Reforming the Wayward Witch
I pulled myself together, but there was still one more thing left to fix.
What to do about Instructor Olivia.
She wasn't useless or anything, but her witch physiology combined with her extreme my-way-or-the-highway attitude made her impossible to handle.
A character you couldn't use freely might as well not exist.
At the very least, we needed to reach a point where normal conversation was possible.
Finding her was simple enough.
I released Thousand Changes.
The moment I recalled it, a magic circle appeared right under my feet.
Touching this circle would probably dispel it immediately.
But right now, I needed to meet Instructor Olivia.
Feeling like I was being sucked somewhere, I closed my eyes.
When I opened them, I was in the lab I'd visited before.
Instructor Olivia was frantically rummaging through everything, searching for something.
And the instant I appeared, she charged at me like a bullet.
"It's gone!"
"Is this what you're talking about?"
I pulled out Thousand Changes again.
I could see Instructor Olivia's eyes sparkle.
She swung her hand at a speed invisible to the eye and snatched Thousand Changes from my grasp...
"Huh?"
This time, I reacted and dodged.
Instructor Olivia glared at me like I was a traitor.
Anyone seeing that would think I was the bad guy.
"What's the rush?"
"I was right on the verge of reaching the truth, and then it just vanished!"
"Is it that important?"
"To me, it's the most important thing."
"More than anything else?"
"Yeah."
She must have some rock-solid conviction of her own.
But wasn't she ignoring everyone around her a bit too much?
"You know I talk with Dean Han Myeong-sin pretty often, right?"
"You don't mean..."
"Does the dean know you've been blowing off lectures for two weeks straight to hole up here?"
Instructor Olivia's face hardened.
Even with her my-way attitude, Dean Han Myeong-sin must scare her.
After agonizing over it for a while, Instructor Olivia's choice was...
To pull a flask from her bosom and lunge at me.
"Ugh!"
I roughly swatted away her swinging arm as she closed in.
She staggered back, looking utterly baffled, like she hadn't anticipated my move.
And that bafflement turned to hostility in an instant as she came at me again.
An overwhelming pressure crushed down on me.
But I had to hold out right now.
"What... are you thinking?"
"I'm saying let's talk."
"Me? With you?"
"Yeah. You and me, Instructor."
"Why should I?"
"Because if you don't, you'll never see this again."
I mustered all my mental strength and tossed Thousand Changes into the air before catching it again, just like she'd done to me last time.
Her gaze followed Thousand Changes's movement.
When I pocketed it, the hostility vanished from her face in a flash, leaving only regret.
And the pressure bearing down on me disappeared with it.
"...What do you want from me?"
"Think about it. Why do you suppose Dean Han Myeong-sin arranged for us to meet?"
"Because of that ability of yours?"
"The dean doesn't even know I can summon Thousand Changes."
"Then..."
Instructor Olivia fell deep into thought.
She still just saw me as a source of Thousand Changes, huh.
First things first, I had to change that perception.
At minimum, she needed to see me as an equal being before any real conversation could start.
"Alright, have a seat first."
"If I sit, you'll give it to me?"
"Jeez..."
This was going to be a rough road.
After going back and forth with Thousand Changes—handing it over and snatching it back countless times—we finally settled down, and I got to hear Olivia's story.
Apparently, she'd always been obsessed with magic, but she felt frustrated and bored with her clan's insular ways. Realizing there was nothing more to learn there, she escaped.
Dean Han Myeong-sin had picked her up and slotted her in as an instructor at Prism.
But instructor life turned out so dull that she started going off the rails...
Now I understood why the dean had introduced her to me.
This was just... a knowledge-obsessed shut-in with zero social skills. No different from any other.
"Can't you do something about that bratty way of talking first?"
"A student who holds nothing back with his instructor."
Olivia's speech shifted in an instant.
It was the formal tone she used in lectures, with her usual icy expression.
She looked every bit the perfect instructor like this...
"If you're going to play the instructor, shouldn't you at least know the name of the student right in front of you?"
"Uh... um..."
Olivia's composure shattered in a heartbeat.
She didn't even remember my name...?
"Now I get why Dean Han Myeong-sin introduced you to me."
"Really? Why?"
"You need to grow up a bit, Instructor."
"Urgh..."
I expected her to snap back, but this was unexpected.
Did she actually have a pretty good grasp of herself?
"The old lady said the same thing..."
So the dean knew all along.
I wasn't thrilled about being handed this problem child, though.
