The footsteps outside the door sounded like a death knell. The moment she heard them, Mia felt as though she’d been doused with ice water.
She abruptly released her grip on Sefina’s neck.
Instinctively, she took a step back, a trace of bright red blood still clinging to the corner of her lips, standing out starkly.
What was worse, because of the sudden incident and her tense emotions, her snowy white hair and crimson eyes hadn’t faded away as usual—they still bore the traits of a Blood Clan!
Crap! If someone saw her like this, her identity would be exposed immediately. Alarms blared in Mia’s heart, her face turning deathly pale in an instant.
The moment Mia let go, a sharp sting ran across Sefina’s neck, making her frown slightly.
But before the pain even registered, a crystal-clear awareness of the situation hit her mind—
She had to hide Mia immediately!
Almost at the same time as Mia retreated, Sefina fought through the dizziness of blood loss and the lingering effects of the Nerve Toxin that left her limbs weak.
She suddenly stood up from her chair, grabbed Mia’s arm—who was still a bit stunned—and pressed down hard on her shoulder, her voice urgent and low:
“Quick! Hide!”
Mia understood at once, reacting swiftly. She crouched down, nimble as a startled little animal, slipping deftly into the space beneath Sefina’s broad Office Desk.
The Office Desk had a panel in front, but both sides and the back were open—just enough room for a person to curl up and hide.
Sefina quickly sat back in her office chair, adjusting her posture to use her body and the chair back to block the gap under the desk as much as possible.
She had barely finished all this, hadn’t even caught her breath, when a knocking sounded clearly from outside the door:
“Knock knock knock—”
“Is Teacher Sefina in?” It was Kefi’s familiar voice, tinged with a bit of timid politeness.
Sefina took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady, though she couldn’t quite hide the trace of weakness and exhaustion:
“Come in.”
One hand was still instinctively pressed to her recently bitten neck.
Even though she’d just used an instant Micro Healing Spell to stop the bleeding and speed up the healing, the stinging pain and strange feeling after being still lingered.
Kefi pushed the door open in response. At a glance, she saw Teacher Sefina clutching her neck with one hand, looking much paler than usual, a tiredness between her brows that she couldn’t conceal.
She asked with concern, “Teacher, you… you look so tired. Are you not feeling well?”
Sefina forced a faint smile and casually replied, “I’m fine, just… a bit too much work, a little tired.”
Hah, why do I look so tired, why am I so pale? Isn’t it all thanks to that glutton under the desk! she complained inwardly.
Meanwhile, Mia, curled up beneath the Office Desk, felt her heart about to leap out of her throat.
She clamped a hand tightly over her mouth, not daring to breathe, her body trembling slightly from nerves.
This is bad, so bad! Why did Kefi have to come at this exact moment!
Mia wanted to cry but had no tears, and could only peer desperately through the crack under the desk at Teacher Sefina’s white Over-the-Knee Socks and her little calves dangling and swinging slightly at the edge of the chair, as if those were her only lifeline right now.
Sefina didn’t want to dwell on her own condition, and got straight to the point:
“Kefi, are you here to apply for the teaching assistant position?”
Kefi nodded, a bit embarrassed as she softly asked, “Um… Teacher, do you think… I’m suitable?”
Sefina barely hesitated before nodding right away:
“You are.”
Unlike Mia’s lively and sometimes clumsy nature, Kefi was the typical hardworking and earnest student.
Her class notes were neat, her Written Test scores had always been among the top, and she’d made notable progress in Magic Practice lately.
Her strength was firmly at the upper level of a second-tier mage, and at this rate, she had a good chance of reaching the third tier by the end of the semester.
Letting Kefi serve as a teaching assistant to handle things like Document Sorting and checking materials couldn’t be more fitting—there was nothing to worry about.
Seeing Teacher Sefina agree so readily, Kefi’s face broke into a relieved and joyful smile.
“Thank you, Teacher!”
“Hiss—”
Just then, Sefina couldn’t help rubbing her still-aching neck again, her body feeling stiff and drained from blood loss and the lingering toxins.
Once Kefi leaves, I’m definitely going to scold that greedy brat under the desk! she resolved inwardly.
Kefi saw Teacher Sefina looking uncomfortable again, rubbing her neck, and became even more convinced that her teacher was simply overworked.
A wave of urgency to ease her teacher’s burden welled up in her. She stepped forward immediately, her tone sincere:
“Teacher, you really don’t look well! Why don’t I help you with some simple paperwork now? Like sorting the homework or….”
“Don’t come any closer!”
Sefina’s heart skipped a beat. Almost by reflex, she raised her voice, sounding even stern, instantly halting Kefi’s approach.
If Kefi walked over to the Office Desk and even slightly lowered her head, or accidentally kicked something—Mia would be completely exposed!
Under the desk, Mia was startled by the sudden scolding and trembled, desperately praying: Please don’t come over! Please, please don’t come over!
Kefi was taken aback by Sefina’s abrupt, almost harsh stop.
She stood frozen, a flash of confusion and obvious disappointment on her face, her eyes dimming a little.
Teacher… does she not want me near her? Or am I being too forward…
Sefina instantly realized her reaction had been too extreme. Seeing the hurt look on Kefi’s face, she felt a pang of guilt.
She quickly softened her tone, trying to explain, “Ah, it’s not… I mean, actually… I’ve finished most of the work for today already. The rest is just things I need to confirm myself, so I don’t need help for now. Thank you, Kefi.”
To change the subject and lighten the mood, Sefina slowly stood up from her chair and walked over to Kefi, trying hard to maintain a calm face as she asked casually, “You came over this afternoon, are you hungry? There are some snacks in my fridge. Do you want to eat something?”
However, as Sefina approached and stood in front of her, Kefi’s gaze unintentionally drifted downwards, seemingly drawn by something.
Her eyes stopped at the top edge of Sefina’s white Over-the-Knee Socks, at a spot on the inside of her thigh…
There, on the pristine white socks, were several spots of dried, yet still recognizable…dark red blood stains?
Connecting it with Teacher Sefina having just pressed her neck, her pale face, and her clear discomfort, a thought common among girls flashed through Kefi’s mind in an instant.
With a look of concern mixed with sudden realization, Kefi blurted out:
“Teacher, are you… did you just… get ‘that’?”
“Coffee” should be Kefi.
It’s fixed now