High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1188: Chapter 250: Under the Cat Fruit Tree (The Impossible 3rd Update)

Regaining his senses, Zheng Qing just happened to hear a black-robed wizard quietly reporting to Hilda. He immediately pricked up his ears.

”Surrounding area exhibits no signs of any abnormal life forms. Less than three hundred meters from here, there is only a Gypsy witch playing with a group of cats,” the black-robed wizard spoke with utter certainty, ”Besides her, no other wizards have been detected. I had planned to bring her here, but considering the special circumstances, I came back to report to you first.”

Zheng Qing couldn’t help but crinkle his nose and sniff.

He seemed to detect a familiar faint fragrance in the air.

”A Gypsy witch?” Assistant Hilda turned back in surprise and glanced at Zheng Qing, obviously also questioning the identity of the witch. After a pause, he then spoke to Zheng Qing, ”Go and check it out. If it’s Elena, bring her back to the office for a brief investigation... As for everyone else, follow me to Lin Zhong Lake to confirm the movements of the fishmen.”

The young scholarship students nodded repeatedly in agreement, and the black-robed figures also replied in chorus.

Robes fluttering in the breeze, a gust stirred up a few dry leaves, and the dark figures vanished in unison from the clearing.

Sure enough, the Gypsy witch was Elena.

Seeing her silhouette from afar, noticing her beautiful hair, Zheng Qing confirmed this fact.

When Zheng Qing found Elena, she was standing under a Cat Fruit Tree, craning her neck to observe the variously sized furry fruits above her. The fruits hung from the branches, some squinting their eyes, comfortably purring; others opened theirs, illuminating pairs of yellow and green lights amid the night’s darkness; and some dangled their tails, tips of the fuzzy appendages swaying in the breeze, content and serene.

The warlock held his breath and slowed his steps, planning to give the witch a surprise.

But when he approached within ten meters of the witch, she suddenly spoke up, asking with her back still turned to him,

”Do you think they know they are cats?”

This question halted the warlock, who had meant to scare her, and a hint of the embarrassment of his foiled prank crossed his face. ”What?”

”Do you feel that a cat can realize that it’s a cat?” the witch rephrased the question, still not turning around.

Zheng Qing finally confirmed that Elena was aware of his presence.

Although he didn’t know how Elena had determined that the person behind her was him.

”Perhaps,” the young man replied, a bit puzzled as he still pondered where he might have given himself away.

The witch turned her head, beaming at the warlock, ”Do you mean to say that cats are creatures with self-awareness?”

His heart shivered beneath her smile.

”I don’t think they do,” the young man finally focused his thoughts on the current topic, weighing his words carefully, ”After all, the creatures possessing self-awareness are all listed in the Wizard’s Code, and cats are not among them. Of course, I am not a cat, so I don’t know how cats think.”

The witch pouted, suddenly less interested, ”Right... you aren’t a cat, after all.”

For a fleeting moment, Zheng Qing was tempted to admit that he was the Black Cat, but revealing this to a clever witch might provoke more trouble than he anticipated. After much hesitation, Zheng Qing ultimately stayed silent.

Elena paused for a moment, as if expecting the young man to say something, then she could take the cue to say something in turn. But the silent silence from Zheng Qing turned her expectations gradually into disillusion.

The witch’s lips curled into a bitter smile as she turned back to watch the furry clusters hanging from the branches, murmuring softly to herself, ”You’re not a cat, you don’t understand how a cat thinks... just like I’m not a good student, I don’t know how a good student utilizes their talents.”

”Wishing to know the unknowable, achieving the impossible... these are tasks only magic can accomplish.”

”...People are different from each other.”

”At First University, there are some who complete their registered wizard qualifications by their junior year, but they stay on campus because they want to build connections, strengthen their foundations, and walk further on the path of wizardry; while others stay obediently in the academy until their senior year because all they can do is follow the established path.”

”And there are those who can’t leave the school even in their fifth or sixth year.” Zheng Qing moved to the witch’s side, standing shoulder to shoulder with her, adding, ”Every year, there are no shortage of students who fail and take remedial exams in the academy.”

The Gypsy witch couldn’t help but laugh, her smile seemingly lighting up the entire Cat Fruit Tree, as the furry fruits on the branches simultaneously shivered their ears and opened their eyes.

”Nicholas certainly wouldn’t like to hear that,” the witch quipped, tilting her head and glancing at the young man, ”But you didn’t come here late at night just to make these cheeky remarks.”

Zheng Qing suddenly realized the task he carried.

”Li Meng just fainted over there, a wizard from the school just came and checked, and seeing you here, asked me to take you back for a brief statement.” Anticipating the witch’s concern, Zheng Qing further explained, ”Assistant Hilda is responsible for the investigation report, and she’s currently gone to Lin Zhong Lake to ask the Fishmen. She instructed me to take you to the office to record your statement.”

”Li Meng fainted?” Elena’s expression was very calm, her tone not showing the slightest surprise, ”It was bound to happen... didn’t she faint many times last semester?”

Zheng Qing’s face showed a touch of distress, ”That’s the strangest part. After all, we haven’t heard of her fainting for a long time, and just now her face was extremely pale, as if she has lost too much blood...”

A flicker of unease appeared in the eyes of the Gypsy witch.

”Have you informed Jiang Yu about this?” she interrupted the young cost student’s analysis, reminding him.

A chill ran through Zheng Qing.

”Yikes, I almost forgot!” He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a green piece of stationery, then a feather pen, and hastily sketched the incident against the rough bark of the Cat Fruit Tree, explaining to the witch, ”An old school worker had asked me to notify Jiang Yu... I just heard you were here, got a bit anxious and forgot.”

This kind of silent flattery often touched hearts more than many cloying sweet nothings.

”Let’s get to the office first, we shouldn’t delay important matters.” The witch’s lips held a hint of a smile as she extended her hand to naturally take Zheng Qing’s arm.

Zheng Qing was pulled along, his footsteps awkward as he followed behind her.

In the night, fragments of conversation drifted between the warlock and the witch:

”Why didn’t you go to the library today?”

”I wasn’t in the mood.”

”What are you doing under the Cat Fruit Tree?”

”That tree is called the Cat Fruit Tree? I just found the cats very interesting...”

”One hundred percent support your perspective! I dare say the sound of a cat snoring is the most healing sound in the world.”

”Then why don’t you keep a cat as a pet, instead of the Little Fox?”

”...That, is a very complicated, very complicated matter.”