Principal Losera

Click, click.

As the Projector Losera had brought with her clicked away, Mo Bai lost track of how many movies they had watched that night.

Watching movies together in a private room was nice, but after so many, even he was getting bored.

But the person sitting beside him was the principal. Should he interrupt her?

Mo Bai stole a glance at her.

She was still absorbed in the movie. Interrupting her now would only make things awkward.

If only that little Projector would break down on its own...

Click, cli—

In the end, either Mo Bai's wish came true, or the Projector had reached its limit.

Either way, its long, hardworking life came to an end.

In plain English, it broke.

"Oh, just when it was getting good. I suppose it's time for my old friend to retire."

Losera sighed regretfully and put the Projector back in her handbag.

Her outfit looked nothing like a teacher's, much less the stern principal Mo Bai had imagined.

She looked more like an office worker from some big company, capable and efficient in everything she did.

"What a shame, Mo Bai. My old friend still has quite a few good films stored inside."

Despite saying that, she showed no sign of getting up from her seat.

Mo Bai could only stay put.

After all, the academy still considered him a suspect. He did not want his eagerness to leave to make her any more suspicious of him.

"Hehe, relax, Mo Bai. You're the Voidworm Knight," Losera said with a soft laugh.

At that, Mo Bai could no longer keep a straight face. His cheek twitched.

Aside from the well-traveled Rover, both Mo Bai and Lynae found the over-the-top title embarrassing.

"So, did you need something from me, Principal?"

Mo Bai recalled how she had approached him while he was alone.

"You've got it wrong. Tonight is a rare break for me. I was planning to watch movies here by myself."

That explained why the Auditorium doors had been open.

She was using her position for personal convenience.

Of course, Mo Bai was not about to say that to her face.

"But I do have something to ask you, Mo Bai. What did you think of the movies we just watched?"

Mo Bai ran through scenes from the films in his head.

Her train of thought was hard to predict. Was she really going to discuss movies with him now?

"Hmm, I enjoyed them all. Tales of the Wandering Knight’s Subjugation and The Gladiator and the Hero of the Dark Side left the strongest impression on me."

Mo Bai counted off the movies they had watched.

The second half of their viewing had dragged a little, but he thought the films they had watched earlier were exciting enough.

There was the young female knight who had held fast to her beliefs despite the whispers of malice.

Then there were the fiery professional gladiator and the unknown ordinary gladiator with a noble heart.

Those characters had all left a deep impression on Mo Bai.

"Oh? Yes, those films were quite popular once, but students these days don't much care for them," Losera said.

Mo Bai was not upset that the films he liked had not been praised. On the contrary, he nodded in agreement.

"After spending some time at the academy, I can tell no one's very enthusiastic about those traditional tales of heroism anymore."

After saying that, Mo Bai thought for a moment about the students at Star Torch Academy.

"They'd probably prefer The Tyrannical Magistrate Falls in Love with Me or The Girl Sunk in the Deep Sea."

Losera nodded in agreement.

"Yes, most students do prefer those two."

Losera then used a Tacet Disc to project two clips for Mo Bai.

One showed students gathered in the Auditorium, cheering as the Jinzhou Little Dragon Maiden Magistrate appeared in the film.

In the other clip, students in the Auditorium wept as the male lead was forced to kill the female lead.

After playing both clips, Losera smiled helplessly.

"The students seem to prefer improbable contrasts, or stories steeped in tragedy between the leads."

She sounded rather concerned about the students' mental health.

Mo Bai, however, thought she was worrying too much.

After all, there was Doctor Lu at the academy, who usually took care of students with psychological problems.

"Principal Losera, you really know a lot about movies."

Mo Bai wasn't just flattering her.

Being able to give informed opinions on so many films at once was impressive for a principal.

"But I noticed there isn't a single romance film in your collection," Mo Bai remarked.

Principal Losera smiled faintly.

"That's because there's already plenty of romance at the academy. Watching these kids' natural 'performances' is far more entertaining than watching actors put on a show."

It sounded as though she was fond of the students' noisy everyday lives.

To be honest, this principal had made quite an impression on Mo Bai.

She was nothing like the cold, distant person he had imagined, or the one he had met at first.

"Mo Bai."

"Hmm?"

Mo Bai answered Losera's suddenly serious call.

Losera rose and looked at Mo Bai, recalling the unconcerned attitude he had shown during the earlier interrogation.

"Do you like this academy?"

It was only then that Losera looked more like a principal.

"Honestly? It's so-so," Mo Bai answered truthfully.

The academy was huge, its teaching staff was excellent, and every student had some unusual talent. There was plenty to keep things interesting.

He had also made a close friend here.

But did he like the place?

That was the most definite answer he could give.

He could say he liked his new friend and some of the more interesting students, but not that he liked the academy itself.

He had never felt that he belonged here.

"I see..."

After hearing Mo Bai's answer, Losera walked into the Auditorium aisle.

After putting some distance between herself and Mo Bai, she turned back and said something to him.

"Then I hope that one day, you'll truly feel at home here and come to love this place."

Her words brought a faint smile to Mo Bai's face.

With a principal who cared about her students like that, perhaps his future at the academy would not be too difficult.

Tap, tap, tap.

But just as she was about to leave the Auditorium, she hurried back.

"Ahem. I got so caught up imitating a line from one of my favorite movies that I nearly forgot my bag."

Hearing Losera mutter as she picked up her handbag, Mo Bai felt the warmth that had just risen in his chest give way to resignation.

Of course she's the principal of these eccentric students...