Chapter 519 No One Would Hold a Timed Bomb in Their Arms
“Phew~ It’s out.”
After emerging from Sister Bai’s teleportation portal, I took a deep breath to calm the emotions surging within me at this moment.
After all, I had just discussed specialized content related to the Great Spellbook with the Academy Head. Even though I had convinced myself that I need not fear the Academy Head, truly achieving such a state of mind requires solid confidence as support. I am still far from the level of the Academy Head.
To borrow the Academy Head’s words, my current situation is still a bit too hasty; many of my views are too macro-level and not yet refined down to the most detailed aspects.
The Great Knowledge Tree has granted me the ability to skip the slow accumulation stage, but since I chose to bypass this phase, I also need to spend more time settling down and applying that knowledge so that it truly belongs to me.
Refining details is not merely about calming down and grinding away; it involves investing more emotion and utilizing more knowledge to fill in the minute, inconspicuous aspects—that is the essence of “depicting details.”
This time with the Academy Head, my apparent greatest gain was her nodding approval regarding the promotion of the Great Knowledge Seed. However, for me, this was merely a predetermined hurdle to overcome—it’s just a matter of how to step past it. The fact that I managed to pass it so easily is not a gain; it’s a pleasant surprise.
My real gain was the overall direction I formed regarding future planning after speaking with the Academy Head, as well as… how to handle issues in detail.
Of course, some of the connections established through the Academy Head are also important. Although I’m well aware that I’m not good at handling interpersonal relationships, relationships at this level still largely depend on one’s intrinsic value. If you are valuable, even if you are not eloquent, that becomes a merit in others’ eyes.
“Was Xiao Han very nervous just now?” Sister Bai emerged from the teleportation portal, reached out, and hugged my waist, asking.
“Of course! After all, I was facing two Academy Heads. It’s normal to be a bit nervous, right? Or rather… being a bit nervous fits the occasion better?” Being hugged by Sister Bai eased my worries, and my tone became much lighter.
“Fits the occasion? With those two’s attitude towards you, you should not be nervous at all… Xiao Han should adapt to it more.”
“If you want me to be completely not nervous… I should probably wait until my abilities are on par with those two Academy Heads before saying so. Although I may seem nervous, that’s actually respect for my seniors; after all, one should have a sense of reverence.”
“Reverence? Don’t go overboard, Xiao Han.” Sister Bai chuckled, and as for what I said about not being nervous until my abilities are comparably high to the Academy Heads, Bai Yu smiled lightly and didn’t seem to take it seriously.
However, as we left the Academy Head’s office, it was getting late.
“Xiao Han, any plans for tonight?”
“Tonight? Hmm… it seems there are many things to do, but they aren’t particularly urgent.” I glanced at Sister Bai, my gaze slightly absent. After all, both Sister Bai and I understood that once the fun ends, everyone has their own things to do, and I couldn’t always linger by Sister Bai’s side to waste time.
“Shall we go out for a nice meal? Then… spend another wonderful night tonight?”
“Mm.” I met Sister Bai’s somewhat suggestive gaze and smiled knowingly.
Liking someone doesn’t mean needing to cling to them all the time; a sense of personal space is equally important.
Sister Bai is now a formal instructor; she has a lot to do and needs to continually improve herself to become more powerful.
And I feel the same way; I have many things to do and need to keep improving myself.
So both Sister Bai and I have bright futures, and we are striving for it, not wasting time on trivial matters.
Of course, a certain level of closeness and a sense of ritual are also spices that maintain a relationship.
Tonight would also be a sleepless battle.
……
Early morning.
After completing my daily meditation and five-senses cultivation, I began my rest day today.
After all, I can’t expect to maintain high efficiency in studying the Great Knowledge Tree after fighting all night.
This naturally requires some time to adjust.
Of course, today also counts as a mental adjustment; I planned to see a few of my roommates that I hadn’t seen for a long time in the dormitory. I had seen them during the joint entrance examination, but I hadn’t been able to offer much help.
If I don’t keep in touch, the friendship might just fade away. After all, I also said… even after becoming a teaching assistant, I would treat them as my friends.
Naturally, they were more like anchors for the concept of friendship in my mind, but I didn’t want to admit this. I was just trying to be someone else’s friend, so my new life wouldn’t have the regret of “not having friends.”
Moreover… I had also reserved a position for them in the Great Knowledge Seed, but that would have to wait until the new version of the Great Knowledge Seed was completed.
After catching up with the remaining roommates, I didn’t stay long in the dormitory and then headed to another place, which was not far from the villa.
With such a short distance, I naturally didn’t use any teleportation spells.
