Chapter 505: The Delayed Apology
“Mm-mm… Yes, I’m on vacation here at the Bobapop Islands. Thank you for your concern, Teacher Ji.”
“Then have fun, I won’t disturb you any longer.” On the other end of the phone, Teacher Ji’s voice conveyed her well wishes. After a brief exchange of pleasantries and an update on my situation, she hung up, choosing not to disturb us further.
After all, this semester has passed just like that. Teacher Ji, as my former advisor, has always been keeping an eye on me. At least she mentioned that she would check in on the live stream of this joint examination whenever she’s free, curious to see if I had left any remarkable achievements.
Moreover, I am still a member of Teacher Ji’s research group on Extraordinary Knowledge, although I haven’t been able to formally assist her in any breakthroughs. After an “accident,” it seems I have made no further contributions.
I always feel that this accident was a coincidence, but… it doesn’t matter if Principal Mei concealed something from me. After all, this matter has passed.
I wonder how Qiu Ruxin is doing now. Since she transferred in at the end of this semester, she did not participate in this joint examination. Moreover, she needs to resolve her issue with the Earth Vein Shackles and the resulting problems with her Magic Source and Spellbook. She is indeed under significant pressure.
Also, it’s been a while since I’ve seen her. The last time was when Sister Bai took her to register… But I won’t dwell on that; my good mood shouldn’t be interrupted by such matters.
At this moment, I lay back on the beach chair, and looking up, I can see the waves and the beach in the distance. The sun umbrella beside me shielded the sunlight, casting a warm glow through its semi-transparent canopy.
When I finally arrived here in this manner, it wasn’t as beautiful as I had imagined. Perhaps my expectations for the beach, beautiful women, the seaside, and passion were too high?
I adjusted my semi-transparent sun protection clothing, along with my sunglasses. Underneath, I wore a bikini with a skirt, and from the outside, one could still see the beautiful curves of my body.
My long silver hair flowed down my back, and I casually placed a hair tie on my right wrist to hold it back.
The young girls passing by on the beach, whether I knew them or not, would cheerfully call me “Teacher,” doing so so naturally that there was no hint of awkwardness about our age difference.
Did they not know that not long ago, I was just a student like them?
They did know that my attitude towards these students had not changed; only my identity had shifted. This identity granted me power and earned their respect, while my abilities silenced any defiance. Therefore, the students smiling and greeting me wouldn’t be the ones who dared to challenge me, for those dissenters would merely grumble in the shadows.
“Xiao Han, when you said you came to the beach to have fun, did you mean just lying here appreciating others?”
At this moment, a questioning voice snapped me from my thoughts. I looked up to see Sister Bai approaching slowly!
Sister Bai was casually raising one side of her long hair, wearing a simple bikini that perfectly hugged her figure.
Walking towards me against the light, her perfect body curve showcased both sensuality and a touch of elegance, with a deep blue tone highlighting white wave patterns. When she reached me, the shadows cast by her perfect figure fell over me, adding an air of intellectual beauty to her movements.
“Of course~ I don’t want to play those games…” Even though I had seen Sister Bai dressed like this before, the sight still made my heart race unexpectedly.
Even my words felt shaky.
However, I wasn’t speaking nonsense; mainly, activities like surfing or beach volleyball were truly boring, and I didn’t know many of those people. Furthermore, with my strong physical capabilities, joining either side might overwhelm the other, which truly had no meaning.
“What do you want to play then?” Sister Bai did not seem disappointed by my response; instead, she lay down on another chair beside mine and asked.
“I… I don’t know. I daydream about organizing my time calmly, yet aside from studying my extraordinary-related topics, I have nothing else. I know I need to enjoy life, but I lack the ability to share joy with others and engage in fun. I have only laid out the direction and focus of my life, but I don’t know how to fill the gaps on this path…”
“…”
At this point, Sister Bai didn’t expect that her brief inquiry would lead us to such a conversation.
It was a topic that clearly clashed with the current atmosphere yet felt heavy enough that we could hear each other’s breathing and heartbeats.
