After confirming that nothing important was left behind, Tunzuo prepared to head home.
Tunzuo, carrying her backpack, spun around excitedly in the living room, discussing where they should go wild on the weekend.
Sally and Huli had already packed up as well, their backpacks on, looking especially expectant.
Olivia, on the other hand, seemed a bit out of place.
The young lady of the Gold family said she planned to stay in the dormitory over the weekend to catch up on studying and enjoy some quiet time without the nagging of her family elders.
Olivia stood at the dormitory door, watching Tunzuo pack her backpack.
“Little ghost, are you leaving?”
A hint of reluctance showed in her eyes, and her golden dragon tail swept back and forth on the ground aimlessly.
“Oh, yeah. You perverted dragon can just stay put in the dormitory.”
Tunzuo picked up her backpack and replied casually.
“Then… let me walk you to the academy gate.”
Olivia carefully made a tentative suggestion to Tunzuo.
At that, Tunzuo stopped what she was doing and turned to size up Olivia, a scale in her mind weighing the feasibility of Olivia’s words.
“If you don’t mind the trouble and want to waste a few hundred meters walking for no reason, I’m not stopping you.”
Tunzuo tossed out that remark lightly, then walked out of the dormitory without looking back.
Her steps were light but not fast, as if she intentionally meant to wait for Olivia.
Olivia watched Tunzuo’s tsundere figure retreat, a hint of a triumphant smile curling at the corner of her mouth.
She let out a soft laugh and quickly hurried after her.
Thus, on the bluestone path of the Witch Academy of the Vast Sea City, a highly eye-catching scene appeared.
Two strikingly beautiful witches walked together, one in front of the other.
In front was the black-haired, green-eyed ghost witch with a cold, weary-of-the-world air.
Behind her was the golden-haired, radiant golden dragon witch whose smile could charm anyone.
Olivia followed closely, just two steps behind Tunzuo, like a loyal guard dog protecting its food.
She neither crossed the line to disturb nor relaxed her vigilance against any potential threats around.
The pair of Tunzuo and Olivia attracted curious glances from many witch students.
“Oh my! Look! It’s Lady Olivia!”
“Why is Lady Olivia following a black-haired witch? Could it be… that’s the mysterious witch from the video?”
“They seem to have such a subtle relationship. Are they playing some master-servant game?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I think Lady Olivia is the one with unrequited love!”
All sorts of whispers filled the air.
If it were before, Tunzuo would have been embarrassed enough to find a hole to crawl into.
But after spending time with Olivia lately, Tunzuo’s face had grown thick enough to rival a city wall.
She turned a deaf ear to the gossip, kept her eyes straight ahead, and treated herself as nothing more than an emotionless walking machine.
Olivia, too, paid no attention to the chatter.
The only thing that mattered to her now was the black figure walking ahead of her.
After walking for a while, the gate of the Witch Academy of the Vast Sea City came into Tunzuo’s view.
Tunzuo looked up and instantly spotted the familiar blue figure among the crowd of parents picking up their little witches.
An Lin was wearing a simple brown trench coat today, her long blue hair casually tied behind her head.
A few drops of colorful alchemy potion residue clung to her hair, glinting strangely in the sunlight.
At that moment, An Lin was standing on tiptoe, craning her neck to search among the crowd of witches.
She was holding a thermos, obviously containing some “supplement” specially brewed for Tunzuo.
After searching for a while, An Lin finally spotted Tunzuo walking out of the school with her backpack among the little witches.
Her eyes lit up, a bright smile bloomed on her face, and she waved her arm, ready to step forward to welcome her good sister home.
However, before An Lin could take a few steps forward, her movements froze.
For no other reason than that her gaze passed over Tunzuo and landed on the shimmering golden figure behind her.
In that instant, An Lin felt her brain short-circuit.
Those iconic huge golden dragon horns and that handsome face that could make any witch’s heart flutter—who else could it be but Olivia Gold?!
But why was Olivia here? And…
Why was she following so intimately behind her little sister Tunzuo?!
A million trashy novel plots flashed through An Lin’s mind in an instant.
Had Tunzuo been kidnapped by Olivia?
Or was she being blackmailed by Olivia?
Was this… the precursor to Stockholm Syndrome?!
The intense shock of information left An Lin petrified, standing still like a statue.
Even the thermos in her hand nearly fell to the ground.
Tunzuo bounced happily up to An Lin, completely oblivious to her guardian’s strange state.
It wasn’t until she noticed An Lin standing there like a wooden dummy that she reached out in confusion and waved a hand in front of An Lin’s eyes.
“Sister An Lin? Sister An Lin? What’s wrong? Did some alchemy potion poison your brain?”
Hearing Tunzuo’s voice, An Lin snapped back to reality.
Her pupils shook, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
Trembling, An Lin raised a finger and pointed at Olivia, who was following behind Tunzuo and walking toward them with a smile.
Her voice was filled with panic.
