Principal Losera

Click, click.

As the projector Losera carried 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 glanced at her.

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

If only that miniature projector would break down on its own...

Click, cli—

In the end, perhaps Mo Bai's wish came true, or perhaps the projector simply couldn't take any more.

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

In plain terms, 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 those of the Academy's teachers, or 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 stayed put too.

Strictly speaking, he was still under suspicion by the Academy. He didn't want to make her any more suspicious by rushing to leave.

"Relax, Mo Bai. You're the Voidworm Knight." Losera chuckled.

At that, Mo Bai finally failed to keep a straight face. His cheek twitched.

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

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

Mo Bai remembered how she had approached him when he was alone.

"You've got it wrong. Tonight is a rare bit of time off for me. I'd planned to watch movies here by myself."

That explained why the Auditorium doors had been open.

So she was using her position for personal convenience.

Of course, Mo Bai wasn't about to say that to her face.

"But I did want to talk to you. Mo Bai, what did you think of the movies we just watched?"

Mo Bai thought back over the scenes they had watched.

He really couldn't predict how her mind worked. Was she seriously bringing him here to discuss movies?

"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 impressions on me."

Mo Bai counted off the films they had watched.

The second half of their movie marathon had dragged a little, but he thought the earlier films had been exciting enough.

There was the young woman knight who held fast to her convictions despite the whispers of evil.

And there were the passionate professional gladiator and the uncelebrated ordinary gladiator with a noble heart.

All of them had left a deep impression on Mo Bai.

"Oh? Yes, those films used to be quite popular, but students these days aren't particularly interested in them," Losera said.

Mo Bai wasn't upset that the films he liked hadn't earned her approval. Instead, he nodded in agreement.

"After spending some time at the Academy, I can tell nobody's very excited about those traditional heroic stories anymore."

He thought about the students at Star Torch Academy and their general state of mind.

"They probably prefer things like The Tyrannical Magistrate Falls in Love with Me and The Girl Sunk in the Deep Sea."

Losera nodded in agreement.

"That's right. Most students do prefer those two."

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

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

The other showed students in the Auditorium weeping because the male lead had been forced to kill the female lead.

After playing the clips, Losera smiled helplessly.

"The students seem to prefer logic-defying contrasts, or tragic romance between the leads."

As she said it, she seemed genuinely worried about the students' mental health.

Mo Bai thought she was worrying too much.

After all, the Academy had Doctor Lu, who usually handled students with psychological troubles.

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

Mo Bai wasn't flattering her.

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

"But I noticed you don't have a single romance film in your collection," Mo Bai said.

Principal Losera smiled.

"That's because there's plenty of romance at the Academy. Watching these youngsters play out their own stories naturally is far more entertaining than watching actors put on a performance."

It sounded as though she enjoyed the students' noisy everyday lives.

To be honest, this principal had already left a profound impression on Mo Bai.

She was nothing like he had imagined, or like the cold woman he had met at first.

"Mo Bai."

"Hmm?"

Mo Bai answered Losera's suddenly serious call.

Losera stood and looked at him, recalling how indifferent he had seemed during his earlier questioning.

"Do you like this Academy?"

Only then did Losera truly look like a principal.

"Honestly? It's all right," Mo Bai said.

The Academy was huge, its faculty was excellent, and every student had some remarkable talent. There was plenty to enjoy.

He had even made close friends here.

But did he like the place itself?

In the end, that vague answer was all he could give.

He could say he liked the friends he had made and some of the interesting students, but he couldn't say he liked the Academy.

He had never felt that he belonged there.

"I see..."

After hearing his answer, Losera walked into the aisle of the Auditorium.

Once she had put some distance between them, she turned back to him.

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

Her words made Mo Bai smile faintly.

With a principal who cared so much about her students, perhaps his future at the Academy wouldn't be too difficult.

Tap, tap, tap.

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

"Ahem. I was so busy 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's brief surge of warmth gave way to resignation.

Of course she's the principal of this bunch of oddballs...