Chapter 87: Soothing the New Roommate
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 87: Soothing the New Roommate
"Oh, you don't need to take off your shoes."
Ever since Dongli Yiren stepped inside, her eyes had been darting around, unable to mask her intense curiosity. However, seeing her immediately move to take off her shoes, I stepped in to stop her.
I wasn't entirely sure why—maybe it was just habit?
Regardless, it didn't matter if she kept them on. Between the Little Ox-Horse and my own spells, the place could be cleaned in no time. I’d become quite proficient with the Cleaning Spell over the past few days; sweeping a large area was a breeze now, and with the assistance of a magic wand, it barely cost any time or energy.
"Is that so? But... these shoes... they don't fit well. I'd rather take them off."
Dongli Yiren reacted quickly, but she insisted on removing them anyway, revealing her small feet. I could even see the red marks the shoes had left on her skin; they definitely looked like a poor fit.
But shouldn't the real point be that she was wearing pumps without any socks?
"Fair enough. Take them off, then. The villa is quite clean; I tidy up often," I agreed readily. I had to admit, those dainty leather shoes really didn't suit her. "By the way, if you don't mind me asking... those clothes aren't yours either, are they?"
"Well... what kind of guy would own a dress?"
Dongli Yiren tugged at her skirt. She didn't seem to mind discussing the topic, which was a relief; I’d half-expected her to be as evasive about it as Quan Xiuzhu.
"True," I nodded in agreement. I wanted to take this chance to learn more about her. After all, we were going to be roommates for years; getting to know each other at the start was essential. "Anyway, I wanted to ask—that senior sister called you Dongli Yiren, but how should I address you? Let me introduce myself first: I'm Yang Yuehan. You can just call me Xiao Han."
"My original name was Dongli Yiren... Sigh... Anyway... I suppose you can call me Dongli Yiren if you want. It's just a name..." As she spoke, she looked as if she had resigned herself to fate, pulling her student card out of her skirt pocket. "It's already on the ID card anyway. This Witch Academy is truly cursed."
"Well... actually, the Witch Academy is alright," I offered a small word of comfort.
"But I was supposed to go to the Holy Angel Academy! That's one of the Three Top Academies! And now... now I've become like this! How am I supposed to face my parents?!"
"This..."
For a moment, I didn't know what to say. So, this one was a top-tier scholar too. My apologies, truly. I did know of the Holy Angel Academy, though. I’d browsed through the academy system links Sister Bai had sent me for the Lesser Demon Academy; even though I’d only looked at a few, the Three Top Academies were listed right at the front, so I’d done some reading.
The Transcendent Academies of this world weren't exactly "good" places—at least, not from the perspective of my past life.
"But even if you went to the Holy Angel Academy, you would have ended up as a Holy Angel. You'd probably grow wings and feathers—you'd be shedding all over the place. Besides, Holy Angels have no gender; they're usually androgynous. Think about it: losing your 'equipment' and becoming some effeminate being... that wouldn't be a great life either, would it? Isn't it better to be a witch in the Witch Academy? At least you look like a girl on the outside."
And you don't have to worry about getting pregnant, I added silently in my head.
"Huh? How... how do you know all that?"
Dongli Yiren was listening intently. After all, the information I was sharing wasn't exactly common knowledge in the outside world. She froze, looking at me with a hint of disbelief.
"It's in the academy system. It's considered basic knowledge for freshmen entering a Transcendent Academy. They wouldn't lie to us about something like that."
"Then... what if I went to a Wizard Academy..."
"Look, what's done is done. Does it really matter where you go? Even if you hadn't been snatched by the witches, the Holy Angel Academy is a trap. All Transcendent Academies are traps; that's the price of seeking transcendent power. Do you really think Wizard Academies don't have their own filth? How could they not?" I continued to explain with a smile.
I wanted her to abandon those pointless fantasies. Wizards might be humans, but they believe in achieving transcendence through absolute individual rationality. They discard "useless" emotions and sentimentality, pursuing truth with cold logic. Some even abandon their humanity to embrace divinity. The atmosphere in those academies is "survival of the fittest." She might be a top student, but everyone who gets into the Three Top Academies is a genius.
Could she really outmaneuver people like that?
It's doubtful. The atmosphere at the Witch Academy is much better. I can even slack off and work at a bakery here. Would a student at a Wizard Academy even dare to dream of such a thing?
"Whew... sorry... I just can't accept all of this at once... Can I have a moment to myself to calm down...?"
"Sure. Why don't you sit on the sofa for a bit? Once you've thought it through—or decided to stop thinking about it—you can go upstairs and pick a guest room to be your bedroom."
I didn't try to force her to accept reality directly. Instead, I used concrete, practical matters to anchor her—like picking a bedroom. Once she started caring about that, it would mean she had accepted her current situation on some level. Once she gave in on that front, the rest would follow naturally.
"Pick a bedroom?" Clearly, my words had caught Dongli Yiren's attention.
"Yeah. This is a dorm assigned by the academy. If you don't pick a bedroom, are you going to sleep on the floor tonight? Besides, more people might move in later. They'll probably be freshmen like us, maybe even some who had the same thing happen to them as you." I continued my explanation.
I had to tell her these things. Even though I wasn't sure if the future arrivals would share her plight, who doesn't know how to "paint a big cake"? At the very least, I could give her a goal to look forward to: Wait a while, and you'll have others like you for company. Just accept it for now; misery loves company, after all.
Of course, I wouldn't admit that out loud. I was just here to watch the show.
This person had been in a dress from the moment we met, whether she wanted to be or not. She was going to be wearing them for a long time to come.
Wait... did she forget to get her Newcomer Four-Piece Set?
Seeing that Dongli Yiren had gone quiet, I spoke up again. If she wasn't going to talk, I would. "By the way, didn't the senior sister who brought you here take you to get your gear? You know, the Newcomer Four-Piece Set. I noticed you don't have it."
I didn't mention the school uniform. If I called it a "uniform," she might assume it was more girls' clothing and refuse to go. Even though it wasn't exactly that, I didn't want to waste my breath explaining. Better to just ask directly.
"What Newcomer Four-Piece Set?" This time, Dongli Yiren was genuinely clueless.
"The cape, the hat, the wand, and the medal. All four are alchemy items, and they're quite valuable. You might as well take them—they're free for freshmen!" Clearly, the word "free" carried a lot of weight. Dongli Yiren finally looked interested.
"Where... where do I get them?"
After a moment of hesitation, she finally asked.