Chapter 83: Awkward Introductions and a Faint Obsession

However, upon turning her head, she observed Ye Qing’s calm expression, which clearly indicated no acquaintance with the other girl.

This immediately sparked a flicker of doubt within Shen Congqing. Yet, constrained by the situation, she found it inconvenient to ask, choosing instead to bury her questions deep within her heart.

“Could the two of you please introduce yourselves? Just speak naturally,” the teacher prompted.

Here it was, the most dreaded part.

The ultimate nightmare that had plagued Ye Qing from elementary school through high school: self-introductions.

Ye Qing wasn’t truly socially anxious, but she harbored an innate fear of speaking on a stage.

When forced to discuss personal matters, she would often stammer and struggle for words, which invariably led her to make her self-introductions exceptionally brief.

Moreover, Shen Congqing had recently taught her the wisdom of ‘a short pain is better than a long one’.

Just as Shen Congqing was about to speak, she suddenly heard a cool, concise voice from behind her.

“Hello everyone, I’m Ye Qing.”

Her clear, bell-like voice echoed through the classroom, pleasing to the ear yet fleeting. Dozens of bewildered eyes fixed on the black-haired girl, anticipating her next words, but only silence filled the air.

Observing Ye Qing’s tightly pursed cherry lips, it seemed she had no intention of uttering another word. Their wait proving fruitless, the students quickly began to whisper amongst themselves.

“Why is she so aloof?”

“She’s not one of us.”

“Just because she’s not one of us doesn’t mean she can’t speak, does it?”

Shen Congqing couldn’t help but glance at Ye Qing again, seeing the girl remain as unperturbed as before. She sighed softly in resignation, then followed her lead and took her turn.

“I’m Shen Congqing.”

Her voice was equally plain, even omitting polite greetings. It was unclear if she was simply continuing Ye Qing’s abrupt introduction and therefore cutting short her own, or if she simply saw no need to elaborate.

The reaction to her, naturally, was far less intense. With Ye Qing having set such a precedent, this outcome was hardly a surprise.

If the entire class were to introduce themselves next, many would undoubtedly follow suit; after all, no one would truly care.

Perceiving the lull that had fallen, the teacher timely interjected, smoothly bridging the awkwardness. However, her still-relaxed tone suggested she was not particularly bothered.

“It’s alright. You’ll all have plenty of time to get acquainted later. Qin Yuqian, please help me arrange the seating.”

The girl called Qin Yuqian rose from her seat; she was the same black-haired girl who had been intently staring at Ye Qing just moments ago. Even now, her gaze remained fixed on Ye Qing, harboring a hint of resentment, barely discernible beneath a calm exterior.

She stepped forward slowly, speaking softly, her voice almost identical to Ye Qing’s.

“Please follow me.”

Despite her words, it appeared only two seats behind Qin Yuqian remained empty in the classroom, presumably cleared in advance.

“I’ll take the front seat.”

Shen Congqing subtly glanced at Qin Yuqian before settling into the seat behind her, effectively separating her from Ye Qing and preventing their gazes from meeting.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that this black-haired girl harbored a faint obsession with Ye Qing. Though she didn’t know why, Shen Congqing instinctively decided to sever it.

‘What are you staring at? If you’re so brave, look at me directly,’ she thought.

As if sensing Shen Congqing’s intent, Qin Yuqian’s long lashes fluttered down, concealing her dark pupils, her thoughts unreadable.

Ye Qing, however, was a little slow on the uptake and failed to notice anything unusual. She simply followed and sat behind Shen Congqing, which placed her in the very back row of the classroom.

Heaven!

And what should one do upon arriving in heaven? Why, slack off, of course.

Ye Qing’s grades had never been poor, but that was solely due to Gu Xuanyu’s diligent supervision. After Gu Xuanyu entered the Magical Girl Academy, Ye Qing lost all motivation to study.

Her sole purpose in attending classes each day was to remain invisible, effectively avoiding any sense of presence.

When everyone else was seated in the classroom, her absence would make her empty seat conspicuously stand out, triggering a series of chain reactions. In short, it was a great deal of trouble.

Ye Qing’s dream was quite simple: she merely needed to maintain mediocre grades, attend a decent university, and then save a substantial sum by drawing illustrations to fund a life of comfortable idleness.

Of course, most of this money would likely be spent on her younger sister. Knowing a girl’s expenses could be quite considerable, she would need to save a little more. Ye Qing had no fixed amount in mind, so she decided to aim for a small initial goal.

Regrettably, her current progress indicated that this ‘small goal’ was still a long way off.

However, this didn’t stop Ye Qing from slacking off. Before long, she had unconsciously twirled strands of hair by her temple dozens of times.

Out of respect for the teacher, Shen Congqing initially listened to a few idle remarks before habitually closing her eyes. Her head nodded gently as her eyes fluttered open and closed, and by the time she reopened them, class had already ended.

If her art students were to ever discover her nodding off like this during class, Shen Congqing’s carefully cultivated authority would undoubtedly crumble by the very next day.

Unfortunately, at least in Ye Qing’s presence, that authority was already gone without a trace.

The black-haired girl gazed thoughtfully at Shen Congqing’s fluffy golden hair, which had become voluminous after drying. Recalling her own embarrassment during her first class, Ye Qing couldn’t help but murmur.

‘To think this golden-haired big sister was quite mischievous at my age,’ she mused.

In contrast, despite her slacking off, Ye Qing had at least caught a few snippets of the lecture.

Presumably to accommodate the new students, the teacher had given a brief introduction to the curriculum. It seemed there were few theoretical courses here.

Instead, most of it consisted of training designed to stimulate magical power.

As for the content of the training, it was quite intriguing…

As everyone knew, a Magical Girl’s power stemmed from love and bonds. Therefore, to awaken these forces, students needed to experience them firsthand.

While love wasn’t something to be trifled with, the training still required full cooperation among the trainees.

Through long-term collaboration, the existing students had already found their respective partners. If only Ye Qing had transferred in alone, it would undoubtedly have caused considerable trouble.

However, with Shen Congqing present, it was a different matter entirely.

This also meant, however, that the relationship between her and Shen Congqing would likely experience some subtle changes.

Lost in thought, Ye Qing gently nudged Shen Congqing’s shoulder, rousing the girl from her drowsiness.

“Eh? Is class over?”

“It is.”

Ye Qing replied with a sigh, then briefly summarized the fragmented information she had heard. At her words, Shen Congqing again wore that awkward expression.

“I didn’t have to deal with anything like that back then,” Shen Congqing mused. “But Duanmu Jin did bring me a lot of romance novels to read…”

Duanmu Jin had even specifically come to her bedside, reading those blush-inducing, heart-pounding stories as bedtime tales. This was why, despite Shen Congqing’s devotion to art, she wasn’t entirely oblivious; in some sense, she was indeed worthy of her title as the most beautiful art teacher at Jinzhou University.

‘Hmph, those who can secure a teaching position in the art department are hardly ordinary individuals,’ Ye Qing thought.

Just as the two girls were pondering this, a voice suddenly interjected.

Unbeknownst to them, Qin Yuqian had approached Ye Qing and posed a question: “Hello, do you know Gu Xuanyu… no, I mean, you’re her lover, aren’t you?”

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