! Helping you is my honor. Uh! Can I have your contact information?”
“Um… sure, but please don’t share it around.”
After bidding farewell to this senior, I quickly made my way to the contestants’ lounge. As for that senior, while I gave her my contact, the likelihood of us communicating again was slim, especially since I didn’t even know her name; her skills at building connections were subpar.
Upon reaching the lounge, I encountered many contestants. After all, unlike me, who rested after the first match, many were just coming off battles or finishing up in the medical room, tending to injuries from their matches.
“Is it… is it the Explosive Witch? I’m so unfortunate; can I just forfeit this afternoon…”
“Good luck! I hope you don’t get targeted during the resurrection match.”
“So quickly healed? I heard Tan Han was still in the medical room.”
“It’s such a pity that this strong matchup happened in the first round.”
“Now I truly believe that the academy’s random matchmaking is genuinely random.”
I exchanged greetings with many of them as I walked by, some even asked me not to target them in the afternoon resurrection matches.
However, upon seeing me from a distance, they quickly switched topics, as the morning incident had yet to d*e down.
Now, in the contestants’ lounge, everyone had their own private resting area for changing, storing things, etc., as many contestants wear armor for their matches and need space to change.
In the front was the best observation area, but I returned to my resting area to relax a bit and check what was trending about me online.
Naturally, I didn’t want others to see me searching for myself, so I stayed in my lounge, finishing my search before watching the matches, observing how others fought.
Moreover, I was quite curious as to how I had become known as the Explosive Witch. Was I really that fitting of the nickname?
I merely exploded the arena, so there shouldn’t be that much controversy. Besides, I remembered there was a club called the Explosive Witch Club; I was curious if they would seek me out.
Maybe not for a short while… As I looked at the various posts and videos on my phone, it appeared that while only a little time had passed, many videos and posts were already circulating.
Because of this match, I actually had other titles, but due to that terrifying explosion at the end, the title of Explosive Witch seemed to be the most popular…
Honestly, that title was somewhat acceptable; at least it sounded better than Godly Hand.
