Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

"Hey, pass it to me."

"Wait, don't let him get past."

On a sunny afternoon, several boys played ball on the court, while on the nearby lawn, some leaned against trees for a nap, some sat together playing video games, calls occasionally rang out, and others sat at round tables under umbrellas.

Today, Tilan wore a light pale blue dress adorned with a large silk ribbon bow at the waist, and Deloris sat next to her in a white dress edged with lace, slightly more ornate, outlining her somewhat full figure.

In front of them on the table was a pitcher of chilled drinks, which they would occasionally pour into cups and sip, chatting leisurely about the academy and hobbies.

...

"Do you still play the violin, Tilan?" Deloris's pale golden eyes turned to the girl beside her.

"A little bit." She had only learned for a few months and didn't dare claim to be skilled.

"When I was little, my mother made me practice the piano. I wasn't interested, so I learned with some resistance," Deloris reminisced.

"After my mother passed away, whenever I missed her, I'd play the piano again. Gradually, I began to practice from time to time."

Deloris's father was the president of the 'Incense Workshop', and he was very busy in daily life. He had never remarried after his wife's death, leaving only Deloris as his daughter, which was quite rare among the upper echelons of Jade Skirt.

"If you're free, let's practice a duet sometime," Deloris suggested.

"Hmm, we'll try next time."

The two chatted under the sun umbrella when suddenly, a basketball from the distant court flew their way, seemingly thrown off course.

It traced a high arc in the sky, and the ball looked like it was about to land right beside an umbrella.

"Ju Yan!"

An orange-sleeve flashed as a white wrist raised a Fire Bullet suddenly, then shot it out, striking the basketball, turning it to ash.

Now the basketball was gone, the boys on the court were somewhat at a loss but still came over.

"Sorry, I threw it in the wrong direction," one of the short-haired boys said, scratching his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Regarding the damage to the basketball, no one on the scene seemed to mind; after all, a basketball wasn't worth much, and they could just get another from the equipment room later.

"Hmph." In response to the apology, the figure under the umbrella didn't seem interested in accepting it.

She had golden hair and wore a dress that faded from pale white to orange-red, very eye-catching. Now she turned her head to one side and waved the boy away.

The boys had no choice but to leave, and afterward, one went to fetch a new ball while the rest sat in the shade to rest.

"Who is that girl?"

"Oh, her? That's Efnie from Class C, nicknamed 'Flame Goldfish Princess.'"

"How did she get this nickname?"

"Because her Talent, 'Circulating Back Flame,' was rated as [Perfect Level], which is quite famous. Also, she has golden hair and likes to wear orange-red dresses on usual days, so gradually she got the nickname 'Flame's Goldfish Princess.'"

"Among our new students this year, her Talent rating is the highest. Plus, her family background isn't bad either; both her parents are high officials of Jade Skirt, so quite a few people know about her. She's one of the seven most special newcomers in our year."

"Wait a minute, school has only started for two weeks, right? And you've already come up with rankings, calling them 'Seven Heroes' and such?" Several students were arguing under a tree, looking at the middle boy with thick glasses.

"What do you know? It's been two weeks since we started school. As a qualified intelligence agent, shouldn't I have a grasp of the big picture?" He pushed up his glasses, pretending to be profound.

"What, do you want to know? For 1,000 Federation Coins each, I'll tell you."

Although most of the students present came from well-to-do families, not everyone was well-informed. They looked at each other, feeling somewhat tempted but reluctant to spend the money.

To ordinary people, 1,000 Federation Coins may seem like a lot, but to them it's merely the cost of a casual drink. It wasn't about the money; they were afraid that after paying they would be swindled, become the butt of classmates' jokes, and lose face—which would be a big deal.

After hemming and hawing for a while, several people still transferred the money to the glasses-wearing boy.

"Your family isn't bad off either, right? Why are you so greedy for money?" they complained after having paid.

"The amount isn't important; what's important is that by paying, you show respect for me. If I were to share the hard-earned information I've gathered with you for free, wouldn't that make me look foolish and devalued?"

"Alright, alright, just get on with it."

"Ahem, although everyone's family background isn't bad among the new students, there are seven individuals who are particularly outstanding. I haven't decided on specific nicknames for them yet, so I've simply called them 'the seven people.' Maybe in the future, I'll give them cooler names like 'Seven Gods,' 'Seven Shadows,' or 'Seven Heroes' - that would be more catchy and suitable for spreading around." He first clarified, then went on to explain one by one.

"First is 'Azure Flower' Tilan. After all, she gave a speech at the opening ceremony, and it would be hard for anyone in our grade not to know her. As for her family background, it's quite mysterious, but I'll talk about that later."

"Then there's 'Restless Whirlwind' Kinsenke, the eldest son of 'Hot Lizard Power.' He's known for being impetuous and loves to race cars. He's had his own racing team in the South First District since he was young, and his family often sponsors various racing events within Jade Skirt."

"The third is 'Misfortune Divine Fist' Valke, who was born in the slums of North Ninth District and later adopted by the local church. He's been fighting to protect his peers and church members since he was a child. With strong Talent, he's now on the cusp between Sequence 3 and Sequence 4. If it were not for the local archbishop's advice to enter high school and find a good job template for his advancement, he might have reached Sequence 4 before enrolling."

"The fourth is the girl we were just talking about, 'Flame's Goldfish Princess' Efnie. Her father is a senior official in Jade Skirt's energy review agency. She has shown extremely high Talent since childhood, and her personality is also quite proud and not easy to get along with."

"The fifth is 'Jade Leaf Spirit User' Yalian, born into the Elf Race. Both his parents are professors related to botany. He knows a lot about the secret techniques and knowledge of the Natural Sequence and has already advanced to Sequence 4."

"The sixth is 'Black Incense of Flame' Deloris. Her father is the president of the famous luxury brand 'Incense Workshop,' and her own Talent is not bad either; she has already started to take over some of the family business affairs."

"The seventh is 'Silver Hawk Noble Son' Chester. Born into the Haywood Family of the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain, a renowned social household with marital ties to many powerful families, he is extremely well-connected. Although Chester himself does not have a particularly high level of Talent, the power at his disposal is not insignificant. He is the only son of his generation with four sisters above him and two sisters below him."

After listening to his explanation, the companions nodded thoughtfully, having no major objections to the list. Many of the names they had heard before, but none explained as comprehensively as this boy.

"Edith Academy has a tradition of electing a grade chief. Who do you think will come out on top in the chief selection in half a year's time?" The boy adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"That would, of course, be…"

The students resumed their enthusiastic discussion, and when their companions brought back the ball, they were too engrossed in the conversation to care about playing.

It seems that no matter where you are, there's always an interest and fervor for gossip.