The bathroom door handle turned gently, and the door was pulled open from the inside.
When Sefina reappeared in the living room, the three girls who had been chattering instantly fell silent.
Their eyes widened in unison, and their mouths hung slightly open as they forgot how to speak for a moment.
Standing before them, Sefina looked like a different person.
The pale pink dress fit her petite and delicate figure perfectly. The bubble sleeves softened the lines of her shoulders, and the oversized bow of the same color at the neckline added a touch of playfulness.
Below the hem of the skirt, her legs were wrapped in milky-white Over-the-Knee Socks, and her feet were tucked into small white leather shoes decorated with bows.
Her unique long blue hair draped over her shoulders, creating a wonderful contrast with the pink dress. Instead of looking out of place, it made her fair skin appear even more delicate.
Sefina’s figure was naturally slender and petite, but because she usually wore dark, cold-colored clothes and kept an expressionless face, she tended to project an air of majesty that kept people at a distance.
But now, this outfit filled with a young girl’s heart thoroughly brought out the cute potential of her appearance. She was simply adorable.
Mia thought, ‘Wow! Teacher looks so cute! It’s like she’s a different person! She looks even… even more delicious… Ahhh! No, no! What am I thinking?! *Cough, cough!*’
Kefi thought, ‘Teacher… so cute… Like a doll, she’s so exquisite I can’t look away.
I want to… I want to give her a gentle hug… Is this an improper thought?! She must be very soft… No, no! How can I have such thoughts about Teacher!’
Ellaria thought, ‘This outfit really suits Teacher! Perfect! If… if she could wear this, use this cute posture, and then… then pin me to the wall with her leg and coldly call me “small fry”… Ugh! No, no! Ellaria! Stop these dangerous thoughts!’
Seeing the three of them staring at her blankly without saying a word, Sefina couldn’t help but look down at herself with suspicion.
She reached out to gently scratch the blue strands of hair near her cheek and asked with a hint of uncertainty:
“Why is everyone quiet? Is it… strange for me to wear this?”
“Not strange at all!” the three of them shouted almost in unison, shaking their heads like rattles.
“It’s very cute!” Kefi added with a blush.
“It suits Teacher perfectly!” Mia nodded vigorously.
“It’s… very pretty,” Ellaria said in a slightly quieter voice, but her tone was firm.
In all fairness, Sefina’s appearance and outfit were almost flawless, and “cute” was the only word to describe her.
The only slight imperfection was perhaps that her face remained expressionless. Her wine-red eyes were calm and waveless, creating a subtle contrast with her sweet attire.
If… if only Teacher could smile, or maybe act a little cute…
Thinking this, Kefi looked at Sefina’s exquisite but cold face and subconsciously murmured, “Teacher is so cute… if only she could act cute…”
Halfway through her sentence, Kefi suddenly snapped out of it. She quickly covered her mouth, her face turning bright red.
Heavens! What was she saying?! How could someone as serious and aloof as Teacher Sefina be associated with “acting cute”? She was being far too disrespectful!
“Act cute?” Sefina caught the term clearly. She repeated it and turned her gaze toward Kefi.
Under the watchful eyes of the three girls, Sefina seemed to decide to give a small performance, fueled by the mindset of “satisfying her students’ curiosity” and “making an exception for her birthday.”
She hesitated for a moment, then somewhat clumsily raised both hands.
She used her two index fingers to gently poke her fair cheeks while tilting her head slightly. She made an effort to curl the corners of her mouth, attempting to form a “smile.”
Although the movement was a bit stiff and the smile was so faint it was almost invisible, when combined with her outfit and those slightly dazed wine-red eyes…
SO CUTE!!!
Kefi, Mia, and Ellaria’s eyes instantly bugged out.
This… this was cheating!
This clumsy attempt was far more lethal than any practiced cuteness! They… they were almost about to develop “improper thoughts” that were even more disrespectful toward their beloved teacher!
