High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1016: Chapter 78: 1st Regular Meeting of the 2nd Semester

The Valentine’s Day dance party didn’t leave as deep an impression on Zheng Qing as his first experience at the Moon Hunting dance.

Perhaps accustomed to grand events, he felt a bit of aesthetic fatigue at the small-scale dance organized by the student union. Neither Ninfus’ singing nor the Glowbird’s accompanying dance stirred his emotions much. The only thing that stayed in his mind was the radiant smile of the Gypsy Witch throughout the evening.

The second thing Zheng Qing was satisfied with about this dance was that, while dancing with Elena, he didn’t end up discussing philosophy like during the Moon Hunting dance. Earlier discussions with Dylan about cosmetics had finally given him a breakthrough in speaking with Witches, allowing him to behave more naturally.

In the end, it was a victorious and delightful dance, a grand festival for the young Warlocks and Witches of Jiuyou Academy.

After the noise, came only fatigue.

This fatigue lasted into the evening of the next day’s new semester meeting.

February 15 was a weekend and the last day of the winter break; as usual, students of Jiuyou Academy were required to attend the weekly class meeting.

In contrast to last semester’s meetings, the only relief in today’s meeting was that Old Yao had already informed the students through the two monitors, that there would be no homework collected tonight. All assignments, including the weekly reports, were postponed to be collected together during the first week of school.

”This is the Academy allowing some buffer time considering the post-holiday syndrome,” Tang Dun explained to the boys as he announced this information.

However, he also emphasized, ”Those who haven’t finished their homework, must catch up this week...otherwise, it won’t look good for anyone if the homework is still incomplete when it’s collected next weekend.”

The boys responded in a noisy, laughing manner, not taking it seriously.

Duan Xiao Jian however, nonchalantly patted the monitor’s shoulder and laughed, ”Next weekend? Who knows if Old Yao will still be here at the Academy? No need to worry so much!”

Zheng Qing looked up in surprise at the stooped, thin Warlock.

”Old Yao is leaving next week? Who told you that? Is the Academy changing its headmaster?” He fired off a series of questions, turning Duan Xiao Jian pale.

”Goodness, I didn’t say that!” Duan Xiao Jian’s head comically fell back as if struck by Zheng Qing’s questions. He also waved his hands repeatedly to deny it, ”I just said he might not be at the Academy. Don’t twist my words, please. If it gets passed around and something goes wrong, I won’t take responsibility.”

”He probably meant that Old Yao, like last semester, might be involved in the school’s projects and won’t have time for our small meetings,” Zhang Ji Xin understood Duan Xiao Jian’s meaning and spoke up from the other side.

The stooped Warlock nodded again and again, just like a pecking chick.

Zheng Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

Whether it was his unusual attraction to Magical Creatures, the troubles brought by the title of Great Arcana, or the dark tides swirling around the school, all unknowingly exerted immense psychological pressure on the young state-sponsored student.

He really didn’t want a familiar and reliable professor to leave at such a critical juncture.

After pulling his winter vacation homework back into the Grey Cloth Bag that had been on the table, Zheng Qing stretched lazily and his gaze wandered around the classroom, sizing up the classmates he hadn’t seen for months.

It was now 6:10 PM, twenty minutes before the start of today’s class meeting. The classroom was already filled with students. Not a single young Warlock from Astronomy Class 08-1 was late; all had arrived at school before the beginning of the term.

However, this was not a common phenomenon across First University.

Indeed, as Zheng Qing knew, many students at Alpha Academy had a habit of extending their holidays after the festival, especially those who came from wizarding families, considering it a status symbol. The stronger and higher the family’s standing, the longer the extension, and vice versa.

To them, only students from common wizard families or even commoner backgrounds would obediently follow the school’s rules and regulations and report to school punctually.

Such was the essence of privilege thinking.

Although the students of Astronomy Class 08-1 had all arrived, their overall state was somewhat sluggish because of the previous day’s holiday. Moreover, as the time approached for the regular meeting to start, it further suppressed the atmosphere in the classroom.

The witches, as usual, sat in the front and center rows of the classroom, chatting in groups of twos and threes, discussing the content of their holiday homework, while the warlocks gathered in different corners of the classroom according to their cliques, chatting idly.

Perhaps the only one full of energy was the stick figure posted behind the door. Having not seen everyone for months, it seemed much more enthusiastic toward everyone, thanking each person who was willing to talk to it for sprinkling beautiful gold dust on its sketch during the New Year.

Zheng Qing felt it was just making an excuse to chat, as it must have been hard for the stick figure to spend days on end on the paper with no students around for more than a month.

”Did you bring your face mask?” Xin Fat Man, who had been sitting in front of Zheng Qing, suddenly turned around with a mischievous smile, ”How about giving some to the sprites above the blackboard as well?”

Zheng Qing’s face immediately darkened.

That morning, after waking up, Zheng Qing suddenly had the idea to give that jar of worm series pearl mud face mask to the group of sprites he was keeping.

The sprites were so moved by this strange gift that they buzzed around the dormitory all day, nearly every sprite rolling in the jar, wrapping themselves thickly in the pearl mud, clumsily flying around, bumping into everyone’s curtains or robes.

Even Fatty Cat Tuan Tuan was scared to jump out of the window and did not return home until everyone gathered for the meeting.

”If you’re paying, I don’t mind giving them a little gift,” Zheng Qing lifted his eyelids and glanced at the fat man with a snort—he was just paying attention to the Gypsy witch on the other side of the classroom and had no mood to deal with Fat Man.

However, Xin Fat Man seemed unfazed by the cost student’s impatience and appeared even more spirited.

”Even with money, it’s not for the sprites,” Fat Man patted his round belly and smacked his lips, ”I’d rather swap it for drumsticks to stuff into my belly.”

”That’s why you’re not from the Great Arcana,” Zhang Ji Xin, who sat nearby, suddenly interjected and knocked Fat Man down.

Zheng Qing gave him an approving look.

Xin Fat Man didn’t get annoyed after being knocked, and instead, his face took on a thoughtful expression, ”Speaking of the Great Arcana, Captain, have you received any strange letters lately?”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qing immediately thought of the letter he received yesterday, signed with the claw print of the blue Flying Crane.

Without giving anything away, he asked, ”What do you mean?”

”I heard... just heard, you know,” Fat Man first emphasized his source, then lowered his voice and said, ”I hear from the Student Union that the conflict between Lei Zhe and Augustus is escalating, and no club at school can remain indifferent. Apparently, every club leader will receive a recruitment letter.”

”Either from Lei Zhe or from Augustus.”

”You must choose a side.”