Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Dora stood in front of the shelf, looking up at the package of herbs, as if she was pondering something.

She was silent for a few moments, then suddenly turned to look at Wayne.

"What's wrong?" Wayne asked.

"Mr. Wayne."

"Um."

"Could you... do me a favor?"

Wayne looked at her.

"What kind of help?"

Dora's face began to flush.

I want to ride on your shoulders.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Wayne thought he had misheard.

"What?"

"On your shoulders," Dora repeated, her voice a little louder than before, but with a tremor at the end, "that way I can reach you."

Wayne looked at her, and she looked at Wayne.

"Are you serious?"

"Seriously."

Wayne remained silent for a moment.

He wanted to say, "Aren't you afraid of falling?", "This isn't appropriate?", "Are you acting?" But when he saw Dora's serious eyes, he swallowed the words back.

"Alright."

He knelt down in front of Dora.

Dora stared at his back for two seconds.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Wayne."

As she spoke, Dora climbed onto Wayne's shoulders.

She reached out and tried to reach the medicinal herbs in front of her.

Out of reach.

Still can't reach it.

That small packet of newly added medicinal herbs, seemingly both far away and right before my eyes. Well… actually, it really was right before my eyes.

"Just a little bit more, Mr. Wayne. Hang in there, I'll get it soon."

The packet of herbs was placed at the very back against the wall, about a hand's width away from her fingertips. She leaned forward, her shoulder against the crossbeam of the wooden frame, her whole body suspended in mid-air, supported entirely by Wayne's shoulder.

"A little further ahead," she said.

Wayne didn't move.

"If I go any further, I'm going to hit a wall."

"Then go to the left."

Wayne moved half a step to the left.

Dora reached forward again, but still couldn't reach it. However, she didn't seem to care about the result at the moment; she was more interested in the whole process of trying.

The panel popped up.

[Dora - Current Status]

[Status: Stable center of gravity, no risk of falling. In her mind, she was already galloping across an endless grassland. And you, naturally, are the strongest and youngest horse on that grassland...]

[Note: She had been able to reach it for a long time. From the moment she first touched that packet of herbs, she had been able to reach it. But she didn't stop, nor did she pull back. She chose to continue 'striving,' continue 'not reaching,' and continue keeping her body within that range. She was enjoying it. Not enjoying the feeling of being supported, but enjoying the reason that she could "legitimately stay in this moment."]

[P.S.: Last night, she looked at herself in the mirror and thought she looked alright; she seemed to be quite good-looking. But she couldn't help thinking about Wayne, and she couldn't help feeling grateful to the goddess, not for any particular reason, but simply for the sake of her renewed faith.]

In reality, Wayne also saw the panel.

He naturally realized what was going on.

First and foremost, it must be clearly stated that he is a man, a pure-blooded man.

This is intolerable for an uncle, but not for a younger brother!

Dora was put down by him.

If we continue to let her act recklessly, it will become pointless...

She lowered her head, her ears turning bright red.

Wayne looked at her.

"Miss Dora."

"..."

"You don't really want the medicinal herbs, do you?"

She opened her mouth, wanting to say, "I really want to take it," but the words wouldn't come out. Because it was a lie. She knew it was a lie, and Wayne knew it was a lie too; if she said "I really want to take it," she would be treating them both like fools.

"Your acting is terrible," Wayne said.

Dora's ears turned even redder.

"I……"

"Don't explain."

Wayne turned around, his water magic probing the top level. He steadily retrieved the packet of herbs and placed it on the table in front of Dora.

"The medicinal herbs are here."

Dora looked at the packet of medicine, then at Wayne, her lips moved twice, but she didn't say anything.

"Do you still want to untangle your curse?"

Dora nodded.

"Yes, I will."

Wayne understood completely.

This time, the uncle and brother really couldn't take it anymore...

Half an hour later.

Dora and Wayne made cream puffs together.

A cream puff in name only.

For no particular reason, it was simply to reward myself and the sisters in the cult with desserts.

Making delicious food is hard work.

The production process went smoothly and was not complicated.

During their rest, the two lay down on the bed.

Four eyes staring at the ceiling.

Dora had stared at that ceiling many times, spending two nights in the days following her return from the church, but she hadn't found anything. Now she was staring at it again, still finding nothing. But this time was different; this time she wasn't alone. Wayne was watching too.

The light flickered as Dora pushed open the door.

Wayne came out first, carrying a white porcelain plate with a dozen or so cream puffs neatly arranged on it. The outer shell was baked to a golden brown and puffed up just right, with fine cracks on the flaky crust revealing the pale yellow filling inside.

Dora followed behind, walking a little slower than usual.

Her legs felt a little weak from standing for so long.

She had changed her clothes; it wasn't the light gray dress she had worn before, but a light blue one with a slightly open neckline. Her hair had also been restyled, and her bangs were pinned behind her ears with two black bobby pins.

Her face was still red.

The two entered the hall together.

The hall fell silent for a moment upon entering.

All eyes first fell on the plate in Wayne's hand, then moved to Dora's face, and then back to the plate, circling around several times.

Christina was the first to speak.

"Dora, when did you learn how to make cream puffs?"

Dora did not answer.

Cecily stood up from her chair, took two steps forward, and peered into the plate. The cream puffs did indeed look quite good, with golden shells and uniform sizes, comparable to those sold in the town's bakeries.

"I've never seen you do this before," Cecily said.

"I taught her."

Lynette's lips slowly curled up into a smile.

"Mr. Wayne can also make cream puffs?"

"I know a little."

"How much is 'a little'?"

"Enough to eat."

Lynette chuckled, put down her teacup, and reached for the cream puffs on the plate. Wayne pushed the plate forward.

"Don't just stand there, try some. Dora's been working so hard, don't let her efforts go to waste."

Dora's face flushed even more.

Lynette picked up a cream puff and took a bite.

"Oh dear, Dora! The cream on this is leaking so easily. Did you make the crust too thin?"

Wayne looked at Dora and said.

"There must have been too much, right?"

Dora immediately stammered in reply.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes." Her voice was so soft it was barely audible. "It must be... I didn't control the heat well when grilling it. I'll be more careful next time."

The panel popped up.

[Vera's Cream Puff Tasting Event]

[Condition: Golden brown shell, excellent appearance]

[Note: Everyone: Enjoyed the meal. Christina ate two, Lynette ate three, and Cecily ate one and a half. Even Emily, who doesn't usually like sweets, took one.]

[Note 2: Dora felt a little guilty. She felt like a liar. She didn't actually know how to make cream puffs, nor did she know how. As for what she had just been doing, she wasn't going to tell the truth.]