Seeing Sefina slightly dazed by her question, Versie’s inner smile deepened, but on the surface she still played the role of a simple and curious “exchange student.” She blinked her clear ice-blue eyes and continued in a slightly puzzled tone:
“Classmate, which grade are you in? I feel like I haven’t seen you much at Legdolo.”
Sefina was silent for a moment, her fingers holding the book tightening. She looked up, her wine-red eyes carrying a hint of coldness, and glanced indifferently at Versie beside her, her tone calm and unruffled:
“I’m not a student.”
“Huh?”
Versie pretended to widen her eyes, her face full of feigned surprise. She deliberately swept her gaze over Sefina’s petite figure, her tone tinged with naive doubt:
“You’re so small, you look like you’re only in your teens. Are you really not a student?”
‘Calling her young is acceptable—she was only in her early twenties, still in her prime. But directly calling her small…’
‘Absolutely unforgivable!’
A nameless anger quietly rose in her heart. Sefina’s brows slightly furrowed, looking a little annoyed.
A faint “well” symbol seemed to appear on her smooth forehead. What she cared about most was this body’s height. That girl was definitely doing it on purpose!
Versie watched the teacher, who was barely suppressing her anger like a bristling kitten, and found it utterly adorable. It felt as if a feather was gently tickling the tip of her heart.
Moreover, she increasingly felt that the teacher’s original form and her “Holmes” form had a huge contrast.
The teacher’s “Holmes” form was a cool, aloof, mature older sister, while the Sefina teacher before her was petite, fair-skinned, with soft blue hair, like a sweet, soft little cake…
‘Looking… those pale pink lips should be softer and sweeter than before… Hmm~’
Just as ripples stirred in Versie’s heart, Sefina finally spoke slowly, her voice a few degrees colder than before, with emphasis:
“I’m a teacher!”
She stressed the word “teacher.”
At this moment, Versie seemed to suddenly realize, a flicker of “embarrassment” and “apology” crossing her face. She lowered her eyes slightly and murmured softly:
“So you’re a teacher from Oselenka… How rude of me.”
Versie lifted her face again, putting on a smile with a hint of respect.
“May I ask how I should address you?”
“Sefina.”
Sefina’s tone remained flat as she gave her name.
“Teacher Sefina.”
Versie followed smoothly, her smile polite and sweet.
However, just as Sefina thought this awkward conversation was about to end, Versie suddenly leaned in closer, her fresh breath instantly invading Sefina’s perception.
She lowered her voice, speaking softly into Sefina’s ear in a volume only the two of them could hear, her tone carrying a hint of probing and expectation:
“Then, Teacher Sefina, have you ever heard of a young lady named ‘Holmes’ in the East Continent? White hair, blue eyes—very beautiful.”
‘Very beautiful…’
Sefina’s heart trembled, a flicker of disturbance passing deep in her wine-red eyes, but years of disguise allowed her to instantly regain her usual calm and composure.
Sefina didn’t even look at Versie, her gaze still fixed on the book on her lap, her tone indifferent and devoid of any emotion:
“No.”
To a normal person, Sefina seemed genuinely unaware of that name.
Versie immediately showed a somewhat disappointed expression, softly saying “oh,” and whispered:
“I see… Thank you, teacher.”
She sat back upright with a dejected air, as if disappointed at not finding the person she was looking for.
However, beneath Versie’s lowered eyelids, a sly smile flickered in her ice-blue eyes:
‘Bad! It’s obviously the same person… She’s sitting right next to me and still pretending not to know me. So bad!’
‘Just wait, I’ll find another chance to get back at this lying teacher~!’
At this moment, although Sefina appeared calm on the surface, her heart was not entirely still.
‘She’s still looking for “Holmes”…’ But Sefina breathed a sigh of relief, glad she had reacted quickly.
Still, seeing Versie’s “disappointed” look, she couldn’t help but wonder: Was that girl’s action just a casual question?
Or was she plotting something again?
‘Oh well, cross that bridge when we come to it.’
Sefina thought to herself, deciding to deal with whatever came.
She ignored Versie beside her and refocused on the novel in her hands, silently reading by the window.
Versie seemed to take the hint and stopped bothering her. She also took a book from her luggage and quietly flipped through it.
The compartment fell into a brief silence, only the rhythmic “clatter” of the wheels on the tracks and the occasional rustle of pages turning.
Time flowed slowly between the lines of text. The sunlight outside the window grew increasingly intense, shifting from oblique to direct, casting bright patches on the floor.
In the blink of an eye, the sun had risen to its zenith—noon had arrived.
A staff member began pushing a cart through the train, hawking lunch. As everyone knew, this kind of train meal was expensive and often had an indescribable taste. Therefore, most experienced travelers brought their own lunchboxes.
Sefina and Versie were no exceptions.
Sefina closed her book and took out an exquisite two-tier lunchbox from the backpack under her seat.
Opening the lid, neatly arranged inside were small, cute sushi rolls. The rice was pure white, wrapped with fresh cucumber strips, crab meat, and egg sheets, with dark green seaweed on the outside, looking refreshing and appetizing.
Considering the inconvenience of heating food during the journey, she had specially made sushi, thinking it would maintain a good flavor even when cold.
Sefina picked up a piece of eel sushi with the small chopsticks provided, elegantly brought it to her mouth, and chewed slowly.
‘Mm, the firmness of the rice and the proportion of vinegar are just right, the eel sauce is rich—my cooking skills haven’t declined.’
However, her movements immediately attracted the attention of Versie beside her.
Versie watched the uniquely shaped and tempting food in Sefina’s lunchbox, a glint of curiosity and… calculation flashing in her eyes.
‘Yes, the bad student had some mischievous thoughts again~’
She immediately put down the book she hadn’t really read a few pages of, leaned over, and with a light smile on her face, directly asked for food:
“Teacher Sefina, the food you brought looks so special and delicious. Can I have a taste?”
Sefina paused, looking at her student’s expectant eyes. It seemed hard to refuse.
However, a trace of doubt arose in Sefina’s mind: When did Versie become so… familiar? Had her personality really changed in the past two years, no longer hiding all her emotions behind that perfect mask?
With this subtle curiosity, Sefina used clean chopsticks to pick up a piece of salmon sushi and carefully placed it on Versie’s lunchbox, her tone still flat:
“This is sushi. Try it.”
“Thank you, Teacher!”
Versie thanked happily, then picked up the sushi with her chopsticks and took a small bite.
Instantly, the freshness of the seafood and the crispness of the seaweed blended in her mouth, tasting unexpectedly wonderful.
‘As expected of Teacher—her cooking is still delicious~’
Versie squinted in satisfaction.
‘Well, I can’t eat her food for free. Time to give something in return.’
With that thought, Versie immediately acted. She picked up a rolled pastry covered in meat floss from her own lunchbox and naturally reached out to bring it directly to Sefina’s lips.
“As an exchange, Teacher Sefina, try this?”