"Phew..."
After working at his desk for a long time, Lorne stopped what he was doing, suddenly feeling a chilly draft sweep through the study.
He turned toward the shadows outside the window, a smile curling at his lips.
"What a familiar entrance... Sharron... Teacher..."
The next second, just as Lorne had expected.
A figure wearing a small black bonnet and an elaborate court dress slowly emerged from thin air.
Looking at that pale, delicate face, Lorne inexplicably felt a surge of reassurance and emotion.
Miss Wraith was one of the few friends he could currently trust without reservation.
Sharron floated silently in midair. On the surface, she was as cold and aloof as ever, like a lifeless doll, without a single unnecessary expression on her face.
But the instant Lorne's figure appeared in her azure eyes, her eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly, and an unusual glimmer passed through her gaze.
When she heard Lorne's teasing "Teacher," her tightly pressed lips also curved upward involuntarily, though the movement was almost impossible to detect.
That restrained, inward joy was her unique way of expressing herself.
Sharron should have finished digesting her Wraith potion ages ago, right? Why does she still appear and disappear like a ghost every time... Lorne muttered inwardly.
What Lorne did not know was that, while watching from outside the window earlier, this outwardly cold but inwardly warm Miss Wraith had actually felt a tiny, almost imperceptible pang of disappointment when she saw him still awake and busy at his desk.
Separated by only a few steps, the two quietly looked at each other, falling into a subtle silence.
About a minute later, Lorne took a deep breath and broke the silence.
"Phew... welcome back."
"Mm..."
Sharron made no further movement, merely responding softly. Yet a faint touch of