“T-Tunzuo, little sister, is this…”
Tunzuo followed the direction of An Lin’s finger, glanced back at Olivia, then snorted coldly and said with a touch of disdain:
“Just a perverted golden dragon who won’t take a hint. Sister An Lin, don’t mind her.”
“A p-perverted golden dragon?!”
An Lin felt her worldview violently shaken, urgently in need of reorganization.
In the short interval of An Lin’s questioning, Olivia had already walked up to the two witches.
She stopped gracefully and extended her fair, slender hand to An Lin, a flawless smile on her face.
“Hello, miss.”
Olivia’s voice was as warm as jade, carrying an innate noble aura.
“You must be Tunzuo’s guardian, I presume? I’m Olivia Gold, Tunzuo’s classmate and roommate. A pleasure to meet you.”
Looking at the hand extended toward her, An Lin roared inwardly.
Of course I know who you are!
There’s hardly a witch in the entire Duonayongla World who doesn’t know you!
Wait, what?!
You’re living in the same dorm as my good sister, and now you’re showing up in front of me, a humble alchemy witch, and greeting me?!
And why are you smiling at my sister like a peacock showing off for a mate?!
What I’m wondering is, why is someone as high and mighty as you, a young lady of immense wealth, so concerned about Tunzuo?!
Though a storm raged inside her, basic witch etiquette demanded An Lin awkwardly extend her hand and shake Olivia’s, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying.
“H-hello, I’m An Lin, Tunzuo’s guardian.”
Seeing An Lin’s flustered demeanor in front of Olivia, Tunzuo blinked, a familiar sly fox’s smile curling at the corner of her mouth.
She felt like causing some trouble.
Tunzuo quietly reached out behind An Lin and sharply poked her finger into the soft flesh of An Lin’s waist.
“—”
The sudden attack made An Lin gasp and shiver.
She turned to see Tunzuo looking at her with a pitiful expression.
“Sister An Lin~ Didn’t you say that if I got bullied at school, you’d definitely get revenge for me? Look, it’s this perverted dragon! She bullied me so badly before, I was wrapped in bandages from head to toe! Now’s our chance! Quick! Teach her a lesson!”
Tunzuo squeezed her voice, sounding sweet enough to make one’s teeth ache, but her words hit like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
An Lin looked at Tunzuo in horror, then at Olivia’s calm expression, and wailed inwardly.
My dear little sister!
You’re trying to get me killed!
What am I supposed to use to teach Olivia a lesson?
Dump my alchemy waste on her?
I’m just a high-rank witch;
I can’t stand up to the Gold family’s massive power!
Olivia, however, didn’t get angry at the words.
Instead, her smile grew even brighter.
She looked at An Lin and said sincerely:
“I’m sorry, Miss An Lin. It’s true I was too heavy-handed before and made Tunzuo suffer. If you have any complaints, I won’t fight back. I’ll take whatever punishment you see fit.”
Take whatever punishment?
Do you think I dare?!
Oh heavens, what did I do in my past life to end up with these two little troublemakers!
An Lin, caught between the feigning-wronged Tunzuo and the willing-punching-bag Olivia, felt like a cookie already crushed under a steamroller.
“This… it’s not… you… me… uh…”
An Lin stammered for a long time and could only stand there, utterly confused, her language function completely lost.
Seeing An Lin’s adorable flustered state, Tunzuo finally couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Olivia also joined in with a soft chuckle.
She and Tunzuo exchanged a glance, and the two witches somehow reached a silent understanding in that moment.
“Alright, I’m done teasing you, Sister An Lin. Let’s go home.”
Tunzuo took the thermos from An Lin’s hand and said with a smile.
Hearing this, An Lin felt as if a great weight had been lifted.
She quickly grabbed Tunzuo’s hand and, like a criminal fleeing a crime scene, turned to hurry away.
“T-then, Miss Olivia, goodbye! We’re off now!”
Olivia stood there, watching the two witches walk away, waving goodbye.
She didn’t reluctantly withdraw her gaze until that black silhouette completely disappeared at the end of the street.
“Goodbye, little ghost.”
Olivia murmured softly, then turned and walked alone back toward the Witch Academy of the Vast Sea City, now empty and cold due to the weekend break.
On the way home, An Lin kept turning back to look at Tunzuo, opening her mouth as if to ask something, but each time the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back.
She couldn’t help it.
Her mind was a mess, needing time to digest the overwhelming information.
When they returned to Flowing Coral Island, Tunzuo tossed her backpack onto the sofa, stretched, and prepared to head to her room to lie around and dispel the fatigue accumulated over the week.
But just as Tunzuo was about to go upstairs, a hand suddenly shot out from the side, hooking precisely onto Tunzuo’s collar and dragging the escaping Tunzuo back into the living room.
“Hey, hey, hey? Sister An Lin? What are you doing?”
Tunzuo stumbled, nearly falling.
An Lin seriously sat Tunzuo down on the sofa, then pulled up a chair and sat across from her, arms crossed, eyes sharp as she stared at Tunzuo.
