Chapter 41

Levi recalled how, when he first stepped into this small cottage, he was amazed by its elegant environment and decor. Compared to the gloomy and ancient castle in the magical world, the residence prepared for Yui by Mahora Academy was practically a paradise. Living in the center of a lush forest, enjoying bright sunshine all year round, the cottage was a place where no one at Mahora Academy, from the management to ordinary students, would treat Yui differently. In fact, apart from a few relevant individuals, no one knew Yui's true identity. Being able to live freely among people, although Yui never admitted it, Levi knew it was something she had longed for. He believed that after lifting the curse on Yui and giving her freedom, the two of them would continue to live here.

"Hmm, it's very similar to my home. If you replace these trees with bamboo, it would be just like it."

Hikari looked at the dense forest in front of her and replied with a touch of nostalgia. Levi detected a hint of longing in her voice. Not knowing the girl's past, he assumed it was homesickness, even though she had only been summoned to this world a few days ago.

Men always tend to overthink, just as women are often full of imagination. Levi thought of something to say to ease the girl's homesickness a bit.

"Bamboo? When it comes to living in a bamboo forest, I can only think of one animal."

"Pandas?"

Hikari didn't mind Levi's teasing. Thinking of those cute and clumsy animals, a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"There are no pandas in the bamboo forest at my home. If you talk about animals, there are quite a few rabbits."

Thinking of the two most 'special' rabbits at home, the girl couldn't help but laugh softly. That melodious sound was something that never got old, no matter how many times you heard it. Of course, Levi was an exception. He only felt a sense of accomplishment in making the girl laugh. It had to be said that with Yui around, he had become a bit dull in some aspects, though he had always been like that.

"Many rabbits? Counting rabbits isn't bad, either. It's really frustrating when you can't fall asleep, especially when everyone else is already asleep. At least I have you here to enjoy the moonlight."

Levi stretched his arms behind him, adopting a lazy posture. He was still dwelling on his failed attempt at counting sheep earlier.

"Is that so? A vampire who sleeps at night is quite rare."

As if infected by Levi's laziness, Hikari leaned forward, resting her hands on her knees, and adopted a more comfortable sitting position.

"Do you know Yui is a vampire? Did Rin tell you?"

The sudden revelation of Yui's identity, though not a big secret, was known to very few people. Among those few, the only one who had interacted with Hikari was probably her master.

"No, I just have two vampire acquaintances, and their auras feel similar."

Levi thought about it and realized it was unlikely that Rin had revealed this information. Although the young lady had a rather unpleasant private character, she could still keep a small secret. It was Hikari's mention of vampire friends that piqued Levi's curiosity. After all, in all these years, he had only encountered Yui, the only vampire he knew.

Living deep in a bamboo forest and having two vampire friends, Levi's curiosity about the black-haired girl grew stronger.

===

Despite hardly sleeping all night, Levi didn't feel too exhausted, probably because his body had recovered enough.

He pushed open the door and walked into the office. Greeting the few teachers who were already preparing their teaching materials, he approached his own desk.

"Hmm?"

Just as he was about to put down the things in his hands, Levi noticed an envelope with his name on it lying on his desk.

In this era of advanced communication technology, the use of written letters was rare. The first thing that came to mind was utility bills, and even credit card statements had been switched to email for environmental reasons.

Could it be a court summons? Levi thought. If he had committed a crime recently, it was true that he had helped demolish an abandoned building, but he didn't know if the other party appreciated it.

Having never dealt with the legal system, he didn't know that summonses were delivered by courier and required the recipient's signature. But just by looking at the pink envelope, he knew his guess was absurd. Who else but a love-struck girl would choose such a flirtatious color?

Receiving a love letter from a female student was a first for Levi. If he said he wasn't a bit proud, he might need to consult a psychologist about his sexual orientation.

He quickly sat down at his desk, using a textbook to cover the envelope. Sneaking a glance around, he noticed that the other teachers were busy working, so he quickly slipped the envelope into his pocket.

Curious about which girl was so bold, Levi was very interested.

Modern society was becoming more open, and teacher-student relationships were no longer a topic of social debate, but they still caused discussions in schools.

Levi left the high school building, heading for the student council office. He had come to school with Rin that morning and watched her return to her classroom. The other student council members didn't have the habit of being in the office early, making it the perfect place to read the letter.

Opening the pink envelope, he took out a pink letter with cute patterns. Levi was grateful to have Tatsukichi, a diligent maid, living at home. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he had arrived late and another nosy and privacy-disregarding teacher, like a former biker gang member and current social studies teacher from the junior high school, had found the letter first.

Unfolding the letter, Levi's first action was to check the signature at the bottom.

—Miyazawa Yuki.

Well, that was the end of Levi's first love letter experience. Although he couldn't pinpoint the reason, he believed that if a student had indeed sent him a love letter, the healing-type girl who often stayed in the library would not be on that list.

After reading the content of the letter, Levi's guess was confirmed. It turned out that Yuki thought he was overworking and had found a spell to relieve fatigue. Although it wasn't a love letter, it still touched Levi. Which teacher wouldn't appreciate a caring student? At least it proved that he had gained some recognition from his students in his profession.

Levi didn't want to disappoint the student's kindness. Regardless of how suspicious the spell looked, he decided to try it out.

First, he needed the tools for the spell: two pencils. Fortunately, he was in the student council office, and Rin's drawer should have these basic stationery items.

He had forgotten that he had just complained about certain classrooms not respecting others' privacy, yet he naturally went through the student council president's drawer without permission.

Taking out two pencils from a small drawer on the side of the student council president's desk, Levi turned back to the letter to confirm the steps.

"Place the first pencil vertically on the table, done. Then... place the second pencil vertically on top of the first one?"

Yuki's spell, as usual, was speechless. Not to mention how the ritual looked like a game, it was impossible for anyone to stack two sharpened pencils vertically on a table, even if they were end-to-end. Had Yuki not considered the feasibility of the spell? Levi believed that if he assigned this as homework today, no one in his class would be able to complete it.

Fortunately, the one performing the spell was not a student from Class 3-A, but their teacher.