Thursday afternoon, the dismissal bell for Witch Academy of the Vast Sea City finally rang.
That soft chime was pure heavenly music to every little witch who’d been dying to play all day.
But for the three witches in Teacher Sherry’s class, the atmosphere at dismissal today felt exceptionally heavy.
Back in the dormitory, Tunzuo tossed her bag onto the sofa and collapsed into the cushions like a deflated ball.
Without even bothering to change her shoes, she pulled out her grimoire from the storage ring Leria the shop owner had given her, furrowing her brow and flipping through it with a grave expression.
Huli was doing the same thing.
This usually soft-spoken fox witch was now curled up in a corner of the sofa, hugging her teddy bear, her little face scrunched up in distress as she stared at the dense text in her grimoire, as if those words weren’t just information but some kind of curse that gave witches headaches.
Even Sally, who was normally bursting with energy and couldn’t stand staying in without running wild for hours after school, was acting out of character.
She didn’t yell about going to the Aerial Arena to practice diving, nor did she drag Huli to the night market.
Instead, she obediently followed Tunzuo and Huli back to the dorm, plopped down across from the two witches, pulled out her grimoire, and let out a long, heavy sigh.
In the dorm’s living room, the oppressive atmosphere was honestly eerie.
Three witches, three frowning little faces, three grimoires glowing faintly.
Tunzuo and the others sat around the coffee table, the air thick with the weight of something called a deadline.
The words “deep-seated grievance” were written all over the three witches’ faces as they pondered a life-or-death proposition for any witch.
“Ugh… it’s so hard to choose… I don’t wanna think.”
Tunzuo let out a long sigh, rolled over, and buried her face in a throw pillow, her voice muffled.
“Yeah… every one of them looks amazing, and every one of them is so hard…”
Huli sighed too, her finger swiping aimlessly across the grimoire’s screen.
“Wahhh, if only a witch could make the choice for us.”
Sally grabbed her messy black hair and wailed.
Just as the three witches were agonizing over the same problem, a golden figure silently appeared in the living room.
Olivia Gold, the golden family heiress, was now dressed in casual homewear, holding a freshly brewed cup of black tea, a smile curling at the corners of her mouth as she quietly watched the three heads huddled together on the sofa.
“What are you looking at that’s so absorbing?”
Olivia felt curious.
She set down her teacup softly, and like a stalking black panther, crept up on Tunzuo step by step.
Watching Tunzuo’s defenseless back, a glint of cunning flashed in Olivia’s eyes.
She planned to give her little ghost a surprise—she’d reach out from behind the sofa and pull Tunzuo into her arms, letting her feel the warmth of love in her embrace.
“Little ghost, here I come~”
Olivia sounded the charge in her heart, her steps light, her fingertips almost brushing Tunzuo’s shoulder.
Unfortunately, just as Olivia’s fingers were mere centimeters away from Tunzuo, a cold clothesline pole shot out from beside Tunzuo without warning, stopping precisely at the tip of Olivia’s nose.
“Back off.”
Tunzuo didn’t even turn her head, her voice cold and flat.
Olivia’s little move froze mid-air, her nose pressed against that clothesline pole that made her teeth itch with frustration but left her helpless.
The smile on Olivia’s face instantly stiffened at Tunzuo’s reaction, but it quickly melted away like ice cream.
“Hehe, little ghost, you’re still so quick.”
Olivia laughed, raising her hands in a French military salute, then obediently took a step back, stopping exactly at the farthest reach of the clothesline pole.
That length of the pole was the absolute safe distance Tunzuo had set for Olivia.
Ever since Olivia moved into the dorm, Tunzuo, after countless real-life drills and mental battles, had devised her best strategy for dealing with this perverted golden dragon, Olivia: cold treatment.
If she can’t be driven away, let her stay.
If I don’t want to deal with her, keep my distance.
As long as she maintained a clothesline-pole’s distance, Olivia couldn’t get handsy with her.
Tunzuo believed that if she acted cold, distant, and uncooperative, this possessive perverted golden dragon would eventually lose interest and find other witches to amuse herself with.
Olivia was naturally well aware of Tunzuo’s tactic, but to maintain the superficial cohabitation with Tunzuo, she had no choice but to accept this unspoken rule between them.
Of course, Olivia was never a rule-abiding witch.
She would push the limit of the pole’s length, occasionally finding angles to launch surprise attacks and break through Tunzuo’s defenses, but Tunzuo would mercilessly poke the scheming Olivia back every time.
This game of poke-and-retreat played out several times a day in the dorm.
“What are you doing, little ghost?”