Perhaps because it was a holiday, there were significantly fewer people on the academy’s roads. I arrived at the familiar bakery, which hadn’t changed much since half a year ago. Through the glass door, I saw the familiar layout inside and the lethargic Ying Shiqian at the cash register.
Everything seemed to remain unchanged.
I pushed the door open and entered without drawing anyone’s attention, walking over to a display rack where many new products distinctly different from those I had seen earlier were stacked. It appeared that Tang Yihan hadn’t given up on her innovations. Since these new products could be sold here, it meant that Tang Yihan had succeeded, though I wondered how many of Ying Shiqian’s efforts had preceded that success.
I picked up a bag of pre-packaged cake and walked towards the cash register.
“A bag of Thousand Wheels cake, it’s… hmm?” Ying Shiqian slightly raised her head and looked at the figure walking towards her. She instinctively began to quote a price, but midway through, she suddenly sensed something was off. Staring at the white hair floating in front of her, she abruptly looked up to meet a pair of eyes with a hint of amusement.
“Xiao Han?!”
“Ying Shiqian can actually recognize me?” At Ying Shiqian’s sudden pitch increase, I placed the cake on the cash register and smiled back, acknowledging her assumption.
“It’s really you, Xiao Han!” Ying Shiqian widened her eyes in disbelief and subconsciously reached out, wanting to pinch my cheek. “It can’t be someone impersonating you, right?”
“Who would be so bored to impersonate me?” I gently blocked Ying Shiqian’s hand, smiling as I spoke.
The commotion attracted the attention of others.
“Sister Xiao Han? Where is she? Has Sister Xiao Han come?”
“Really? Ying Shiqian, are you sure it’s not someone you mistook again?”
With a few voices coming through, several girls dressed in bakery uniforms popped their heads out curiously.
“That! It’s really Sister Xiao Han!”
With this confident shout, several figures dashed out from behind, surrounding me in an excited manner.
Not until they were gently pulled apart by Ying Shiqian did they regain a bit of rationality.
“Xiao Han, I didn’t expect you to come here at this time.” At that moment, Tang Yihan, who had been working on new products and training newcomers in the back, also came out. After all, such a commotion outside would naturally draw her attention.
“Sister Tang Yihan, long time no see.” I greeted her as well.
After greeting, the several girls beside me hurriedly bombarded me with questions, mostly expressing their admiration for me. A few of them had even dyed their hair white like mine.
After learning more, I realized they were members of the Xiao Han Support Group.
This wasn’t particularly surprising.
Of course, this support group had formed spontaneously. Even after several upheavals, despite Tan Han’s Support Group disbanding after the joint entrance exam, they continued to refer to themselves as members of this support group.
These girls were also members of the bakery club, and they had actively followed me to join. They just happened to be working part-time here during the holiday instead of going back home.
After all, the expenses at Witch Academy are quite substantial, and money is needed in every aspect. Even though the academy offers scholarships and some tasks specifically provide earning opportunities, it’s still not enough.
“Sister Xiao Han, I heard you became a teaching assistant. I’m curious what course you’re teaching. Can you share a bit? Maybe I can have the chance to attend your class.”
“Me? I’m just a teaching assistant, helping the instructor with teaching. The mentor I’m following teaches Body Cultivation, so I doubt you all would attempt it.” I explained with a smile; it was my first formal conversation with my support group, and I hadn’t expected them to be so curious about my affairs.
“Body Cultivation? What course is that, about working hard to strengthen the body?”
“I’m curious, how could Witch Academy have Body Cultivation? Shouldn’t that be something the Beast Academy studies? We witches should be learning how to cast spells, right?”
“Sister Xiao Han, I also want to get fit; my physical condition isn’t great. Can we attend your class next semester?”
“If all goes normally, I should be able to accommodate you next semester. Additionally, I want to clarify that Body Cultivation is not merely about exercising the body; it’s a power system not weaker than magic.” I explained to them.
“Then, Sister Xiao Han, are you dual cultivating Body and Magic?”
“Um… in a way, I guess that’s correct?” I replied.
“Then do I have the potential for Body Cultivation? I feel like my physical condition has inexplicably improved a lot since enrolling. Am I a Body Cultivation genius?”
“Me too! I could hardly lift things before, but now I can easily lift them. Do I have talent too?”
“Silly! This is the Witch Transformation brought to us by the Magic Source when we enrolled; it’s hard to believe you haven’t noticed this after half a year.” One girl helplessly explained the situation to the other two.
After chatting with them for a while, I reminisced with Ying Shiqian and the others. I didn’t do much else, only sharing a few interesting stories since it had been a while since we last met.
