Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

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Asleep in her dormitory bedroom at Edith Academy, Hexia felt more comfortable than ever before. It was very quiet, without Annelli by her side, nor any maids waiting on her; she didn't have to worry about other people's gazes.

Thus, it wasn't until 10 o'clock in the morning that she begrudgingly got out of bed, naturally because of Pranli's teachings—a lady who sleeps too long gives a bad impression.

Her delicate long hair fell over her back as she, still in her pajamas, yawned on the bed, then sleepily rubbed her eyes and stood up to walk to the window, drawing the curtains aside.

Then it was time to wash up.

First, she showered and washed her hair, then changed into a clean Academy uniform, and afterward stood in front of the glass mirror brushing her teeth.

After getting ready, she finally sat in front of the dressing mirror to arrange her hair and the finer details of her clothing, such as the collar. At that moment, a shadow suddenly dropped from the ceiling onto the girl's hair, making a somewhat cheerful hissing sound.

Looking at the large spider in the mirror, Hexia had grown used to its sudden appearances and patted its leg.

"Alright, come down first—at least let me fix my hair," she said, holding a strand of her hair and then wrapping a hair hoop around it before donning a blue silk headband that resembled Swallow Grass, adding a touch of cuteness to her overall demeanor.

Compared to the more formal and solemn attire preferred at Edith Academy, Hexia's style at Yuanting Academy was much more casual and relaxed.

Having arranged her clothing and hair, Hexia stood up, walked to a corner of the living room, opened a cupboard door, pulled out a drawer, and lifted out a sleeping Indigo Snake. After thinking for a moment, she found a basket and put the still sleepy Indigo Snake inside.

With her sun hat ready, Hexia stepped lightly down the stairs, one hand carrying a basket filled with various small items and snacks, while the other lightly pressed the brim of her hat.

After leaving the Ring Bird Wind Tower, a breeze met her face. It was already the end of September, and the weather wasn't too hot.

Arriving at the edge of Fragrant Leaf Lake, Hexia opened the Academy's page on her personal terminal and located the cabin where fishing gear could be rented. She borrowed a fishing rod and a stool, then walked into a leaf-strewn path, looking for a quiet spot by the lake.

After walking a few hundred meters, Hexia stopped under a canopy of trees, overhead full of red leaves. The surface of the water was calm, and occasionally a bird or two would fly through the woods.

Setting her stool down, Hexia sat on it, then threaded the bait and cast her line, beginning to wait in silence.

Under the afternoon shade, she opened the book on her lap, reading the Academy's gift that detailed the habits of various fish in Fragrant Leaf Lake, as well as the birds that liked them.

The pages were full of beautiful illustrations and accompanying short stories. Many were left by former seniors. The sunshine filtered through the leaves, casting a dappled shadow on the pages, the light rendered her fingertips translucent.
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Away from the competitive and scrutinized atmosphere of Edith Academy, Hexia seldom had such a leisurely and easy weekend. She could sit by the lake, fish, daydream, and even if she dozed off and took a nap midway, no one would see it or have anything to say.

"Huh..." the girl looked towards the bobbing float, slightly surprised as she gripped the fishing rod.

Although she was fishing, she was aware of the various aerial 'forces' and didn't really expect to catch any fish today.

However, catching a fish was still a good thing. She pulled up the rod, which wasn't heavy, and as she stood up, a frog also jumped out of the water, biting the bait.

This frog, or rather frog-like creature, had black skin with blue stripes and puffed up onshore with rhythmic motions.

Taking out her personal terminal and connecting to the network for automatic identification of the creature before her, Hexia heard a mechanical voice.

"Black-bellied frog, Blood Pupil Sequence 2, poisonous—while not necessarily lethal, please keep your distance on sight, capable of spraying toxin, manipulating weak water currents..."

It seems it's a Transcendent creature from the Academy, Hexia thought. She wondered whether it was being raised here or had escaped from somewhere as she pressed down the eager spider at her feet and then kicked the basket beside her.

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"Wake up, Indigo, it's time to get to work," she called to the sleepy little snake.

Soon a pale blue snake head poked out from the basket, eyeing the black-bellied frog across from it with a menacing gaze.

The two creatures faced off, exuding an imposing presence, and although the Indigo Snake was a Sequence 3, the black-bellied frog was not afraid and even seemed eager to fight.

"Go on, teach it a lesson," Hexia commanded with relish.

"Hiss~" The Indigo Snake slithered out of the basket, raising its head high, looking down at the black-bellied frog as if it thought little of the creature.

But since it had received Hexia's command, it decided to show off its skills.

The gem on its forehead gathered sunlight, shining brilliantly, and soon a scorching ray shot towards the black-bellied frog in front of it.

"Croak—" The black-bellied frog emitted smoke and cursed vehemently, and although Hexia couldn't understand, she could roughly sense that it was very angry.

A black liquid suddenly sprayed out, targeting the Indigo Snake, some of which the Scorching Ray evaporated, and some landed on its body, making the Indigo Snake quite irritated.

It was a creature that loved cleanliness, Hexia had bathed it just last night, and now it was getting dirty.

So, the normally gentle Scorching Ray suddenly increased in power, roasting the black-bellied frog and causing it to jump around before finally dashing into the lake and hiding at the bottom.

Unable to see the black-bellied frog anymore, the Indigo Snake extinguished the light on its forehead, but now it didn't want to return to the basket either, as it was still dirty with the venomous liquid.

After circling the grass a few times, the Indigo Snake lifted its head and looked at Hexia with eyes that seemed to say, 'Aren't you going to wash me?'

"Alright, I'll wash you now," Hexia approached with a gentle laugh, carefully picking up the snake, placing it in the water beside her, and continually pouring water to rinse off the black venom.

Although the black-bellied frog's venom was effective against many organisms, the Indigo Snake was one of the few Transcendent animals with poison-resistance skills and was not afraid, only a bit bothered by the dirt.

After the cleaning was finished, Hexia placed the Indigo Snake on a clean rock to bask in the sun, and it would soon dry off.

As the Indigo Snake lay on the rock, its scales soon refracted specks of rainbow light.

Having dealt with this little incident, Hexia continued fishing by the lake and occasionally dozed off under a tree trunk, knowing that the giant spider would call her when it had fish.

In such a leisurely and relaxed afternoon, Hexia finally fished up three fish, two big and one small.

After recording the catch, she returned the fishing gear to the rental place and then waited beside the automatic cooking machine in the lakeside cabin.

About ten minutes later, three cooked fish were served on paper trays, with the smaller one given to the Indigo Snake and the two larger ones shared between her and the giant spider.

As evening fell, Hexia, who had finished eating the grilled fish, put on her hat again, picked up the basket with the Indigo Snake inside, and walked towards the path back to the high tower.

In the distance, on the hill, three high towers were illuminated by the afterglow of the sunset, with birds circling around and joyful sounds occasionally drifting in the wind.

Such life is truly wonderful.

Hexia, with a light heart, looked towards the blue-purple edge of the sky, where the burning sunset reflected against the void, and golden clouds drifted slowly.