“Come clean, little sister Tunzuo.”
An Lin’s voice was low, exuding the oppressive aura of an interrogator.
“What exactly is going on between you and Olivia Gold? Why was she at the academy gate to see you off? Why did she say she’s your classmate? And why does the way she looks at you seem so… off?”
An Lin fired off a series of questions.
If she could, she’d crack open Tunzuo’s head and dig the answers out herself.
Tunzuo looked at An Lin’s nervous expression and sighed helplessly.
She knew there was no escaping this.
“What else could it be? That perverted golden dragon just transferred here and got placed in the same class and dorm as me.”
Tunzuo pretended to be casual, as if talking about a trivial matter.
“Transferred?!”
An Lin’s voice shot up an octave, nearly cracking.
“That’s Olivia Gold! Why would she transfer here? And she ended up in the same class as you? That’s too much of a coincidence!”
An Lin felt there must be something shady going on.
But faced with An Lin’s interrogation, Tunzuo hemmed and hawed, her eyes shifting, unwilling to answer directly.
“Uh, well, maybe… she thinks the scenery of the Vast Sea City is nice…”
Tunzuo tried to play dumb and sneak past, but An Lin wasn’t so easy to fool.
Seeing Tunzuo’s lack of honesty, An Lin squinted, a sinister smile spreading across her face.
She slowly raised her hands, fingers flexing in the air.
“Looks like little sister Tunzuo doesn’t want to tell the truth. Then don’t blame big sister for using ‘special methods’ to extract a confession!”
Seeing An Lin’s ready-to-pounce tickle fingers, specially designed for ghost witches, Tunzuo instantly caved.
“Mercy! I’ll talk! I’ll talk, okay!”
Tunzuo crossed her arms over her chest, shouting in panic.
But An Lin didn’t care about that.
She wanted to teach her rebellious little sister a lesson.
With a cackling laugh, An Lin lunged at Tunzuo.
In the end, under An Lin’s relentless questioning, Tunzuo blushed and quietly spoke the truth.
“Olivia… transferred here just to pursue me…”
Tunzuo’s words were like a thunderbolt, leaving An Lin stunned.
“P-pursue?! Olivia Gold is pursuing my little sister?!”
The shock of information crashed over An Lin, making her brain short-circuit again.
But soon, a blazing fire of gossip ignited within An Lin.
“Oh! Who would have thought, my good sister, you’ve caught the eye of a witch, and such a famous young lady of immense wealth!”
An Lin instantly became excited, grabbing Tunzuo’s hand and bombarding her with questions.
“How is Olivia pursuing you? Sending flowers? Money? A villa? How far have you two gone? Held hands? Hugged? You haven’t been taken by her already, have you?!”
Faced with An Lin’s fervent nosiness, Tunzuo rolled her eyes in irritation.
“Who would like that perverted golden dragon! How could I possibly be taken by her!”
Then Tunzuo muttered a bunch of bad things about Olivia.
“She’s a pervert! Always clinging to me, getting handsy, saying all sorts of lewd things, and she loves staring at me with that disgusting look! I hate her so much!”
Tunzuo complained, angrily slapping the table.
But An Lin listened with great interest, occasionally throwing in some “mm-hmm,” “yeah” responses.
As an outsider, An Lin understood clearly.
Her little sister, though cursing fiercely, didn’t have deep hatred in her tone.
Instead, when mentioning certain details, the corners of her mouth would involuntarily lift, and there was even a hint of… shyness in her eyes?
After listening to Tunzuo’s complaints about Olivia, An Lin stood up with a long, emotional sigh.
“Alas, my good sister has only been in school for a few days, and she’s already about to be whisked away by a rich heiress? The cabbage I worked so hard to raise is about to be taken by a pig… oh no, by a dragon. Boohoo, big sister is so sad.”
An Lin pretended to wipe away tears while sneaking glances at Tunzuo’s reaction.
Faced with An Lin’s teasing, Tunzuo blushed slightly and muttered softly:
“Who likes that perverted golden dragon Olivia! Sister An Lin, you’re an eternal single old alchemy witch. What do you know about love? You spend all your time with those bottles and jars, don’t even have a girlfriend, so stop trying to play matchmaker here, okay?”
Tunzuo’s words dealt massive critical damage to An Lin.
Eternal single?
Old alchemy witch?
No girlfriend?
Every word was like a sharp knife stabbing into An Lin’s heart.
An Lin stopped in her tracks.
She slowly turned her head, revealing an extremely sinister and terrifying smile, a palpable black aura radiating from her.
“Is it this mouth?”
An Lin grinned and slowly closed in on Tunzuo, then lunged with claws outstretched.
“Is this the mouth that said such hurtful things to a witch?! Big sister is going to tear it off!”
“Waaah! Sister An Lin, I’m sorry! Spare me! Help—!”
Knowing she’d said the wrong thing, Tunzuo had no choice but to beg for mercy, letting out pitiful screams under An Lin’s clutches.