Irina’s smile did not change at all.
“It’s fine,” she said softly. “Some people shouldn’t be forced.”
She paused for a moment. “She left the Academy to go on a mission, right?”
“Yes, it’s said she won’t be back for several days.”
Irina nodded. “That’s good then.”
She turned and walked toward the Mutual Aid Society’s activity room. The people behind her quickly followed. But no one saw the flash of light that flickered in her eyes the moment she turned around.
It was cold. As cold as ice on a winter night.
—
Meanwhile, in Instructor Kanaya’s office.
Horn stood by the window, watching the students passing by outside. “Did she receive the letter?”
Instructor Kanaya sat behind her desk, flipping through documents without looking up. “Yes.”
“How did she react?”
“Nothing special.”
Instructor Kanaya finally looked up and stared at him. “Horn, what exactly are you trying to do?”
Horn did not answer. He simply stared out the window, the corners of his lips curving upward slightly. “Nothing.”
He turned and headed for the door. As he reached it, he stopped. “The Mutual Aid Society will have some activities soon. You had better tell your students — especially that Freya — to stay far away.”
The door closed behind him. Instructor Kanaya stared at the shut door, her brow furrowed tightly.
—
Toward evening, Freya and Lyra returned to the dormitory.
As soon as Lyra entered, she flopped onto her floor mat. Holding the *Monster Bestiary*, she flipped to the page for the Snowfield Wolf King and stared at it for a long time.
Freya sat at her desk and turned on the lamp. She took the letter out of her pocket and placed it on the table. She looked at the heart pattern, the kissing emoji, and Sophie’s enthusiastic handwriting. The corners of her lips tilted up slightly.
Then, she folded the letter neatly and tucked it into a drawer, placing it alongside the *Starry Sky Legacy*.
Lyra peeked from her mat. Seeing the movement, her red eyes blinked.
‘Boss tucked that woman’s letter away. She put it with that book she reads every day.’
She lowered her head and looked at the illustration of the Snowfield Wolf King in the *Monster Bestiary*, then at her boss’s beautiful pale purple eyes. Suddenly, she felt a bit stifled. She couldn’t say why. Just stifled.
She rolled over to face the ceiling and stared at the light above. “Boss.”
“Mm.”
“Is Sophie a very good friend of yours?”
The tip of Freya’s pen paused. “Yes.”
“For how long?”
“A long time.”
Lyra was silent for a while. “Longer than Anke?”
“About the same.”
Lyra went silent again. She stared at the ceiling, her lips pressed into a straight line. After a long while, she spoke. “Oh.”
Just one word. It sounded muffled.
Freya turned her head and looked at her. Under the dim yellow light, Lyra lay there with her white hair scattered across the pillow. Her red eyes stared at the ceiling, her face expressionless. But those eyes seemed a bit dimmer than usual.
Freya watched her for a moment. Then she looked back and continued writing.
“Senior Sophie is very kind to me,” she said suddenly, her voice very soft. “So is Anke.”
Lyra’s ears twitched.
“But you are different.”
Lyra whipped her head around. Freya did not look at her, still focused on her writing.
“I’m the one who bought you.”
Lyra froze. ‘What does that… mean? Is it a compliment? Or is she saying I’m someone nobody wants?’
She blinked, unable to figure it out. However, the stifled feeling in her heart had vanished at some point. She grinned, rolled over, and hugged the *Monster Bestiary*, continuing to read with satisfaction.
“Boss, let’s go eat barbecue tomorrow, okay?”
“Mm.”
“Order two extra portions!”
“Mm.”
“Give me a bite of your portion too!”
“…Keep dreaming.”
Lyra laughed even harder, her small canine teeth glinting under the light.
Outside the window, the night deepened. In a distant window belonging to the Mutual Aid Society, the lights remained on. Someone was planning something. Someone was waiting for something. But in this tiny dormitory, the lights were warm, and the moments were peaceful.
At least for now.
—
The morning light slipped through the gap in the curtains, drawing a thin golden line on the floor.
Freya opened her eyes and habitually turned her head. On the floor mat, Lyra was still sleeping. She was curled into a ball, wrapped tightly in her blanket with only half her face showing. Her silver-white hair was a mess on the pillow, several strands sticking to her cheek and rising gently with her breath.
Freya watched her for a moment. Then she pulled back her covers, got out of bed, and walked barefoot to the window to pull open the curtains.
Sunlight flooded in instantly, making the entire room bright and warm. A muffled mumble came from the floor mat; the blanket shifted once and then went quiet again. Freya turned and headed toward the washroom.
—
Half an hour later, she finished getting ready and changed into lightweight gear suitable for training. She tied her pale purple hair high into a sleek ponytail, revealing her clear forehead.
Lyra had woken up at some point and was sitting on her mat rubbing her eyes. Her hair was even messier than when she was asleep, looking like a little bird that had just left its nest.
