Chapter 4: Wanderer, If You Go to Sephirian

“I don’t get it.”

“She’s the one making inappropriate public statements for a student! Why am I the one called in for a talk?!”

Sitting in the counseling room, I protested loudly.

The one who needs counseling is someone else, right?!

“Do you eat bamboo shoots?”

I froze, caught off guard by Teacher Xia’s random question.

What’s that supposed to mean?

“You trying to steal my shoots?”

“Lame. That’s such an old meme.”

Her calm, deadpan critique instantly killed my urge to retort.

Fair enough, this is a serious talk. I should probably act mature…

“So what’s that mean?”

“You’re not a panda, or even a half-panda person,” Teacher Xia explained seriously.
“You’re not a national treasure… at best, you’re a living mascot.”

Isn’t “living mascot” an even older term?

“So if something happens, of course we’d call you in first,” she said with a grin.
“Because neither the teachers nor the principal have the authority to discipline that kid!”

What a serious, professional conversation.

That day’s melancholy~ melancholy vibes~

There were so many things to nitpick, I was actually stunned into silence.

“Don’t pandas eat bamboo, not bamboo shoots?”

“That’s not the point.”
Teacher Xia gave me a “why can’t you get this” look, sighing like an exasperated elder.

“Anyway. That kid made that public statement and even insisted on joining our class—none of which we can control.
But if we can’t control her, we can at least control you!”

Is there no justice? No law?!

“I’m the victim here!”

“Doesn’t look like it,” Teacher Xia said bluntly.

“Getting publicly claimed as a boyfriend by such a cute girl? You seem more like public enemy number one.”

I was speechless.

“Teacher Xia, can I ask—am I really your student? I feel more like livestock.”

“Huh? Don’t just give up your human status…” she said, sounding genuinely concerned.
“Besides, the animal world’s got strict rules too. Without a strong, athletic build, you’d get picked on there as well.”

She gave me a meaningful glance.

Dissing the Demon King’s physique, huh?! I’m the “looks slim in clothes” type!!

Probably.

“But I also hate those guys suggesting stuff like making you transfer schools,” Teacher Xia said casually, dropping something terrifying.
“It’s blown up school-wide, but I don’t think it’s your fault—nor should you bear the consequences.”

I was a bit surprised.

“So…?”

“The higher-ups have locked down the news. The Zhu Lubing situation stays within the school. All teachers are telling their classes not to spread it.”

Teacher Xia said seriously.

“After all, no leader wants a campus romance scandal involving a national treasure-level art genius during their tenure.
Normally, we turn a blind eye to you kids dating, but Zhu Lubing’s too special. She can’t have any hint of improper relationships.”

I get it. They entrusted a national treasure to create art, not baby treasures—unless she’s an actual panda.

“As for you, the person involved, I made a little deal with the higher-ups.”

Seeing her smile, I felt a chill crawl up my spine.

“How… little?”

Teacher Xia smirked, making a gesture that’d get censored in Korea.

“Just this tiny bit, meow~”

For some reason, she switched to cat-speak, looking at me earnestly.

“You need to listen to your ‘girlfriend’ and absolutely not defy her.
But at the same time, you can never admit you’re her boyfriend, or you’ll be dead meat—as long as the leaders don’t get blamed for educational negligence…”

“How long’s this gonna last? A month? A semester? Not a whole year, right?” I ventured boldly.

Teacher Xia blinked, a bit sheepishly.

“High school’s actually pretty short…”

…

“Oh, damn, that’s wild.”

I glanced at the person sitting beside me, my cheek twitching uncontrollably.

“Didn’t we get free time after moving the books? Why are you here?”

Even though our seats were already far apart, I subtly inched away.

Who knows where this girl might pull a weapon from?
I need to keep at least a dagger’s—no, a longsword’s—no, a lance’s—distance!

“…If you scoot any closer to the bench’s edge, you’ll fall into the trash can.
Do you have to make your rejection that obvious?”

Shen Yingxu looked at me like I was an idiot.
“Am I some kind of filth? I’m a girl, you know—I get hurt too.”

“Hah, says the crazy woman with wild hair chasing people with a knife?”

The trash can beside me gave off a thick, mixed “aroma,” yet my heart was oddly calm.

“Compared to being alone with you, this trash can isn’t filth at all! It’s the aromatherapy cleansing my soul.”

“Whatever,” Shen Yingxu said, acting indifferent.
“I get why you’d like that smell. Everyone says the Demon King’s castle was the dirtiest, stinkiest place.”

That’s straight-up slander.
I had a dedicated cleaning crew—my castle was scrubbed inside and out six times a day, cleaner than those medieval kingdoms.

Why not seven? Because it wasn’t Japan; dishes don’t need seven washes.

“What are you doing here?” I ignored her childish jab, staying wary.

In this world, you gotta watch out for women—especially pretty ones who want to kill you.

“They finished moving books and started chatting in the classroom. The topic kept circling back to that Zhu Lubing girl,” Shen Yingxu said, looking exhausted.
“When I first said I was your ex, they at least avoided the topic out of pity or whatever.”

“But after that girl claimed you’re her boyfriend, I got the short end of the stick.
They were talking about her, but their eyes kept drifting to me—I couldn’t take it and left.”

