Sefina stared at the meat floss roll suddenly brought to her lips, her wine-red eyes widening slightly, a flicker of disbelief passing through them.
‘This girl… is she offering food to a “strange teacher” she just met? That’s completely unlike Versie.’
In Sefina’s memory, although Versie had perfect manners and was gentle with others, she always carried a layer of detachment deep down, and would never make such intimate, natural gestures toward someone unfamiliar.
‘When did she become so outgoing? Or maybe…’
Doubts surged in Sefina’s heart, and she instinctively wanted to turn her head to refuse. However, just as she was about to speak, a thought flashed through her mind like lightning…
So, after a very brief hesitation, Sefina slightly raised her head, opened her mouth, and prepared to accept the “strange student’s” feeding.
A gleam of triumph flashed in Versie’s eyes. With precise and steady movements, she sent the roll covered in meat floss into Sefina’s mouth, her fingertips even lightly brushing against Sefina’s lower lip as if by accident, bringing a trace of cool sensation.
Sefina subconsciously closed her lips and began to chew. The salty, crispy aroma of the meat floss blended with the soft, slightly sweet cake body in her mouth. The taste was indeed good, showing the maker’s care.
She couldn’t help but recall that the former Versie had been a young lady who never soiled her hands with housework, rarely even entering the kitchen.
It seemed that in these two years, she had not only improved in magic but also made great progress in life skills.
And seeing the teacher personally eat the food she made, Versie’s heart rejoiced. This feeling of feeding the teacher was really nice~
You know, the usually solemn and proper teacher would never have so “obediently” accepted such behavior.
She could almost imagine that if the teacher had appeared in the “Holmes” form, she would never have let her get away with it.
But the contrast brought by this petite true appearance now gave her a great sense of satisfaction in her desire for control and intimacy.
***
The afternoon sunlight, passing through the clean car window, became warmer and gentler, like a golden veil spreading over the carriage, illuminating the tiny dust motes floating in the air.
The carriage, swaying rhythmically, seemed like a huge cradle. Combined with the blood rushing to the stomach after a full meal, it easily made one feel drowsy.
Versie also yawned daintily at the right moment, her ice-blue eyes misting over, appearing lazy and dazed.
She rubbed her eyes, as if unable to resist sleepiness.
‘Hmm, I feel like leaning on the teacher and sleeping for a bit.’
As soon as this thought arose, a seemingly flawless plan quickly took shape in her mind.
She pretended she couldn’t hold on, first leaning back against the seat, slightly lowering her eyelids, her long lashes casting a small fan-shaped shadow under her eyes.
Her breathing gradually became long and even, her chest rising and falling slightly with each breath, looking exactly like someone who had fallen asleep.
Time passed minute by minute. The train occasionally went over a switch, causing a slight jolt. Just then, Versie’s “sleeping” head began to slide bit by bit toward Sefina’s direction, as if losing its support.
Finally, Versie’s head gently but firmly rested on Sefina’s somewhat slender shoulder.
‘Hmm… although it’s not as broad and comfortable as the Holmes form, the bones are a bit prickly… but, the teacher’s shoulder in this form is indeed a bit petite.’
Sefina was immersed in the world of her book when she suddenly felt a weight on her left shoulder. She turned her head in surprise, looking at the furry head resting on her shoulder…
‘Is Versie… fast asleep? Accidentally leaned over?’
Sefina’s body instantly stiffened, her hand holding the book froze in midair, and for a moment she didn’t know what to do.
If she moved, she feared waking the “sleeping” student; if she didn’t move, the pose was quite ambiguous and awkward, and the weight and warmth from her shoulder unsettled her mind.
‘This girl… always causing me trouble, really.’
Sefina complained inwardly, but beneath that complaint, a hint of helpless indulgence quietly stirred.
The sunlight, passing through the window, cast the silhouettes of the two leaning together onto the opposite seat.
‘But also… how long does she plan to keep acting?’
Sefina’s thoughts raced. Versie’s behavior today was far too abnormal.
Initiating conversation, questioning her identity, inquiring about “Holmes”, then the natural feeding, and now the “sleeping” lean on the shoulder…
This series of actions might have seemed reasonable if done by a student like Mia, who was born with strong social skills.
But Versie…? She had been Versie’s private teacher for several years; she knew this student too well.
Versie was essentially introverted, even somewhat aloof. Her gentle politeness was more like a social mask, a kind of aristocratic refinement and detachment.
She would never show such defenseless intimacy to a “strange teacher” in such a short time.
Unless… she had long known who she was. Sefina was almost certain that at some point, Versie had discovered that “Holmes” was not her true appearance. And she had hidden it well, never revealing any tells before now.
Then, the only flaw was… She had too little self-control!
If she had just done nothing and quietly played the role of an exchange student, it would have been impossible for her to know that she had seen through the truth.
But she just couldn’t resist, insisting on coming close to her, testing her in various ways, even… getting handsy.
Thinking this, Sefina’s gaze fell on Versie’s peaceful sleeping face.
That face looked very fair in the sunlight, her long lashes like two small fans, her nostrils fluttering lightly with each breath, looking completely harmless, innocent and beautiful.
But Sefina knew a little secret about Versie—one that even Versie herself might not know.
Versie snored a tiny bit when she slept. It was a very light sound of breathing. When giving her lessons at the Duke’s mansion before, Sefina had occasionally noticed it when she was taking a nap at noon.
Although not frequent and very soft, in an extremely quiet environment, it could be heard when close.
And now, the carriage was quiet enough, the two so close, Sefina held her breath and listened carefully…
Other than the noise of the train running and Versie’s overly “even and steady” breathing, there was nothing.
Too perfect; instead it seemed deliberate. A person truly asleep could not maintain such steady breathing all the time; there would always be some subtle changes.
In summary, Sefina could basically conclude—This girl Versie had not only discovered that “Holmes” was her disguise long ago, but she was now simply pretending to sleep!
This realization left Sefina with mixed feelings. On one hand, there was a subtle sense of superiority as a teacher finally seeing through a student’s little trick.
On the other hand, she found Versie’s painstaking “performance” both amusing and exasperating, along with a faint headache.
‘This girl is really something…’
She let out a helpless sigh inwardly.
‘So, what should I do now?’
‘Should I directly expose her and tell her to stop this shoddy act? Or… hold still for now and see what tricks she wants to play next?’
‘Forget it, I’ll tolerate her for now.’