“Boss?” Her voice was raspy from sleep. “Are you going out?”
“Mm.” Freya picked up the cloak draped over the back of her chair. “Going to the Mana Training Room.”
Lyra’s eyes brightened instantly. She bounded up from the mat and scurried in front of Freya in a few steps, her red eyes sparkling. “I’ll go too! I’ll go too!”
Freya looked at her. She looked at those eyes full of expectation and the small canine teeth peeking out from her excitement.
Then she spoke. “You can’t go.”
Lyra’s smile froze on her face. “Why?”
Freya calmly explained while putting on her cloak. “Entering the training room costs Academy Points. It’s 5 points per person per day, charged by the hour. Also, you have to go through identity authentication before entering.”
She paused and looked at Lyra. “Although you’re allowed to stay at the Academy, you don’t have formal student status yet. You won’t pass the training room’s Identity Authentication System.”
Lyra was stunned. She stood there, her red eyes blinking over and over. Then, the light in those eyes dimmed bit by bit. Like a small lamp blown out by the wind.
She didn’t say a word. She just slowly lowered her head and looked at her toes. Then, she walked back to the mat and sat down slowly. Finally, she curled herself into a ball, burying her face in her knees. Her silver-white hair fell down, hiding her face. Only a pair of drooping ears — or rather, the spots where ears would be — slumped down.
Freya didn’t see ears, but she felt that every pore of Lyra’s body was radiating an aura of dejection. Like a puppy abandoned on the side of the road. Pitiful. Aggrieved. Helpless.
Freya stood there watching her. She looked at the fluffy head, the slumped shoulders, and the small, curled-up figure. Suddenly, she felt like — like a heartless jerk who had abandoned her family.
As soon as that thought appeared, Freya startled herself. ‘Abandoning a family? What am I thinking?’
Lyra wasn’t her husband, nor her son. They were just… just…
Just what? Freya couldn’t name it. But it was a fact that this little wolf-girl was unhappy.
She sighed. She squatted down to eye level with the curled-up Lyra. She reached out and gently rubbed that fluffy head. The hair was soft, carrying the unique warmth of the morning.
Lyra’s body stiffened slightly, and then she slowly raised her head. Those red eyes were filled with aggrieved mist, wet like rubies drenched in rain. She looked at Freya without speaking. She just stared.
Meeting those eyes, a chord in Freya’s heart was struck. “Wait for me outside the training room, okay?”
Lyra blinked.
“I’ll buy you some snacks.”
The eyes brightened a tiny bit.
“You can order an extra portion of barbecue for lunch.”
Those eyes brightened completely. Lyra looked up instantly, her earlier grievance and dejection vanishing as if hit by a vanishing spell. She stared at Freya, her red eyes full of hopeful light.
“Then —” She paused as if confirming something. “Can I have an extra portion of chocolate cake too?”
Freya looked at her. She looked at the eyes that had regained their luster, the small canine tooth peeking out from anticipation, and the face that practically screamed ‘I’m very easy to bribe, so hurry up and agree.’
She suddenly felt like laughing. How much could that little stomach actually hold? Barbecue. Snacks. Chocolate cake. Plus everything she ate this morning. How did she even do it?
Freya complained silently to herself, but she didn’t show it on her face. She simply nodded. “Fine. I’ll grant it.”
Lyra jumped up immediately, the gloom swept away. She was like a flower that had just been watered, blooming instantly. “Boss is the best!”
She opened her arms, making a move to pounce. Freya had anticipated this and shifted her feet slightly, dodging her. Lyra missed but didn’t get annoyed. She stood firmly with a giggle and followed behind her.
“Let’s go, let’s go! I promise to wait outside obediently! I won’t run off!”
Freya didn’t look back. But a very faint curve flashed across her lips for a fleeting moment.
—
The Mana Training Room was located in the Academy’s East District. It was a three-story gray-white building, simple on the outside, but the entrance was protected by two magic barriers that required a student ID to enter.
Freya stopped at the entrance, took her student ID from her pocket, and swiped it against the access control. A blue light swept over it, and the device emitted a soft beep.
**[Identity authentication passed]**
**[Freya Christo Dale, Year 3]**
**[Current Point Balance: 2,847 points]**
**[5 points deducted for this session. Remaining: 2,842 points]**
A mechanical female voice spoke from the gate. Freya pushed the door open and turned to look at Lyra.
Lyra stood on the steps, clutching a paper bag of snacks they had bought on the way. Her red eyes sparkled as she looked at Freya. “Good luck, Boss!” She waved her hand. “I’ll wait for you here! I’m not going anywhere!”
Freya looked at her. She looked at that face smiling without a hint of shadow under the sunlight. Then, she nodded.
“Mm.”
The door closed behind her.
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