“Tea—Teacher! There are still other gifts to open!” In order to divert her attention and suppress her churning “appetite,” Mia hurriedly pointed to the two remaining gift boxes on the sofa.
Upon hearing this, Sefina immediately recovered from her slightly awkward performance, and her expression returned to its usual calm and natural state.
Actually, she only wanted to satisfy her students’ curiosity for a moment. Maintaining that posture was indeed a bit difficult for her; after all, it was too embarrassing.
Sefina walked to the sofa and continued to use the High-level Levitation Spell to open the remaining gifts.
One was from Kefi. It was an exquisitely crafted metal bookmark engraved with intricate and elegant patterns.
It came with a small card that had a message of well-wishes written on it. It was practical and perfectly matched Kefi’s attentive and considerate personality.
The other was from Mia, which was a pink mug. Small Magic Stones were embedded in the walls of the cup.
By injecting a small amount of mana, the temperature of the liquid inside could be maintained. it looked both cute and practical.
Sefina looked at these thoughtful gifts and said sincerely, “I like them very much. You’ve all put a lot of heart into this.”
Kefi and Mia quickly waved their hands. “It’s nothing, as long as Teacher likes it! They’re just some inexpensive trinkets…”
Sefina shook her head slightly and comforted them, “It’s already very good. The sentiment behind the gift is what matters.”
At that moment, Ellaria changed the subject at the right time, pointing to the cake on the dining table.
“Shall we taste the cake together? Although the appearance is ordinary, it should taste pretty good.”
The suggestion was immediately met with approval. Ellaria took the initiative to divide the cake into four equal portions and handed out small spoons and plates.
Mia had been craving it for a long time and was the first to take a large spoonful and put it in her mouth.
The cream was sweet and delicate, and the cake base was soft. The sweetness was just right.
“Mmm! So sweet! Delicious!” Mia squinted her eyes in satisfaction.
Kefi and Ellaria each took a bite as well, nodding in approval one after another. The taste was indeed very good; their busy morning had not been in vain.
However, the three of them soon noticed that Teacher Sefina had not yet taken a bite. She just looked at the cake in front of her without picking up her spoon.
Right! Teacher’s hand!
The three of them realized that Teacher Sefina had Tenosynovitis, and using her hand to hold a spoon would certainly be painful.
Sefina had just picked up the Wand resting nearby, seemingly intending to cast the High-level Levitation Spell to control the spoon.
A shimmer of mana flashed, and the silver spoon floated unsteadily from the plate. It scooped up a small piece of cake and then moved toward Sefina’s mouth, trembling as it went.
The spoon traced an unstable arc in the air, looking a bit clumsy and comical.
After all, magic was still not as delicate as human control.
Mia, watching this rare “clumsy” moment of her teacher, felt like something in her brain had snapped.
Perhaps she was used to playing around with Kefi, or perhaps she felt that Teacher was exceptionally kind and cute today, but she actually made an extremely bold move —
She suddenly leaned over, used her own spoon to quickly scoop a mouthful of cake from her own plate, and delivered it to Sefina’s lips with lightning speed. A bright smile was plastered on her face.
“Teacher, here, open wide. Aah — “
As the words fell, Mia herself seemed to freeze for a moment. She blinked her eyes, looking at the spoon she held to the teacher’s mouth, and then at Teacher Sefina’s face which was inches away…
The smile on Mia’s face instantly froze.
Only now did she realize what an earth-shattering thing she had just done!
She and Kefi were extremely close and often fed each other snacks, but in front of Teacher Sefina… this… this…
Kefi and Ellaria were also completely stunned. They held their breath and stared at Teacher Sefina without blinking.
Sefina was clearly dazed by this sudden “attack” as well.
Her wine-red eyes widened slightly as she looked at the spoonful of sweet-smelling cake by her mouth, and then at Mia’s face, which was written all over with “Is it too late to take this back?”
For a moment, Sefina was lost — Would she accept being fed?