Her mind went blank, a jumble of incoherent thoughts.
Memories were a function of the mind, not the mouth.
Before long, the plate in Aya Tone’s hands was completely empty.
Yet, even after all that, he still couldn’t recall who the three girls before him were.
“Could you give me a hint?” Aya Tone set down his plate.
‘With so many people in the world, all either men or women, and looking quite similar, it’s truly impossible to remember without a hint.’
“Is that so?” A flicker of disappointment crossed their eyes, but they quickly rallied their spirits.
“Teacher, don’t you remember seeing us in the Imperial Capital? We even performed on stage together.”
‘Imperial Capital? Performance?’
‘With those two keywords, and the fact that all three were girls…’
‘Hmm…’
Aya Tone pondered for a moment, his body unconsciously leaning back in a tactical retreat.
When he looked at the three again, a note of uncertainty in his voice, he asked, “The anime convention?”
‘Now that he thought about it, these three did look quite similar to the three magical girls he had met at the Imperial Capital’s anime convention.’
‘Indeed…’
‘The more he looked, the more alike they seemed, save for their hair color and their differing outfits.’
‘Their facial features and speaking tones were identical.’
“Ah! It’s you all! My apologies, I didn’t recognize you immediately without your costumes.” Aya Tone let out a dry laugh, acknowledging that too much time had passed, and he had simply forgotten.
“Senior,” Li Huaiming muttered, his lips twitching as he quietly reminded Aya Tone, “That’s not something you should say to girls.”
‘What did “didn’t recognize you without your clothes” even mean? That was far too ambiguous!’
‘The last time he’d heard such a phrase was in a comment section for a certain island nation’s action film.’
“It makes no difference,” Aya Tone waved a dismissive hand, content that his meaning had been conveyed.
Upon realizing Aya Tone had finally recognized them, Lin Ling and the other two girls instantly beamed with joy.
Ever since the opening ceremony, when they discovered this ‘Witch Lord’ was actually their magic instructor, they had been excitedly buzzing for days, eagerly anticipating this moment.
The thought of their afternoon class made them impatient to reveal themselves to Aya Tone.
Thus, their current “chance” encounter came to be.
“Have you eaten yet? Come sit with me.”
The table Aya Tone had chosen wasn’t large, but it could comfortably seat four.
Glancing at the two remaining empty chairs, the three girls exchanged looks, caught in a moment of indecision.
As if noticing their predicament, before Aya Tone could speak, Li Huaiming calmly stated, “I’ll be going now.”
He then tidied his spot on the table and rose to depart.
“Xiao Ming!”
Li Huaiming, believing his senior intended to praise his thoughtfulness, held his tray with one hand and waved to Aya Tone without looking back.
His exit carried the air of someone who had completed their task, brushed off their clothes, and walked away, their merits hidden from view.
‘…’ Watching his receding figure, Aya Tone’s lips parted slightly, but he ultimately said nothing.
‘He had already mentally marked Li Huaiming down for this.’
‘Seriously, couldn’t you have taken my things too?’
‘You’re finished. The next time I see your sister, I’ll make sure to tell her all about this.’
‘After being led astray by Fire Finch, Aya Tone found himself rather enjoying the feeling of tattling.’
‘It was useless, but undeniably fun.’
“Teacher Aya, is it really alright for us to do this?”
Ye Liu, with her gentle nature, felt a pang of guilt seeing Li Huaiming leave to make room for them.
After all, they were the latecomers; such behavior seemed rather impolite.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Xiao Ming is a very good person.”
“Enough about him. Have you eaten yet? How about I treat you?” Aya Tone pulled out his teacher’s card and waved it playfully before the three girls.
‘Anyway, the money on this card could only be used for meals and couldn’t be withdrawn, so he might as well use it to treat others.’
‘Besides, having money felt good.’
‘Putting aside everything else, tossing a card down when paying the bill was simply cool!’
“No, no need.” The three girls repeatedly waved their hands in refusal.
Yet, the very next moment, Lin Ling’s stomach suddenly let out a protest, drawing the attention of those nearby.
“Grrr-grrr~”
The growling of her stomach instantly made Lin Ling’s face flush crimson, wishing she could find a crack in the floor to disappear into.