Ying Shiqian suggested calling the store manager over to join us, but I stopped her.
After all, I hadn’t come for anything significant this time, and I wouldn’t be coming back later—there was no need to specifically ask the store manager to come over. Perhaps next time, we might run into each other by chance.
I had personally witnessed when Manager Shali was affected by the story script’s luck, so she was naturally an important supporting character. Moreover, she had a piece of Extraordinary Knowledge that serves the story. If it were truly necessary to meet, luck would guide our paths.
Once I finished chatting with Ying Shiqian and the others, I left the bakery. However, the girls were reluctant to follow me out.
“Um… Xiao Han, about the support group…”
“That incident during the joint entrance examination, where Tan Han personally announced that she no longer acknowledged the connection between her and the Tan Han Support Group, you won’t publicly deny our relationship, will you?”
“I maintain a neutral stance on this matter; after all, you all witnessed the Tan Han Support Group incident firsthand. I won’t express any opinions supporting or opposing such voices…” I simply responded to their concerns and doubts.
“But… Sister Xiao Han, we have been supporting you from behind. If you don’t respond to us in any way, it will break everyone’s hearts!”
“Oh? I understand your worries, but blind expectations and unwarranted disappointments are just self-inflicted emotional harms. This is also the fundamental reason I won’t respond to you.”
“Sister Xiao Han, are you saying that all of this has been our self-inflicted sentiment all along?” With this statement, several girls fell silent, even the one who spoke the words realized she had misspoken.
In the moment of quiet, I broke the silence.
“If a person lives solely for another, strives for the other, and pours all their emotions into that one person… then that person is just a step away from self-destruction, which is realizing that all of their efforts are mere self-infatuation.”
“I can bluntly tell you… people like that in my eyes are not followers but timed bombs, and no one would hold a timed bomb in their arms as if it were a treasure.”
After my words, I knew I would shatter some of these girls’ fantasies, but it’s far better to realize certain truths early than to deceive oneself.
“I know my words are harsh, and I’m not afraid if you spread what I just said. However, I must remark that this timed bomb has already turned Tan Han into a pariah, and I won’t follow in her footsteps.”
At this point, I saw one girl’s face turn pale, as if she had just heard something terrifying she would never forget. Her trembling pupils seemed to question whether I had meant what I said seriously.
The other girls possibly just appeared to look a little sullen, with some seemingly caught in the thoughts triggered by my words.
I didn’t give them the opportunity to speak again. I hadn’t come to stir up trouble, and encountering these girls was unexpected; making them cry was not my intention either.
“I’m glad that after I finish saying this, you can maintain your rationality, instead of biting me back like those from Tan Han’s support group. Especially you; your name is… Qiu Mei, right?” I directed my gaze at the girl who had been the most agitated. The moment I unexpectedly called out her name, she froze in shock, for she did not remember that her name was known and even remembered!
“You performed brilliantly during the entrance exam, single-handedly defeating three monsters and collaborating to k*ll over a dozen monsters, even tearing off a Holy Angel’s wing. I remember everyone’s performance, which is why I said this to you. I just hope you can have your own thinking ability, rather than being driven by your one-sided emotions. You need to realize why you came to Witch Academy; however, one thing is for sure… you shouldn’t be here just to idolize.”
At this point, I stopped my remarks. In my line of sight, the information about each person that the Great Knowledge Tree manifested began to disperse.
My words struck a nerve with some, while also breaking the spirits of many.
It is often said that girls are emotional; they are no exception. Once they vent their emotions and start to reflect on what I said, my efforts wouldn’t be in vain.
Moreover… girls seem to be sensitive to certain points of stimulation. Sometimes, merely being remembered by someone can leave a significant impact, just like with this Qiu Mei.
I wouldn’t say anything more; I would let them fill in the blanks on their own.
Even if they went online and lambasted me, it wouldn’t matter. After all, I’ve faced a fair share of criticism recently.
At this moment, the girls gazed after my vanishing figure, wanting to say something but holding back. Once I had thoroughly disappeared from their sights, a sense of frustration began to spread.
“Um… Qiu Mei, are you okay? We all know you’re the one who… cares most about Xiao Han among us…”
“I… I’m fine. Um, did you all hear? Sister Xiao Han could even call my name… She has noticed me!”
“Qiu Mei, are you alright? Should I help you ask for a leave? You don’t look so good.”
“I’m just a bit emotional; Sister Xiao Han is right…”
“Qiu Mei wouldn’t be a bit obsessed, would she?” A girl next to her whispered.
“I don’t know… hey, do you think Sister Xiao Han really remembers us? I’d love to have Sister Xiao Han remember my name too…”
