Chapter 46: The Witch’s Predicament

The evening breeze rustled the girl’s clothes, moonlight illuminating her beautiful face. The legendary Flame Witch, Miss Mia, suddenly turned her head, her gaze falling upon Xiao Xi, who was slowly ascending the stairs.

“Oh, oh, oh! My familiar, Xiao Xi, you’ve arrived!” The Witch excitedly swung on the rope, chirping with delight.

‘Ah…’

‘She really is here!’

Xiao Xi turned his head away, speechless, and mumbled, “Let me make it clear, I’m not here to acknowledge you as my master. I’m just worried about some late-night fall from a building happening at school. What if rumors spread… ‘The mysterious leader of the occult club was caught doing such things at school’? That would be quite unbecoming.”

“Eh?” Mia was momentarily stunned by his elaborate explanation. What was all this about being ‘becoming’ or ‘unbecoming’?

‘Well…’

Xiao Xi couldn’t be bothered to explain it to Mia. After all, wasn’t it strange enough that she, a suspended student, was even at school?

“What are you… doing?” Xiao Xi looked up at Mia, who was suspended between the rooftop and the corridor, lost in thought.

‘Is this… some kind of masochistic bondage?’

“Cough, cough, I’m practicing levitation magic!” Mia declared, her eyes darting nervously. Despite her words, her body seemed entirely out of her control, spinning endlessly in place with the rope.

“Cough, cough, just a moment, Xiao Xi. I’ll come down and replenish your magic right away. Just wait a bit…”

“You’re stuck, aren’t you! You’re absolutely stuck! And who needs their magic replenished? Don’t you dare lay a hand on me!”

“How can you say that?”

Mia, having finally swung herself back in front of Xiao Xi, declared righteously, “I am Xiao Xi’s master! Hehe~ Xiao Xi, I want a kiss~ Please help me out, release this cursed levitation magic. I can’t hold on much longer, boohoo, my head is so dizzy~”

“Emmm…” Xiao Xi pinched his chin, falling into a state of speechlessness. ‘Well, what can I say… Although she looks pitiful right now, I have no intention of saving her. Who knows what this girl will do to me once she’s down.’

‘Just let her hang there. It seems pretty safe.’

Xiao Xi quietly pulled out a small stool from behind him, placed it on the ground, and sat down. He propped his chin in his hand, silently observing Mia.

‘Ah, thinking about it, it feels like I’m the one who hung Mia up there. How amusing~’

‘Hehe~ Tsk, tsk, tsk~’

“Hey, hey, hey, save me first, familiar-chan! As my familiar, don’t you care about your master’s life and health at all?”

Mia frantically swung on the rope, but… she seemed to have tied herself too tightly. The result was nothing but a futile expenditure of energy, with no change in her predicament.

Oh, there was one effect. At least… Xiao Xi, fearing she might kick him, moved his stool back a bit. Then, he quietly took out a bag of sunflower seeds, tore open the packaging, and leisurely began cracking them. ‘Ah~’

‘What a pleasant little life. Uh… I think I forgot something. What was it again?’

‘Hmm…’

‘Oh, right!’

“Master-chan, my magic is still too weak. I can’t possibly undo your levitation magic. How about… you try harder yourself? I’ll rest for a bit~”

Xiao Xi pouted, holding up his index finger, feigning cuteness. Mia looked at him, ‘Hmm…’

“Ah… ah, this… Hahaha, yes, there’s no helping it then~” Mia turned her face away. “I’ll just violently dispel this levitation magic with my Flame Magic!”

‘Eh?’

Xiao Xi stared at Mia in shock. ‘This girl… didn’t she realize I was just teasing her? She actually took it seriously!’

‘Tsk, tsk, tsk…’

‘This isn’t what I intended. Today, I must make this idiot Mia both angry and helpless. That’s for bullying me before! And… and for doing that to me. Sister Yuan would definitely not forgive me if she knew.’

Hmph, one plan failing, Xiao Xi immediately concocted another. He suddenly stood up, picked up a sunflower seed, and brought it close to Mia’s face. He looked at her pitifully, stammering,

“Um… then, do you want to eat some sunflower seeds before trying harder?”

“Mmm, yes, yes~”

“Then… open wide~”

“Ah—”

Mia gently opened her mouth, waiting for Xiao Xi to feed her. But in a flash, Xiao Xi quickly pulled his hand back, even twitching as if electrocuted, then swiftly retreated, saying, “Boohoo, Master, your magic field is too powerful! I can’t get through!”

“Ah?” Mia looked bewildered. Xiao Xi, ignoring her reaction, stood his ground, shook his hand, then helplessly shook his head, and unhurriedly continued cracking sunflower seeds.

‘Hmm~ Surely this silly Witch understands now that I’m just teasing her, right?’

Xiao Xi looked at Mia triumphantly. Her expression shifted from confusion to shock, then to disappointment, and he could even faintly sense a hint of anger.

But… when one is under another’s roof, one must bow one’s head. Mia understood that her current situation was far from ideal…

Most importantly…

‘Boohoo…’

‘I… I can’t hold it anymore!’

****

‘Hmm?’

After cracking sunflower seeds for a while, Xiao Xi glanced at Mia again. He saw tears welling up in the Witch’s eyes, her body trembling slightly. Xiao Xi’s heart softened. ‘Alright… enough teasing. I’ll just let her down.’

Xiao Xi ran to her side and began trying to untie the knots, but… Mia had tied the rope too securely! Xiao Xi couldn’t pull it loose no matter how hard he tried…

‘Hmm…’

Seeing Mia’s sweating face, Xiao Xi suddenly grew anxious. ‘What to do, what to do… Will this girl really be hanging here all night?’

“How about… you drink some water first?”

“No, no, no! Absolutely not!” For some reason, Mia’s emotions surged when the word ‘water’ was mentioned.

‘Hmm…’

‘Then what can be done?’

“Ugh, never mind, Xiao Xi, stay away from me. I… I have to save myself now! I’m almost done for!”

Mia cried out excitedly. Xiao Xi nodded, terrified, and quickly retreated four or five steps. He watched as the utterly desperate Mia, now disregarding all fire safety warnings, reluctantly pulled a lighter from her pocket without another word.

‘Wait!’

Before Xiao Xi could react and stop her, she yelled, “Blaze!” and immediately lit the rope. The rope burned through, and Mia fell. But… sparks had also caught on her skirt!

‘Put out the fire!’

Xiao Xi immediately rushed forward, intending to embrace Mia, who had fallen to the ground, to put out the fire. Just as he reached her, the sparks… suddenly went out.

‘Went… out…’

‘Uh…’

“The sparks were put out by the fall, don’t overthink it!” Mia looked at the suspicious Xiao Xi, thinking disgruntledly.

“Ah… actually, I wasn’t thinking that at all, cough, cough!” Xiao Xi turned his head away.

“Xiao… Xiao Xi!” Mortified, Mia silently stood up, her anger flaring as she remembered Xiao Xi’s annoying demeanor from earlier.

“Tsk, not enough magic, huh! Just you wait, Master will replenish your magic now!”

“Wait… wait, don’t come any closer!”

A chase scene unfolded across the campus…

‘Hoo~ hoo~’

‘No one should be chasing me, right?’

Xiao Xi glanced left and right, letting out a sigh of relief. ‘Good, good, at least I ran…’

‘Fast… enough?’

He turned his head, a sharp intake of breath—

Unbeknownst to him, Mia was already standing before him, smiling.

“Re~plen~ish~ing~ magic~!”

She approached him with a wicked grin!