The figure who had existed only on television and in newspapers slowly walked in.
After sweeping her gaze across the classroom, she continued looking at Fu Hua on the podium.
The previously lively atmosphere fell silent once more.
"Wait, th-this is Hoshimi Miyabi—"
Ruby cried out in surprise.
"Keep it down, you idiot."
Lin turned and reminded her.
The newly awakened Ellen raised her head in confusion.
"Why did it get quiet again?"
The moment she saw Miyabi in front of her, Ellen froze.
She rubbed her eyes, then lay back down.
Strange. Why was I dreaming that a Void Hunter came to my class?
After seeing Fu Hua sitting in her chair and reading on her own, Hoshimi Miyabi spoke.
"Teacher Fu Hua, won't you introduce me to everyone?"
At that, everyone's eyes gathered on Hoshimi Miyabi.
Then they looked at Fu Hua, who was reading with her head lowered.
Fu Hua slowly raised her head and looked around.
"Is there anyone here who doesn't know her?"
Seeing everyone shake their heads to indicate that they knew her, Fu Hua lowered her head and continued reading.
Hoshimi Miyabi furrowed her brow but ultimately said nothing.
"Hey, what do you think is going on?"
Ruby looked curiously at Mona and Lin.
"No idea. I didn't know Teacher Fu Hua had such powerful connections. She even knows Lady Hoshimi Miyabi."
At that moment, Lin pushed up her glasses and spoke.
"I think Teacher Fu Hua might be Miss Hoshimi Miyabi's fiancée.
The forced-love kind. But Teacher Fu Hua has lofty ambitions, so she rejected the engagement."
"That's why she chased her all the way here."
"Gasp—"
Ellen, who had been secretly listening with her head lowered, sucked in a breath.
Don't be so ridiculous, sister!
"That actually makes some sense. Looking at their expressions, it really does seem like that's what's going on."
Ruby stroked her chin and nodded in agreement.
One dared to say it, and the other dared to believe it.
The class bell rang.
Fu Hua stood up and picked up a piece of chalk.
She began the lesson.
Below, Hoshimi Miyabi's attention also gradually focused.
Soon, the blackboard was filled with neat writing.
The dismissal bell rang just as Fu Hua finished her final sentence.
"That's all for today. Class dismissed."
With that, she began organizing her teaching materials.
At that moment, Hoshimi Miyabi walked over and spoke.
"Your teaching standards are very high."
"Thank you for the compliment. You shouldn't doubt me now, right?"
Hoshimi Miyabi shook her head and said seriously.
"Even so, I still trust the Hoshimi Family's instincts. There is something suspicious about your identity."
"Fine. Do as you please."
With that, Fu Hua turned and headed for the door.
Sensing something strange, Miyabi hurriedly followed.
Sure enough, the instant Fu Hua stepped out of the classroom, her speed suddenly increased, and she vanished from sight.
Hoshimi Miyabi frowned and accelerated after her.
Fu Hua opened a window and jumped straight down.
Miyabi immediately followed.
The two began a game of chase.
After turning into a dead-end alley, Hoshimi Miyabi spoke directly.
"Now you can't escape... Tch, strange. I clearly didn't lose her."
"What is this... a feather?"
Standing on the school rooftop, Fu Hua watched the students below having PE class.
She held a cup of tea in her hand.
She savored the feeling of youth in the air.
Beside her, black flowers glowing faintly red drifted slowly around her.
At the Anti-Air Sixth Division office.
Hoshimi Miyabi's ears drooped slightly as she walked in with an impassive expression.
"Boss! You're back."
"Mm..."
"Huh? What's wrong? You seem unhappy."
Soukaku was eating fried chicken, her face full of confusion.
"It's nothing. Soukaku, wipe your mouth."
After reminding her, Miyabi sat in her office chair and boredly picked up a pen.
She looked over the documents in her hands.
"What's wrong, Miyabi? Was that person not the one you were looking for?"
"No, she was. I just lost her."
"Huh? You can lose someone with your speed?"
What a joke. Fu Hua had not run at all.
"She was clearly right in front of me, but after she turned into an alley, she became a feather."
"Turned into a feather... Wait a moment."
With that, Tsukishiro Yanagi pulled up the school surveillance footage.
After watching it, her gaze froze.
"What's wrong, Yanagi? How did she get away?"
Seeing Yanagi's shocked expression, Hoshimi Miyabi walked over and rose onto her toes to look.
Tsukishiro Yanagi dragged the footage back to the beginning and played it again.
In the footage, Fu Hua calmly walked out of the classroom, then leaned against the doorway and looked at the scenery outside the window.
Then Hoshimi Miyabi darted off to one side by herself.
Once it seemed about time, Fu Hua picked up her cup and went to make herself tea.
Then she leisurely sipped her tea as she left.
At the instant her figure disappeared from the surveillance footage, several feathers drifted down around her.
"..."
"You've got to be kidding. Does anyone really possess such an ability?"
Yanagi was shocked, but Hoshimi Miyabi stroked her chin.
"So I didn't lose her. I followed the wrong person."
"That's not the point, Section Chief. You need to understand, that wasn't a clone."
"According to what you said, you watched her remain in front of you the entire time. But the footage shows only you."
"In other words, she directly pulled you into an illusion."
She had silently pulled a Void Hunter-level powerhouse into an illusion.
"Something like that... It has to be fake, right?"
"Doesn't this make it even clearer that she's the person I'm looking for?"
Tsukishiro Yanagi was somewhat speechless at Hoshimi Miyabi's fixation.
"You still want to continue?"
"Of course. The greater the difficulty of training, the faster my strength will improve."
"Next time, I'll definitely catch her."
Back on Fu Hua's side, she had already returned home.
"Master, I accepted a commission. I'd like to head out for a bit."
"Mm, be careful."
"Okay, don't worry. It's a simple commission."
The instant Cui Ji changed clothes and stepped out of the house, a smile curled across her lips.
"Captain Anby, I'm coming..."
She had just finished training and had planned to return to her room for some sleep.
But according to the intelligence network she had built,
every member of the Cunning Rabbit House had taken part in a commission involving a Hollow transaction.
The location was inside the sudden Hollow from last time.
Cui Ji was no longer sleepy.
Meanwhile, inside the Video Store.
Pink-haired Nicole clasped Belle's hands in both of hers and pleaded.
"Please, Phaethon! This is the most important request of my life. You have to agree to it!"
In the face of her behavior, Belle and Wise remained utterly indifferent.
"If I remember correctly, you said the same thing last Monday."
"Ahem, that's not important. This time, the commission fee is as high as six hundred thousand.
That's enough to pay off what I owe you."
Belle shook off Nicole's hands, frowned, and exposed the truth.
"If I remember correctly, even if you gave us the entire commission fee, it would only pay off your previous debt."
"Oh, come on. I'll pay it back slowly. We're friends, aren't we?"
"This time, the main task is to hand over a valuable item."
"I heard the other side plans to rob us, so we'll just rob the robbers robbing us."
"Then it'll be worth far more than six hundred thousand.
Though I heard they found a powerful proxy on the Inter-Knot."
"But the Cunning Rabbit House isn't some easy target. When the time comes, we'll need you two to guide us."
Nicole admired her freshly done nails as she spoke carelessly.
By the end, she had moved close to Belle once again.
Before you continue