Miss Witch, even if we're poor, we can't sell ourselves!

The teleportation mechanism of the Mirror World was designed by the first headmaster when the Moon Forest School was founded.

When the damage suffered by the examinee reaches the [fatal] threshold, the formation will simultaneously envelop the examinee's consciousness and body in a teleportation beam just before the damage takes effect, while applying a high-level healing spell to repair all external injuries, and then teleporting the examinee to a private rest room.

This is why Mi Ye's Devouring skill could never be truly activated in the examination room; every time her tentacles touched her opponent, the formation had already rescued her before she could.

This mechanism has been running for over a century without ever making a mistake.

But the first dean probably never considered a scenario where a candidate wakes up in the lounge to find their clothes gone.

Xiaoye had a very long dream.

In her dream, she was still in that jungle, her body covered with pinkish-white, empty lice, which were sticky and warm, as if she were soaking in a pool of sticky hot water.

In her hazy state, she still remembered being eliminated. Then, her consciousness slowly surfaced, and the back of her head was resting on something soft and slightly warm, a sensation completely different from the pile of dead leaves in the examination room.

A faint floral scent lingered around my nose, like freshly bloomed spring flowers crushed and mixed into lotion, sweet but not cloying.

She recognized the scent; she had watched countless of Hiesta's daily vlogs on MikuFans, and this was the brand of shampoo that the pink-haired teacher loved to use. She had even bought the same product herself.

Xiao Ye's eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes a crack.

The first thing that catches the eye is her short pink hair, with slightly curled ends and a few strands falling above her cheeks, tickling her.

Then there were peach-colored eyes, looking down at her with slightly curved corners, as if looking at her with the tenderness of a parent looking at their own baby.

Then there was the back of her head, which wasn't resting on a pillow, but on Hiesta's leg.

"Are you awake, little Xiaoye?"

Hiesta's voice was low, with a hint of lazy laughter.

"You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you. But you look so beautiful even when you're sleeping, with long eyelashes and great skin."

It took Xiaoye's brain a full three seconds to restart from crashing.

She tried to sit up abruptly, and then she noticed two things.

First, her body was covered by a large pink robe, which she recognized—the uniform of a psychic teacher, modified with a lower neckline and longer sleeves than the standard version, which Hiesta always swung around in.

Secondly, she wasn't wearing anything under the robe.

Her red dress, shoulder straps, and ankle boots were all gone, probably dissolved by the acidic slime of the empty louse.

So now he only has this one robe on his body, and the robe belongs to Hiesta.

She belatedly realized that her whole body was sore and weak. The numbness left by the lice, mixed with the exhaustion from having her strength drained, made it difficult for her to even move a finger.

Her magic had not fully recovered, and the magical energy channels within her body were empty. This feeling of being unable to exert any strength and being at the mercy of others made her involuntarily shrank her shoulders.

As Hiesta watched the red-haired girl in her arms blush at a visible speed, her smile deepened, and she pointed to the robe beneath Xiaoye.

"Your clothes were almost completely melted by that pink jelly. When you were teleported in, there were only a few pieces of cloth left. This is a single rest room, and there are no spare clothes, so I took off my robe and covered you with it."

She paused, a sly glint in her peach-colored eyes.

"Don't worry, I was the only one who saw it from beginning to end, and I didn't peek—"

"Uh, okay, I only glanced at it, just one glance, just enough to confirm the injury."

"But it's okay even if you see it, since you're so cute~"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ye blushed instantly, pulled his robe closer to his neck, and wished he could bury his face in the fabric.

Her eyes gleamed behind the mist, and her voice came out muffled from inside her robe.

"Ms. Hiesta... thank you. I made a terrible mistake during the exam."

Her voice grew softer and softer.

Hiesta tilted her head, seemingly not understanding what Xiaoye was saying at all.

"Shameful? Why is it shameful?"

"Because I lost."

"Losing to that little Miya?"

Hiesta chuckled softly and shook her head.

"It's not your fault, you're already good enough."

Hiesta held up a finger, then paused and added.

"But next time you use your charm, remember not to only show your shoulders. Your advantage is your eyes. Your eyes are very beautiful. If you make eye contact with someone, the success rate of your charm will increase by at least 30%."

"The fusion of psychic magic and charm is a brilliant idea. No one before you has used this tactic. You are the first, so don't say you're useless. You are very talented."

Xiao Ye's eyes were only red at first, but the moment he heard Xiesta's words, tears welled up without warning.

"But I've been studying really hard for the exam... I've used all my magic to practice psychic magic. I know I used some less-than-honorable methods, but I just want to be in your class, Professor Hiesta."

"From the first moment I saw you, I decided that I must enter the Moon Forest, I must be in your class, I absolutely must..."

Her voice was swallowed by sobs, she covered her face with her hands, and her shoulders trembled.

Hiesta watched her quietly, without rushing to speak.

The usual carefree glint in those peach-pink eyes had faded, and they slowly softened.

She had seen too many students break down and cry after failing an exam, but Xiaoye was different. This girl, who was so relaxed and composed in the exam hall, was now curled up beside her, crying without any defenses, like a child who had finally found someone she could safely confide in.

She reached out and gently rubbed Xiaoye's eye with her fingertips; the tears clung to her fingertips, warm.

"From now on, I'll be your teacher."

Xiao Ye was completely stunned.

Tears still clung to her face, her lips were slightly parted, and her eyes were wide open in disbelief.

Hiesta couldn't help but laugh at her expression. She reached out and ruffled her soft hair, her fingers gently combing from root to tip, as if soothing a kitten that had finally found its home.

"Your practical and written test scores both exceed the admission requirements for the Spirit Communication major. Therefore, I am officially informing you, Xiaoye, that you have been admitted to the Spirit Communication major. I will be your class teacher from now on."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoye's tears fell like beads from a broken string. She quickly wiped them with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more tears she shed, and her nose became bright red.

Hiesta chuckled, but continued to gently stroke Xiaoye's hair and whispered.

"From now on, you'll have your own seat in the Spellcasting Research Room, by the window, with a view of the flowering trees by the playground. There will also be an unlimited supply of caramel popcorn in the research room. Although Primula said that eating too much of that stuff might make you fat, I think being happy is the most important thing."

"There will be many other hardworking and lovely classmates like you. You can learn from each other and improve together."

"And your talent will not be buried. I have never formally taught you the fusion path of charm and necromancy. You figured it out on your own, which is remarkable."

"So I hope you start believing one thing from today: you were eliminated not because you weren't good enough, but simply because someone else is temporarily better than you."

"And that person will be your best rival in the future. After school starts, you can take revenge on her in the simulation battle."

"..."

"I will definitely defeat her."

Xiao Ye sobbed as he spoke, his voice thick with nasal tone, but a defiant glint rekindled in his eyes.

In front of her, a pair of lovely pink eyes blinked.

"Then I'll wait and see, teacher. But let me remind you, she's the only student majoring in flesh and blood magic, and also Teacher Bie Chenye's one and only treasure."

Hiesta then stood up and straightened her collar.

Then she stretched out a hand to Xiaoye, her palm still bearing traces of water from wiping away her tears.

"Well then, Xiaoye-kun—"

"Would you like to be my one and only treasure?"