With the low roar of the magic engine and the long blast of the steam whistle, the steel train slowly began to move.
The platform and the crowds waving goodbye outside the window began to slide backward at a steady speed, eventually melting into a blurred backdrop.
The buildings and fields on either side of the tracks were gradually stretched into flowing blocks of color by the speed.
Inside this carriage, most of the space was occupied by the faculty and students of the Oselenka magic academy, the air filled with chirping chatter and excited whispers.
In addition, a smattering of ordinary passengers sat scattered about. Quite a few ordinary people were heading to the western continent for various reasons, such as tourism or business.
Among them, a conspicuous white-haired figure sat alone in the aisle seat in the front row.
That was Flovi.
She wore plain traveling clothes, her long, silvery-white hair as sleek as ever. But at this moment, her normally unfocused pale gold eyes were darting back and forth, as if searching for something within the dense crowd of heads.
Perhaps because her target was too petite, or perhaps because her innate perception was not sharp enough, she looked around for a long while.
A trace of confusion remained on her delicate face; she clearly had not locked onto her target.
Sefina had arranged for her to travel together, naturally taking into account the potential risks of a trip to the western continent.
Having one more reliable combatant by her side would always provide an extra layer of protection.
Just…
Watching Flovi’s slightly dazed search movements, Sefina mentally covered her face, hoping only that this airheaded maid would not act too suspicious during the trip and attract unnecessary attention.
Eventually, in order to let Flovi find her, Sefina pretended she needed to go to the restroom and stood up to walk forward.
When she passed by Flovi’s seat, her steps slowed imperceptibly, and her gaze flicked toward her with quick precision.
Almost at the same time, Flovi seemed to sense something and lifted her head. Their eyes met briefly in the air.
Although Flovi’s gaze still carried her characteristic vacancy, Sefina clearly caught a fleeting signal of confirmation.
According to their prior agreement, to avoid revealing their connection, they would not speak to each other during the train ride unless an emergency arose.
Therefore, after confirming that Sefina was safely on the train, Flovi looked as if she had completed her mission. She calmly withdrew her gaze from behind and returned it to the novel in her hands—
It was one Lisika had shoved into her possession to pass the time on the long journey.
Sefina returned to her window seat and sat down, casting her gaze toward the scenery flying backward outside.
Time had become a practical problem.
She sighed. She took a book out of her carry-on bag, also a “friendly donation” from Lisika. The journey would take two full days, and it was certainly long; figuring out how to pass the time had become a necessity.
Opening the title page, Sefina’s brow twitched imperceptibly.
This appeared to be a… yuri-themed novel.
In the cultural environment of the East continent, romance was not restricted by gender.
Works depicting romantic feelings between people of the same sex were quite common, and even same-sex marriage was legally recognized and protected.
Precisely because of this, when Ellaria realized her special feelings for her teacher, she felt more internal shyness and struggle than fear of social norms.
Sefina composed herself and began to read.
Hmm, the protagonist was a teacher at a magic academy, and her traits were… petite, described as a “loli.”
Sefina: ???
This trope… wasn’t exactly rare, but Sefina didn’t particularly like the “loli” aspect. She personally preferred protagonists who were young girls or mature women; at least… they could be taller.
So, Sefina read on.
At the start of the novel, the protagonist teacher seemed to have encountered some trouble; her personality was slightly eccentric, and she was even a bit vengeful, secretly preparing to “settle scores” later.
As the plot unfolded, it recounted the deepening bonds between the protagonist and three main students, how the protagonist guided their growth, and how she helped them solve their respective hidden difficulties.
Sefina: ?????
This plot… why did it have such an inexplicable sense of déjà vu?
Suppressing the oddity in her heart, Sefina kept reading.
The novel’s writing style was quite delicate, and the emotional descriptions were subtle and moving. Between the lines, it was revealed that the author was likely a young girl.
The plot seemed standard so far, but it wasn’t cliché, carrying a fresh and refined charm.
The sky gradually turned from bright to a dusky yellow, then was slowly covered by the night. The carriage ceiling lights emitted a soft glow, illuminating the pages.
Sefina was gradually drawn into the story, immersing herself in it.
Everything outside the window was fine until…
As the novel’s plot progressed, the relationship between teacher and student grew constantly warmer through their interactions; a palpable, ambiguous tension seemed to suffuse the air.
Sure enough, one of the students, on a moonlit night, gathered the courage to confess her heart to the protagonist teacher—she had confessed!
And then…
At this most critical moment, four striking large characters appeared at the bottom of the page—
(To be continued)
Sefina:
!!!
The fingers holding the page tightened slightly, and an indescribable feeling of stifled frustration welled up in her heart.
How detestable! How could this author… end the chapter in a place like this?! This is truly—
Sefina had finally gotten absorbed in the story and was looking forward to what happened next, only for the narrative to come to a sudden halt!
The key point was that Lisika had only given her this one book! If she wanted to see what happened next, she would have to wait until she returned from the western continent; wouldn’t that take many days?
Wait… that didn’t seem right…
On the small table, she seemed to have caught a glimpse of a novel with the same name, but there was a clear number “2” marked after the title.
Sefina suddenly remembered the one she saw next to Flovi’s seat earlier—
That book was definitely the sequel to this novel!
Should she go and ask Flovi for the next part?
As soon as this thought bubbled up, Sefina felt a surge of hesitation.
This… what would this look like? Letting Flovi see her, a master who had always carried herself with such calm restraint, actually take the initiative to ask for a yuri novel, and one about a teacher-student relationship at that…
Would Flovi think to herself: “So, the master… likes reading this type of thing?!” And even… would she have any strange associations?!
For instance, if her cold and serious master liked reading this kind of student-teacher novel, did the master also crave a tense and exciting student-teacher romance?!
Just thinking about the possibility of Flovi looking at her with those airheaded eyes made Sefina’s cheeks feel hot. The leg she had just extended to stand up silently retracted.
A hint of inner turmoil.
The curiosity about the subsequent plot scratched at her heart like a kitten’s claws, while the instinct to maintain her personal image was desperately trying to stop her…