“So… can you help me fill in those gaps, Sister Bai? When I have free time, I want to think of you, and when I don’t, I want to take a moment to think of you. Can you not find me annoying?”
“Has Xiao Han already started to ponder such deep questions?” Sister Bai did not directly answer me but instead praised me in a different way, “However… in another sense, are you contemplating the meaning of life?”
“Uh… I guess so…”
“Well then, whether it’s the meaning of life or the meaning of living, if one spends a lifetime seeking such meaning, does that process itself not count as a form of meaning?”
“Oh… what an old-fashioned answer… but I think it does…” I nodded in agreement, realizing that this response was not far off from the inspirational sayings I’d encountered before, “Ah~ I won’t think about it anymore. Even if I do nothing and manage to relax during this daze, that itself carries meaning.”
“If you can come to that understanding, that’s wonderful. One’s life is to be feared for overthinking because… If the meaning of life needs to be sought after, it is better to find some joy in the intervals of living. This is the insight that the extraordinary witch’s long life brings.” With that, Bai Yu sighed with relief and continued.
She wasn’t particularly skilled at offering comfort, especially when it came to discussing concepts related to the meaning of life.
“Finding joy, huh… that aligns exactly with my perception of the extraordinary witch~ By the way, Sister Bai, why don’t you tell me about the Abyss Demons? What’s happening with those guys?” I suddenly got curious.
“Oh, them… they’ve settled into the Main World without much danger. They are currently actively integrating into the system established by various extraordinary academies. After about half a semester of formation, they should manage to catch up with the next new student recruitment.” Sister Bai readily cooperated by changing the topic.
“So soon? I thought they would face considerable resistance coming in～” I expressed my surprise.
“Quick, huh? This time, they settled in the Main World but lost quite a few Extraordinary Abyss Lords. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to snag one…” Sister Bai said with a look of regret.
“That sought after? You couldn’t get one, Sister Bai?” I was a bit surprised. I was initially worried about her, but didn’t expect the Abyss Demons to be so incompetent?
“Of course, I was a second too slow. I didn’t think they would be so decisive. But… it won’t take long before a newly established extraordinary academy called Abyss Demon starts making waves.” Sister Bai said with a smile, and then she picked up a coconut next to her and took a sip through the straw.
“Hey! That’s mine!”
“I know~ Aren’t you going to let me have a sip? Or should I show you how to open a coconut barehanded, then give you one afterward?” Sister Bai asked with a laugh.
“Huh? No thanks…” Although I knew Sister Bai was very skilled in body cultivation, just imagining her opening a coconut with her bare hands… that image… yikes～
But just as I was about to say something, I suddenly paused.
“What’s wrong… hmm? Oh～” Sister Bai looked puzzled, wanting to ask why I was hesitating, but she quickly noticed a group of figures in the distance, “Hehe~ Xiao Han, your trouble is coming again~”
“Yeah~ There’s no helping it, but… we still need to go through the process.” I said helplessly, pretending not to have noticed them, pulling the sunglasses down from my forehead.
Those who were arriving were naturally Tan Han and her group. She must have been quite troubled these past few days.
I instinctively looked at the information revealed by my observation technique and quickly learned the answer; it seemed I couldn’t avoid this obstacle.
“Xiao Han, you’re here…”
“Mm?” I took off the sunglasses I just put on, pretending to be surprised, “You all actually found this place? You came here to play too?”
“Not really. I saw someone here who spotted you, so I came over deliberately.” Tan Han explained.
At this moment, Tan Han and her group were dressed more casually for summer, not as if they were here to play in the water, or rather… they had no mood to play in the water at all.
“You came to find me on purpose?” I observed them with a smirk, finally fixing my gaze on the girl named Xiao You, “Here to apologize?”
“Yes, I’m sorry, Xiao Han. I’ve caused you such undue trouble because of my earlier actions.” As Tan Han spoke with a hint of regret, the girls behind her lowered their heads, not daring to look at me, mumbling apologies.