The other two girls gave Lin Ling a speechless glance.
‘How embarrassing…’
Aya Tone smiled knowingly; this young lass was quite different from when he’d met her in the Imperial Capital.
He still remembered Lin Ling performing in front of so many people without the slightest discomfort.
She had even called Aya Tone “little sister” when inviting him onto the stage.
‘Why was she shy now?’
‘Indeed, some people appear to put on a mask, when in reality, they are taking one off.’
“Come, come, don’t be shy with me. Take this and swipe it.” Aya Tone, with a grand gesture, handed his card to Lin Ling.
On the way, he also asked Lin Ling to bring him an extra dessert.
‘He was full from the meal, but his mouth still craved something.’
‘He wanted something to chew on…’
“Thank you, Teacher Aya!” Lin Ling didn’t hesitate further, happily taking the teacher’s card and pulling Liu Fei along to choose their favorite dishes.
Ye Liu remained behind, chatting with Aya Tone.
“Um… er…”
‘Aya Tone suddenly remembered that he seemed to have… forgotten their names.’
‘Tsk, that interruption from Xiao Ming made him forget all about it…’
Aya Tone tutted internally, wondering if it would be impolite to admit he’d forgotten their names outright.
‘Hmm…’
Ye Liu, sitting gracefully beside him, clearly noticed his discomfort and gently inquired, “Teacher, is something the matter?”
Ye Liu possessed a sweet and gentle appearance, her fair skin glowing softly in the light.
Her eyes were clear and bright, like a serene spring, holding a starlit tenderness, each blink seemingly narrating a touching story.
Her soft voice made Aya Tone feel a little embarrassed.
“It’s just that… I don’t think I know your names yet…”
‘No matter what, he would insist he simply didn’t know, rather than admit he’d forgotten!’
‘This girl seemed gentle; surely she wouldn’t expose him as an “old person,” would she?’
“Ah!”
Ye Liu covered her mouth, as if remembering something, her eyes brimming with apology.
“Teacher, I’m so sorry! Lin Ling pulled us along to find you, and I assumed…”
As she spoke, a blush crept across Ye Liu’s fair, pretty face, and tiny tears welled at the corners of her eyes in her haste.
Her shy expression, however, left no room for any teasing thoughts.
Seeing this, Aya Tone quickly reassured her, “It’s fine, it’s fine. There’s nothing to be unhappy about now, is there?”
‘Damn it! How did I make the little girl cry?’
‘I truly deserve to die!’
Just then!
Lin Ling and Liu Fei returned, drinks in hand, still remarking.
“It’s fantastic that they still offer delivery service!”
“Oh? Ye Zi, why is your face so red?”
Ye Liu turned her head and wiped the corner of her eye, but her cheeks were flushed crimson, making it hard not to notice.
“It’s all your fault; you didn’t even tell the teacher our names,” Ye Liu said, her gentle tone carrying a faint hint of accusation.
‘Hmph, making her lose composure in front of the teacher.’
Ye Liu puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
“Ye Zi, have you forgotten we already introduced ourselves back in the Imperial Capital?” Lin Ling asked, looking at Liu Fei beside her with confusion. “Right?”
Liu Fei gently set down her drink, then nodded, confirming it.
‘She also remembered that such a thing had indeed happened.’
“Really?” Ye Liu exclaimed in surprise, a gasp escaping her.
She then turned to Aya Tone, hoping the teacher could explain.
“Abba abba…”
Aya Tone looked up at the… ceiling!
His cute, upturned nose added a touch of playfulness to his face.
His rosy lips curved upwards slightly, revealing a row of clean, white teeth, and when he giggled foolishly, two shallow dimples would appear at the corners of his mouth.
“Teacher!”
In that moment, Ye Liu knew perfectly well that Aya Tone had tricked her, and she let out a chagrined huff.
‘The teacher is too naughty!’
Aya Tone: “Abba abba… abba?”
‘Hmph, did they think he would admit to tricking a little girl?’
‘Impossible!’
‘He was absolutely committed to playing dumb!’
‘Even Jesus couldn’t stop him, he declared!’