Sefina rolled her eyes at Mia, her tone flat and devoid of any discernible emotion: “It is nothing.”
Obviously, Mia was not buying Teacher Sefina’s perfunctory explanation at all.
In those eyes that had just regained their deep blue hue, a light of relentless curiosity flickered. She reached out again to grab Teacher Sefina’s wrist, shaking it gently. Her voice was kept low, carrying a thick sense of acting spoiled:
“Sefina Teacher, just tell me ~~ what exactly is ‘that’ anyway? I promise not to tell anyone!”
Sefina frowned and forcefully pushed away the arm clinging to her.
How could she possibly speak about something like a Magic Crest!!!
That kind of incredibly shameful secret—it was already an unavoidable accident that Ellaria knew about it. Fortunately, Ellaria was a sensible, tactful, and gentle child.
But Mia… Mia was not malicious, but she was the recognized “loudspeaker” and “curiosity baby” of the academy. Once she knew, heaven only knew if she would let it slip one day?!
No, no, she absolutely, definitely could not tell her!
Thinking of this, Sefina glared fiercely at Mia again, her eyes full of warning, signaling her to stop questioning immediately.
However, Mia still did not give up. Sticking to her like a piece of taffy, she continued to plead in that cloyingly sweet voice:
“Sefina Teacher ~~ I beg you ~~ just a little bit, even a hint is fine?”
Sefina completely lost her patience and did not want to entangle with her at the entrance of this narrow bathroom any longer.
She forcefully shook off Mia’s hand wrapped around her arm, her tone cold and hard: “I said it is nothing, so it is nothing.”
Immediately, she ignored Mia, turned to grasp the handle of the bathroom door, and prepared to open it and leave this place of trouble.
However… things often happen with such coincidence.
Just at the moment she and Mia stepped out of the bathroom one after the other and into the corridor, a figure happened to appear at the corner at the end of the hallway.
The distance was a bit far, but the corridor was well-lit, making it clearly visible—
It was Kefi!
It turned out that about two minutes ago, Ellaria had already returned to the living room from the bathroom entrance.
Seeing Teacher Shalina busy carrying the prepared dishes to the dining table, she took the initiative to step forward and help set the tableware.
As for Kefi, she had originally been talking in low voices with Feliel, but suddenly felt the urge to use the restroom.
This was her first time visiting Teacher Shalina’s home, and she was not clear on the specific location of the bathroom, so she had asked Feliel.
Feliel pointed toward the corridor, telling her it was at the very end.
Thus, by pure chance, just as she reached the corridor and before she could turn toward the bathroom, she happened to see Teacher Sefina and Mia walking out of the bathroom together.
Moreover, Mia seemed to be muttering something… did she hear the word “secret”?
Kefi blinked and asked bluntly: “Mia, Teacher Sefina, what are you talking about? What ‘secret’? Also, why did you come out of the bathroom together?”
Sefina’s inner self was nearly collapsing, and she subconsciously supported her forehead.
It was likely because Mia’s questioning voice was too loud earlier, combined with her own distracted state of mind, that she hadn’t even noticed the sound of Kefi’s approaching footsteps…
She immediately glared fiercely at Mia beside her, her gaze sharp as a knife, clearly saying: “See! This is all your fault! Now look what’s happened!”
Mia also knew she was in the wrong and scratched the back of her head awkwardly. A sheepish smile appeared on her face as she instantly fell silent, no longer daring to ask what that “secret” actually was.
Despite the slight panic in her heart, the poker face Sefina had practiced for years played a huge role at this moment.
Her expression remained calm and waveless, showing not a hint of tension or flaw. With her brain working rapidly, she immediately thought of a seemingly reasonable explanation and spoke in a calm tone:
“Mia’s hair tie fell into the gap behind the sink. She couldn’t reach it, so she asked me to help use a High-level Levitation Spell to get it out.” She paused and added, “We just finished.”
Good, this excuse sounded very mundane and logical. Sefina inwardly nodded at her quick reaction.
Mia also reacted immediately, nodding her head like a woodpecker as she chimed in:
“Right, right, right! Thanks to Teacher Sefina, otherwise my hair tie would have been stuck in there and I couldn’t have gotten it out!” She tried to use an exaggerated expression to bluff her way through.
Kefi looked at the natural-looking Teacher Sefina, then at the slightly cramped but hard-nodding Mia. She clearly believed this explanation regarding “why they came out of the bathroom together” and nodded slightly.
“So that’s how it is.”
But… she tilted her head, her curiosity not yet fully satisfied, and still pursued the initial question:
“Then… what was the ‘secret’ you were talking about just now?”
This question left Sefina speechless for a moment, feeling the breath she had just let out hitch in her throat again.
Most importantly, the culprit beside her was looking at her with a gaze that seemed obedient but was actually full of eager anticipation, as if she were also waiting for the answer.
Sefina was truly too lazy to fabricate another perfect lie to cover for this “secret,” especially in front of an uncertain factor like Mia.
She simply adopted an avoidance strategy, indifferently dropping a sentence: “It is nothing, just casual talk.”
Then, without waiting for Kefi to speak again, she quickly found an excuse: “I’m going to help Teacher Shalina serve the dishes.”
After saying that, with a hint of fleeing in embarrassment, she walked quickly toward the kitchen and living room.
Kefi stood in place, looking a bit blankly at the back of Teacher Sefina as she left quickly, then at Mia who followed the teacher like a little tail. She felt something was a bit strange, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
Sefina returned to the living room, deliberately ignoring Mia who followed closely behind her. She didn’t even bother to give her a single look, walking straight to the dining table to help arrange the appetizers Shalina had already brought out.
Clearly, she was still angry at this person who had almost caused a huge disaster—
Lacking self-control during blood-sucking, pestering her in the bathroom just now and nearly causing her to be exposed, and now drawing Kefi’s questioning…
Hmph! This little rascal!
Mia followed Sefina step by step, keenly sensing the low pressure radiating from Teacher Sefina’s surroundings.
She scratched her head, knowing the teacher was truly a bit angry this time. She didn’t dare ask about the “secret” anymore and instead began to circle around Sefina like a puppy trying to please its master, attempting to make up for her mistakes.
“Teacher, are you thirsty? Should I go get you a glass of juice?” Mia leaned in and asked in a small voice.
Sefina ignored her, focusing on arranging the plates.
“Teacher, are you hungry? Look, this appetizer looks so delicious. We can… uh, I mean, would you like to have a bite first?” Mia continued to offer her services.
Sefina still acted as if she didn’t exist, not even lifting an eyelid.
Looking at Teacher Sefina’s completely unmoved, cold profile, Mia felt a bit anxious. When the teacher got angry, she seemed a bit difficult to appease…
It seemed she could only use her ultimate move! Mia secretly clenched her fist, her gaze becoming determined.