I would naturally accept their apologies. I would forgive them; forgiveness was important. However, their apologies were necessary. Everything comes at a price. Now, they were the ones panicking, feeling awkward, and suffering.
What expression I chose to show was naturally my business. Apologies are not as simple as just saying “sorry.” If a simple “sorry” could mend a wrong, this world would be in chaos.
Xiao You’s sincere apology didn’t mean we could act like the earlier events never happened.
She had been so arrogant when snatching that Spellbook storage card before I had even finished speaking. Did she consider how I felt now?
I still clearly recorded the contempt on her face back then in the Knowledge Tree, and that moment would soon be automatically purged by the Great Knowledge Tree, but I intentionally preserved it. Until I heard a genuine apology from her, I would never erase that memory.
At this point, as I listened to Tan Han’s formal apology and explanations of their actions during this time, she made guarantees. Her attitude was very submissive. Looking at Tan Han this way made me feel a little dazed, reminding me of the early school days…
Time has proven my growth, and our positions have effectively swapped.
Has Tan Han grown?
She probably has. She learned to remain calm in changing circumstances, to lower her stance, and to sincerely express her mistakes.
On a deeper level, this mistake had little to do with Tan Han specifically, yet she stood up to bear the burden of it. That was her choice.
In the process, she lost a lot but also gained much. In her recount of events, after this joint examination, she dissolved the support group she previously led. Even though the formation of this group had no direct relation to Tan Han, it was a collective of volunteers supporting her.
However, when Tan Han no longer acknowledged their “validity,” they became the biggest fools of the Witch Academy. This meant they could no longer use that banner to seek personal benefits.
In a way, this was Tan Han relieving herself of a burden.
And what she gained… was still the followers beside her, which is her greatest reward, right?
Tan Han doesn’t need so many supporters around her anymore. It seems she has learned from me, no longer projecting her fondness onto everyone, yet she has still formed her own small group. This is the point of differentiation between her path and mine.
I have very few friends, and even among those I consider followers, only three Fool Dreams remain.
As Tan Han finished articulating the most important points, she, as the leader, was the first to express her apology to me, followed closely by the girls behind her, who were also beneficiaries of the Spellbook.
In this final moment, Xiao You stepped forward, holding a storage card with both hands, which was the same one Tan Han had given earlier.
“Teacher Xiao Han… I’m sorry. The Spellbooks inside are not all gathered yet. As for the lost Spellbooks… I will recover them as quickly as possible…”
“You should recover them. After all, taking what doesn’t belong to you… must ultimately be returned.” I smiled and accepted the card, speaking to her.
As for the difficulty of recovering these, I naturally know it would be significant, but that was due to her own doing, requiring her to rectify it herself. My words didn’t only apply to those who took the Spellbooks and then distanced themselves from Tan Han’s group; I also meant Xiao You herself, who casually took the Spellbook from me back then.
However, I didn’t take that Spellbook for myself. I never intended to truly claim those Spellbooks, after all… if I were to take them, the fortune tied to them would be even greater. Any unearned things have their price marked by the world, and the same applies to those Spellbooks.
“Tan Han, your performance in this joint examination was quite impressive. When I informed you all to continue with the examination… it seems I also said that if you do well, I would reward you, so I hope you won’t mind.” I handed the Spellbooks back to Tan Han, “As for how to allocate them… that’s up to you. After all, you are one of the leaders of this Witch Academy. Naturally, this reward also includes those Spellbooks that haven’t been recovered yet, but I won’t interfere with this issue anymore; you’ll have to rely on your own efforts. After all, you know me well— I dislike complications.”
“Thank you…” Tan Han hesitated before accepting it. After all, I had discussed this matter with her beforehand.
Therefore, no matter how she refused, it wouldn’t change my decision. Let’s allow Tan Han to play this game of transferring from left hand to right hand once again.
Otherwise, if I become too entangled with the fortunes tied to scripts, I find that my observation technique might become overly variable. Perhaps this is the cost of entering the game.
