Chapter 106: First Meeting with the Counselor
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 106: First Meeting with the Counselor
"Xiao Han, you should have received your class assignment from the academy by now, right? Have you checked which class you're in?"
"I have. Class 14. Sister Bai, do you know where that is?" I checked my phone once more to confirm. It was definitely Class 14.
"I don't. Even though the Witch Academy divides students into classes, there aren't actually fixed homerooms. You just follow your class schedule and find the corresponding teacher in the assigned classroom. Sometimes you'll even have large lectures with other classes." Bai Yu shook her head as she explained.
"Oh, I see."
I nodded. It sounded pretty much like the university I used to attend. I had expected the teaching methods at a Transcendent academy to be a bit more... unique.
"So, did you see who your counselor is? She’ll be with you throughout your entire time at the Witch Academy, right up until you graduate or complete your studies." Bai Yu asked, a thought occurring to her.
Bai Yu considered herself well-acquainted with many of the Transcendent mentors at the academy. If it was someone she knew, she could use her connections to ask the teacher to look out for Xiao Han.
Even if they didn't give him special treatment, she at least hoped they wouldn't push Xiao Han forward as temporary cannon fodder for a "Script."
Calling it "cannon fodder" might sound a bit extreme—the end result for such a role wasn't necessarily death or a bad ending, but they would certainly become a catalyst to drive the Script's plot forward. While there might be rare benefits, there were also risks that could lead to total ruin.
Rather than gambling on good or bad luck, it was better to stay out of it from the beginning.
"I didn't notice that. Let me check." I reopened the academy's announcement on my phone.
At the bottom of the class assignment notice, I found the list of counselors for each class. It was only then that I realized most counselors were in charge of more than one class, though the numbers varied.
The counselor for my Class 14 was someone named Ji Niang. Strangely enough, she was only assigned to Class 14!
It was a stark contrast to the other counselors, who were handling five or six classes at once.
"Um... my counselor's name is Ji Niang. Do you know her, Sister Bai?" I looked up at Sister Bai, only to find her wearing a look of pure shock.
"I heard someone calling my name. Let me see... oh, it's my adorable student~"
Before Bai Yu could speak, a stranger's voice cut into our conversation.
Bai Yu instinctively reached out and shielded me behind her. I was left completely confused by her reaction.
I had heard what this woman—who looked even more mature than Sister Bai—just said. She called me her student, which meant she was... Ji Niang?
She's... so big...
I instinctively swallowed hard.
"Bai Yu, you're going to hurt my feelings if you act like that." The woman suspected to be Ji Niang spoke to Bai Yu. Judging by her tone, Sister Bai definitely knew her!
But the relationship seemed tense. I hoped she wouldn't try to make life difficult for me later because of it.
"How did you become Xiao Han's counselor? Aren't you just a substitute teacher?" Bai Yu asked coldly.
One couldn't blame Bai Yu for her poor attitude. This Transcendent Witch calling herself Ji Niang was the very same teacher who had called her away earlier to tell her about the "Script."
Bai Yu had later asked her own mentor about her and learned a bit about her history.
While she didn't exactly dislike this teacher, the woman was too much of an unknown. Even though every Transcendent Witch was an enigma to the students, this one made Bai Yu feel particularly uneasy.
How could she feel at ease with this woman as Xiao Han's counselor? It was obvious she had some sort of ulterior motive regarding him.
"Just a whim, that's all. Don't worry, I'll take good care of Xiao Han. Come here~ Yang Yuehan. What's the matter? Don't you recognize me?" Ji Niang ignored Bai Yu's wariness, offering only a brief word of comfort.
Then, she turned her focus toward me.
"Eh? Me?"
I peered curiously from behind Sister Bai at this teacher. Earlier, I had been too distracted by her most prominent features, but looking at her now, she actually seemed quite approachable.
It would have been even better if she hadn't initiated a conversation with me, though.
"Don't you remember me? Doesn't my voice sound familiar?" Ji Niang smiled, guiding me to try and remember who she was.
Now that she mentioned it, her voice did sound familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.
"‘Congratulations on making the right choice. Welcome to our Witch Academy~’ Does that help you remember?" Ji Niang continued.
"Huh? Ah! You! You're that person!" I froze for a second, then it hit me!
That voice—it was the person who had called me on the phone to get me to enroll in the Witch Academy!
It was her!
My eyes widened as I looked at her in disbelief.
"You remember now~ Yang Yuehan, let me introduce myself properly. I am Ji Niang, and I will be your on-call counselor for the next ten years. If you run into any trouble, feel free to come to me. Let's exchange contact info."
Ji Niang looked very satisfied with my reaction. She gave a formal self-introduction and then pulled out her phone to ask for my contact details.
"Oh... okay. Please look after me, Counselor." I hurriedly took out my phone, speaking humbly. She was my counselor, after all. If I didn't stay on her good side, my future at the academy might be rough.
"Don't worry~ Even if just for Bai Yu's sake, I'll give you my full guidance." Ji Niang glanced at the silent Bai Yu before looking back at me with a promise.
We quickly added each other as friends. Bai Yu didn't try to stop it, knowing she couldn't change the situation. She was just an ordinary student at the academy, after all.
No matter how much she might condemn a Transcendent mentor, she couldn't overturn the decisions they made.
"By the way, since Xiao Han is the first one I've run into, this makes things easy. I only have Class 14 under me, so why don't you be the Class Monitor? What do you think?"
"Eh? Me? Class Monitor?" This sudden promotion caught me completely off guard. I had never held a position like that before. Was it really okay to just appoint me so casually?
"Of course. You need to have more confidence, Xiao Han. You were likely the first one from Class 14 to arrive at the academy, and you're the first to adapt to academy life. Besides~ you've already completed the Witch Meditation Method. That alone is enough to make you my Class Monitor." Ji Niang stepped closer to reassure me.
"Wait... Teacher, you know about that?" I instinctively looked at Sister Bai. Did she tell her?
"Of course. Every teacher has the authority to view their students' personal data. Naturally, I can see that you've already reached the entry level of the Witch Meditation Method. Your Sister Bai didn't tell me a thing~"
"I... I see... haha, well..." I breathed a sigh of relief at her explanation. It wasn't exactly something worth bragging about, anyway.
But then, a realization hit me!
It was the very thing Sister Bai had warned me about—the teacher could see my information!
In that case... my Talent!
And that [Transcendent Knowledge]!