The Headmistress Drinking Black Tea and the Anti-Addiction System

Zhou Yu patted Dania on the arm.

"Don't worry, the sweet-and-sour pork ribs aren't going anywhere."

His tone was as steady as if he were urging someone to turn in a weekly report.

"You ate my food, so you're one of my people. Today's KPI has to be met."

The security captain was completely baffled. The standard-issue weapon in his hands didn't care about any KPI. He stepped forward in his alloy boots, and his voice came through the loudspeaker, cold and hard.

"Final warning! Put your hands on your head and get down now! Otherwise, we'll use force!"

Several gun barrels rose in unison, aiming at Zhou Yu's head.

Dania shrank back half a step, pressing her shoulder against Zhou Yu's back and clutching the back hem of his work uniform with both hands.

"Wait."

A gentle woman's voice came from nearby, neither hurried nor stern, and all the noise at the scene immediately fell silent.

The crowd parted again.

The woman who emerged wore a well-tailored white dress and carried a cup of black tea. Steam curled around her fingertips. The armed security personnel around her seemed to be on a different wavelength altogether.

Lupa, headmistress of the Flamebearers' Academy.

"Headmistress."

The security captain put away his weapon and gave a textbook Sunspeakers military salute.

Lupa nodded, sweeping her gaze over the scene before settling on Zhou Yu and Dania.

"Everyone, disperse. These two are guests I invited."

The security captain didn't hesitate. He turned and waved.

"Withdraw!"

The fully armed personnel left even faster than they had arrived, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Lupa carried her teacup over to the two of them.

Dania peeked out from behind Zhou Yu, still clutching his work uniform with both hands.

Zhou Yu, on the other hand, acted as if nothing had happened. He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and held it out.

"You're Headmistress Lupa, right?"

His expression was earnest.

"This is a request for time off in lieu. I'm bringing a family member to visit your academy's cafeteria and check out the quality of the food while we're at it."

Lupa's gaze paused on the paper. In large, crooked charcoal characters, it read: Reason: eat ribs.

The corners of her mouth curved upward.

"Is that so?"

She didn't take the paper, instead gesturing for them to follow.

"Since you're here for a visit, why don't you stop by my office first?"

"Sure. My legs are tired from walking anyway."

Zhou Yu readily agreed and followed her, pulling along Dania, who still hadn't recovered her wits.

The corridor leading to the headmistress's office was long, and the carpet was so thick that their footsteps made no sound.

Lupa walked ahead of them, remaining silent until they were halfway down the corridor.

"Speaking of which, something interesting happened at the Lahai-Roi Defense Line a few days ago."

Her voice echoed down the corridor.

"The entire war zone's communications system, including Aleph One's resonance channel, was disrupted by a low-level signal for a full half hour."

"Oh."

Zhou Yu's expression didn't change.

"The carrier's signal tower must be old and falling apart. Time to replace it."

He rubbed his fingers together with a perfectly serious expression.

"At the building where I used to work, the internet went down at five thirty every afternoon, more punctual than the time clock."

Lupa glanced back at him and smiled, but said nothing more.

The headmistress's office was larger than he had imagined. Filled with antiques and books, it was more like a private library.

Lupa led them to the sofa in the seating area and sat them down. She set down her tea, then brought a plate from the nearby serving cart and placed it in front of Dania.

The plate was piled high with macarons, pink, green, and yellow all jumbled together.

"Try some. The pastry chef just made them."

Dania stared at the colorful plate for two seconds, then looked up at Lupa and over at Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu tipped his chin at her.

"What are you waiting for? They're for you."

Dania carefully picked up a pink one and took a small bite. The crisp shell crumbled, and the raspberry filling melted on her tongue.

Her cheeks puffed out as she held it in her mouth, reluctant to chew, her eyes narrowing happily to slits.

Dania: (o´ω`o)ﾉ

"Is it good?" Lupa asked.

Dania nodded vigorously and picked up a second one.

"Zhou Yu, this is even sweeter than cake."

"Just remember how it tastes. We'll add it to the schedule later."

Lupa watched their exchange and waited until Dania had finished chewing before she spoke.

"Eat slowly. There's plenty more."

Zhou Yu leaned back on the sofa with his legs crossed and said nothing more.

Time for the main event.

Sure enough, Lupa turned her gaze to him, some of the gentleness leaving her face.

"Mr. Zhou Yu."

"No need to be so formal. Just call me Zhou Yu."

Lupa picked up her tea and took a sip. The cup made a crisp clink as she set it back on its saucer.

"Then I'll get straight to the point."

"I know her identity."

She spoke very softly.

"In the New Federation's archives, her code name is Cradle. She is a vessel of the highest grade."

Dania's hand froze in midair, still holding a macaron. The smile hadn't completely faded from her face, but the light went out of her eyes.

Zhou Yu sat up straight. He said nothing, tapping his thumb intermittently against his knee.

Lupa gave them no time to process it.

"I also know about Lahai-Roi's plan."

She looked Zhou Yu straight in the eye.

"Using her as a medium to contain and counteract Aleph One's will was a one-way ticket from the start."

The macaron fell from Dania's hand back onto the plate, and the color slowly drained from her face.

"You brought her out."

Lupa's tone remained even.

"But what comes next? The New Federation won't let her go. The Fractsidus won't let her go. And Aleph One's will certainly won't let her go."

She glanced at Dania, who had lowered her head, and softened her voice slightly.

"You can't protect her forever by blocking signals and using leave slips."

Zhou Yu raised an eyebrow.

"So? What do you propose, Headmistress?"

Lupa lifted her tea and held the rim against her lips for a moment, but didn't drink.

"Let her stay at the Flamebearers' Academy."

Dania raised her head.

"I'll create a completely new student record for her and complete the formal enrollment procedures."

Lupa tapped her fingertips twice against the armrest.

"At the Flamebearers' Academy, she'll be my student, under the highest level of protection afforded by the academy charter. No force, including the New Federation military, can take her away without my permission."

She looked at Zhou Yu.

"You can think of this place as the most secure refuge."

She paused.

"Of course, you can also refuse and continue wandering with her, worrying every day about your next meal and the people pursuing you."

Dania looked at Zhou Yu nervously.

She understood. This was a choice that would let her stay somewhere safe and have something to eat every day.

She had already made up her mind to eat sweet-and-sour pork ribs.

Dania: (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

Zhou Yu said nothing, drumming his fingers on his knee twice more.

It was a good offer, an invincible shield with official backing.

But it felt like exploiting a harmless bug in a game and farming to his heart's content, only for a GM to suddenly send him a private message offering a full set of endgame god-tier gear on the condition that he install an official anti-addiction safety plugin.

Zhou Yu: (﹁"﹁)

He looked Lupa in the eyes and smiled.

"Then what are the conditions?"

he asked.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. The Flamebearers' Academy cafeteria should be no exception, right?"