"When Miss Rina understands the core of cooking—making food both delicious and nourishing—I believe she'll become a fine chef."
"Yes… Miss Fu Hua's words make sense."
After dinner, as the dishes were being cleared, Lycaon approached Fu Hua discreetly.
"Miss Fu Hua, I have a request."
"Go ahead."
"Based on your assessment, I've come to appreciate your breadth of knowledge. I'd like to ask you to take on a role at Ellen's high school."
Fu Hua raised an eyebrow.
"You want me to… go to school?"
"Not as a student. I've arranged for you to join as a teacher. A Chinese literature instructor, to be precise."
"A teacher?"
"You're young, composed, and you've trained an apprentice with remarkable discipline. I believe your teaching ability is more than qualified."
Fu Hua considered it for a moment.
"If it's your request, I'll give it a try."
"Thank you. It won't be too demanding. The school hours are light, and your presence will help keep Ellen on track."
"Understood. Let's talk more tomorrow. It's getting late—I'll head home."
"Of course. Safe travels, Miss Fu Hua."
Back home, Fu Hua opened the door to find Harin on the couch, surrounded by burger wrappers.
"Harin, I'm back."
"Master! You're just in time for burgers!"
"No thanks. I already ate at Victoria."
Fu Hua sat down, eyeing the mountain of fast food.
"Can you really eat all this?"
"Hehe~ These are all the flavors sister Anby used to order. I need to try them all so I can talk to her about them!"
Fu Hua sighed and flicked her forehead.
"That's not a healthy obsession."
"Oww… okay, Master."
Fu Hua leaned back.
"By the way, I'll be at school tomorrow for work. No training session."
"School?"
"Don't slack off. I'll be checking your progress monthly."
She narrowed her eyes.
"If you fall behind… I'll confiscate your Anby posters."
Harin froze, eyes wide.
"Yes, Master! I'll train twice as hard!"
The next morning, Fu Hua arrived at the school in her White Night Deacon form.
Thanks to Lycaon's arrangements, she was now officially registered as a Chinese literature teacher.
The schedule was light: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a generous lunch break.
It was, as Lycaon promised, not too troublesome.
Inside Class 2-B, Ellen was slumped over her desk, trying to sneak in a nap.
Her deskmate Ruby was chatting with Mona and Rin.
"Hey, did you hear? We're getting a new Chinese teacher today," Mona whispered.
"Bet it's some elite old lady." Rin said, adjusting her glasses.
"Ugh, nooo~ Chinese class is already a snoozefest. If she's got that sleepy grandma voice, I'm done for!" Mona groaned.
Ruby just buried her face in her arms.
Ellen grumbled.
"As long as she doesn't interrupt my nap, I don't care who she is."
The bell rang.
The door opened.
Fu Hua stepped in, holding two textbooks, her heels clicking softly against the floor.
The class erupted in whispers.
Ellen lazily turned her head toward the front of the room—
And froze.
Her eyes locked onto the familiar gray silhouette.
Her pupils shrank.
No way…