The Little White Cat's Origins

Jiang Yu had not originally planned to roam the campus that night.

Especially now, in the bitter depths of winter, when the kitten she transformed into was just an ordinary short-haired kitten, with neither long fur nor thick fat to shield her from the wind and cold. Going out for a stroll in weather like this was hardly a wise choice.

But after dinner, when she hurried to Book Mountain Hall, she discovered to her frustration that several unfamiliar faces had occupied the desk where she usually sat. As finals approached, more and more young wizards at the academy began turning up in the library, leaving some of its regulars a little unsettled.

Jiang Yu, for instance. This was already the second time someone had taken her spot.

Normally, when she came to the library after dinner, she could easily find a spacious, comfortable corner to read in. Not now. Even after searching the entire library from top to bottom, she could not find another vacant spot.

Leaving the library, Jiang Yu headed to the teaching building with the faintest sliver of hope—the academy had opened a number of classrooms for revision as finals approached, extending their opening hours until ten at night—but, unsurprisingly, every study room was packed with students reviewing their lessons. Among them were plenty of upperclassmen with one, two, or even three black bands edging their robes.

The witch had never realized there were so many students at the school.

Of course, not every wizard occupying a seat was diligently studying. While searching for a vacancy, she spotted more than one couple nuzzling together at their desks, as well as someone engrossed in a storybook about a hero and an evil dragon beside their revision exercises.

Yet however these people squandered those precious seats, the witch