Olivia stood outside the safe distance, gently pushing aside the clothesline pole in front of her, asking knowingly.
Tunzuo shot a displeased glance at Olivia, who was just watching the show.
The pole in her hand remained steadily pointed at Olivia as she replied dismissively.
“Studying which school to pick.”
Hearing this, Olivia’s bright golden slit pupils flickered slightly, and her smile deepened—the joy of a hunter watching prey step willingly into a trap.
“Oh? Picking a school?”
Olivia let out a light laugh, her tone carrying a hint of playful scolding.
“Instead of wasting your effort gathering scattered info from the magic net, why not ask the ‘perverted golden dragon’ right in front of you, who’s already chosen a school and has a comprehensive understanding of all nine?”
Olivia deliberately emphasized the words “perverted golden dragon,” as if trying to catch Tunzuo’s attention.
Her words made Tunzuo pause, while Sally and Huli snapped their heads up, eyes sparkling like they’d seen a savior.
That’s right! How could they have forgotten! Right here was a genius senior who’d already chosen a school and could offer reference experience!
What?
You’re asking why Teacher Sherry gave them a week to prepare?
Why are they still stressed about picking a school?
Ha, naive.
How could efficiency be high without cramming right before the deadline? That’s the self-cultivation of a chronic procrastinator!
Tunzuo looked at Olivia’s smug “Beg me, and I’ll tell you” expression and hesitated a bit.
But to save some brain cells, she silently retracted the pole aimed at Olivia.
“Since you’re offering, go ahead and explain. But don’t expect me to thank you.”
Seeing Tunzuo relent, a glint of triumph flashed in Olivia’s eyes.
She immediately tried to sidle up to Tunzuo, planning to snuggle while explaining.
Whoosh!
Tunzuo’s pole shot out again like lightning, pointing right between Olivia’s brows.
“Tch.”
Blocked by the pole, Olivia had to stop, but she didn’t give up.
Instead, she raised a hand, gently pinching the tip of the pole.
Without trying to snatch it, she looked at Tunzuo with a half-smile, her tone turning ambiguous and mischievous.
“If I help you pick courses, don’t you think I deserve a little reward, little ghost?”
“Reward? What do you want?”
Tunzuo narrowed her eyes warily.
“Like… letting me sit closer? Or giving me a pat on the head?”
Before Olivia could finish, Tunzuo’s face twisted in irritation as she lifted a leg to kick Olivia out.
But as Tunzuo turned, she was met with Sally and Huli’s puppy-dog eyes.
“Sister Tutu, please…”
The two little ones clasped their hands together, pleading in pitiful voices.
Faced with their requests, Tunzuo’s heart softened in the end.
“Fine! For Sally and Huli’s sake, you win this round!”
Tunzuo put away the pole, scooted aside, and patted the spot next to her on the sofa, warning with an icy tone.
“You can sit here, but there has to be a fist’s width between us! If you cross the line, don’t blame me for poking you into a sponge!”
“Don’t worry, I know my limits, little ghost.”
Olivia sat down beside Tunzuo.
Though there was still some distance between them, this was the closest they’d been since Olivia moved in.
Satisfied, Olivia cleared her throat and instantly switched into a friendly tutor mode.
“Since you’re all clueless about the nine schools, let me explain each school’s basic features in simple terms.”
Olivia extended a slender finger and lightly tapped the air, using magic to sketch a knowledge map in the void.
“First, the Element School. This is the most classic and mainstream school, focusing on energy shaping and elemental reactions. Simply put, you use natural elements like wind, fire, water, earth, lightning, and ice to create. This school has a very high ceiling and is easy to start, but it seriously tests a witch’s magic control.”
“Next, the Alchemy School. This is the most expensive school and, bar none, the hardest to make a name in. It focuses on material transformation and item creation. If you don’t have a few gold mines to burn or a super strong logical mind, don’t touch it. After all, alchemy witches… well, you’ve heard the stories.”
Olivia chuckled, as if recalling some funny alchemy witch jokes.
“The Necromancy School focuses on biological modification and soul research—like transplanting organs from powerful creatures into yourself through surgery, or stitching together multiple corpses to create terrifying puppet monsters. In short, it’s pretty morbid.”
“Illusion School focuses on mental interference and sensory deception. In illusions, reality and fantasy blur, with beauty and danger coexisting. The key to mastering it is learning to fool yourself first. It’s a very elegant but extremely dangerous school. High-level witches can even make illusions real.”
