So Similar

"Next, I need an assistant to help me with today's lesson. Which student would like to come up and be my assistant?!"

As the words fell, Kiana, uncharacteristically eager, sprang up from her chair, waving her hand and shouting, "Teacher, me, me, me, me! I want to be the assistant!"

Though the other students weren't as lively as Kiana, they all raised their hands to liven up the classroom atmosphere.

"Oh my, it seems everyone is quite enthusiastic..." Warith stepped down from the podium, a faint smile playing on her lips as she looked over the dozen or so Valkyries in the room, as if trying to pick someone from the sea of raised hands.

Xina, sitting in the corner of the classroom, clearly sensed that this woman was pretending to look at others, but her gaze had been fixed on her the whole time without shifting.

Wasn't it just that I barged in a little roughly when rushing back for a nap at noon? Does she have to hold such a grudge!

Sure enough, just as Xina predicted that the unlucky one being dragged up would most likely be her, Warith walked over to Xina's side, patted her shoulder with a light but firm hand, and chuckled softly:

"Since so many classmates raised their hands, I can't play favorites. Since classmate Xina didn't raise hers, I'll trouble you to come up on stage and be my assistant!"

"DAMN! I knew it! This grudge-holding, petty, bad woman!" Xina stood up, muttering under her breath as she walked toward the podium.

From the low pressure radiating off Xina and the gloomy expression on her face, it wasn't hard to tell that being called up... she really didn't want to be there.

"Oh dear, since you're up here, how about a smile? It's not like I owe you money!" Warith pulled Xina over to the lectern and pressed her down into a chair.

"Honestly, I'd rather I owed you money..." Xina shot Warith a glare, keeping her thin, pale face cold.

"Your complexion isn't great, so today I'll give you a nice, beautiful makeup job."

Even though Xina's attitude wasn't friendly, Warith didn't get angry.

She lightly clapped her hands, picked up a brand-new lipstick from the lectern, and said, "Come, come, everyone look over here. Today, our classmate Xina will be the model for the lesson!"

"Woo-hoo, awesome!" Kiana stirred up trouble for the fun of it, and the sound made Xina's heart nearly shatter. What kind of earthly suffering was this!

"Smile!" Warith said as she manually adjusted Xina's expression.

Feeling her face being coated with a bunch of cosmetics that looked similar but, according to Warith, were worlds apart, Xina stared lifelessly out the window, as if hoping for someone to appear.

Whether it's Teacher Himeko, Principal Theresa, or any other teacher, please, come take over this class! I can't take it anymore!

They say that when someone is in extreme torment, time feels like it slows down.

Given Warith's skill, even breaking down every detail and explaining it, it only took a few minutes. But in Xina's perception, it felt like she was nailed to a cross, half-dead for years.

Finally, after finishing her work, Warith casually set her tools down on the lectern, clapped her hands lightly, and inspected it with a very critical eye.

In the end, Warith handed a small mirror to Xina and said, "Take a look for yourself. Isn't it beautiful?"

"...", In just a few minutes, how good could it be...

Xina pouted, grumbling inwardly, then picked up the mirror and looked at her own face.

"Mom... no, wait!? This... this is me?!" Xina turned her head to look at Warith, pointing at the mirror at her face, which was already eight-tenths similar to her mother's, her voice trembling.

"That's right, that's you! What's wrong?" Warith looked at the student in front of her, whose state was clearly off, and nodded very firmly.

"Thank you..." Xina stood up, holding the mirror, and bowed deeply to Warith.

"Hey... you... why are you being so polite..." Warith was also thrown off by Xina's sudden gesture. She helped the young girl up and was about to say something when she happened to catch the glistening tears in Xina's hazy eyes.

Why is she crying? That doesn't make sense! Even if my makeup skills are good, it shouldn't be like this! Himeko, what's going on with your student?

In the end, at a loss, Warith could only let Xina return to her seat and continue with her lesson.

For the rest of the class, Warith taught while keeping an eye on Xina's behavior.

She noticed that although the girl didn't cry, for the remaining half of the lesson, she kept staring at her own reflection in the mirror, unable to figure out why she was so captivated.

After class, Warith found Himeko's office and perched herself on Himeko's desk. "Hey, Himeko, what's up with that student of yours?"

"Hmm?"

Hearing it was about her student, Himeko put down the red pen she was using to grade assignments, looked up at Warith, and said, "Which student? Kiana? Did she make you angry in class?"

"No, it's the one named Xina." Warith shook her head, then leaned her body down, lying sideways on Himeko's desk.

"Xina? She's a pretty well-behaved girl. Sensible, obedient, and a good cook."

"Tsk, you glutton! I'm not asking you if she cooks well." Warith waved her hand in annoyance, rolled over under Himeko's puzzled gaze, and then said, "I'm asking if she has some kind of psychological trauma!"

"Psychological trauma?"

"Yeah, I did her makeup in class today, and she almost cried when she looked in the mirror! For the rest of the lesson, she kept her head down staring at the mirror, like there was something special in it drawing her in!" Warith recalled Xina's strange behavior in class and recounted it verbatim.

"Is that so?" Himeko frowned slightly and said, "What did you make her look like? Can I see?"

"Of course."

With that, Warith sat up straight and, in just a few seconds, replicated the makeup she had put on Xina earlier onto her own face.

Looking at Warith's face, Himeko gave a bitter smile, shook her head, and murmured, "If that's the case, then it's no wonder..."

"No wonder what?" Warith wiped the makeup off her face, glaring at Himeko, who seemed hesitant to speak, and complained, "Can you be clear? Don't be a riddle-teller!"