Hate Me, Witch!

"Sigh."

"Flat pockets, flat pockets."

Xia Ya muttered, somewhat dispirited, as he finally filled in the missing name slot in his skill list with the words Amaterasu.

With a slight shift in his thoughts, he withdrew from his scattered musings.

In the next moment, the frozen tundra of the northern ice fields around him vanished—

Replaced by the interior of a steam locomotive carriage, roaring forward at full speed.

With Tsukuyomi now at "Perfect" proficiency, Xia Ya could create illusion realms and fully control the imaginary world within them according to his will.

It was thanks to this illusionary training that he had managed to help Silver complete the prototype for Amaterasu over the past few days aboard the steam train.

As for why the illusion had taken the form of the northern frozen wastelands—

It was also Xia Ya’s hometown in this life.

—

Feeling his consciousness return to reality, Xia Ya opened his eyes and glanced around.

Even while immersed in a Tsukuyomi illusion, he had left enough mental energy in the real world to remain alert for any unexpected situations.

The reason he had ended the illusion was simple—he had sensed someone approaching.

In the aisle beside him, a young girl in a white dress had lightly turned to his side, looking at him with an eager expression.

More precisely—she was staring at the tiny, delicate Snow Ferret perched on his shoulder.

Noticing Xia Ya’s gaze, the girl’s face turned slightly red, as if she hadn’t expected him to wake up so suddenly.

But she quickly composed herself, adopting a more dignified demeanor.

"Um, excuse me…"

"Would it be okay if I pet it?"

Turns out, fluffy little creatures were irresistible to females aged seven to seven hundred.

No wonder Silver’s race naturally came with Charm as an innate skill.

Xia Ya’s eyes swept over the girl’s pure and innocent face before pausing at her chest—

Not because of her graceful figure, but because of the silver badge pinned there.

The intricate silver emblem bore the design of a rapier and three golden osmanthus leaves.

Xia Ya had an identical school badge in his spatial pocket.

He tilted his head and glanced at Silver on his shoulder.

Sensing the overwhelming motherly affection radiating from the girl’s eyes, the little Snow Ferret elegantly leaped from Xia Ya’s left shoulder to his right, gracefully expressing its refusal.

Xia Ya spread his hands.

"Unfortunately, my pet seems a bit shy."

In reality, given Silver’s naturally aloof personality, any stranger who tried to pet it would have to prepare themselves to take a full-powered Tsukuyomi to the face.

"I see… that’s a shame."

The girl looked genuinely disappointed, though her gaze remained glued to Silver, unable to let go.

"Then—could you at least tell me its species name?"

"I’d love to raise one as an ornamental pet."

"Ying ying~ (Ornamental pet? ORNAMENTAL PET? YOUR WHOLE FAMILY ARE ORNAMENTAL PETS!)"

Silver flicked its tail discontentedly from Xia Ya’s right shoulder.

The movement startled the girl.

"An ornamental pet… shouldn’t be this intelligent."

Her gaze flickered between Xia Ya and the Snow Ferret before finally settling on Xia Ya’s face.

"Xia Ya Egut?"

"Sorry, you must be mistaken."

Xia Ya’s heart skipped a beat. Casually, he picked up the newspaper on the table.

"I’m not mistaken."

"In the entire Saint Roland Academy, there’s only one upperclassman whose main summoned beast is a Snow Ferret that looks completely harmless."

The girl’s expression instantly became serious and composed.

"Xia Ya, as a student of Saint Roland Academy, you should be more considerate of the Student Council’s struggles."

"You’ve already missed two academic exams in a row."

"And not only that—as one of the academy’s few Mid-Tier Beastmasters, you’re always absent when the school sends representatives to exchange with young Beastmasters from the Empire, the Church, and the Noble Alliance."

Xia Ya casually lifted the newspaper higher.

"Look, I’m telling you, you’ve got the wrong guy. My name is Amuro. Amuro Ray."

"You’re looking for Xia Ya—what’s that got to do with Amuro?"

However, the girl clearly had no intention of letting him off the hook.

"Let’s put all of that aside."

"But not long ago, during the academy’s centennial anniversary celebration, you were nowhere to be seen either."

"And yet, we—the Student Council—submitted your name as an exemplary student."

"Do you have any idea how much effort we had to put in to clean up the mess in front of all those high-ranking nobles who attended the event?"

Xia Ya took a sip of water.

"Actually, I have an excuse, President Dires. Just hear me out."

"For the past six months, I’ve been working as a Champion of Justice in Resa City, helping the Order Bureau uphold righteousness and punish evildoers. The local officials even wanted to award me an Outstanding Citizen Medal, but I refused."

"So now you admit you’re Xia Ya, not Amuro?"

"And you’re finally acknowledging me as Student Council President?"

Dires massaged her temples in frustration.

"I understand that, as commoner students without noble family backing, gathering resources to advance our summoned beasts isn’t easy."

"That’s why we often have to take on bounty missions from the Order Bureau and Military Department to earn money and merit."

"But that doesn’t mean you can just completely ignore the academy."

"Besides, no matter what, it’s good to build relationships with your fellow students. Many of them come from powerful noble families with vast connections."

"Getting to know them will be useful after you graduate."

As she spoke, she reached out toward Xia Ya without giving him a chance to escape.

"Anyway, you’re coming with me to the Student Council to make up for your missed exams."

"In a few days, there will be a social banquet at the academy. Many high-tier instructors and noble families will be attending. As Student Council President, I’ll introduce you to—"

HOOOONK—

Just as Xia Ya was mentally scrambling for an excuse to get away, a long steam whistle interrupted Dires.

The train began to slow down before coming to a complete stop.

【Dear passengers, the train is arriving at its destination.】

【Welcome to the Capital of Nations—Camelot.】

As the gentle broadcast echoed through the train’s transmission array, the carriage doors slowly opened.

The moment the announcement finished, a crowd of passengers surged into the aisle, cutting off Dires’ line of sight.

By the time she managed to regain her footing amidst the bustling crowd—

Xia Ya was nowhere to be seen.

She stomped her foot in frustration.

"That guy!"