“Time-Space School. One of the most mysterious and highest-barrier schools among the nine, involving spatial teleportation, time stops, and even time reversal. It’s extremely hard to start, and you won’t see results quickly. Very few witches achieve anything in this school.”
Olivia took a sip of tea to moisten her throat before continuing.
“Summoning School. You summon familiars from the Spirit World with various effects to assist in combat and daily life. This school requires deep magical reserves and patience, because maintaining familiars consumes the summoner’s magic, and you need to bond with them—otherwise, they might not listen. Witches in this school have great prospects in both combat and employment.”
“Transformation School, rooted in druidic magic, lets you transform into various animals to gain their abilities, or even do fusion transformations, combining traits of different creatures or even non-living things onto yourself. It’s a highly adaptable school.”
“Prophecy School, which peers into the river of fate, lets you predict danger and see opportunities in advance. High-level witches can even make their words come true, anchoring fate’s nodes themselves. But peering into fate often comes at a cost.”
Finally, Olivia’s gaze fell on her own open palm.
“Last is the Battle Arts School. Battle witches use magic to enhance themselves, focusing on martial skills and physical techniques, channeling magic into weapons and bodies to charge straight at the enemy. It looks dangerous, but in close combat, Battle Arts witches often crush opponents from other schools.”
Olivia finished listing the basics of the nine schools, took another sip of tea, and casually glanced at Tunzuo.
“Alright, those are the basics of the nine schools. So, any thoughts?”
After hearing Olivia’s explanation, Tunzuo and the others fell into thought.
Sally scratched her ear, eyes lighting up.
“I think the Battle Arts School fits me! I love excitement, and I want to swing weapons as coolly as you, Lady Olivia!”
Huli hesitated, speaking softly.
“I… I think the Element School is better. You can cast lots of pretty spells, and it feels reassuring…”
Olivia nodded approvingly at Sally and Huli’s answers, then turned to Tunzuo, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
“What about you, little ghost? Are you picking the Element School or the Battle Arts School?”
In Olivia’s view, these two schools were the best for Tunzuo.
Tunzuo’s control over shadow magic was masterful, and her sword skills were godlike.
She had a natural edge in either the Element or Battle Arts School.
But faced with Olivia’s question, Tunzuo couldn’t answer right away.
She hung her head, twisting her fingers in her clothes, a flicker of complex emotion in her dark green eyes.
The Element School—that was the school Antuxi specialized in.
If Tunzuo wanted to learn, she could just have Antuxi teach her.
Tunzuo didn’t think any witch could surpass her bad mommy in the elements.
Plus, Tunzuo had a tiny bit of selfishness—she secretly wanted to surpass Antuxi.
‘If I pick the Element School, wouldn’t I be competing with bad mommy on her home turf? No way I’m humiliating myself like that.’
That’s what Tunzuo thought.
As for the Battle Arts School, that was out of the question.
Tunzuo was a lazy fish just wanting to lie flat.
She wouldn’t pick such an exhausting school.
Practicing sword swings thousands of times a day and waking up early for physical training? No way she’d accept that.
Besides, there was the perverted golden dragon, Olivia.
If Tunzuo picked the Battle Arts School, Olivia would definitely use training as an excuse to pester her for sparring every day.
Then lying flat wouldn’t even be a dream—rest would be a luxury.
Not worth it, absolutely not worth it.
As for the other schools, Tunzuo hadn’t decided.
Necromancy sounded a bit grim, Illusion was too mentally taxing, Time-Space too hard
Transformation too bothersome, Prophecy too abstract, and Alchemy was a total bust.
After a brain storm, Tunzuo gave up thinking.
‘Whatever, it’s just a choice. There’s still tomorrow to think about it. If the sky falls, the tall witches will hold it up. Why rush this school selection thing?’
‘For now, let’s slack off.’
With that, the gloom on Tunzuo’s face cleared.
She closed her grimoire, stretched lazily, stood up cheerfully, and headed to her room like nothing was wrong.
“Tomorrow’s problems for tomorrow. I’m heading to my room to rest.”
Tunzuo left a carefree back view, leaving Sally, Huli, and Olivia staring at each other in the living room.
“Huh? Sister Tutu’s just giving up?”
Sally was dumbfounded, not quite getting Tunzuo’s move.
“Sister Tutu… she’s so carefree.”
Huli hugged her teddy bear, lost in thought.
Olivia, meanwhile, quietly watched Tunzuo’s retreating figure, her golden slit pupils narrowing slightly, a shadow of emotion flickering in her eyes.
After a moment, a meaningful curve tugged at her lips as she whispered to herself in a voice only she could hear.
“Affection’s about bottomed out. Time for the next step…”