A young girl walked briskly along the main path leading to the lower-grade teaching wing of the academy.
Her long, flowing white hair and stunning appearance attracted the attention of many passing students.
“Who’s that girl? She’s so pretty.”
“Look at the blue armband on her arm. I think she’s a year ahead of us.”
“Huh? Don’t tell me you don’t even know who she is?”
“Is she famous or something?”
“That’s Dorothy! The genius mage who ranked first in both the entrance exam and last year’s advancement exam. Word is she’s already the personal disciple of a Grand Magister at the Arcane Academy!”
“A Grand Magister?! Are you sure she’s only one year above us?!”
“Hmph, of course! I’m the vice-president of Dorothy-sama’s official fan club. There’s no way I’d have the wrong info about our goddess!”
“She even has a fan club…?”
The idle chatter of the students was anything but quiet, and Dorothy heard every word clearly.
Hmph.
As expected, I’m still as popular as ever.
Her lips curled ever so slightly, maintaining a warm and pleasant smile on her face—but deep inside, she was bursting with pride.
Yare yare, what can I say?
It’s not my fault I’m both beautiful and a genius.
Of course everyone would be captivated by me~ So it’s only natural that a cute little underclassman would ask me out~
Humming happily to herself, Dorothy began to sing a soft tune.
She hadn’t come to the lower-grade teaching wing just to stroll around.
Just the evening before, a girl had stopped her in front of her classroom.
“Um… My name is Bell… I’m… a fan of yours, senpai.”
The petite black-haired girl had led Dorothy to the corner of the stairwell, hesitated for a long while, and then finally mumbled her introduction.
Dorothy blinked in surprise.
Seeing the girl fidget nervously with her fingers, she responded with her trademark gentle smile.
“Nice to meet you, Bell-chan. I’m really happy to have such a cute fan. You don’t need to call me ‘senpai,’ just ‘Dorothy onee-san’ or even just ‘onee-san’ is fine!”
“A-Ah, that’s too…!”
Bell, who had been looking down, quickly looked up and waved her hands frantically.
Someone like her couldn’t possibly…
“It’s okay, really.”
Dorothy reached out and gently patted her head, cutting her off.
“See, I’m already calling you Bell-chan. So if you call me onee-san, it’s all fair, right?”
“U-Um… D-Dorothy onee-san!”
Bell was clearly overwhelmed, and seeing Dorothy’s expectant gaze made her rationality melt away.
She gave in with a whisper.
“There we go, much better. So, Bell-chan, what did you want to talk to me about today?”
Dorothy withdrew her hand with satisfaction, adjusting the brim of her witch’s hat as she asked.
“Ah, no… wait, yes!”
Bell reluctantly watched the hand pull away, then caught herself and quickly corrected, “Tomorrow evening… Does Dorothy onee-san have time?”
“Hmm? Tomorrow evening?”
Dorothy frowned slightly.
“After cultural class ends, I should be free.”
Just thinking about it made her grumble.
That bastard Sheffil had promised to go shopping with her and help haggle prices, but this morning he suddenly bailed with some excuse.
He totally ghosted her.
One of these days, I’m going to break into his house and raid every snack in his freezer!
“Ah, that’s great… My brother was right after all…”
Bell pressed her hands to her chest and smiled in relief.
Speaking just loud enough that Dorothy couldn’t hear, she then looked up, eyes bright with determination.
“Then, please come to the rooftop of the lower-grade teaching building tomorrow! I have something really important I want to tell you!”
“T-That’s all! I’m sorry! Bye!”
And just like that, Bell spun around and bolted as if she had used up every ounce of courage she had.
Before Dorothy could say a word, the girl’s pink-purple hair vanished around the corner, leaving only the sound of her retreating footsteps behind.
“What a strange child…”
Dorothy scratched her head and sighed.
***
The sun dipped toward the western horizon, casting a golden-red glow over the entire teaching building.
As Dorothy pushed open the rooftop door, she was met by a warm breeze and the sight of a petite girl with pink hair, nervously toying with the hem of her skirt.
Hearing the door open, Bell turned around.
“Ah! Dorothy onee-san!”
Her face lit up with a dazzling smile as she waved.
She looked completely different from the timid girl yesterday—no more nervous fidgeting or anxious mumbling.
“Yo. Have you been waiting long, Bell-chan?”
Putting the thought aside for now, Dorothy smiled as she walked over and carefully took in the sight of the delicate girl before her.
Bell wore a dark gray sailor uniform with a plaid skirt.
Her long, lavender-pink hair cascaded down to her waist, framing a dainty face with perfectly shaped features.
With her bashful expression, she looked even more delicate and endearing.
She looked like a character straight out of a storybook—every trait tailored to evoke tenderness and affection.