Serves you right.

I still don’t get why she’d go for a lose-lose move, claiming to be my ex-girlfriend.

“Then why come find me?” I said, baffled.

“Oh, I figured since I’m so miserable, you must be worse off.”
She flashed a radiant, angelic smile.
“Rebirth is great. I just wonder when I’ll see you sliced up and flayed alive.”

Her words were more vicious than this Demon King’s.

“So don’t worry, I won’t try to kill you for now.
Compared to stabbing you and letting you bleed out quick, I’d rather see you abandoned by everyone.”

Shen Yingxu grinned, offering a cookie from afar.

“Here, a truce token.”

I looked at her innocent smile, nodded, and took it.

I broke off a piece and set it on the trash can.

A fly took a nibble.

The fly keeled over, legs up, dead.

…Silence. Silence is tonight’s Bridge of Helplessness.

“Hahaha, as expected of the Demon King—hard to kill!”
She laughed heartily, her voice trailing off.

Seeing my icy glare, she pulled a candy from her pocket.

“I’ve got a candy here. This is the real friendship token…”

“You think you can keep pulling the same damn trick?!”

…

“Ugh, such a small-minded guy.”

Munching the candy, Shen Yingxu gave me a disdainful look.

Guess the candy wasn’t poisoned after all.

“Say that again to your murder cookie? Saintess, my *ss!”

“…Fine, I’ll generously forgive you.”

Shen Yingxu quickly changed the subject and asked.

“By the way… that Zhu Lubing girl. If I’m not mistaken, she’s your daughter, right?”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Huh, you actually know that?”

“She was infamous across the continent, wasn’t she?
The Zero Witch, destroyer of countless kingdoms and races…”
A flash of fear and hatred crossed Shen Yingxu’s eyes, quickly hidden behind a casual tone.

“With that pure, holy white hair and those enchanting red eyes, it could only be her.
Thanks to her, red-and-white became a taboo color scheme in that world.
Parents even scared kids with tales of the Zero Witch snatching naughty children.”

What about shrine maiden Reimu then?! Starving to death?!

I didn’t know that, though. I was on the Demon King’s side… er, I was the Demon King.

“But I didn’t expect that kind of relationship. So taboo,” Shen Yingxu said, giving me a look of disgust.
“It fits my stereotype of you perfectly—perverted, sleazy, beastly. Shameless.”

Anyone else think this saintess has a venomous tongue?
Who thought she was quiet, gentle, cool but kind?

Oh, me? Never mind, I’m blind.

“She’s just my foster daughter…”

“Foster daughter’s no excuse! This isn’t Princess Maker.”

How dare you! I was clearly playing Volcano Princess!

“You know a lot… Look, it’s not what you think. She’s slandering me.”

Now it was Shen Yingxu’s turn to look confused.

“Why would she slander you? She was part of your Demon King army.
Even if not biological, you raised her…”

“I don’t know. Aside from sacrificing her at the end for experimental reasons, I don’t think I did anything too bad.”

Shen Yingxu’s mouth fell open slightly.

“You call that ‘not knowing’? You know exactly what you did!”

“Sacrificing her could’ve summoned a stronger demon, like pulling a rare card in a gacha game.
I got carried away and almost bet the whole Demon King castle… so I don’t really remember.”

Shen Yingxu stood up.

“You’re finally leaving?”

I was overjoyed.

“Yeah, I can’t listen to this anymore. I’m gonna grab a kitchen knife and chop you into mincemeat.”

She said calmly, walking away.

Haha, what a joker.

…Better hide, just in case she’s not joking.

As I thought this and started to get up, I spotted a familiar figure across the courtyard, quietly staring at a tree.

Talk about bad timing!

I quickly turned my head, covering my face like an ostrich, gritted my teeth, and crouched to sneak away.

“Zhu Hanqi.”

Why’s this emotionless girl’s perception so sharp?! Can’t you just be a cucumber statue?!

Caught by name, I twitched my lips and stood up with a bitter smile.

“Uh? What’s up, Lubing?”

She tilted her head slightly, looking at me, her ruby-like eyes blinking.

…Shen Yingxu was right. Those eyes seem to peer into your soul, drawing you in.

“My surname’s Zhu. Same as yours.”

“I know, but calling you Zhu feels weird, like I’m calling myself.”

She lowered her head, thinking for a moment, then said three words.

“Whatever you want.”

“Yup, yup. You’re just enjoying the scenery, right? I won’t bother you then, I’ll just…”

I tried to make an excuse to escape, but she stared straight at me, as if the scenery that had captivated her moments ago lost all meaning the second I appeared.

“Why do you run when you see me?” she asked softly, like it was genuinely perplexing.
“Did I do something to upset you?”

Her sincere, open gaze gave me an unexplainable pang of guilt.

“I’m just a bit worried.”

I decided to be honest.

“Worried about what?”
She tilted her head curiously, looking at me.

“I’m worried you’ll ask me if I’ve heard of the Sephirian Continent.”

…

After so many times, I decided to face my fear and say it first.

Better than getting spooked every time. Worst case, I’ll grovel and apologize!

But.

She looked puzzled.

“Sephirian Continent?…”

“What’s that?”