She Is Not a Witch

Shortly after the four girls entered the apartment building, they arrived at their dormitory door. The door next to theirs was open, with laughter coming from inside. A girl was about to walk out.

“Is that Loran? Do you live here too?” A girl with chestnut-gold curly hair came out, greeting the familiar face.

“Yes, do you live in this dorm, Bumansha?” Loranhil asked curiously. This was the girl she had met on the school bus earlier, who sat in front of her.

“I do. Why don’t we get to know each other better later? We’re all new students in the same year.”

“Yes, yes!” Before Loranhil could answer, Alena eagerly agreed. She loved making new friends.

After setting up an evening gathering, they returned to their own dorm. They unpacked some of their belongings, cleaned up their living space, and took turns showering.

When Loranhil came out after her shower, the room had completely transformed. The entire interior was very clean, with strings of star-like ornaments hanging on the walls, emitting a gentle glow. On the table stood a small crystal dome containing miniature houses, trees, and snowmen. The base emitted light, eliminating the need for candles at night.

“How is it? Beautiful, right?” Leticia’s proud voice came from the side.

“It really is pretty,” Alena responded.

“I wasn’t asking you.”

“I wasn’t talking to you either,” Alena retorted.

“Hmph.” Leticia turned her head away.

“Loran, what do you think?”

“It’s indeed very beautiful,” Loranhil nodded. These must be Leticia’s alchemical creations. Though not particularly complex, they were quite impressive.

By the time they had all showered and changed into pajamas, night had fallen completely. They could see lights from other buildings outside the window and occasionally hear sounds from nearby dorms. The mix of liveliness and quietness made Loranhil feel nostalgic, reminiscent of her university days.

Knock knock——

A gentle knocking sound came from the door.

“Hello, I’m Bumansha, the new student living next door,” a familiar voice called out, and Nya went to open the door.

“Hello everyone, would you like some snacks? I baked some pastries myself.”

Bumansha held a plate of small, golden cakes still steaming with heat. They were round and looked very cute.

“Thank you,” the girls in the room said in unison.

Bumansha placed the plate on the table and looked around the room.

“Wow, you’re impressive. You’ve already decorated the place.”

“Of course, beauty is essential. This is just the beginning; we’ll keep improving it,” Leticia replied happily.

“Meow,” a cat’s cry came from the corner.

“There, there, don’t make noise,” Alena carefully picked up her calico cat.

“Well, now everyone knows without me having to say anything,” Leticia teased.

“The kitty is so cute!” Bumansha ran over excitedly, crouching beside it to examine the small creature. She reached out to scratch the fur under its neck, watching as the calico cat squinted its eyes contentedly.

“Uh,” seeing Bumansha’s carefree and loving attitude, Leticia was at a loss for words.

“I don’t think anyone who hates cats exists,” Alena said proudly.

After chatting for a while, Bumansha invited them to visit her dorm, saying there would be an activity tonight. Loranhil and her three roommates agreed. Since it was just next door, they didn’t bother changing and went over in their pajamas.

Pushing open the dorm door, they found the environment completely transformed. The large wooden table had been flipped over, with its surface facing down and four legs pointing up. The floor and the back of the table were covered with soft cushions, with a large box in the center. Several light blue orbs floated in the air, serving as light sources. Two girls were sitting on the floor cushions.

One wore pink pajamas and had caramel brown hair, with a cute face adorned with a few freckles. The other had sea-blue long hair and wore a thin veil, her azure eyes curiously observing the newcomers.

“You’re so slow, Bumansha. Yeling has already gone to sleep,” the girl with short caramel brown hair complained softly, though she didn’t seem genuinely angry.

“Ah, sorry, Lily. We kept you waiting,” Bumansha apologized.

“Alright, enough of that. Want to play a game?” The cute girl called Lily stood up, inviting Loranhil and her three friends. She opened the box in front of her, revealing cards, dice, and a map inside.

“What game is it?”

“The Ballad of Wind and Moon.”

“It’s a game where everyone plays a character, moves forward by rolling dice, and walks on the map. Along the way, you’ll encounter various events and grow stronger, defeating enemies one by one. The last person standing wins, or you can win by conquering the entire map.”

“Conquering the entire map sounds too difficult,” Leticia commented, apparently familiar with the game.

“Well, not everyone can become a legend of Wind and Moon. This game is based on the stories of the Western Wind King and King Yalin of Azure Moon,” Lily explained, then invited everyone to sit down.

Loranhil and her friends took off their slippers and stepped onto the cushions, gathering around the center. The four table legs conveniently divided the space into four directions, with three people sitting on each side and Bumansha in the middle at the head.

“Then I’ll be the judge and host,” Bumansha volunteered.

They had actually played a few rounds in the afternoon, with Lily initially serving as the host since only she knew how to play. But she quickly grew tired of it and wanted to play herself.

“So how do we play this?” Loranhil looked at the squares on the map, somewhat reminded of Monopoly, but it seemed more complex.

“It’s not difficult. We can learn as we play. We start by creating character cards,” Lily began to explain.

Humans, beast-folk, and elves have different initial attributes and skills. Everyone starts on the academy map, gaining various skill experiences through movement and landing on squares. After five rounds, there’s a graduation assessment. Passing it allows entry into the world map. If not passed, players automatically enter the world map after eight rounds but lose some graduation rewards.

“Ah, it sounds a bit complicated,” Alena tilted her head. She preferred straightforward, brute-force approaches.

“That’s because you’re too stupid,” Leticia couldn’t resist taking a jab at Alena.

“If you say that, I’ll have to try even harder. I’ll definitely beat you,” Alena declared, placing her calico cat on her head and making a victory sign. The orange-striped calico cat, feeling uneasy, clung to Alena’s hair, its big eyes darting around, ready to jump off.

“Then let’s start the game now!”