The golden sunlight bathed her in warm light, giving her a soft, glowing halo.
Whether it was nerves or something else, Bell’s cheeks were dusted with a rosy blush.
Dorothy found herself holding her breath in awe of the girl’s beauty and asked softly, “So, Bell-chan… what did you want to tell me?”
Even as she said the words, she already had a pretty good idea—
This girl… is totally going to confess!
The setting, the mood—this is definitely a confession scene!
Even if it were Sheffil or any other guy standing here, they’d think the same!
“Dorothy onee-san…”
What should I do?
What should I do?
What should I do?!
Sure, I’m close with a lot of cute girls, but getting confessed out of the blue like this?
Too much!
How am I supposed to turn down such an adorable girl?!
“I want to…”
Sheffil! Help meeeee!
“Please… be my teacher!”
I still have so many wings to spr— Huh?
“Teacher?”
Dorothy’s drifting thoughts snapped back into place.
She stared blankly at the bashful girl before her.
“Yes! The field of magic I’m studying is the same as the one you specialize in, but there aren’t many instructors available, and the ones who teach it are always so busy… I’m really struggling to understand it on my own…”
“But I heard about your incredible talent in that magic! I admire you so much! I want to be just like you!”
“Then one of the professors mentioned that upperclassmen can officially mentor younger students, and I immediately thought of you…”
“But since we’re not close, I felt it would be really rude to just ask you to be my teacher, so it took me a lot of courage just to invite you here yesterday…”
The faster Bell spoke, the lower her head drooped. Her once-energetic voice became faint and thin.
“Ah—but if you can’t, that’s totally fine!”
She suddenly looked up in panic, waving her hands in a flurry.
“I mean, who would take on a complete stranger as a disciple, right…”
“Bell-chan.”
“So if you say no, it’s totally fine! I’m already really happy that you came today—”
“Bell-chan!”
“Y-Yes?!”
Dorothy cut her off, stepping quickly in front of her and locking eyes with the flustered girl.
“I told you to call me Dorothy onee-san, didn’t I?”
She reached out again and gently patted Bell’s head, her smile soft and serene.
Even if it wasn’t a confession, being looked up to so sincerely by someone this cute—who could possibly be upset about that?
“Eh? So that means—?”
“But,” Dorothy said with a mischievous glint in her eyes, watching Bell’s expression dim, “I can’t be your teacher.”
She paused for effect, then chuckled.
“I’m only one year ahead of you, and I’m not even a legal adult yet. I can’t officially register as a magic advisor.”
“Oh… right…”
Bell looked down again.
“I’m so stupid… I didn’t even think about that…”
“Honestly. As the future apprentice of the genius Dorothy, you need to stop sulking on your own.”
She let go of Bell’s soft hair, then tilted the girl’s chin upward to meet her gaze.
“E-Eh?! But…”
Staring directly into her idol’s ruby-like eyes at such close range, Bell could only let out a soft whimper, overwhelmed.
“We can’t be an official mentor and disciple yet—but isn’t it perfectly normal for a senpai to guide her kouhai?”
Dorothy turned away, hands in her pockets, and with a graceful step, perched herself on the edge of the rooftop wall.
Her leather shoes made a soft scraping sound against the stone.
“Let’s call it an internship. Until I can formally become your mentor, I’ll guide you as your upperclassman. If you don’t meet my expectations by then, I won’t accept you as my official disciple. Got it, Bell-chan?”
“Y-Yes! I understand!”
Snapping out of her daze, Bell quickly nodded.
“Thank you! Thank you, Dorothy onee-san!”
“Hmph, no need to thank me so much—”
If Bell could have seen her idol’s face just then, she would have found it blooming with delight.
Aiya~ Being this popular with cute girls is such a burden~ If I really do become a mentor in the future, won’t I be swarmed by adorable students?
Ugh, I won’t even have time to rest!
“Big Brother Sheffil was right after all… Dorothy onee-san really is a wonderful person…”
It was a quiet murmur—but Dorothy heard it loud and clear.
“Why did you mention Sheffil’s name?”
The girl with the oversized witch’s hat turned back toward the sinking sun, eyes narrowing and lips curling into an unfriendly smile.
“Now I really want to know—”
Meanwhile, in the basement of the same teaching building, a black-haired man lay slumped on a sofa, bored out of his mind as he twirled a lone strand of his white-highlighted hair.
His deep gaze was fixed on a glowing blue floating screen in front of him.
[Dorothy]
Group 1:
⑤ Name: Lan Bell
Age: 15
Detailed Profile [Expand]
Affection: 75/100
Emotional Status: —
Crush
Is he trying to get her to stupid crushing on him???