But now it made sense why she'd smiled so contentedly in her office back then. Everything had meaning.
"But! I never wanted this kind of life!"
Olivia shot to her feet.
Then she launched into her ideals, spilling them out to me.
"This world is full of mysteries. And magic has no end. I want to see the limits of magic! Exploring every corner of the world!"
"Freely?"
"You get how I feel?"
I understood her heart.
But she'd already buttoned the first button wrong.
And it wasn't realistic.
"Listen up, Olivia."
"Who said you could use my name...?"
"You're a witch, but you've stepped into human society, right? Then you need to adapt to it. You can't just do nothing and expect to get what you want. 'Freedom comes with responsibility,' they say? Right now, you need to build some social skills."
"Ugh..."
"And you should refine your speech a bit too. Titles and tone matter, you know?"
"You just called me by name too."
"Let's skip the small stuff. The point is, you need to adapt more to the outside world."
"My name again... ahem."
Olivia cleared her throat.
Her expression had turned serious before I knew it.
To think this was all an act... I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself.
"What do I gain by listening to a student?"
"This. Don't you need it?"
I held out Thousand Changes to her.
Olivia's face lit up instantly.
"I do!"
"Your tone."
"Urk... What's the point of this fake polite talk?"
"Words carry a lot. The same message can land differently depending on how you say it. For example..."
I approached Olivia.
She watched me with the serious expression from her lectures.
"Okay, I'm going to give Thousand Changes to you twice. Think about the difference as you take it."
I stopped about two steps in front of her, holding Thousand Changes.
"Found it on the road."
I flung Thousand Changes at her.
She caught it neatly and pocketed it.
"What did it feel like?"
"Just... received it."
"Okay, again."
I released and resummoned Thousand Changes.
Regret flashed across Olivia's face.
She knew I'd give it back anyway...
"I've been smitten with you at first sight. This is a gift from my heart."
I took her hand and placed Thousand Changes gently on top.
Olivia stared blankly at me and Thousand Changes in turn, then bowed her head.
"What did it feel like?"
"I... don't really know."
"Don't know"? What was that?
Olivia cherished the Thousand Changes I'd given her like a treasure.
Her expression was hard to read, but her demeanor when receiving it was clearly different, so she must have felt the gap.
"See? Same action, but how you do it and what you say changes how it's received. Your instructor persona looks way better than your usual self, so that's why I suggested it. Think it over."
"Looks good, huh..."
Olivia sank into thought.
Good—she wasn't someone words just bounced off of.
If she pondered that deeply, good results were sure to come.
After a long deliberation, Olivia spoke up.
"Your name."
"Pardon?"
"I'd like to know it."
"I'm Shin Do-jun. I don't know how far this connection will go, but let's make the most of it."
"I am Olivia Sangri, proud member of the Sangri clan. Looking forward to it."
With our formal introductions done, we faced each other.
It was the first time we'd truly recognized each other.
I was ready to head back, but there was no exit in sight.
Olivia was quietly staring at Thousand Changes, lost in her own world.
Where'd the researcher go?
"Olivia."
"What is it?"
"I want to leave, but there's no door?"
"This is a lab built underground at Prism. Why would there be a door?"
"Then how do I get out?"
"You want to leave?"
"Yes."
Olivia approached me slowly.
No hostility, but something about it sent chills down my spine, making me back away instinctively.
Soon my back hit the wall—no more room to retreat.
Olivia closed in until she was right in front of my face.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for whatever horror was coming.
*Smooch.*
Olivia wrapped me in a hug.
Breasts beyond human scale crushed against my face.
And then I felt my body being sucked somewhere.
"Puha!"
The spatial transfer ended, and I pulled away from Olivia.
Being teleported while unable to breathe properly left my head spinning.
This was... the Understanding Other Races classroom?
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, but... why go to such lengths?"
"Because there's more to do."
Olivia approached again.
My head was still dizzy; I couldn't dodge her touch.
She reached out, grabbed my head, and
*Smack,*
kissed my forehead.
My head spun, my stomach churned, and I couldn't make sense of the situation.
What the hell just happened?
"I've inscribed a stigma on your forehead. With this, Student Shin Do-jun can enter my lab anytime he wants."
"I... see."
"Then I'll head back down. More research to do."
"Y-yeah."
Olivia vanished before my eyes.
A warm sensation lingered on my forehead.
*Thud.*
As I touched my forehead, I heard someone slump against the door.
Turning, I saw Latynia collapsed by the classroom door, gripping it with a look of sheer shock.